Anyone here with a herding dog? Do they herd your chickens?

[littlelemon]

We are getting a 6 month old australian shepherd/husky mix next week. We have a large fenced yard, and plan on providing plenty of exercise for this dog, but I am thinking about "jobs" that I can find for this dog so that she will be happy when we are not with her. I am not sure yet how big of a herding instinct she harbors right now, we have only played with her for short periods of time and the current owners tell us that she has not displayed any herding behaviors (herding their children, etc). I would LOVE it if I could train her to herd my chickens so they would stay in their yard, and especially love it if she could keep the rooster away from us

However, I don't want to traumatize my hens or have any get eaten! Do any of you that have herding-type dogs use them for chicken work? Do they constantly nip and harass the chickens? Just curious~

Also, any tips for ways to keep this energetic dog busy would be great!

Thanks~

 

[Eggs4Sale]

We have a herding dog that we got when she was 3 years old. She herded the chickens at first. Well, the chickens became frantic, and she became excited, and pretty soon she was chasing them and catching them. Not pretty.

We also got a Belgian Malinois puppy who would herd the ducks. He thought that was great fun, then he would roll them and chomp on them. They were three times his size. We could never get him to stop this.

Chickens can't handle tussling with a dog. And there's no telling what will happen.

 

[lorieMN]

my aussie does..but,he is highly trained,titled herding dog..the problem with your dog is the two breeds are like on total opposite ends of the scale..aussies are generally very trainable to herd..huskys not so much and tend to eat instead of herd..I wouldnt attempt it if I where you with that combo,,you may have yours hands full just getting her to leave them alone..and it takes a highly patient dog to herd chickens as they dont herd well..they tend to scatter and get freaky instead of moveing along in a orderly fasion..

 

[gaited horse]

I want to train my border cross to herd my pigs and 4-h lambs

 

[Redyre Rotties]

I agree with Lorie. Crossed with a Sibe I would be VERY CAREFUL.

Also, just a little tidbit. Herding cannot be trained or taught. A dog must have innate herding INSTINCT. If it does, then that instinct can be refined, and commands such as left circle, right circle, walk up, lie down, stop, etc can be taught so that the human partner in the herding team can direct the dog.

However, the dog must have the proper instinct first.

Good luck with your new puppy. Please sign up and take an obedience class. This saves so many dogs and puppies from being abandoned later.

I've trained a lot of dogs, and lived with dogs for over 25 years, so if you have questions about housetraining, etc, put them up here.

 

[Quack Shack]

I have 2 terriers. One is a mix with a very strong herding instinct and the smaller female is purebred. She learned one fateful day by getting her rump kicked by my standard girls that chickens don't like dogs. She now walks away from them at all costs (recalls pecked nose and glad she still has eyes). The mix is a male and well, when I saw him with my beloved green egg-laying EE in his mouth, that was it. The yard is fenced, he is my dog but we part at the gate to the chixs' side of the yard. He thinks it is his job but he went too far once and next time he may draw blood. Well, then I'll have to decide and I'd just rather not. Maybe with a young dog form a confirmed bloodline of herders and lots of training you could get a herder. Mammals herding mammals is different but I'm basing that on what I've observed at fairs and local farmers.

 

[seriousbill]

I have two border collies. They do guard and herd the chickens. One's just a pup, though, and she will occasionally forget herself and chase the young ones though

 

[littlelemon]

Thanks for the insight everyone! Lorie, I don't know much about huskies, so thank you for bringing some of that breed temperment to light. We will have to live with the dog for a bit and see how things go before I let her near the chickens, but I am trying to think of ways to let her give in to her instincts in a productive manner. I have been dreaming-wouldn't it be fantastic to have a dog that would guard the chickens and keep the rooster away from the kids?

You guys are always a helpful bunch, I'm sure I'll be posting some more dog ??? as time goes on~

 

[nekomi]

The other posters are right, Sibes are generally not trustworthy with chickens! Depends on if they are raised and socialized with them or not, and of course their individual personality.

Amazingly, one of my three Siberian mixes is AWESOME with the chickens. He is a rescue, and as far as I know, never even saw a chicken before he came here at roughly 10 months of age. He can be loose in the coop and barnyard area with me, and completely trustworthy around not only the hens, but the chicks too. He has helped me herd them into the coop in the past, and helps with "boundary patrol" and keeps the chickens from wandering too far into the yard. He does this all on his own, he's a natural!

He, however, is the ONLY one of my Sibe mixes that I let anywhere near my chooks. He's not husky-like in behavior at all - takes after his German Shepherd side much more. Here's pics...

 

[The Wolf Queen]

My herding dog kills my birds