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The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) evaluated around 120 dogs from three large breeds from Europe and Asia bred to be gentle around sheep and children but vicious when confronting wolves. The four-year study was carried out by the USDA's National Wildlife Research Center and tested how these dogs did guarding livestock against wolves and coyotes in the western US.
[...] Young and her colleagues zeroed in on areas where dogs had been bred to protect livestock from wolves and brown bears. They selected three breeds for the study: Cao de Gado Transmontanos, originally from the mountains of Portugal; Karakachans, bred by nomadic shepherds in Bulgaria; and Kangals, developed to guard livestock in Turkey. The dogs were gathered as puppies and sent to the U.S., where they were used to guard 65 herds of sheep in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Washington, and Oregon.
Another finding was that when the owner and the dogs had a closer bond, the dogs performed their jobs much better. Something that might not be commonly realized in areas where they are kept exclusively for companionship or entertainment is that the different breeds of dogs are bred to gravitate to and specialize in particular activities: they have jobs they like doing.
From The Scientist : The Breeds of Guard Dogs that Best Protect Livestock: Study (2018)
and The Associated Press : Imported guard dogs deployed as part of US wolf-sheep study (2018)
and Agri-Pulse : Got wolves? USDA brings on the big dogs (2014).
(Score: 3, Insightful) by ilPapa on Wednesday March 14 2018, @06:42AM (6 children)
You know what, Arik? You seem like a decent sort. We're arguing over piddly shit. Let's call it bygones and be friends.
You are still welcome on my lawn.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 14 2018, @09:47AM (3 children)
Yeah, Arik's a decent sort.
He can even put together a coherent argument now and again.
Once you get past the rabid anti-semitism, misogyny and islamophobia, he's a really nice guy.
But don't take my word for it. Check out his posting history [soylentnews.org].
Then again, maybe you're up for that stuff too. In which case, I hope you live near each other so you can have drinks together. Good times!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 14 2018, @08:53PM (1 child)
Not a troll. Read his posting history.
(Score: 2) by Arik on Thursday March 15 2018, @02:22AM
HAND.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 15 2018, @01:31AM
Islamophobia? So - you're either a mooslim, or a self loathing white SJW.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 14 2018, @02:30PM (1 child)
This is by a wide margin the least likely post I expected to see on the internet.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday March 14 2018, @03:26PM
Haven't been on the Internet long, 'eh?
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"