We have 2 female LGD's, both 3/4 GP and 1/4 AS. We LOVE them to death, and they are awesome guardians for our farm and livestock! One, in particular, is our "patroller" while the other is our more maternal, stick-with-the-herd gal. Our patroller does an amazing job, and before we had the second girl, she even kept 4 drunk troublemakers from stealing our goats one night. She is amazing, and did I say how awesome she is at protecting? 
OK, so here is my dilemma....she was raised on our first farm, which was much more isolated. Due to the significant number of larger, more aggressive predators, and potential trouble-making folks, we did not discourage her from doing her job at all. Last year, we moved to a new farm. While the farm is larger, and she has much more room to patrol, we are surrounded on 2 sides with neighbors that walk the road along our fence line. We also now have a direct-to-consumer farm business, offer all sorts of classes and farm tours, work with interns, and have frequent visitors around the farm as a result. This girl, awesome as she is, just doesn't seem as suited anymore for this new environment. She has never bitten, but she has given a few too-close-for-comfort warning "snaps" at over-zealous visitors and interns that do something to make "her" chickens squawk. We are thinking it may be time to sell her to a more isolated farm that needs more protection. We have fewer large predators now (mostly overhead and small stuff), no real need for protection from people like we used to, and want what's best for her. We certainly can't fault her for doing her job, but sure hate to loose our best guardian.
Then, there is the risk that our other girl, or whatever pup we find to replace this girl (we want two), won't be as good at their job. Our other has never truly been tested, but has a personality otherwise perfect for this location (except maybe for her barking...oh well). I think that is my biggest fear.
What would you do?
OK, so here is my dilemma....she was raised on our first farm, which was much more isolated. Due to the significant number of larger, more aggressive predators, and potential trouble-making folks, we did not discourage her from doing her job at all. Last year, we moved to a new farm. While the farm is larger, and she has much more room to patrol, we are surrounded on 2 sides with neighbors that walk the road along our fence line. We also now have a direct-to-consumer farm business, offer all sorts of classes and farm tours, work with interns, and have frequent visitors around the farm as a result. This girl, awesome as she is, just doesn't seem as suited anymore for this new environment. She has never bitten, but she has given a few too-close-for-comfort warning "snaps" at over-zealous visitors and interns that do something to make "her" chickens squawk. We are thinking it may be time to sell her to a more isolated farm that needs more protection. We have fewer large predators now (mostly overhead and small stuff), no real need for protection from people like we used to, and want what's best for her. We certainly can't fault her for doing her job, but sure hate to loose our best guardian.
Then, there is the risk that our other girl, or whatever pup we find to replace this girl (we want two), won't be as good at their job. Our other has never truly been tested, but has a personality otherwise perfect for this location (except maybe for her barking...oh well). I think that is my biggest fear.
What would you do?