Last Updated on January 29, 2026 by Kim Crawmer, KPA CTP, LFDM

email 🐑🐐 You're thinking about spring all wrong (and it could cost you)

Hi Reader,

I know what you’re thinking. It’s January. Spring feels like forever away. You’re planning for lambing or kidding season in a couple of months, and you’re thinking, “I should probably get livestock guardian dogs… but not yet. Spring makes more sense, right?”

I hear this constantly. And I totally get the logic.

But here’s what I need you to understand: waiting until spring to get your livestock guardian dogs is actually setting yourself up for the hardest possible scenario.

Let me tell you why.

The Problem with “Perfect” Timing

Imagine this: It’s March. Your ewes or does start having babies. Or maybe you’ve just bought new lambs or kids to start your new flock or herd. You bring home a pair of 12-week-old puppies to “grow up with” the lambs or kids. (Because you’ve learned that LGDs should always work in pairs.)

Sounds perfect, right?

Except those puppies can’t protect those babies. They’re babies themselves—too small, too young, too untrained.

And that puppy isn’t safe WITH those babies. Young puppies and newborn livestock don’t mix. Puppies are clumsy with sharp teeth. Baby animals are fragile and zippy. Accidents happen.

Meanwhile, it’s peak predator season. Coyotes are raising their own pups and hunting hard to feed them. Your livestock are incredibly vulnerable, and your puppies are not ready to protect them. In fact, the puppies could also be in danger from the same predators that are attracted to those babies.

Plus, you’re now trying to manage brand new livestock AND a pair of brand new puppies during your busiest season of the year.

This is not a recipe for success.

Here’s What Actually Works

When you bring home properly socialized livestock guardian dog puppies now—in January or February—here’s what happens instead:

By the time spring hits, those puppies are 6-8+ months old instead of 3 months old. (Depending on the age of the puppies when you get them.) That’s a HUGE difference in maturity, size, and capability. They’re past the crazy “velociraptor” puppy phase. They’re bigger, calmer, closer to being able to actually work.

You have time to bond and train before your busy season explodes. You can learn positive reinforcement training, build your relationship with your pups, practice handling skills. When your livestock arrive or have babies, you’re not learning everything at once.

The critical socialization window doesn’t get wasted. This is the science that changes everything: puppies have a critical period during the first 12 or so weeks when their brains are wired to accept what’s “normal.”

If you buy puppies from a breeder like me—who has raised them with livestock since they could crawl—they’ve already had that critical exposure. Even if they need to wait a few weeks or months before meeting YOUR livestock, they’re fine. That window has been handled.

But if you wait and buy a puppy who has NEVER been properly socialized with livestock during the first 12 weeks? You can’t get that window back. That puppy will be much harder to train and may never develop the natural, calm bond a properly socialized puppy has.

Before I understood critical socialization periods, I made the mistake of acquiring dogs from breeders who didn’t socialize their puppies with livestock until 4+ months. (And some who left that vital job entirely up to the new owners) Those dogs were always difficult and never became great livestock guardians. Not because they were bad dogs, but because they missed that critical window to learn their jobs when their brains were most receptive.

I Have What You Need Right Now

I’m telling you all this because I genuinely want you to succeed. But also because right now, I have exactly the dogs that can set you up for spring success:

Younger puppies (ready early Feb): Will be 12 weeks old on Feb 7th—still young and fun and snuggly-adorable, but will be 4+ months by spring

Older puppies (ready now): Currently 4-6 months—will be 6-8 months by spring, past the baby velociraptor stage

Adolescents & adults: For someone who wants a dog ready to work sooner—these range from 12-18 months up to fully mature adults

All of them have been raised with goats since birth. All have had proper socialization during that critical window. All can be placed in flexible pairs (different litters are fine—they all know each other).

Don’t Wait Until Crisis Mode

The farms I see succeed are the ones who plan ahead. Who get their team in place BEFORE they desperately need it.

Don’t wait until you have predator losses to bring home puppies too young to help anyway.

Get ahead of it. Build your team now.

Want to see who’s available? Check out the photos and videos on my Available Puppies page and Available Older Maremmas page.

Not sure what would work for your situation? Just hit reply or book a call with me and let’s talk through it. I love helping people think through these decisions.

You’ve got time to do this right. Let’s use it.

Talk soon,

Kim

P.S. — I wrote a full blog post diving deeper into the science of critical socialization periods and why timing matters so much with livestock guardian dogs. Read it here if you want all the details. It might change how you think about bringing home your LGDs.