Unlike a herding dog such as the border collie, a LGD does not control the movement of the flock with aggressive or predatory actions causing bunching. Instead, LGDs tend to blend into the flock and generally ignore the individual animals in favor of keeping an eye out for potential threats. While bunching behavior is observed, it is the livestock that tend to bunch around the guarding dogs, especially on open range when predators are near. Livestock guardian dogs tend to behave in a non-predatory and protective way only with animal species they have been raised with. Proper socialization and instinct, not training, are key to rearing an effective LGD. Bonding LGDs to cattle is more difficult than bonding them to the smaller livestock species. However, the practice of bonding guarding dogs to cows is becoming more common, especially in places such as the American West where the reintroduction of predators has conflicted with cattle herds in areas where predation had been rare. Livestock guarding dogs are generally large and protective, which can make them less than ideal for urban or even suburban living. Nonetheless, despite their size, they can be gentle, make good companion dogs, and are often protective towards children. If introduced to a family as a pup, most LGDs are as protective of their family as a working guard dog is of its flock. In fact, in some communities where livestock guarding dogs are a tradition, the runt of a litter would often be kept or given as a household pet or simply kept as a village dog without a single owner. Anywhere from one to five dogs may be placed with a flock or herd depending on its size, the type of predators, their number, and the intensity of predation. If predators are scarce, one dog may be adequate though range operations usually require two dogs. Both male and female LGDs have proved to be equally effective in protecting of livestock. However, in regions where dogs were used in annual transhumance migrations, males were often used exclusively as LGDs since pregnant bitches and newborn pups would likely perish on the long journeys. The three qualities most sought after in LGDs are trustworthiness, attentiveness and protectiveness -- trustworthy in that they do not roam off and are not aggressive with the livestock, attentive in that they are situationally aware of threats by predators, and protective in that they will attempt to drive off predators. Dogs being social creatures with different personalities will may take on different roles with the flock or herd and among themselves: most sticking close to the livestock, others tending to follow the shepherd or rancher when one is present, and others drifting farther from the livestock. These different roles are often complementary in terms of protecting livestock and experienced ranchers and shepherds sometimes encourage these differences by adjustments in socialization technique so as to increase the effectiveness of their group of dogs in meeting specific predator threats. LGDs that follow the livestock closest assure that a guard dog is on hand if a predator attacks, while LGDs that patrol at the edges of a flock or herd are in a position to keep would-be attackers at a safe distance from livestock. Those dogs that are more attentive tend to alert those that are more passive but perhaps also more trustworthy or less aggressive with the livestock. While LGDs have been known to fight to the death with predators, in most cases, predator attacks are prevented by a display of aggressiveness. LGDs are known to drive off predators that physically they would be no match for such as bears and even lions. With the reintroduction of predators into natural habitats in Europe and North America, environmentalists have come to appreciate LGDs because they allow sheep and cattle farming to coexist with predators in the same or nearby habitats. 

The behavior and instincts of the herding dog, like the Border Collie, are diametrically opposed to those of the livestock guarding dog. The livestock guarding dog's instincts are very different from those of the herding dog. In many ways, the guardian is diametrically opposed to the herding dog. Unlike the herding dog, the livestock guarding dog’s instinct is not to control the herd or flock. Rather, the guardian becomes a member of the flock, a lion lying down with the lamb, or perhaps more accurately, "a sheep in wolf’s clothing." The majority of the livestock guarding breeds are white or light colored and have pendant ears. They are termed "independent" by their admirers, and occasionally "stubborn" or "selectively deaf" by those who do not understand them well. They are often very intelligent but, because of their independence in judgment and action, they receive a lower ranking on "canine IQ tests" than the more obedient herding breeds receive. Likewise, these guardian breeds tend to be less energetic, with little or no instinct to "eye", chase, or kill livestock. The pendant ears, the quiet disposition, the size, and the shape of the head has lead to the conclusion that the livestock guarding breeds of today are descended from early mastiffs (see comparison above right) – a type of dog which first appeared in the friezes at Nineveh in ancient Assyria. In these guarding situations, the size and the quiet disposition of the livestock guardian are important, but even more so, are the dog’s lack of "prey drive" and its unique ability to bond to the livestock, accepting the flock as its "pack." Because of this bond, the guard dog spends the day moving with the livestock as they graze, ever vigilant for hungry predators. At night the guard dog is found with the flock or herd in the "bed" ground – usually a small, protected natural pasture central to the area where the flock/herd will graze for the next 7 to 10 days, yet removed from the camp or house. The herding dogs, on the other hand, are with the herder day and night. They trot along side his horse during the day and curl up in camp at night. In North America, however, the large native predators have not been driven to extinction in the wild. Here the livestock guarding dogs face predators worthy of their Old World ancestors, predators like wolf, bear, and even "lion" in the form of the mountain lion or cougar. However, they also protect livestock from the two North American predators responsible for most of the livestock losses – the coyote and the domestic dog. The protection of the livestock from predators is solely the responsibility of the guarding dog. The best of the flock guardians display a tremendous tolerance for their charges and a real reluctance to show aggression toward them. In the herd, an alpha animal may butt or ram the guard dog. The dog’s reaction should be avoid confrontation rather than attack. This tolerance easily transfers to humans, to both children and adults.