The 2nd Annual Trapping Clinic hosted by the Texas Sheep and Goat Predator Management Board and TSGRA was held at the Williams Ranch in mid-April in Goldthwaite, TX. The three-day seminar was an excellent training event on how to trap and snare predators. Presentations on predator ID, drones, site selection, and types of traps were given, along with direct demonstrations by the instructors. Participants were encouraged to practice setting traps independently on the event’s second day. All the instructors at the event were well-versed in predator control, and most had 20 or more years of experience in trapping. Two of the presenters had over 40 years of experience! All of them were more than willing to share tips and tricks to set traps for various varmints and predators. I would strongly recommend attending the event next year if you need to brush up on your trapping skills or are a novice starting out.
AgriLife Livestock Guardian Dog Program: Update and Events
Our next online seminar, scheduled for May 16th at 3 pm, promises to be an educational session. This time, we will delve into the world of the Anatolian Shepherd breed, a topic of great interest and relevance. The online seminar will be presented by Heidi Krol, a long-time preservation breeder from Stonecoat Farm, who will share her extensive knowledge and insights. To register for this enlightening event, please check the events page on our website in late April. The workshop will be hosted on Zoom, ensuring easy access for all, and as always, it is free!
Our annual LGD Field Day, a unique opportunity for LGD enthusiasts, was held on April 26 from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. at the AgriLife Center in San Angelo. The field day featured workshops on Canine Behavior, Canine Health, and Tech to Help Manage LGDs, providing a comprehensive understanding of these crucial aspects. The event also included a producer panel and a tour of the bonding facilities, offering participants an exclusive behind-the-scenes look. With LGD breeders and vendors on site, this was our sole in-person event until spring 2025, making it a must-attend for all LGD enthusiasts.
We want to thank the following sponsors for helping to make the field day a success:
Platinum
Nestle Purina Texas Sheep & Goat Predator Board
Gold
Capital Farm Credit Diamond Pet Food Invisible Fence Brand Palmer Feed
Regal Oil Company
Silver
Angelo Pellets First State Bank of Paint Rock Lone Star Tracking
SpotOn Fence Texas Farm Bureau Tractor Supply – San Angelo
Trans Texas Southwest Credit Union Twin Mountain Fence
West Texas Steel & Supply
This was the last field day for my student assistant, Katherine Saldana. She is graduating from Angelo State University this month and will
AgriLife Field Day 2024 workshop. AgriLife picture courtesy Costanzo, 2024
attend Texas A&M this fall to work on her master’s degree. Katherine has been an enormous help to me while she has been employed at the Center. She has often gone above and beyond her job duties to assist me or care for the dogs. I wish you the best of luck in your continued education and future career.
I would also like to welcome our new student assistant, Irene Sustaita, a first-year student at Angelo State University. Irene has taken over for Katherine and has quickly learned her duties of caring for and training the puppies in the bonding pens. She also helps with the adult dogs on all the ranches. Irene is also a sergeant in the Army National Guard.
Bonding Project Update
Round Five Dogs
All the dogs in Round Five are still doing well. Maverick and Goose will not be going to the Stephenville Center after all. They will go to the Texas A&M University Sheep Unit in College Station later in May. The sheep unit has had some issues with predation, and the pups will be a perfect fit for the operation there on campus. Check out our Facebook page for more information on all the pups in this round.
Round Six Dogs
Lamb with a chewed ear from adolescent LGD puppies. AgriLife picture courtesy producer, 2023
The pups are doing well. We have separated them from some of the ewes and nannies, as they are starting to lamb and kid. We are having issues with the Karakachan pups chewing on their ears if we do not remove the lambs and kids quickly enough from the bonding pen area. We started all the pups a little later than originally planned, and the bonding animals were bred a little earlier than we wanted last year. Supervising your young pups as often as possible is important to minimize issues with young lambs or kids. Chasing behavior leads to other rough play, such as biting and chewing, which can lead to deaths or severe injuries of young livestock. If you have an issue with rough play, you may need to add more mature females or males to the mix. Mature rams and billies will not tolerate puppies chewing on them or chasing them. Placing adolescent pups in a pen with several mature males for two to three weeks trains dogs to be submissive to livestock. Producers can also try things like dangle sticks and drags to slow pups down and allow young stock to get away from them.
In closing
If you enjoyed this monthly LGD blog, please don’t forget to subscribe to it with this link: The Guardian Way | Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at San Angelo.
If you have feedback on this article or would like to suggest topics for future articles, please contact me at bill.costanzo@ag.tamu.edu or 325-657-7311.
The Texas A&M AgriLife Livestock Guardian Dog Program is a cooperative effort by Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Texas Sheep and Goat Predator Management Board. Follow us on our social media sites and share them with your friends and family!
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Remember to check out the Texas LGD Association online! You can follow the organization on Facebook or YouTube at @TexasLGDAssociation or visit its website.
