Livestock Guardian Dogs: Learn to Master Behavior & Training Online Course Series

I live with my husband of 30 years on our secluded 360-acre ranch in Gold Hill, Oregon. I have lived a ranch life since I was a child, and most of my life has been spent managing large populations of livestock, and a few less common creatures including ostriches, emus, and parrots. I raised Miniature Donkeys for almost 30 years; at one time my herd consisted of 120 donkeys. Maremma livestock guardian dogs came into my life initially to protect my donkey herd but have since captivated all my attention.

As a new LGD owner in 2014, it quickly became clear that I had a lot to learn about this very different sort of working dog. I encountered the frustration of finding trustworthy, science-based LGD training resources, so I began my formal behavioral science education as I continued to learn from my growing population of working Maremmas. 

I was a breeder of registered, hip-tested Maremmas for several years producing over 100 pups. Because training is my passion, and because I wanted to ensure that my pups would be successful, I placed most of my pups at 6 -12 months of age, complete with PennHIP testing. Creating my breeding program, raising pups, managing my population of 20-40 working LGDs, and then training LGDs professionally, has allowed me to learn from easily 300 LGDs - so far!

 In 2021, I became a certified professional dog trainer through the completion of the rigorous Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Professionals Course. I have stepped down as a breeder of Maremmas and now devote myself full-time to training livestock guardian dogs of all breeds, teaching through the use of Zoom sessions or in person, blog posts, and my online LGD training courses. I published an LGD training manual on Amazon in 2021; stay tuned for the second LGD training book! 

I am an avid student of animal behavioral science. Honing my education has made me hungry for more so I am usually participating in formal coursework of some sort! To learn more about the courses I have taken, please go to:

https://www.bensonmaremmas.com/cindy-benson-kpa-ctp

Why do I do what I do? Because I love these dogs and choose to do all I can to protect them by paying forward what I have learned. I want others to be as successful with their dogs as I am with mine!