In this document I have made a list of just about many of the existing livestock guardian dogs (LGDs). I am often asked for general descriptions of various livestock guardian dogs. I am not in favor of superficial tables and descriptions, because it does not benefit the important depth and details. However, I understand that people can benefit from making an initial selection using some general, listed information as a guide. Important detail: solid figures are never available within these subjects. After a first selection with the help of this LGD Breed sheet, extensive and thorough further research can be done about the livestock guardian dogs, the region of origin and the relevant elements. 

I have made a list of a large number of LGD breeds, where they come from, what genetic lines there are, any subtypes and which predators occur in the region of origin. Subtypes are usually claimed in the local regions of occurrence, usually not recognized by FCI or other umbrella cynological organizations and it is not self-evident what is claimed or said. For livestock dogs that have an FCI standard, this does not mean that the country of origin or the country that got the breed recognized in the FCI standard reflects the actual region of origin. The same goes for the breed name. 

For all elements, a scale from 0 to 10 shows what applies to those specific dogs. The figures for the indicator bars are not fixed percentages or numbers, but a method for indicating a scale of little - average - a lot. The height of the 'score' indicates how much of that element there is in combination with the chance that the livestock guardian dogs in question have a connection with that element. For me, this designation is important, because it reflects the chance of more or less connection with the element in question and therefore people can better determine what is important to them for further and thorough research into 'their' choices. In the case of the elements 'large predator species', the 'score' reflects a combination of the size of the predator population in the region of origin in combination with the probability that the (working) livestock guardian dogs in question actually interact with those predator species. 

I have not 'experienced' all the herd protection dog breeds in this document in person (as a working dog). Only the following to a greater or lesser extent: Central Asian Shepherd dog, Caucasian Shepherd Dog, Komondor, Kuvasz, Sheepdog Abruzzo, Sheepdog of Sila, Shepherddog of Serra da Estrela, Sheepdog of Castro Laboreiro, Shepherd Dog of Trás-os-Montes, Karakachan, Romanian Carpathian Shepherd Dog, Romanian Raven Shepherd Dog, Romanian Shepherd Dog of Bucovina, Romanian Mioritic Shepherd Dog, Yugoslav Shepherd Dog, Cuvac, Mastin Espanol de Trabajo, Kangal. The data behind the large predator species comes from announcements (these are always estimates) from the relevant regions.

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