How to choose the right livestock guardian for your farm.

If you own a farm with animals, chances are you've considered the need for protection for them. Maybe you've lost animals to predators? Or maybe you've seen your neighbors lose animals and you know it's only matter of time before you lose some too. Once you add animals to your farm, suddenly the skunks and racoons are just annoyances, they are threats.
That's exactly how we ended up in the market for a livestock guardian. We purchased some goats, and then realized that one visit from the neighborhood pack of coyotes could be devastating. Losing animals is tramatic and expensive. Suddenly having a capable guardian became worth investing in!
Have you traveled down a similar path? Then you know that once you decide you need a livestock guardian, you become suddenly overwhelmed with the task of choosing the right one. What breed would fit best? Do you get a puppy or a trained adult? Do you need 1, or 2, or 3? 
Before we got our Colorado Mountain Dogs, we did a lot of research and took our time finding the right breeder. Here are a few things we learned along the way.
1.