Decoding the Canine Code: Inside the Mind of a Livestock Guardian Dog
"So in today's video, we are going to Journey Inside the Mind of a livestock Guardian dog and figure out how they see the world." This insightful exploration promised to unravel the unique perspective of these dedicated farm protectors, a journey made possible with a camera worn by one of the stars. Today's video was also brought to viewers by Hungryroot. "You're going to wear your camera today, okay?"
For newcomers to the Gold Shaw Farm, the speaker provided a brief introduction to their canine team. "So folks who've been watching our farm for a while probably going to be sick of hearing me say this Spiel, but for those of you who are new, let me just say that here on our farm, we actually have two livestock Guardian dogs." There was Toby dog, the five-year-old OG, and Abby dog, the three-year-old embodiment of "chaotic good." Both played crucial roles in safeguarding the farm's feathered residents. "In particular, their main job here on the farm is to protect all of our Birds. Good morning Birds! How's everybody doing this morning? Good to see you guys!"
The importance of these guardians was highlighted, especially concerning the coop. "You know, particularly when you look at like a coupe like this, right? It's a wonderful design because it keeps the birds warm in the winter, and then in the summer months, I can actually grow food for the birds in here, but the one bad thing about a coupe like this is the fact that a lot of different Predators could sneak in." Bobcats, foxes, coyotes, mink, and even bears posed potential threats. "But our dogs basically act as the Apex predator here on our farm, and they create this protective bubble to ensure that all of my birds stay safe while they're on their livestock Guardian dog Duty." The morning routine involved the birds' release. "Release the quacken! Come on everybody, let's go! Come on, Abs, lead the way!" followed by feeding and watering. "All right, it's time to feed you guys. Come on. All right, now we're turning on the water. You ready for the water, Abby? Look, Abby, it's water! You got water here!" Abby's fascination with water was a stark contrast to Toby's indifference. "Abby loves water for so some reason, she's always fascinated with and likes to play with water. Toby doesn't really care much about it, but for Abby, it's like fun time."
This difference in water preference hinted at the broader personality variations between the two dogs. "Toby dog is like the prototypical behavior of a livestock Guardian dog. He's just very relaxed, very calm. Abby, meanwhile, it's kind of more of a companion dog, I feel like she has more companion dog genetics in my opinion versus Toby dog." Toby's lineage was described as "stone-cold straight-up working dog lines," while Abby, despite being the same Maremma breed, exhibited drastically different traits. "Even though they're both the same breed of dog, their personalities and behaviors and really everything about them is drastically different, almost in a lot of ways, Polar Opposites."
The Maremma breed, an Italian livestock guardian dog closely related to Kuvasz and Great Pyrenees, was originally bred to protect sheep from wolves in Italy. They have proven to be excellent poultry guardians, which was the primary reason for their presence on the farm. "These days, they actually make outstanding poultry Guardians. That was actually one of the main reasons why why I use them to protect my poultry." The speaker recounted their past predator problems and how a friend's Maremmas led them to acquire Toby, a pup from Toby's father's litter, back in the winter of 2019. "It's hard to believe this back in the winter of 2019, so it was like, I think it was like right after Thanksgiving 2019, and looking back on it now, it's like hard to believe that Toby dog wasn't actually on our farm because he's such an institution."
Toby's routine perimeter walk and scent marking were highlighted as crucial aspects of his protective behavior. "And now, please watch as an institution pees on a fence post, which if you're thinking about the psychology and Mind of a livestock Guardian dog, that right there, what Toby's doing is an important activity." This urination created a protective "bubble," alerting potential predators like coyotes to his presence. "So essentially, he pees, and that pee is part of what creates that protective bubble. So, for example, like a coyote is going to smell that pee and know that a very big dog like to dog is wandering around, and that coyote is just going to continue on its way because it doesn't want to mess with a dog like Toby." The speaker noted Toby's reliance on intimidation rather than direct confrontation. "And honestly, I've actually never seen Toby fight another animal, you know, in the five years or so he's been here, he has always used intimidation, barking, peeing, those types of behaviors are what really kept the bird safe, not going out there and like fighting with wild animals." A single mole kill seemed to be an anomaly.
The contrast with Abby's behavior was stark. While Toby maintained a distant patrol, Abby remained close. "But again, looking at that psychology, right? So Toby dog is like probably almost 100 yards away from me now at this point, and Abby dog is less than 2 feet away, and that's because she's a little bit of a Velcro dog." Despite this companionable nature, Abby had a higher prey drive, evidenced by her dispatching rodents and, early in her training, a chicken. "But if we're actually cing up her count, she actually has a lot more notches on her collar than Toby dog does." The speaker attributed the chicken incident more to their own training oversight.
The general lack of prey drive in livestock guardian dogs was emphasized as a key characteristic. "You know, part of what makes lifestyle Guardian dogs such great animals in general for a farmer Homestead is they have had their prey drive bred out of them." This contrasted with herding breeds like Border Collies, which retain strong predatory instincts. Abby, despite her occasional "chaotic good," generally coexisted peacefully with the birds.
