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Health care for LGDs should be planned carefully in consultation with a licensed veterinarian and include scheduled vaccinations, deworming, and heartworm prevention. You should also control external parasites, such as fleas and ticks. Consider rattlesnake vaccines as added protection for LGDs because they are more likely to encounter rattle- snakes than normal pets. Some breeds of guard dogs require grooming to prevent matted coats and heat stress. On occasion, a dog will need help removing porcupine quills. Longevity is one of the most important ways to reduce LGD cost—good health care is essential. Additionally, do not let guard dogs eat carcasses. If guardian dogs consume diseased meat, their feces can indirectly infect livestock with diseases such as sheep measles resulting in carcass condemnation. Limitations when using LGDs Using guardian dogs limits your ability to use other predator protection measures, such as snares and M44s. However, many producers find that that guard dog benefits outweigh the limitations. In addition, if they respect the boundary fence, you can use lethal protection strategies outside the LGD area. Ideally, an effective guard dog program would preclude the need for other control methods. However, some producers still prefer to use snares for predators in combination with LGDs. Dogs that are caught in snares usually survive if the snares are checked daily. This strategy is risky though, considering the cost and effort needed to train guardian dogs. We recommend conditioning dogs to snares in a controlled setting before using them in the field. You may want to use nonlethal snares during the training period. Cost of LGDs Most sheep and goat producers consider their guard dogs an asset to the operation; however, there are significant costs associated with them. Estimated first-year cost for a new guard dogs is at least $1,000. Annual costs thereafter are about $500. Figure 7 shows the importance of LGD longevity of service. The cost of LGD for the initial 3 years is high because of the purchase cost and because they provide lim- ited protection the first year. However, by the time they are 5 years old a guardian dog only has to save 5 lambs per year to cover its cost. Though consider- able, no value is assigned to the peace of mind and increased shepherd longevity that a successful LGD program can provide. Local breeders and veteri- narians can give you a more accurate assessment of guard dog costs in your area. These costs are often small compared to losses from predation, not to mention the value of peace of mind. Figure 7. Effect of LGD longevity on average annual cost and breakeven additional lambs weaned. Assumes little LGD value for first year—values reflect the end of the sec- ond and succeeding years. LGD cost is $1,000 the first year, $500 each succeeding year. Lambs are valued at $140 each. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 123456 78910 Breakeven additional lambs weanedLGD cost/yr ($)LGD years of service LGD average cost/yr. Breakeven additional lambs weaned 6 Figure 6. Dogs are attracted to animals at parturition and provide added protection when small ruminants are most susceptible to predation. Photo provided by Brian Payne