Are the livestock guarding dogs where they are supposed to be?

In many parts of the world, livestock guarding dogs (LGDs) are considered one of the most powerful prevention tools against carnivore predation on domestic animals, but how they behave when left unsupervised with their flock on pastures is mostly unknown. We monitored 29 LGDs with GPS (Global Positioning System) collars in order to investigate their space use and association with livestock. UDOI (Utilization Distribution Overlap Index) and the VI (Volume of Intersection) Index for 50% and 95% kernel isopleths were calculated to quantify the overlap and the similarity in the use of space for the core area and for the whole movement range of sheep and dogs. Linear mixed models were implemented to evaluate how dog-sheep distance was influenced by environmental (land use, percentage of trees and shrubs in the pasture, size of pasture), dog-related (sex, age), and farming-related variables (number of livestock guarding dogs associated with the flock, herd size). Finally, we tested the usefulness of GPS pet collars in managing LGDs. LGDs spent the majority of their time close to livestock, sharing the same areas but using the space in a different way. Dog-sheep distance was mostly influenced by the environmental variable land use, and the age of the dog. In fact, dogs and sheep tended to separate more in pastures with a high percentage of trees and shrubs, and less in pastures close to inhabited areas. Moreover, older dogs were more associated to the flock compared to younger individuals. GPS pet collars can be an important tool in managing LGDs, as farmers are able to check the position of their dogs and their flock at any time. This can allow producers to improve their management of LGDs, and to limit conflicts with neighbors and accidents. In this study, we demonstrated that the monitored LGDs did not leave the flock unattended when left unsupervised, although further insights into how they behave would support a full evaluation.