Anyone keep a flock friendly dog... Great Pyrenees?

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DreamsInPink

DreamsInPink

Songster
5 Years
Feb 25, 2016
591
22
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Salt Fork Lake Region, Ohio
I'm interested in hearing experiences.... My boyfriend is talking about possibly getting a dog to help with protection for the flock.... I just wasn't sure how that works. Does the dog live with the chickens full time?

Thanks in advance!
 
I have a flock UNfriendly dog- DH's 10-month-old pointer retrieved my rooster yesterday
somad.gif
He seemed ok but he was limping a bit today, so tomorrow morning I need to check him over again before I open up the coop. But I guess he has good reason to be sore!
I have had Caucasian ovcharkas, although not for the chickens; anyway, they were pretty disinterested in them but many people have the pup live with the livestock it's supposed to protect. I strongly suggest researching LGD's thoroughly before getting one. They are not for novice dog owners.
 
Oh dear, I'm very sorry to hear that! I hope your boy is ok!

Yes, I've been doing a lot of reading, and I would rather not take it on... but I thought I'd at least ask to see if anyone used on successfully.

We have a Lab and what we think Labradoodle..(he's a rescue) And I'm not sure how that's going to work out either. The dogs have their own huge fenced in yard, and the chickens are also going to have a run and an enclosed fenced area for free range roaming. So I am hoping all will be well.

Thank you for your reply. :)
 
Many others including myself have do it well. Initially you will need to keep dog and birds separate when not supervised. It is often wise to contain dog on property if it is prone to roam and you have neighbors. If you start with an adult (>2 years old) dog you will likely get rolling in only a couple of months, with a pup you will not likely be there until it is 18 to 24 months old. You will need to concentrate on control and consistent training. Getting dog into actual guarding mode can be a challenge if it is overly house / people oriented. Do not expect dog to handle multiple other dogs. Ideally your containment of dog will keep dogs it cannot handle out.
 
centrarchid said:
Many others including myself have do it well. Initially you will need to keep dog and birds separate when not supervised. It is often wise to contain dog on property if it is prone to roam and you have neighbors. If you start with an adult (>2 years old) dog you will likely get rolling in only a couple of months, with a pup you will not likely be there until it is 18 to 24 months old. You will need to concentrate on control and consistent training. Getting dog into actual guarding mode can be a challenge if it is overly house / people oriented. Do not expect dog to handle multiple other dogs. Ideally your containment of dog will keep dogs it cannot handle out.
Click to expand...
Ditto Dat^^^
 
Training the dog works wonders. I have a Doberman that thinks he's the guard dog for the flock. I've had a German Shorthair, Bassett hound and black lab that all were good with my chickens. In fact, every one of my dogs has been good with chickens. What I do is to introduce the chick to the dog. I let the dog sniff it and see it in the brooder. This seems to help and has never been a bad thing yet.
 
LPeterson said:
Training the dog works wonders. I have a Doberman that thinks he's the guard dog for the flock. I've had a German Shorthair, Bassett hound and black lab that all were good with my chickens. In fact, every one of my dogs has been good with chickens. What I do is to introduce the chick to the dog. I let the dog sniff it and see it in the brooder. This seems to help and has never been a bad thing yet.
Click to expand...
Bolded text above being the key ingredient.
 
I have my two great pyrenees tied up only at night near the chicken coop , goats and pigs. They do a good job keeping away all preditors. I let them loose 1st thing in the morning when I let the chickens out to free range and the goats out to pasture. Everyone runs around the 16 acres during the day.
I did train the dogs ( GP's and a Lab ) by putting the dog on its back....holding a chicken overhead trying to look each other eye to eye. ( I found a video online that explained the details) ... it worked ... afterwards the dogs never bother the chickens.
 

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