Why Namibian Farmers are Satisfied with the Performance of their Livestock Guarding Dogs

What is it about?

This article looks at the use of livestock guarding dogs from the perspective of a livestock farmers. We asked farmers using Anatolian Shepherds in Namibia about their positive and negative experiences with their dogs. The farmers using these dogs as part of the Cheetah Conservation Fund's programme were generally satisfied with their dogs. However, subsistence farmers were less likely to provide sustained health care and nutrition for their dogs, which was linked to poor dog behaviour and reduced effectiveness.

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Why is it important?

Livestock guarding dogs are commonly used around the world as a means for reducing livestock losses to carnivores. Where they are successful, they can be an important tool for conservation biologists who are conserving predators outside protected areas. In our article we looked at the use of a traditional breed of guarding dog from Turkey in an African country by both commercial and subsistence farmers. To be a sustainable, guarding dogs must be perceived to be successful for the farmers that use them. For subsistence farmers, they must they must also be affordable. This is one issue highlighted by our work that has not been examined previously.

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