A guard dog that lives with the flock has to eat where the livestock are, at regular times, with water always to hand and with its food out of reach of sheep, goats and any other animal. Where there's no socket, a battery-powered programmable feeder takes care of the timing and the serving. No device replaces the daily visit to the dogs.
Where should you feed a livestock guardian dog?
A livestock guardian dog lives with the flock at all times and works most of the time with nobody around, according to the user guide for livestock guardian dogs from the Institut de l’Élevage, the French technical institute for livestock farming. Among the most widely used breeds, the guide lists the Spanish mastiff, the Pyrenean mastiff, the Pyrenean mountain dog and the Maremma and Abruzzese sheepdog.
The guide says to feed the dogs where the flock lives, slightly apart from the animals so the dog can eat undisturbed. A Spanish good-practice manual for guard dogs, written for extensive mountain livestock farming, spells it out: in the areas where the livestock graze, and never in the stables or next to houses, because a dog might come down before the livestock and leave them unguarded too early.
And ideally near water. On a Texas A&M AgriLife research ranch in the United States, guardian dogs left the livestock unprotected to go and find food, and its specialists recommend a feeding point at every watering point.
How do I stop sheep and goats eating the dog's food?
With a small enclosure around the feeder that lets the dog in but not the livestock. It's needed because not all dogs guard their food: according to the Texas A&M AgriLife factsheet on feeding stations for guardian dogs, some even let lambs and kids eat it.
The solution the factsheet proposes is a pen of about 1.2 metres per side with the feeder inside and an entrance sized to the dog: in its example, a 30 to 35 centimetre gap cut in the mesh about 75 or 80 centimetres off the ground. A roof keeps birds out, and a floor stops other animals digging their way in.
A Producan feeder is about 70 cm tall and less than 40 cm across, so it fits in an enclosure of that size. With the hopper closed, the only food within another animal's reach is the serving that has just dropped.
How many times a day does a guard dog eat?
Two meals a day are a good middle ground for an adult guardian dog, and three for a puppy up to six or eight months old, according to the Institut de l’Élevage guide. In large breeds, splitting the serving also reduces the risk of stomach torsion, which the guide describes as very often fatal and linked above all to a single large meal.
The amount changes with the work: a guardian dog uses more energy in summer with the flock up in the hills than in winter inside the barn. That's why the French guide says to adjust the serving to each dog's body condition. How many times a day a dog should eat, guard dog or not, is covered separately.
Which feeder works on a smallholding with no mains power?
One that runs on a battery, holds plenty of dry food sealed away and stands up to rain. In the Texas A&M AgriLife research, timer feeders powered by a solar panel and battery reduced the amount of food eaten by other animals compared with free-access hoppers, without the dogs using them any less. The factsheet also warns that food that sits for a long time in a free-access hopper can spoil and attract insects, especially in rainy periods.
And it recommends a feeder made for dogs, because the dispenser on a feeder designed for another species can limit the amount of food the dog gets.
With its internal 12 V battery, the Producan P3 feeder lasts around 3 months with 4 feeds a day; it also works plugged into 220 V. Its galvanised steel hopper holds 40 L, around 15 kg of dry food, sealed and with IP65 protection. Its patented dispensing mechanism lets the kibble fall by its own weight, with no auger, so it takes kibble of any size. The no-plug feeder page explains what happens when the battery runs out and whether it can be charged with a solar panel.
For two dogs at the same spot, the double version dispenses the same serving at once through two opposite outlets, but not a different serving for each. How to organise meals for several dogs is explained separately.
Water is a separate matter, because a Producan feeder doesn't have a water tank. The Institut de l’Élevage guide calls for clean, fresh water to be available at all times for adults and puppies, without them having to leave the flock to drink.
Does an automatic feeder replace the daily visit to the dogs?
No. Feeding by hand every day also helps socialise the dog and check its health, as the Texas A&M AgriLife factsheet points out. A guard dog can get injured or run out of water, and only a person will see that.
The feeder takes care of the timing and the serving; you, or whoever looks after the livestock, take care of checking on the dogs. An automatic dog feeder doesn't replace a person, not even up in the hills.
If your guard dogs eat where there's no power, the Producan P3 with battery is the right model. If the feeding point is next to a farm building with a socket, the 220 V Producan P1 does the same with the same hopper.