Still a good dog! Long-term use and effectiveness of livestock guardian dogs to protect livestock from predators in Australia’s extensive grazing systems

作者：Linda van Bommel, Christopher N. Johnson · 发表于：Wildlife Research · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1071/wr23008 · 被引用次数：9 · 研究领域：Wildlife Ecology and Conservation、Human-Animal Interaction Studies、Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology

Context Livestock predation is a significant problem for livestock producers all over the world. Livestock guardian dogs (LGDs) can protect livestock from predators, but little is known about the factors that affect their use over long periods of time. Aims Our aims were to investigate the long-term use of LGDs in Australia and determine whether their effectiveness remained high over time, and to establish the reasons for discontinued use. We also wanted to collect data on the fate of LGDs, and how using LGDs affected the use of other methods for predation control. Last, we wanted to estimate the rate at which the use of LGDs is spreading through word-of-mouth. Methods We re-contacted participants from a previous survey of LGD users in Australia and interviewed them about their long-term experience. We were able to include 82% (112) of the original participants, a mean of 8.9 (±0.08) years after the first survey. Key results Half of all original participants were still using LGDs, and in most cases the effectiveness of LGDs had not changed since the first survey. The main reason for ceasing use of LGDs was a change in business that made the dogs unnecessary, followed by unwanted behaviour of dogs, and problems with neighbours. Most LGDs that died prior to old age were euthanised, fell victim to lethal predator control, or were killed by wildlife. Farmers with LGDs reduced other forms of predation control. Informal information transfer among farmers is leading to a net increas...