The National Police Association is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization, IRS NTEE classification code B01, Alliance/Advocacy Organizations, within the Educational Organizations category, EIN 82-0647764, founded to educate supporters of law enforcement in how to help police departments accomplish their goals. The National Police Association is supported solely through contributions of individuals and organizations. Donations are tax deductible.

The TASER device was patented in 1974 but didn’t become popular with law enforcement until the early 2000s. There are other manufacturers of similar products, but the TASER brand is so ubiquitous that it has practically become the generic label for all devices that use an electrical shock to control behavior. To include all makers the term electronic control weapon (ECWs) or conducted energy devices (ECDs). It is important to known that ECWs do not electrocute people, but uses voltage to cause muscles to seize up without serious after effects other than injuries that might be sustained from falling after immobilized.

ECWs can fail if the probes do not penetrate heavy clothing, don’t achieve an adequate spread, or if one of the probes fails to make contact. A highly active arrestee can prevent the probes from making their target. An officer can manually attach a new cartridge or use the exposed conductors of the ECW for a contact shock, known as a drive stun, to either complete the circuit when one probe has engaged or as a pain compliance technique accompanied by verbal commands.

Livestock guardian dogs are known for their intelligence — after all, their owners trust them to protect an entire herd of livestock by themselves! Because they have a level of intelligence that allows them to assess and respond to threats independently, they can also prove quite stubborn, even when receiving a command from their owner. As long as your prioritize consistent training and socialization, though, you can be confident that your livestock guardian dog will obey your commands when necessary.

Stun guns must back solid and sustained contact with the target to have an effect. This can be difficult if the user is engaged in a fight with an attacker. A sharp movement by the attacker can thwart its use. Like the TASER, some stun gun devices have a laser light sight to create the sniper effect of a red dot on an adversary that may cause them to flee. Stun guns can also be triggered to create an imposing mini-lightening bolt to arc across the probes that is very intimidating.

Once attached, the probes can be activated for additional 5-second cycles up to department policy limits or it become obvious that the cycles are not causing compliance.

The public can be assured that good training and clear policy prevents overuse or misuse of ECW technology for safer policing to officers and arrestees.

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In case you’re seriously considering investing in a livestock guardian dog, we’ve created this list of six particularly strong livestock guardian dog breeds. (Keep in mind that a purebred LGD isn’t essential; many farmers have found that cross-breeding can combine the best qualities of two or more breeds.)

Do you have questions about how to protect your chickens, sheep, goats, or cattle from predators? Call the Nite Guard team at 1-800-328-6647, or send us a message.

Dogs make great livestock guardian animals; they can be incredibly aggressive towards predators, yet extremely gentle with people and small or young livestock. Livestock guardian dogs can be considered an upgrade to just “any old” farm dog, companion dog, or herding dog. Their specific skill and function (if you haven’t guessed)? Protecting livestock. They become full-time members of whatever flock or herd they’re charged with protecting.

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Not everyone needs a livestock guardian dog (or two); however, if your property is large enough and you raise chickens, goats, sheep, or cattle, or chickens, it’ll be worth having canine assistance to reduce predatory threats to your livestock.

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TASER devices used by law enforcement do their job when the operator pulls the trigger. This activates a nitrogen cartridge that propels two barbed probes attached to wires toward the target. The barbs remain attached to the ECW and spread slightly away from one another. When contact is made with the target, a 5-second cycle of 50,000 volts locks interferes with the nervous system in such a way that locks the muscles of the body into immobility. While the target experiences pain with the shock, the pain is not the primary reason for ECW use. The main purpose is to immobilize the person long enough to get them into restraints. The length of the wires trailing the barbed probes varies from fifteen to thirty feet. This allows the officer to maintain some distance from the target.

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ECWs are very safe based on a multitude of studies. Although in custody deaths after ECW deployment have been recorded, complicating factors like drug use are the true cause. Many tests and studies have shown that there is little to no risk of the heart being stopped or harmed by ECW use. ECWs have proven to reduce death and injury to both officers and offenders compared to other restraint strategies. The ability to immobilize a person resisting arrest laying hands-on is a major factor in the safety of these devices.

Law enforcement ECWs can also arc, but, on most models, only if the cartridge that contains the probes are removed or already discharged. The laser light on the ECW can be used as a warning to “paint” the target and often brings compliance from the mere thought of being “tased”.

Generally, though, it’s important that livestock guardian dogs be relatively friendly (but not clingy) with humans while deterring local predators. Adding to that, your specific needs might also require a dog who’s especially good with children, who can handle cold climates, who’s been bred in familiar terrain, or who can both herd and protect.

Before differentiating between breeds, there are a number of characteristics most livestock guard dog (LGD) breeds share:

ECWs are not a substitute for deadly force. If confronted with a deadly weapon by an assailant, an officer should not rely on the ECW, but engage their firearms. If there is time and adequate backup with available deadly force, an officer may attempt to deploy an ECW knowing that if the device fails other officers can engage the armed assailant.

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Livestock guarding dogs are bred to be self-thinkers. They don’t need to wait for your command in order to react; instead, they’re capable of independently evaluating the threat level of any situation — and then taking appropriate action. An LGD notices subtle changes in its environment, and self-sufficiently responds to keep threats away:

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Ultimately, the specific chemistry between an individual dog and a particular ranch environment matters more than any assumptions or expectations about a certain guardian dog breed. And while you’re intent on finding a good protector for your livestock, what makes a ”good dog” varies from operation to operation, based on the specific context.

When the headline talks about police using a “stun gun”, you know the reporter doesn’t know much about the subject. While there are stunning devices on the market for both private and law enforcement use, the differences between a stun gun and a TASER used by law enforcement are significant.

Stun guns typically have two probes that may or may not be sharp to add additional defensive authority since these devices must be pressed onto the target and make full contact. The voltage may or may not immobilize the target and rely mostly on the pain and psychological shock of the stun gun to cause them to retreat. Stun guns have fixed probes and unlike the law enforcement ECWs, those probes do not spread. Probe distance is essential in ECWs in order to complete the electrical circuit for the voltage to have an effect. Lacking this, the stun gun cannot reliably cause immobilization.