This blog has often emphasized the importance of tick control, particularly for controlling Ehrlichiosis, a bacterial disease, spreading farther north of I-10 every year. While we use regular flea/tick control products, it’s crucial to note that not all products control all ticks for the same length. I urge you to read all the product inserts and do your due diligence to inform yourself of what a product does and does not control for a specified period. We tragically lost Johnny from round two of the bonding project in… Read More →

A friend recently shared a thought-provoking Facebook post with me, which I found deeply resonating with the spirit of LGDs. I shared it on our Facebook page in May, and I thought it would be fitting to include it in this month’s blog, as it beautifully captures the essence of these remarkable animals. “An LGD Never Retires” – author unknown. At some point in time, the young LGD becomes the old LGD. He can’t run as fast anymore, if at all. His claws have been worn smooth, and… Read More →

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… Read More →

Rainy days in February and March have led to spring flowers across pastures and roadsides in Texas. It’s the prettiest time of the year in the Lone Star State. Spring lambing and kidding are underway, and predators are on the prowl. Ensure you adequately feed your LGDs during this time, as they burn many calories, protecting lambs and kids from predators. Afterbirth and dead newborns are not adequate nutrition for your LGDs during this season.  Purchase a good quality kibble with animal protein as the first ingredient. AgriLife… Read More →

Rain has been falling regularly across the state’s eastern side, which is a welcome sight for ranchers. We received over 5 inches of rain in one day, which caused a lot of flooding and mud to deal with afterward. This is a good problem to have for thirsty pastures. I hope that these rain events will occur in all regions of the state. AgriLife Livestock Guardian Dog Program: Update and Events Our next event will be our annual LGD Field Day on April 26. from 8 a.m.-4 p.m…. Read More →

Winter has arrived in Texas! Severe freezing weather and rain hit parts of the state last month, closing businesses and schools. More wet, wintry weather is expected this month. It is essential to make sure you are prepared for the weather and have shelter ready should you need it for your LGDs. All purebred LGD breeds have a double hair coat, and the long-haired dogs can withstand extreme temperatures. However, if your dogs are wet from heavy rains and exposed to below-freezing temperatures along with strong wind, the… Read More →

I received some sad news one afternoon last month.  One of our LGDs, Doc Holiday, aka “Doc” from round three of the bonding project, was hit and killed by a vehicle outside of the AgriLife Center on Highway 87 N.  Those following our Facebook page may remember seeing posts about Doc and Thelma hugging as puppies, roaming long distances from the ranch in Menard, and finally receiving invisible fence training to stop the roaming.  The invisible fence training worked well for these LGDs, and their wandering almost completely… Read More →

Hunting season is underway, and reminding hunters that LGDs are in use on your ranches is essential. Frequent reminders to your hunters to not feed or socialize with your LGDs will help keep conflicts to a minimum. Move LGDs to other pastures that hunters may not use or kennel the dogs on weekends when possible. Your dogs could use the rest and extra food in the winter months ahead. Reminding hunters to clean deer and leave carcasses in designated areas also helps keep the dogs away from the… Read More →

The cooler days of fall have finally arrived, and it appears we are headed out of the drought!  Long-range forecasts continue to show above-average rainfall this spring and slightly below-normal temperatures.  Now is the time to ensure your LGDs are in proper body condition to handle the cooler winter temperatures and the stress of spring lambing and kidding that will quickly follow in the spring.  An excellent body condition scoring sheet can be found online that we use to score our dogs. AgriLife Livestock Guardian Dog Program: Update… Read More →

We have finally received some long-overdue rain across the state, quenching the dry soil. We recently got over four inches in a single day at the AgriLife Center, creating a lot of mud in the pastures. Long-range forecasts show that we will have a wetter-than-normal winter this year due to El Nino. Hopefully, enough rain will fall this winter to relieve the drought and allow the grasses to repopulate our sparse rangelands. On another note, make sure to use tick preventatives year-round.  On Sept. 17, we lost a… Read More →