I loved this podcast and it was the perfect time for me to listen to one about dog selection. We burried two labs this year, one just this past week. They were litter mates and absolute perfect dogs for our family. We are not quite ready to look for a new dog, but are heavy into the research mode. Our desire is to get a working/family dog that can do herd work with me every day. I could really use a dog to help me gather, move and load cattle. I work my cattle horseback, but it would sure be great to have a good working dog to help me everyday. So Adam what breeds do you recommend we look into and research? I would like a dog that will go out with me each day and be able to keep up for the miles of riding, move cattle and help me gather AND still be happy as a house dog too. Our dogs are always part of the family and we want a dog that will be very social too. It has been suggested we consider a competitive dog that is ready for retirement and a bit slower lifestyle. We would consider this option, my only concern would be the ability to become more relaxed and less high powered. After listening to you today it is clear we want a versatile dog, but require something that can be happy hanging out too. What do you say? Breeds or crosses we should consider?thanks for your input. I really enjoyed hearing your insights. Cheers!

After the goat episode there is a dog episode! My two favorite animals.
Adam knows dogs. As a long time dog enthusiast, breeder of champion and obedience titled dogs, trained bird dogs and devoted pets, I agreed with most of the information shared. His opinion on overbreeding and breeding for looks and conformation was spot on. I will disagree with mutts having fewer health and soundness issues. I’ve been a professional pet groomer for over 35 years and had my hands on every inch of thousands of dogs including most common breeds (a few rare breeds) and mixes out there. Unsound parents often produce unsound offspring regardless of pure or mix.
I was disappointed that Livestock Guardian Dogs were not discussed. Until I got my first LGD I thought my Collie/Heeler mix was the ultimate farm dog. She WAS the best farm dog ever, kids dog and companion but until we got a true Livestock guardian dog we had no idea the value of a dog bred for thousands of years to guard their livestock independent of their owners.
When we got into meat goats we kept hearing about guard animals to protect the kids from predators. We considered a guarding dog breed (we had a farm dog and two house dogs at the time) donkeys and and lhama but had the opportunity to to acquire 2 two-year old litter mates that had been working LGD.
We were AMAZED. At that time we had 20 nannies and these dogs chose to spend their time with the goats. If you saw goats, look around and those dogs will be somewhere nearby watching the herd. Our goats would spend all summer in a remote pasture miles from a farmstead and the LGD never left their charges. In 5 years we never lost a goat kid or a chicken to predators. We’ve not lost an ear of corn to raccoons and we live next to a creek!
People call me when they are loosing goat kids, I loan them a dog and it stops! I tell them get an LGD breed not a mix or a herding or guard breed that’s isn’t LGD. Often they ignore my advice and it doesn’t often work out.
Great Pyrenees, Komodor, Kuvasz, Anatolian Shepard (and a few others) are Livestock Guardian breeds. They are independent and not a push button protection/obedience working dog like a shepherd, Malinios, border collie and such.
We have 2 Great Pyr/Anatolian mixes. One stays with the stock 99% of the time. The other is basically a yard dog but helps when the goats kid (he LOVES the baby goats) and watches the skies. They go crazy when a hawk or buzzard flies over. They have taught my standard poodle to alert to Hawks.
A true working LGD is more bonded to his livestock then people. When raised as pets the are good guardians of home and children. Like all working dogs they need a job.
Jack please consider an interview with an experienced LGD owner/breeder of working dogs.