Puppy Placement Policy

Working Livestock Guardian Puppies (LGDs) from proven, working parents available! Raised with sheep, chickens and barn cats, these pups are bred for instinct, loyalty, and predator deterrence to protect your flock. Socialized, vaccinated, and ready to work. Located in Southeast Idaho.

The Ewe Crew Homestead practices MSCA ethical breeding with supporting working farms. Key pillars include placing puppies with working livestock and enforcing secure fencing.

1. Application & Screening

Purpose: To ensure the puppy is a good fit for your homestead, farm, or ranch. Our desire is for the puppies to be happy in their new environment and their future owners pleased with their choice.
Requirements: Complete our detailed questionnaire regarding fencing, types of livestock (sheep, goats, poultry), and previous LGD experience.
Suitability: Preference is given to working homesteads, farms and ranches. If not working, applicants must demonstrate understanding of the breed's need for space and fencing.

2. Reservation & Pricing

Deposit: A non-refundable $650 deposit and signed puppy agreement is required to hold a puppy; balance is due upon scheduled pick-up. No puppy is held or guaranteed until deposit is received.
Selection: We select the specific puppy based on temperament to match the buyer's needs.
Pricing: $2,400 MSCA Limited Registration (with pickup first week of May 2026)
Includes: Age-appropriate vaccinations, microchipped, MSCA Limited Reg., collar, food & treats for ride home, blanket with mom's sent and a year health guarantee) Add $250 to purchase price for a MSCA Full Registration.

3. Age of Placement

Timeframe: Puppies are typically released between 10 to 12 weeks of age.
Justification: This allows for initial training, age-appropriate vaccination and in many cases early exposure to livestock.

4. Health & Guarantee

Health Record: Puppies come with age-appropriate vaccinations and deworming.
Health Testing: Parents are PennHip tested.

5. Contract & Education

Training Commitment: Buyers must agree to train the puppy, which requires consistent, long-term effort.
Responsible Ownership: A signed puppy agreement is required.

Raising Successful Livestock Guardian Dogs

Initial Containment (Bonding Pen): Upon arrival (approx. 10-12 weeks), the puppy must be placed in a small, secure, escape-proof" bonding" pen (e.g. 20 x 20 ft or up to 1 acre) with sheep, goats, or poultry.

Environment: The pen should include shelter (e.g., dogloo) and adequate, protection, from predators.

Interaction Guidelines: The puppy should live with the stock 24/7, with “safe" areas, provided, were, the, pup, can escape, from, feisty, livestock.

Gradual Exposure: As the puppy matures (12+ weeks) and demonstrates appropriate behavior (non-aggressive, calm), the area may be enlarged until it has full run of the pasture.

Human Socialization: Give the pup attention and praise while it’s with livestock. Owners must be able to call and handle their guardian dogs for care, so reinforce the human-dog connection, ensuring your dog is comfortable and content as your working partner.

Training & Mentorship: If possible, the puppy should be introduced to a mature, working, mentor dog. Be clear in teaching the pup what you expect from it, including staying within its territory. If the pup strays from the flock, or follows you to the house, return it to the livestock. It’s a good idea to start verbal commands early, and pups will soon learn the valuable lesson, “Go to your sheep.”

Give the dog the benefit of training and experience. Train the pup to a few commands, to wear a collar, walk on a leash and be held in a crate or kennel. Walk the pup into buildings and stock trailers, take it for rides in the farm truck, and let the pup learn what it feels like to be examined, brushed and restrained. Introduce the pup to other farm animals (including other species of livestock, herding dogs, chickens, etc.) it will need to know as it goes about its business.

Expose the pup to a variety of experiences it will be expected to understand later in life. From learning the dangers of vehicles and farm equipment, to encounters with people riding bicycles and motorcycles, early exposure to new experiences will aide the dog in its future success.

Provide human supervision, correcting bad behaviors early on so they are not repeated. A good scolding goes a long way, but repeated correction may be needed to reinforce learning.

Feeding: Feeding routines are important. Feed the pup near the livestock (not at your house) preferably at the same time every day. Secure the pup’s food so it can eat in peace, without competition from the livestock. Allowing livestock to eat the dog’s food creates unnecessary conflict that can escalate as the dog grows in size.

Veterinary Care: Make overall care a routine. You have invested in a working animal that will do its job without complaint, so make veterinary care a normal practice, from keeping the pup updated on vaccinations to routinely running your hand over the pup to be sure it’s not wounded or needing other care. Provide good dog food to your pup, but be careful not to overfeed or underfeed.

Livestock-birthing Season: Until your pup has proven his reliability, use caution during the livestock-birthing season. Guardian dogs may want to clean newborns, or may attempt to “protect” them from their mothers, disrupting the mothering process. When your dog reaches the point, it lounges nearby without interfering, you can sleep easier at night knowing the pup is well on its way to being an effective flock/herd protector.