by Ray Fauteux

Created on: December 03, 2008

When dogs attack livestock they can cause damage on several levels. Of course there is the financial cost involved when livestock is injured or killed, but there is also emotional damage to consider as well. For example, a homesteader who loves to go out every morning to gather fresh eggs from the hen house can become very distraught upon finding that a neighbors dog has killed or maimed many of their hens.

Many people who are new to country living have no idea how much damage their dogs can do if allowed to run loose. Dogs will charge after livestock for fun. Soon the fun will turn to aggressive behavior. If a sheep runs from a dog, then the dog will give chase. Then they will start to nip and bite at the livestock. Unlike a coyote attack for instance, a dog attack can go on for a long time. This in turn will stress the livestock much more and often results in severe mutilation. Often owners will find sheep and goats with bite marks all over their bodies.

However there are steps that can be taken to protect your livestock from dogs. First of all find out what your legal rights are. In some states for instance, you are within right to shoot and kill any dog that is attacking your livestock. Of course many people would not want to do this, but still you can use the law to your advantage. If you have neighbors who own a dog that is attacking your livestock you can arrange a meeting with them and discuss the situation. They may take positive steps right away or they may insist that their dog would never do what you accuse it of. If at all possible, try and photograph or video tape a dog being aggressive toward your livestock. This in itself might be enough to convince the owners of the offending dog to take steps to stop the attacks. If nothing else, the evidence will back you up in court should you have to actually kill the offending dog.

However, that should be your last resort.

Fencing might help, but does little good if your livestock is wandering over a large area. It would simply be too costly to construct a fence that would deter predators. It's a different matter if you are protecting a smaller area like a hen house or a sheep pen. In that case, your best bet would be an electric fence. Determined dogs will find a way to get over, under, or through most other types of fencing.

The best alternative might be to consider obtaining a livestock guardian to look after your animals.

For thousands of years, guardian dogs have been an integral part of agriculture. Some

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