Ep. 49: Confessions of a stockdog skeptic

What should our expectations be for our livestock guardian dogs? Do they really need two to three years to mature into useful protectors? How can we measure their usefulness? Can the “average Joe” be trusted to raise well-socialized and effective guardians? Wonder no more, because Bill Costanzo is here with the results of his research on these questions. Welcome to Farm Dog. Farm Dog is presented by Goats On The Go® and hosted by its founder, Aaron Steele. Questions, comments, or topic suggestions? Let us know at FarmDogPodcast.com. Texas A&M AgriLife Livestock Guardian Dog Program website: https://sanangelo.tamu.edu/research/lgd/ Texas A&M AgriLife LGD Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TAMUlivestockguarddog/ Texas A&M AgriLife LDG Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamulivestockguarddog/ Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/farmdog/message

You love working dogs. You love working with dogs. You can’t imagine how much more work it would take to get your work done without working dogs. With all this work going on, have you ever thought about putting a working dog to work on some recreation? You might just decide to do a little less work and a little more upland hunting. Welcome to Farm Dog. Farm Dog is presented by Goats On The Go® and hosted by its founder,  Aaron Steele. Questions, comments, or topic suggestions? Let us know at FarmDogPodcast.com. Jennifer's company, Project Upland: https://projectupland.com/ Jennifer's dog-focused podcast with Craig Koshyk: https://projectupland.com/category/project-upland-listen/hunting-dog-confidential/ Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/farmdog/message

If you’re listening to this show, you probably know something about working dogs – or at least your kind of working dogs. But the working dog world is surprisingly big and it includes some fascinating subcultures that go on thriving with most people – even dog people – unaware. Of course, it’s easier to go unnoticed when you’re nocturnal. Welcome to Farm Dog. Farm Dog is presented by Goats On The Go® and hosted by its founder, Aaron Steele. Questions, comments, or topic suggestions? Let us know at FarmDogPodcast.com. Josh's podcast, Fueled by Joy Working Dog Podcast: https://joydogfood.com/fueled-by-joy-working-dog-podcast/ Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/farmdog/message

Have you ever met one of those people who seem to be pulling off the impossible every day without a hint of stress or worry in their demeanor? Jared Epp is like that, running thousands of sheep and goats for hire, in urban and suburban places, sometimes without fences. What’s his secret? A lot of expertise and border collies that are ideally suited to the job. Welcome to Farm Dog. Farm Dog is presented by Goats On The Go® (GoatsOnTheGo.com) and hosted by its founder,  Aaron Steele. Questions, comments, or topic suggestions? Let us know at FarmDogPodcast.com. Contact Jared Epp: [email protected] Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/farmdog/message

Isn’t it interesting how some things go through dramatic technological change – like smart phones and space flight – while others don’t (toilets are basically the same as they were in the late 1700’s). We’re experiencing the equivalent of space flight for pastured livestock right now, and yet we’re still going to need farm dogs. Sorry for the toilet comparison, Fido. Welcome to Farm Dog. Farm Dog is presented by Goats On The Go® and hosted by its founder, Aaron Steele. Questions, comments, or topic suggestions? Let us know at FarmDogPodcast.com. Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/farmdog/message

Livestock guardian dogs are just built different. Compared to other dog breeds they live differently, work differently, behave differently, and – importantly – learn differently. It’s often said that LGDs can’t really be “trained” in the usual sense, but with such a high failure rate among guardians, maybe we should be thinking about training on their terms instead of ours. Welcome to Farm Dog. Farm Dog is presented by Goats On The Go® and hosted by its founder, Aaron Steele. Questions, comments, or topic suggestions? Let us know at FarmDogPodcast.com. Benson Maremmas (Cindy's website and blog): https://www.bensonmaremmas.com/ Benson Maremmas (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/BensonMaremmas/ Benson Maremmas (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@bensonmaremmas/ Cindy's Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Cindy-Benson-KPA-CTP/author/ Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/farmdog/message

Philospher, Giannis Delimitsos, (whose books I confess I have not read) wrote, “What is my personal history if not the heroic narrative created by myself in an attempt to inform myself about who myself is, assisted by my tactically biased and fickle memory?” That about sums up my history with dogs and farming. Thanks, Giannis. Welcome to Farm Dog. Farm Dog is presented by Goats On The Go® and hosted by its founder,  Aaron Steele. Questions, comments, or topic suggestions? Let us know at FarmDogPodcast.com. Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/farmdog/message

It herds, it protects, it washes your car and does your taxes. Many people say the English Shepherd can do many farm tasks brilliantly…but not many of us have one. Why? Is the English Shepherd overlooked, over-hyped, or misunderstood? Or, is the English Shepherd’s time about to arrive? Welcome to Farm Dog. Farm Dog is presented by Goats On The Go® and hosted by its founder, Aaron Steele. Questions, comments, or topic suggestions? Let us know at FarmDogPodcast.com. Ice House Farm (Morgan's website): https://icehousefarmvt.com Ice House Farm (Instagram): @icehousefarm Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/farmdog/message

If someone called you a “jack of all trades, master of none,” would you be flattered or insulted? Being a lover of versatility I’ve always viewed it as a compliment. How would you view a working dog that is a jack of all trades? A blessing? A curse? Or – as I see it – the Holy Grail of farm dogs? Welcome to Farm Dog. Farm Dog is presented by Goats On The Go® and hosted by its founder, Aaron Steele. Questions, comments, or topic suggestions? Let us know at FarmDogPodcast.com. Leave an audio recording with your comments or topic suggestions at FarmDogPodcast.com. Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/farmdog/message

Back in Episode 46 I vented about the deceptive labeling practices of dog food companies that make comparing the price of one brand to another nearly impossible. I went on to describe my strategy for finding a good value, but John Howard of Kinetic Performance Dog Food listened to that episode, and he’s here to add some depth to my superficial solution. Welcome to Farm Dog. Farm Dog is presented by Goats On The Go® and hosted by its founder,  Aaron Steele. Questions, comments, or topic suggestions? Let us know at FarmDogPodcast.com. Kinetic Performance Dog Food (John Howard's company): https://kineticdogfood.com/ Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/farmdog/message