Livestock Guardian Dog Training Program
As an added service, we offer Livestock Guardian Dog (LGD) training to buyers who purchase a puppy from us—the same program our adult dogs complete. The results are proven: gentle, vigilant, well-adjusted dogs that bond deeply with their livestock, working solo or as a team to patrol and deter predators. They learn to handle livestock aggression, behave appropriately with both young and elderly animals, and develop the skills needed for a lifelong career as devoted guardians of their flocks and herds. Guided by the seasoned adult LGDs in their pack, these rambunctious puppies mature into focused working dogs with a singular purpose: to protect their bonded "pack." Is training them challenging? Yes and no. It demands time—typically 8-12 months under ideal conditions before they’re ready to work independently. With experienced adult LGDs as mentors, they may lead their own pack by age one. Without such guidance, it can take up to two years to fully trust them in their role.
Program Details
Under our program, your "pupil" will receive full feed, board, and training, along with access to emergency medical care as needed. Our veterinarian lives just five minutes away, with his clinic only ten minutes down the road. Your Livestock Guardian Dog (LGD) puppy will benefit from constant supervision by adult LGDs, 24/7, 365 days a year, as well as daily training and socialization with our human trainers, tailored to their needs.
We employ a guided, hybrid training approach. Early on, human interaction and supervised training are more intensive to ensure puppies adjust to the LGD pack and learn to safely interact with livestock. This can range from an hour to a full workday, depending on the puppy and factors like weather, season, or moon cycles. We regularly monitor new pupils day and night, stepping in only when necessary as they gain confidence, while always keeping a watchful eye. As part of our pack, they become part of our family.
Our program exposes LGD puppies to a variety of livestock—cows, sheep, chickens, and pigs—though we focus primarily on the animals you intend them to guard. Occasionally, we introduce our pet dogs to the pasture, allowing the working LGDs to distinguish between "family pets" and their duties. This socialization reduces the risk of your LGD harming your beloved pets—a common issue with unsocialized LGDs.
By the program's end, your LGD will be trained to respect hotwire and woven wire fencing, live on the pasture full-time, stay with the herd or flock, bark at predators, mark their territory, and handle young and elderly livestock with care. We also address food aggression, teach basic recall, and introduce leash training. While LGDs don’t typically excel at formal obedience, we find these skills minimize feeding-time conflicts and make handling easier. For instance, a dog that can "come" or "go" on command (when willing) and tolerates a leash simplifies vet visits—no one wants to wrestle a 140-pound LGD for routine care!
So what's it cost?
Under one program we offer several different terms and fees. Do you need to board your puppy for a period of time before you're ready to pick it up? We can do that and they'll receive the best training they possibly can. Do you want us to take all the work off your hands and turn out a fully trained LGD ready to take on the challenges of your pasture's livestock and predators? We've got an annual contract for that. Whether for a week or a year, or anything in between, we've got you covered.
For the year of 2025 our terms and pricing are as follows:
Weekly: $35 per week (prorated $5/day)
Monthly: $140 per month ($4.667/day)
Quarterly: $400 for 3 months ($4.445/day)
6 Months: $775 for 6 months ($4.305/day)
Annually: $1500 for 1 year ($4.109/day)
If you need more flexible terms we can offer those. Let's say you want 45 days or 300. We will prorate the fee based on the closest terms, rounded down. 300 days would be prorated at the 6 month rate of $4.305/day. 1 year and 10 days would be prorated at the annual rate of $4.109/day.
For more details on our program feel free to reach out with questions or look at our LGD Boarding, Feeding, and Training Contract at the link below.