Hopefully, everyone had a great Christmas and New Year’s last month. If you follow us on Facebook, you should have seen a couple of posts about making your LGD’s Christmas a little brighter, which should have made you smile. We also posted about some New Year’s Resolutions from the dogs at the AgriLife Center. With the chilly weather coming soon to Texas, we encourage you to check your dogs’ BCS and make sure they and livestock have areas to protect themselves from wind, rain, sleet, and possibly snow… Read More →

I decided to write a second part to the Christmas Guardian story this year. If you missed the last one, please go back to our December 2024 issue. So many of you reached out to me last year about the story that I decided to make it an annual article each December. I hope you enjoy Gus the LGD’s travels again this year. We continue our normal format and finish our two-part article on “What is a Livestock Guardian Dog” in our January issue! I hope everyone has… Read More →

With colder weather approaching, now is a crucial time to ensure your LGDs are in proper body condition. Dogs are rated using a one-to-nine body condition scoring system developed by Purina Mills. The ideal BCS for an LGD is 4.5 on the scale, with most dogs falling between 3.5 and 5 throughout the year. As spring approaches, we recommend that your LGDs have a BCS of at least 5 so they can keep up with predators during lambing and kidding season. Dogs are scored similarly to other animals,… Read More →

The weather has been getting cooler, and fall is definitely on its way. Now is the time to ensure your LGD is getting plenty of feed and regaining any body condition lost during the hot summer. Your dogs should be a BCS of 4.5 to 5 going into winter! You may need to increase the protein and fat content of the kibble to make this adjustment. Grooming is also important at this time of year, as your LGD will be shedding its summer coat to prepare for winter…. Read More →

Last month, the AgriLife Center in San Angelo hosted its annual field day on August 15th, with over 100 people attending the event. It was followed by the two-day AgriLife Extension, which hosted the annual Sheep and Goat Expo in San Angelo at the Spur Arena. The event featured workshops, demonstrations, and guest speakers from across the US. A tradeshow was also part of the event, with vendors exhibiting equipment, supplies, and different breeds of sheep and goats. I gave a workshop and demonstration on grooming LGDs at… Read More →

Welcome to the August edition of The Guardian Way! Well, it appears the National Weather Service was incorrect about the forecast for July being near normal precipitation! Investigations will eventually determine if cloud seeding was the cause of the intense rainfall. While I am sure most ranchers were pleased to see the extra rain last month, it also caused significant flooding and damage across the state, particularly in the Hill Country. Our prayers continue to go out to those who lost loved ones in the flooding. I was… Read More →

June flew by quickly for me, and I was glad to see the various rain showers at my place and around the state. The National Weather Service predicts that the 90-day temperature outlook will be above average, with near-normal precipitation levels. The expected rainfall is reassuring, especially since there were many rumors about a drought this year. However, the forecast of above-average temperatures for July and August is not very encouraging. Make sure your LGDs are well-groomed and have access to plenty of fresh water and shade to… Read More →

I attended a fantastic conference in California last month. The Canine Science Symposium is held annually at the California State University, San Francisco campus. The weather was lovely throughout the event, with temperatures reaching the mid-70s. The conference features some of the leading canine scientists from across the nation and around the world, presenting their work to attendees. This year, the event was condensed into full days, covering a variety of topics on canine behavior and training. I was fortunate to be selected to present my master’s degree… Read More →

The weather is slowly getting warmer across the state. Rain levels appear to be lower than normal, indicating a drought in the region. Blue Bonnets and Indian Paintbrush are out in pastures again this year, but not in the abundance of previous years, which could be another indication of lower rainfall across the state. The long-range forecast for May shows average rainfall potential, but lower-than-average rainfall is predicted for most of the state this summer in the extended forecast. The forecast also indicates higher-than-average temperatures from May through… Read More →

The Texas LGD Association had its fifth anniversary last month. While it was a rocky start due to COVID-19, the association has steadily grown in membership each year and elected new board members in January. The association is made up of LGD breeders and producers. It was initially designed to be a Texas organization, but now includes members and breeders across the US! We encourage all LGD breeders and ranchers to join the organization. One of its goals is to work against legislative issues in the state that could… Read More →