Livestock Guardian Dog Females

When I think of Jesse, the first things the come to mind are intelligence, drive and work ethic; with a bit of a mischief and stubborn sprinkled in. Jesse is certainly one of the favorite working dogs here at Lucky Creek, she is a patrol dog and will move ahead, around and out of eye sight but not ear shot of the herd. She pretty much single handedly ruined deer hunting on the property as well as an adjacent one which the owner was none to pleased about with her patrols and pursuits. She is an exceptionally alert dog, that is very very active during the night, earilly so at times, to, as a human be conducting farm business in the dead of night and see a creepy pair of luminescent eyes staring at you from the distance. Only to further investigate and realize it's just Jesse keeping tabs on the nightly going's on and not some predator planning an ambush from the perimeter.

She is by far one of the most dedicated to work dogs that reside here on the farm, she has an excellent nose that has led her to jump bedded down deer on more than one occasion and a very inquisitive nature that lends her to following her nose. In a fenced pasture where her ability to extend her range is limited, I could not ask for a better LGD, unrestricted she roams a bit further than I like on patrol. The best pairing for her as always been another LGD that will not wander from the herd (like Bullseye) to keep her grounded. The addition of Jesse was for the purpose of providing more drive to protect while taking some size off our LGD's to add a bit of speed and agility and make a dog that is better suited for the environment and topography here on this farm. She has provided us with 2 litters and will take the next two years off of whelping while we evaluate the abilities and attributes of her progeny. Thus far we have gotten slightly smaller males of around 95 to 105lbs that are better suited for following goats through brush and hostile terrain.

The primary predator in our area is coyotes (20-40lbs), followed closely by foxes (5-30lbs), and bobcats (15-30lbs) so a massive dog has proven to be less useful than a large and slightly quicker dog paired with another dog of equal attributes. Although it is now confirmed that cougars have begun the repopulate the area with the closest confirmed sighting (captured on trail camera) about 100 miles away; not far in terms of territory for a big cat. In the case of attempted predation by large cat like a cougar, even a 160lb dog will be killed in a 1v1 confrontation 99% of the time and that dog would likely lack the speed to catch or harass a cat carrying off smaller livestock post ambush. In these cases its going to be at least two dogs that can harass this predator away through barking and superior numbers.   More photos of Jessie.

Bo-Bo (LCR Target x LCR Jessie), just past 2 years old she proven herself to be a reliable working dog, bigger than her mom Jesse, but smaller than the typical female Great Pyrenees LGD; also quicker, more agile and eats less. She is attentive, well bonded to the herd and quick to sound the alert when something seems out of place. Her preferred style is to lay in the grass or shady tree line 20 or 30 yards from the herd and watch over them from there. She inherited a bit more prey drive from her mother than what is found in Target, accordingly she is not a "bird safe dog", she has no issues with cats, or other animals, but has on occasion felt it prudent to dispatch a chicken if it wanders into the pasture attempting to use the goat water trough. She is kid safe (human and goat), has no issues paling around in the pasture with my 4 year old daughter and is patient to a fault being handled by a child. There are no issues with aggression toward small humans, or actual livestock, but apparently is more likely than not to go after foul smaller than a turkey if opportunity presents itself. Her planned 2020 breeding will be "LCR Bullseye" with the intent of muting a bit of her prey drive whilst solidifying thickness of bone, structure, markings and protective instinct towards the herd.  

LCR Hannah will be missed, she was an excellent guardian, and provided years of dedicated service never losing a herd mate to predation. 

I sit and write this dedication for a lost companion, a guardian dog whose dedication was without measure.  Hannah you touched our hearts and we thank you for the time that we had on this earth with you. We thank you for all of the memories, the love that you gave us and protection you offered your herd. We will never forget that rain, sleet or snow you could be found diligently watching over your goats or how you would welcome us with a big "woof" into the pasture.

We will carry your memory with us, and we will always carry a special place in our hearts for you and all that we shared. We know that dogs have a soul and that your there in heaven watching over a flock of lambs.