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LGDs and nonpredatory wildlife When choosing LGDs to manage predators in your livestock operation, you must also consider their effects on nonpredatory wildlife. For many, this wildlife is integral to a sheep or goat produc- er’s income stream. Some wildlife may also have state or federal protection against harassment under the Endangered Species Act or similar stat- ues. Negative guard dog impact on wildlife could have serious economic and legal consequences for the livestock operation. If you or neighbors suspect your dogs of killing nonpredatory wildlife, you must carefully identify the culprit before assigning blame. Although well-trained dogs are unlikely to harass nonpredatory wildlife, you must be aware of the possibility in order to correct them. ▶ Deer On many sheep and goat operations, fee hunting for whitetail deer is an important revenue source. Small numbers of guard dogs have been docu- mented to chase, harass, and kill deer. In these instances, the guard dog has identified the deer as a trespasser. If this behavior cannot be corrected, the dog might need to be removed or restrained from specific areas at certain times of the year. On the other hand, dogs that do not interfere with deer and keep predators away provide a safe haven for deer to rear their offspring (Fig. 8). Recent reports indicate that captive deer breeders are using LGDs to decrease predation of fawns. ▶ Small Game Small game such as rabbits, squirrels, etc., can have economic value, but they can also be harassed by LGDs or even eaten as a food. Many predators rely on this small game as their pri- mary food source and removal this food source may cause predators to focus attention on live- stock for food, when otherwise they might not. ▶ Gamebirds Bobwhites, turkeys, doves, and other game birds are important to fee hunting operations on agri- cultural lands in Texas. While doves might easily escape LGD harassment, ground-nesting birds such as quails and turkeys cannot. If stressed repeatedly by LGDs, these game birds can suffer decreased immune system health and even die. Females that are incubating nests in the summer may abandon their nests if disturbed by dogs. This reduces annual bird production and hunting opportunities. Conversely, guardian dogs that do not disturb game birds might reduce predation and improve recruitment of their offspring. ▶ Threatened and endangered species concerns Although unlikely in most of Texas, LGDs may harass or harm wildlife that is protected under the Endangered Species Act. In some regions of the country, this is already a significant chal- lenge to livestock producers. In the western por- tion of Texas where sheep and goat production is greatest, several species are currently listed as threatened or endangered, with more under consideration. To avoid legal problems, con- sult a wildlife biologist about where protected species might live on your property, if interac- tion with your dogs is a possibility, and how to prevent your dogs from interfering with them. Conversely, LGDs could reduce predation on endangered species. In Australia, guardian dogs are used to protect threatened seabird colonies from predation and are credited with increases in penguins and Australasian gannets. ▶ Varmints Varmints such as raccoons and opossums, etc., often become an overabundant nuisance for both ranchers and LGDs. This happens most Figure 8. This guardian dog found a newborn fawn hid- den in tall grass. The guardian dog provided a safe haven for the deer. In other situations, guardian dogs may prey on newborn fawns. How a dog behaves depends on the dog and its environment during the bonding phase. Photo provided by Double A Ranch 7