Comments on: Can A Pit Bull Act As A Livestock Protection Dog?

By: dondi

dondi — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:55:08 +0000

great article IMO. people think they know what a pitbull is but they think fat blue mutt. I have yet to see a litter of +65 pound APBT’s.
maybe a good livestock protection dog will pop up once in a while, but don’t expect a gamebred dog not to do what its meant to do, holding and shaking; They got too much preydrive for that job . Like you said it’s in the genes.

regards

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:49:03 +0000

Great article and great comments! Pit Bulls seem like they are VERY trainable Dogs. And they definitely LOVE their humans! If you want one, please adopt one. There are too many wonderful dogs (especially Pits) that get put down.

By: Pham Thanh Ha

Pham Thanh Ha — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 02:42:50 +0000

Dear Sir/Madams

Now, I want to buy a pitt bull about 2 months.

Can you help me ??

Your sincerelly

Pham Thanh Ha

By: Leda

Leda — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 23:14:18 +0000

People should read this.

By: Brooke

Brooke — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 18:27:05 +0000

Pit bulls have commonly been used as farm/ranch dogs and family dog as well as fighting dogs in the past and they excel in more tasks than any other breed. The only issue that I can see with a pitbull being a guard dog/livestock protector is that they were bread to LOVE people and they do not like being separated from their owners.
Pitbulls (modern ones) were breed to fight other dogs not any other animals (unless the individual dog was trained for it)

By: Larry

Larry — Tue, 06 May 2008 23:11:07 +0000

I think if a pit bull was raised to see the sheep as his “pack” he would never attack them later in life, even when unattended.

My biggest concern would be based on what kind of predators they are defending against, and how the pit bull would go about the defense. Allow me to explain…

I’ve watched a group of pyrenes frighten a bear away from a flock of sheep. The way they did it is the smart way — they grouped together, kept their distance, and made a lot of noise. If a pitbull was the guardian, I would be concerned that the PB would actually ATTACK the bear. And unless there are several dogs helping him, and he waits for their help before attacking (pack hunting instict), there’s a REAL good chance the PB would lose the fight. At best, he’s going to get injured badly.

Now, PB vs. coyote or wolf? The make a lot of noise tactic is still a wiser move, but at least the PB would have a chance of winning that fight.

But I don’t think you’d have to worry about a pit bull attacking the sheep if the PB was raised with them, and sees them as his pack.