Welcome to Wilderdog’s new series on working dogs: Dogs with Jobs! There are probably more dog jobs out there than you thought, like the guy we’re talking about today: Huck. Huck is a livestock guardian dog (LGD) who lives and works on a homestead in rural Alberta, Canada, with his human, Jules. A homestead is a relatively isolated property, like a farm or ranch, that’s self-sufficient, which means that there’s lots of work to be done. Even by the dogs! Read on to learn all about Huck and his special connection with baby goats.
Hey, Jules! Can you tell us a bit about your homestead?
We've only been homesteading for a few years. We actually lived in Vancouver before moving, so we had a big adjustment, going from city life to rural farm life. We decided to make that life change during Covid. When we were both out of work, my boyfriend asked if I wanted to get backyard chickens for something to do and I jumped on the offer before he could take it back. So, we had seven chickens and we started a big garden. At the time, we had been looking to buy a house and decided to start looking for properties with acreage, so we could continue our adventures with self-sufficiency. [We] ended up buying in rural Alberta.
Tell us a bit about Huck!
Huck is a 3-year-old Maremma sheepdog. They’re a breed originally from Italy. He’s about 100 pounds.
How long has he been with you on your homestead?
Huck was the first animal we bought when we moved to our homestead [in 2021]. We knew we were getting goats [that would need protection from predators like coyotes] and there was a reputable breeder who had just had a litter, so we picked one out asap and we’re so lucky we ended up with Huck.
What does a livestock guardian do?
The work of a livestock guardian dog (LGD) is to keep their herd or flock protected from predators. The biggest part of their job is to deter [predators] from stepping foot on our property, just by having a loud presence. LGDs bark at every noise they hear and when they’re working in a team, one will run toward the noise to their boundary while the other stays back with the herd. Huck works together with our other dogs.
We’ve been very lucky not to have any coyotes even approach our property - we know they’re around; we hear them every night, but they’ve never bothered with our animals because we have LGDs who keep them away. If ever it came to physically protecting their animals, LGDs should have team members they can work with so that they aren’t stuck defending on their own - especially against pack animals like coyotes.
LGDs also have a defense mechanism built into their coats! The fur around their necks is extra thick so that a bite from another animal would have difficulty getting down to their skin.
How do you train a livestock guardian dog?
The biggest factor for training an LGD is to buy from reputable breeders - [partly because] training begins before you even bring them home from the breeder: They should be born and raised on a farm with their working parents, around farm animals, [and then] when you bring them home, they get introduced to their herds right away. They live with them day and night. Being raised alongside the herds they’ll be protecting is so crucial; they need to see those animals [as part of their families].
The most [training] work we did was to watch Huck extensively for the first few months and correct any unwanted behaviors, like chasing or nipping. We also walked him around the property several times a day, so that he knew the boundaries of his territory. Everything else comes down to instinct, which is [another reason that] it’s so important to buy from a reputable breeder.
Does he take his job seriously?
Yes and no. Huck is really incredible at [guarding]; his instincts to guard are so strong. He loves those goats so much and he will protect them so fiercely. At the same time, he doesn’t know he’s working; he’s just living his life day to day, hanging out with his goats and barking at noises. He’s just doing what he loves to do without being aware that he’s doing a job.
How has he surprised and/or impressed you over the years?
The first year we had baby goats, Huck wasn’t overly involved, but that didn’t shock me; he was only a year old. The next year that we had baby goats, Huck was so involved with each laboring mom and the newly born goats, I was genuinely so surprised. He dutifully guarded them during those first precious hours of life when they’re so vulnerable. He stops other goats from coming over [and] he even stops our other dogs from coming over. From Huck’s perspective, there’s no such thing as being too safe when you’re looking after newborn goats. I try to be out there for our goat births, but it’s really easy to miss them. [Thanks to Huck,] I don’t have to worry too much because I know Huck will be there with them, keeping them safe.
How many working dogs do you have on your homestead?
We have 2 LGDs, Huck and Haskap. They both live full-time with the goats. We have a third dog, Hibby, who is a mix of herding breeds, and she roams the rest of our property. She wasn’t supposed to be a working dog, but I think she learned a lot from Huck and Haskap when she was a puppy, and she likes to get involved when there’s something to bark at. She can hop our four-foot fences, so she gets in and out of the goat paddock all day long to play with Huck and Haskap, and if there’s something to chase off outside of the paddock, like a skunk or weasel. So, she’s like an honorary member of the LGD team.
Tell us about your relationship with Huck and his siblings.
We’re very friendly with our dogs. There are sources that say you shouldn’t get snuggly or play with them because they’re working dogs, but we chose to disregard that advice. We’re outside every day with our animals and when we enter the goat paddock, Huck and Haskap come over right away to greet us. We normally give them a quick pet and get on with our work, but whenever we have extra time, we like to get down on the ground with them and have a really good session where we can love on them and give them belly rubs and kisses. I’d hate to think they didn’t know how much we love and appreciate them.
What's Huck's favorite thing to do?
Definitely get belly rubs. He loves his day-to-day life, but I think if he could ask to do one thing, it would be to lie on his back for an entire day and get belly rubs and cuddles.
What’s Huck’s favorite thing to eat?
We give the dogs a lot of kitchen scraps, which they love, but I think the thing they love the most is when they get an egg fresh from the chicken coop.
What was the best day for Huck at work?
I don’t know if there’s one particular best day. I think Huck absolutely adores the baby goats, so I think every Spring when we’ve got lots of babies jumping around everywhere, Huck is having his best day over and over again.
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Thanks so much to Jules and Huck for giving us a glimpse at LGD life! Follow Huck’s adventures with his baby goats and more on IG here.
Do you have a hardworking dog that would love to have a Weekly Woof written about them? Let us know! Send us an email info@wilderdog.com.
