The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s spring Livestock Guardian Dog Field Day will be held on April 26 in San Angelo from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Livestock Guardian Dogs, LGD, are utilized to protect livestock from predation.

The event will be at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at San Angelo, 7887 U.S. Highway 87 North. Morning refreshments and lunch will be provided.

Advance registration is required through the center by calling 325-653-4576 or by visiting the website https://tx.ag/LGDFieldDay.

Registration is $25 for an individual or $40 for a couple if registered before April 19. After that date, the cost is $30 and $50, respectively.

Two of the event highlights will be a local ranch tour and a producer panel. Vendors and LGD breeders will be on-site for producers.

Predation prevention
“The biggest single loss in sheep and goat production is predation,” said Jake Thorne, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension sheep and goat specialist, San Angelo. “This event will focus on how producers can reduce those losses.”

Thorne said the field day would be very helpful to all LGD owners, but especially key for those new to handling LGDs.

“This field day is part of the center’s ongoing effort to help producers adopt the age-old practice of keeping specially bred and trained dogs with livestock as a deterrent to predation,” said Bill Costanzo, AgriLife Extension LGD specialist, Washington.

Field topics and speakers
The featured topics with speakers for the LGD field day are:

Canine behavior – Monique Udell, Ph.D., Human-Animal Interaction Laboratory director, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon.
Canine health and care – Robert Rose, DVM, Comparative Medicine Program executive director, Texas A&M University, Bryan-College Station.
Technology to aid in LGD management – Costanzo.
Texas Livestock Guardian Dog Association: Information and updates – Walter Pfluger, Texas LGD association treasurer, San Angelo.
Sheep and Goat Predator Management Board update – Curry Campbell, Sheep and Goat Predator Management Board member, Rocksprings.