Guarding Behavior

Llamas are used as guard animals all over the country. The majority of guard llamas are geldings and a small percentage are intact males and females. There has been no difference found in the guarding ability of males and females, but geldings are most often used as guard animals because more females are keep in the breeding pool than males. Llamas usually guard sheep, but they have also been used to guard geese, ducks, deer, and cattle. Llamas have a natural guarding instinct and require no training to become an effective guard animal. Llamas have a natural coyote-like predator in South America and have evolved to be instinctively wary of canid (the dog family) predators. They also quickly adjust to being with sheep instead of llamas. It only takes them a few hours to a week or two to complete the adjustment period and become part of the flock.

A gelding laying with a sheep from the herd he protects.

Llamas can either become part of the flock or remain just outside of the flock watching for any predator which may threaten them. The majority will remain amongst the flock. When they do separate from the flock, the llama will try to stand in an area which gives a good view of the territory. This behavior is similar to male guanacos in the wild who stand on cliffs overlooking the herd to watch for and warn against any predators around the guanaco herd. When the flock is moving, llamas may take the lead, walk among the sheep or follow behind them. Regardless of their physical position among the sheep, the llamas seem to take on a leadership role within the flock.

Llamas may react in a number of ways when a predator is sighted. They become suddenly alert and very attentive to their surroundings or to the predator. They may sound an alarm call as a warning to the flock that there is a predator present. After sighting the predator, llamas may walk or run towards the predator they spotted and try to chase it away or kick it. Llamas have been observed to kick and paw at dogs with their front legs, stomp on it and then follow that with a kick by the rear legs. Llamas have killed coyotes which have threatened their flocks. They may also herd the sheep together into one area or herd them back up to the barn or shelter to try and keep them safe. The llama might position itself between the sheep and the predator. A few llamas have been observed to walk the other way when a predator was sighted.

Llamas seem to really enjoy and be very interested in lambs. They will quickly bond with the lambs and may even play and sleep with them. If the llama is left with the lambs after weaning, the lambs are much less stressed because there is still a leader and a "parental figure" present. Lowered stress in lambs results in better growth and a lower incidence of disease. Some llamas may alert sheep owners to a sick or injured sheep by remaining with that animal until the owner investigates the situation.

Other behaviors of the guard llama may cause difficulty for the sheep and the rancher. Intact males or males gelded late may try to breed sheep during the breeding season. This behavior can kill ewes because of the difference in the weight of the llama and the sheep. Llamas breed on the ground with the male on top of the female. A 250 to 300 pound llama on top of a 125 to 200 pound sheep can easily lead to severe injuries or death from suffocation. Most of the time llamas are gelded at the appropriate time and this is not a problem. Llamas may also become over protective of the flock and no longer allow the owner to handle or work with the sheep. This is also an uncommon occurrence.

There are certain characteristics that one should look for in selecting a guard llama. The llama should be at least 18 months old to be mature enough mentally and physically to do the job. Positive traits for a guard llama are:

athletic ability
independence
more of a leader than a follower
curiosity
awareness of surroundings
not fearful of unfamiliar things
not afraid of dogs, but wary of them

There are also traits you would want to avoid in a llama intended for guarding.

lack of interest in surroundings
lack of interest in strange or unfamiliar animals
always hangs near the barn or feed areas
does not readily explore new surroundings
timid and panicky in new situations
very dependent on the company of other llamas
more of a follower than a leader

Keep these traits in mind when you are choosing a llama for guarding purposes. It will make your selection much more likely to succeed at his/her job. Because of their natural behaviors, llamas can make excellent economical additions to a flock of sheep looking to avoid difficulties with predators.

Last updated August 19,1997

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