Thursday January 25, 2018 Behind the scenes of this website I can see what search terms bring people to the site. A search that comes up often is “do alpacas make good guardians?” So I think I’ll take today’s post to give an answer. As with most things, the answer is not black or white. But generally speaking NO, an alpaca does not make a good guardian. It depends heavily on the predator you are trying to protect your herd/flock from. Let’s say you have a small flock of sheep and your only predator is a fox, well, maybe 2 or 3 big geldings could keep them safe. But it’s much more likely that the alpacas need protection! I know there are people who think llamas can be guardians because they are larger and bolder than alpacas. But if your predator is a pack of dogs, or a cougar, they will take down a llama first and then get to your herd. I have seen more photos than I can handle of llamas slaughtered in a misguided attempt to use them as guardians. If the predator has canine teeth for their weapon, then your guardians must also. That is the reason we use dogs to protect our herd. Livestock guardian dog breeds instinctively act as defenders, they are not guard dogs, they are not herding dogs. These breeds have worked alongside shepherds for centuries and have developed a love for their work. Livestock guardian dogs are uniquely wired dogs are we are so lucky to have 3 of them here to keep our alpaca safe.
Photo of the day: Our magnificent Chief loves his job and we’re so lucky he “found” us. 
Leave a Reply