Mitigating human conflicts with livestock guardian dogs in extensive sheep grazing systems

Authors: MOSLEY, JEFFREY - Montana State University; ROEDER, BRENT - Montana State University; FROST, RACHEL - Montana State University; WELLS, SMITH - Montana Fish And Game; MCNEW, LANCE - Montana State University; Clark, Pat

Submitted to: Rangeland and Ecology Management
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/27/2020
Publication Date: 5/6/2020
Citation: Mosley, J., Roeder, B., Frost, R., Wells, S., McNew, L., Clark, P. 2020. Mitigating human conflicts with livestock guardian dogs in extensive sheep grazing systems. Rangeland and Ecology Management. 73(5):724-732. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2020.04.009.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2020.04.009

Interpretive Summary: Strategies are needed to mitigate conflicts between Livestock Guardian Dogs (LGD) and humans, especially in landscapes inhabited by large, aggressive predators where the threat of livestock depredation is greatest. Domestic sheep flocks and LGDs were instrumented with GPS tracking collars at 7 ranches distributed throughout western Montana during a 3-year period to evaluate how far, and under what circumstances, LGDs roamed from their sheep. and thus posed increased risk of LGD-human conflict. LGDs roamed farther from their sheep during nighttime and crepuscular periods than during daytime; roamed farther when the moon was more fully illuminated; roamed farther in landscapes without gray wolves and grizzly bears; and female LGDs roamed farther than males. These findings for extensive domestic sheep grazing systems suggest that keeping sheep flocks at least 400 m away from recreation sites and rural residences will likely prevent > 90% of agonistic LGD encounters with humans.

Technical Abstract: Livestock guardian dogs (LGDs) are an effective tool for limiting livestock depredation by wild and feral predators. Unfortunately, LGDs have bitten hikers, joggers, and mountain bikers. Strategies are needed to mitigate LGD-human conflicts, especially in landscapes inhabited by large, aggressive predators where the threat of livestock depredation is greatest. One recommendation is to keep groups of sheep protected by LGDs at least 400 m from high-use recreational sites, but few data exist to support or refute this strategy. We monitored sheep and LGDs with GPS collars at 7 ranches during a 3-year period to evaluate how far, and under what circumstances, LGDs roamed from their sheep. One band of sheep (i.e., flock) was studied per ranch, with a typical band comprised of 600 to 800 mature ewes with 900 to 1200 lambs. Sheep were herded in extensive grazing systems within their traditional summer or fall grazing areas in foothill and mountain landscapes of southwestern and west-central Montana, USA. Three bands of sheep inhabited landscapes with a greater threat of depredation by gray wolves and grizzly bears, and 4 bands of sheep inhabited landscapes where the threat of depredation was mostly from coyotes. The mean and median LGD-sheep distance across all LGDs and time periods was 164 m and 86 m,respectively. LGDs roamed farther from their sheep during nighttime and crepuscular periods than during daytime; roamed farther when the moon was more fully illuminated; roamed farther in landscapes without gray wolves and grizzly bears; and female LGDs roamed farther than males. Juvenile LGDs did not roam farther than adult LGDs. Overall, our results from extensive domestic sheep grazing systems suggest that keeping range sheep 400 m away from recreation sites and rural residences will likely prevent > 90% of agonistic LGD encounters with humans.