A segue into a relatable farm problem – a nagging, easily fixable but perpetually delayed repair of a cracked hose – provided an opportunity to introduce the video's sponsor, Hungryroot. The convenience of Hungryroot, delivering tailored healthy groceries, was highlighted as a significant time-saver for busy individuals like the speaker. "You know, with all the things I have going on these days, finding the time to do things like grocery shopping is becoming harder and harder, and so the convenience factor of hungry root is how it helps me out in a big, big way." The service was likened to having a personal shopper and nutritionist. The speaker emphasized the ease of preparing quick, nutritious meals with Hungryroot ingredients, especially during Vermont's off-season for fresh produce. An exclusive offer for Gold Shaw Farm viewers, including a discount and a free item for life, was announced, along with a QR code for easy access.
The focus then shifted back to the farm and its hungry goat residents. "And speaking of hungry, looks like we got some hungry gat on our hands! Morning boys! How are you doing? Come on fellas, let's go! Got a couple of fala PS for you today, and here's some hay for you to munch through." Abby's interactions with the goats revealed a different dynamic compared to her relationship with the poultry. "So one of the interesting things I've noticed is how Abby responds to the goats. You know, actually one of the differences with livestock Guardian dogs and poultry is they don't ever try to think of the poultry as like their pack, but when it comes to smaller animals that are more like dogs like goats, they tend to exhibit a lot more doglike Behavior with those other animal animal." Abby's initial attempts to assert dominance over the goats had been met with resistance, leading to improved behavior. Her fondness for exploring the space under the goat house was also noted.
The speaker briefly left Abby to supervise the goats, returning to check on her progress. "All right, let's see how Abby dog does supervising the goats for a few minutes alone. Babby dog, how'd you do supervising your goat friends? Okay, did you do pretty good here? I'm giving them fresh water. Okay, Larn, you get some water. Hang on."
Next on the agenda were cattle chores, requiring the assistance of both dogs. "All right, Abby dog, are you ready to do cattle chores next? Let's go pick up Toby dog first. Come on, Toby dog! Abby was doing goat chores with me, you were doing bird super R Vision by yourself, now we're all as a team going to visit the cattle. Let's go!" The speaker emphasized their perception of the dogs and even the barn cats as part of the farm team. "And yes, I do genuinely feel like Toby dog and Abby dog or my team, like the livestock is the livestock, but the dogs, as well as our barn cats like Pablo Barn cat, they're actually part of the team." The dogs' closest bonds were with the speaker and their wife. While Abby interacted with the goats, she didn't see them as companions. Toby's constant scent marking reinforced his territorial ownership.
The goats' differing reactions to Toby and Abby were observed. Their wariness of Abby's rambunctiousness contrasted with their indifference to Toby's scent marking. The speaker acknowledged that the marking and barking behaviors were essential aspects of having a livestock guardian dog, even if they might seem undesirable to some.
The cattle's behavior was then observed. Betty Rubble's playful interaction with the water hose caused a minor disruption. Toby's knowledge of how to enter the cattle yard, unlike Abby's patient waiting, highlighted their different approaches. "You'll also notice Toby dog knows how to sneak into the cattle yard. Abby dog does not, and so she's waiting like a good girl for me to let her in. Come on, girl, let's go in!" Once inside, a respectful coexistence between the dogs and cattle was evident.
The speaker suspected that Baby B, a Highland heifer, was in heat, based on Astred's mounting behavior and the bull's vocalizations. The open status of Baby B and the uncertain pregnancy of Astred were mentioned.
The speaker addressed the past criticism they had received for allowing their dogs to live outside year-round, emphasizing that it was the breed's natural inclination and that the dogs were well-cared for with grooming, vet visits, and adequate shelter. "I used to get a lot of hate on the internet because I let my dogs live outside 24/7, 365 days of the year, and people would often see this on social media and think I was like neglecting them, but the reality is this is what they were born and bred to do. They actually like being outside."
Evening feeding time highlighted Abby's food-stealing tendencies, requiring extra vigilance from the speaker. Pablo the barn cat's attempts to pilfer dog food also added to the chaos. The speaker's clumsiness was humorously acknowledged. The feeding order, with Abby receiving her food first, was explained by Toby's refusal to eat otherwise.
A viewer's question about Bean the duck was answered with a visual confirmation of Bean's well-being. The still-unrepaired leaky hose was noted. The speaker continued to monitor Abby's food-stealing attempts.
The mischievous goats were then locked up for the night, followed by a check on the weird chickens. The final stop was the cattle, where the absence of ice in the water trough was a welcome surprise due to the warmer temperatures. Macho Man's agitated state, likely due to a cow in heat (suspected to be Baby B or Buffy), was observed. Abby's evening rounds as a watchful guardian concluded the farm tour.
The speaker concluded with a hopeful note about providing further insights into the mind of a farm dog, perhaps through a winter campout video.