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| At Foot Flats Farm we use Pyrenees/Maremma
guard dogs to protect our flock from predation. Our dogs are raised
with the sheep and once put to work, come to identify with the herd
and guard it as their job. They bond with the flock and stand guard
over it, barking and behaving aggressively to deter predators. |
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| We currently graze on around 900 acres, some of which is up to six km from the farm - this would be impossible without the extensive use of our guard dogs. Ten years ago we were skeptical of how guard dogs might work – today we can’t imagine our operation without them. We raise a litter of pups each year, which bond with sheep as soon as they become mobile. Pups are for sale at eight weeks of age and older. Semi-trained or fully trained dogs may also be available. Contact us for availability and pricing. One of our original guard dogs, “Varden”, now has over 30 descendants protecting flocks across Ontario and in the northeastern United States. Conservatively, the family must be saving at least 300 animals from the coyotes each year, let alone the stress and injury saved in flocks. |
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Over the years we have noticed a “honeymoon period” – for the first one or two years after a block is newly fenced with electric fence, the coyotes appear to be wary and do not bother the sheep. However in year two or three the problems will start. Increasingly the coyotes appear to hunt more in family groups
or packs. A friend of ours has actually witnessed this –
a guard dog was lured away by a coyote whilst its friend or friends
attacked and killed sheep at the other end of the field. We now
find we have to run guard dogs in pairs or even groups of three
or four in the larger fields. |
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As an additional strategy
we have undertaken a wildlife damage control project with the
Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association. OSCIA funded the
fencing of 65 acres with a coyote deterrent fence; in three seasons
the area has suffered no losses from coyotes. |
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In
the winter the island is linked to the mainland by ice and for
up to three month the coyotes travel regularly on and off the
island. Inevitably we are left with a resident coyote population
each year when the ice goes out. Potential predation pressure
seems to vary a little each year and we think depends on factors
such as overall coyote population, individuals (some individuals
or groups appear to be much more aggressive on livestock) and
natural prey base. 