Guard dog behaviour is the behaviour of dogs maintained to protect livestock, property or people, and in its livestock-guarding form it is organised around attendance on the herd: guardian dogs spend a high proportion of their time accompanying the livestock they are kept to guard and confront predators that approach closely, vocalising and moving away from the stock to challenge incursions [1]. Whether protection also depends on defence of a territory enclosing the stock, rather than repulsion at close range, remains contested [1][2]. The bond between dog and guarded animals is not automatic, and attendance, hence protection, varies with the strength of that bond [3].
- guard dog behaviour
- livestock guardian dogs
- attendance
- territorial defence
- predation
Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies • Small Animals • Veterinary • Health Sciences
References
- Linda van Bommel; Chris N. Johnson; How guardian dogs protect livestock from predators: territorial enforcement by Maremma sheepdogs. Wildl. Res. 2015, 41, 662-672, 10.1071/wr14190.
- Lee R. Allen; Ninian Stewart-Moore; Damian Byrne; Benjamin L. Allen; Guardian dogs protect sheep by guarding sheep, not by establishing territories and excluding predators. Anim. Prod. Sci. 2016, 57, 1118-1127, 10.1071/an16030.
- R A McKellar; T L Kreplins; P A Fleming; Chicken’s best friend? Livestock guardian dog bonding with free-ranging chickens. Transl. Anim. Sci. 2023, 7, txad014, 10.1093/tas/txad014.