Livestock guardian dogs protect sheep and goats from predators worldwide — their welfare needs as working dogs in demanding outdoor conditions.
Livestock guardian dogs perform a welfare function — reducing predator-prey conflict and protecting livestock — while themselves requiring welfare attention that is not always provided. Working in remote terrain, sometimes in harsh weather, with limited human contact and variable veterinary access, LGDs can develop untreated health problems, nutritional deficiencies, and social isolation stress. Good LGD welfare requires treating working dogs as the athletes they are: appropriate nutrition for the caloric demands of their work, regular health checks, veterinary care plans for common injuries, and assessment of individual dogs for the psychological demands of the role. Dogs placed in working environments they are unsuited to suffer both physically and behaviorally.