Ever since we started Meat Goat Blog, we've made it our mission to give our fellow goat ranchers the resources they need to have a great herd. Now we're going a step further by offering a free directory of available Livestock Guardian Dogs for sale.
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Livestock Guardian Dogs are our favorite way to defend a goat herd from predators like coyotes, wolves, cougars, and thieves. If you are new to the goat business, we usually suggest finding someone who has an adult, working Livestock Guardian Dog for sale. After you have a leader for your herd, then find Livestock Guardian Pups like Anatolian, Great Pyrenees, Akbash, or Komondor. In our experience, there is little difference between a registered or cross Livestock Guardian Dog within breeds that naturally have guardian instincts. However, purebred dogs typically have a higher sale value than crosses.
While there is no way to know their true value until they are grown, most working Livestock Guardian Pups sell for between $50 to $400. Once they are grown, the price largely depends on how desperate you are to stop losing livestock versus how desperate the owner is to stop buying dog food. Prices usually start at $500 for a grown Livestock Guardian Dog and go up from there. When you're in a fix, an overpriced Livestock Guardian Dog can still be cheaper than a couple dead animals.
It is usually easier to integrate Livestock Guardian Pups into the pack than adults. When Livestock Guardian Dogs are introduced later in life, they can view each other as threats to the herd and try to run each other off.
Questions to ask the seller:
How much have you handled the pups?
Livestock Guardian Pups can be "spoiled" and turned into pets if they are played with too much. We have had the best experience buying pups whose mother guards the livestock while raising them. The younger the pup, the lower the likelihood that they have been spoiled.
Do you have any male/female Livestock Guardian Dogs for sale?
Depending on your goal, male or female Livestock Guardian Dogs may be preferable. If your sole concern is livestock protection, either sex will be fine (although we have had the best luck with neutered males). But if you plan to raise pups, do not buy a male and a female from the same breeder unless they are entirely unrelated to each other.
How do the parents act around people?
While you don't want a Livestock Guardian Dog that is a complete pet, they need to be 'civilized' enough to respect humans. At the same time, if your Livestock Guardian Dog isn't assertive, they will be a minimal deterrent against thieves or poachers.
What age are the Livestock Guardian Dogs?
When buying Livestock Guardian Pups, the 'golden age' is between 8 to 10 weeks. Any younger and you risk emotional imbalances once they're grown (eg. easily frightened or skittish). Any older and your new Livestock Guardian Dog may have made a habit of playing with siblings instead of guarding the herd (depending on the environment). Given the choice between too old or too young, the dangers for a dog that is too old are much less severe.
Livestock Guardian Dogs usually become useful members of the pack at 2 - 3 years old and start slowing down around 8 - 9 years old (though they may still be alive past this age). Keep this in mind as you decide how much a working adult is worth.