Best dog breed around chickens? UPDATE post #117 Thanks all!

[megcpat]

I am, for the first time in my life, without a dog. We have small children, free ranging chickens galore and a serious fox problem. We do have a well fenced yard as well as acreage that's sort of fenced. The winters here can be tough but the summers are pretty mild. We want a dog who will, first and foremost, be great with the kids and not kill the chickens. A breed who likes to spend most of the day outside and can be left in the fenced yard if we leave for the day and watch for those darned fox. What breeds do you have and how do they work with your family and chickens?


UPDATE: THANKS TO ALL WHO HELPED US FIND OUR ANATOLIAN SHEPHERDS. POST #117 for photos. and then again post #140 (because I just can't say enough about these guys).

 

[Firemenlovechicks]

Quote:
I don't think it is very nice to call someone a liar just because their experiences / opinions don't match yours. I don't feel like the size of the dog matters. You can have ANY size dog and train them properly and they will be fine if you start them out as puppies. (there are exceptions to this, but they aren't the rule)

But calling someon a liar?? Come on! That's just childish and uncalled for!

Just my 2 cents...... getting off the soapbox now, no offense intended..... it's just that I think sometime we forget that these are actual "people" that we are talking to on here and those people have feelings. No need to slam someone.

Jeff

 

[popcornpuppy]

Any breed of dog can potentially be dangerous around chickens. It's not a question of breed it's a question of training and the dog's personality. Any dog that is going to be around chickens should be trained to tolerate them. Her is a pic of my Golden Retriever. Her maternal instinct is stonger than her urge to retrieve birds. She is a good example of personality over breed.

 

[terri9630]

They are so cute. My mastiffs really suprised me. They were 2 1/2yrs old when we got the chickens so I though they would be a problem. They have killed 3 cats and a hawk that they caught trying to get in the coop but when a couple of the girls got out they sat with them. They even guard the coop against "strangers" when we have friends over.

 

[megcpat]

Quote:
Woohoo! Way to go Mastiffs!

 

[DaughterOfEve]

It's a bird, it's a plane, more powerful than chicken wire, it's ... it's.... Jack the Chicken Loving Mutt! "where are my doggie treat makers"

 

[namarks]

My doberman loves my chickens. When they geat meal worm treats they all forrage together. The hens follow her around all afternoon when they come out to free range. I cant speak for all doby's but shes a perfect match.

 

[megcpat]

Wonderful photo - what a great dog! I have experience with dogs and understand your statement. I really don't want to be fighting too hard against an instinct that has been deeply bred into a breed. The closest we can get right off the bat to the breed of dog who wants to live the life we have in mind for it, the better. We just put down our beloved pit bull after having her for 12 years. She was great, sweet and loyal, but hated being away from us ever and HATED being outside in cold weather. She was a GREAT companion dog, terrible farm dog.

 

[NellaBean]

I have 3 dogs.....2 big male shepherd mixes and a little female toy poodle.

My older shepherd mix (12 yrs old) is very sweet and submissive. He is scared of everything, including my cat and the toy poodle runs the roost. He is extremely aggressive towards my chickens.

My younger shepherd mix (2 yrs old) is very rambunctious and obnoxious. He has no manners and is so rough and crazy that I can't let him play with my old dog anymore because he just knocks him down. He has very poor "impulse control"....as in, he wants to do something and he does it. He doesn't try to eat him but he does chase my cat and has tossed the poodle around a time or too. He is great with my chickens!


I think it depends more on the individual dog than anything else. Moreso than the breed. Here is my 'good' chicken dog. Keep in mind, I would never leave him alone with the chickens, but he can be offleash around them. My old shepherd mix would have to be on a leash and would be lunging and snarling and freaking out. My young shepherd mix actually ripped through a tractor in his younger days...I wasn't outside so don't know what started it.....he didn't hurt the chicken, but I didn't know if maybe it was because I caught him almost immediately afterwards. Now I think he just wanted to get into the tractor to eat the chicken poop.

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I have never brought my poodle out to see them, but I just by her size, I think she would be fine. My roosters would take her out!

 

[houndit]

Beagles. We had pyranese crosses. They killed our birds and rabbits. I decided never to have a dog again. Then a kind neighbor gave me a pair of beagle pups. He said they would run foxes, and I needed that really bad. They are not very fast. They could still harm chickens, but are not as likely to as some dogs. As said before all dogs can be potentially dangerous. They are small enough that they are usually unwilling to attack chickens. One of them is scared of chickens because a rooster and his hens attacked her when she was a pup. They are easy to train.