Tips from experts

Some additional LGD tips from members of the Great Pyrenees Club of Southern Ontario:

Do get dogs from a recognized kennel ■ club. Getting them from farmers or backyard breeders leads to disaster since it is about genetics and proper upbringing as pups. You can get aggression to humans, otherwise. However, just because both parents work does not guarantee a dog who wants to work.

It’s actually fine to have them at the

■ house, especially for grooming. These dogs must be groomed to keep their coats mat free and allow the air to flow through so they are able to stay cool. They must be socialized to people. People must be able to handle these dogs in the case of grooming and vet care. It won’t change their outlook on watching over their livestock if they’re away from their herd for a couple of hours a week.

Dogs per acre: There are variables,

■ such as numbers of head of livestock, terrain and grazing habits of sheep. If you have many livestock, you’ll need more dogs on 400-500 acres and, with fewer acres, fewer dogs.

If the terrain is treed, hilly and/or rocky, you’ll need more dogs since there would be more places for predators to hide. Some breeds tend to spread out separately and others graze close together. If they graze close together, you won’t need as many LGDs. If they spread out, you’ll need more dogs.

SOURCE: AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB/WIKIPEDIA Other livestock guard dog breeds are, from left, Maremma sheepdog, Anatolian shepherd and Akbash sheepdog.

COURTESY OF DENNIS LOXTON/GREAT PYRENEES CLUB OF SOUTHERN ONTARIO Guardian dogs like this Great Pyrenees have been genetically refined to protect livestock.