From familiar breeds like the Border Collie, Corgi, and Dachshund to the lesser-known Akbash, Puli, and Hovawart - Farm Dogs includes 93 in-depth breed profiles of livestock guardians, herders, terriers, and traditional multipurpose farm dogs.
Highlighting the tasks each dog is best suited for and describing its physical characteristics and temperament - you will gain a deeper understanding of our canine working partners.
Whether you are looking for a farmhand or a dog for a rural lifestyle, you are sure to find the perfect choice among these highly intelligent, independent, or energetic breeds.
“Livestock Guardians, by Jan Dohner, is a comprehensive guide for farmers struggling to reduce predation of sheep, goats, and other livestock. Dohner, who has more than 26 years of experience with guardian animals, helps owners understand the keys to effective livestock protection: careful selections of the right guardian animal, proper guardian livestock bonding, dedicated training, and ongoing problem-solving.” -American Small Farm
"This is a thorough reference book, one to keep on your shelf. The author shares with you her vast experience with guardian dogs, and all that is necessary to know, before you seek one out. But don’t forget the llamas and donkeys that can be very effective guards, and are preferred by other farmers for their own reasons." - Farming with Carnivores Network
Details how to provide nonlethal predator control for your poultry and stock from fencing and other disruptive techniques to the pros and cons of dogs, donkeys, or llamas as livestock guardians - including 31 breeds of LGDs.
Also includes how to select the guardian animal and breed for your needs, beginning to advanced training echniques,promoting that special bond between guardian animal and livestock, and troubleshooting problems.
“The Encyclopedia’s wide survey of endangered farm animals should be ranked with Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. While Ms. Dohner is not devoting many pages to preaching or lecturing us, the sheer numbers and obvious merits of the breeds she mentions make a powerful call for our attention and for action.”—Stephen Green-Armytrage, author of Extraordinary Chickens
“Most educated people know about the decline of wild biodiversity, but few are aware of the parallel tragedy in breeds of livestock. This fine book will help to correct that and also provide an important resource for all of those concerned with the future of animal agriculture.”—Paul R. Ehrlich, co-author of Wild Solutions, Bing Professor of population studies and President of the Center for Conservation Biology, Stanford University; Author of Human Natures: Genes, Cultures, and the Human Prospect
“This handsome book . . . contains a wealth of information. . . . Dohner has provided a book that is important reading for poultry scientists. . . . As a graduate student, a professor suggested to me that there was much to learn about style from reading the works of authors who have a way with the written word. Dohner would be a fine model. To write an encyclopedia that is a fun read is no small accomplishment.”—Paul B. Siegel, Poultry Science