This is where we raise our sheep: rough terrain with lots of cover. Coyote country. In addition, we also have plenty of mountain lions, bob cats, stray dogs and even the occasional black bear. Without our hardworking livestock guardian dogs, we'd be put out of business in no time. Notice the dog lying down in front of the sheep.

We do not consider ourselves dog breeders. Rather, we are sheep breeders first and foremost. We have a large predator population and our livestock guardian dogs are an invaluable asset for protecting our flock. We were very selective in choosing our dogs, wanting dogs that would bond closely to the sheep, not wander, and would aggressively repel all predator threats. That's exactly what they have done.

Our home ranch is 300 acres of rugged, brushy high desert, surrounded by hundreds of square miles of open public land. Throughout the year our sheep will graze up to a mile from our home and our dogs are expected to stay with them at all times. In addition, we also graze on leased mountain pasture during the summer months. Our dogs demonstrate their strong bond by easily transitioning with each pasture move.

We regularly hear coyotes yapping from multiple directions each dawn and dusk and have witnessed our dogs running off packs of up to six individuals many times. Our neighbors have lost colts, calves and sheep to coyotes, mountain lions and stray dogs. Our dogs routinely repel black bears on mountain pasture and we have captured bobcat on our game camera. We are pleased to say, that despite this heavy predator load, we have NEVER lost an animal to predation. That tells us our dogs are working!

Our dogs also guard our free-range chickens, barn cats, horses and cattle, mostly by default due to their proximity to the sheep. While bonded most closely to the sheep, our dogs are socialized to humans (being particularly fond of children) and will tolerate handling.

We view our dogs as more than just tools. Rather, we see them as partners in a total depredation-prevention program. As partners, we strive to provide them with good care, including appropriate socialization, quality food and veterinary care, including routine vaccinations and worming. We believe that a healthy, confident dog is a more efficient guardian.

Because our dogs are all full time working guardians, we only produce two or three litters of puppies a year. We wait to breed our dogs until they are at least two years old and have demonstrated good guarding instincts. We only breed each female for at most a single litter of puppies per year. All our dogs have proven their worth in the real world and their puppies have proven themselves to be equally effective when raised properly.