Feature Livestock Guardian Dogs
Integrating Livestock Guardian Dogs into Modern Predator Management Systems
Texas A & M AgriLife Perspectives
By Bill Costanzo, AgriLife Extension LGD program specialist III and owner of Rafter C Consulting
The AgriLife Livestock Guardian Dog Program
The Texas A & M AgriLife Livestock Guardian Dog( LGD) Program began in 2019 to address persistent livestock losses to predators in Texas and across the western United States. Sheep and goat producers, in particular, face ongoing challenges from coyotes and, increasingly, from other predators, including aerial threats, bobcats, town dogs, mountain lions, black bears and, in some regions, wolves.
The AgriLife LGD Program integrates applied research, producer education and on-ranch demonstrations to improve the effectiveness, management and long-term success of LGDs as a nonlethal predator management tool. In the past 6 years, the program has bonded and trained more than 40 dogs that are working on Texas ranches. The program is the only one of its kind in the US.
The program aims to reduce livestock losses to predators through improved LGD management, improve producers ' understanding of LGDs and promote science-based predator strategies. Through publications, workshops, field days, consultations and research, it supports practical decision-making for those
8 AcreageLife February 2026 AcreageLife. com