Dog Breed Experience Poll/Database

[joedie]

I have 2 labrodoodles that could care less about the chickens. One will even come into the pen and lay down when I'm in the coop. You'd think being part lab, they would want to kill them. Maybe because I had the peeps in the basement until about 7-8 wks old and let the dogs smell them every day while I held them, I don't know. I have a new St Bernard pup and can't tell yet what she'll do if the chickens are out. It's too cold here right now, and we'll just have to wait and see but I won't let her around them for quite awhile yet.

 

[4 Love of Baby Chickens]

Great Pry. = Good LGD. She's only 8 1/2 months old and she already weighs 70 or 75 pounds. She loves my chickens. Soon after I bought her I twice found my baby chicks outside of the coop curled up with Koda. She just loves the babies and they like her too.

Bluetick X Redbone X Beagle mix = Good chicken protecter. She likes the chickens and has been raised with them from the time she was born till we sold our first flock when she was 3 years old. For 5 years until she was 8 years old when I bought 2 Red Sexlink pullets she started keeping her hunting eye on her. Over the past few years she's been chasing Raccoons, Coyotes and Foxes. Now she's 13 and the chickens don't mind her hanging around them.

Blackie does not mind Koda being around. She seems to like Koda being the chicken guardian and she can be just the family pet. Of course Koda wants to be the family pet too but Blackie doesn't agree with that.

Silly dogs.

I'm so proud of my dogs especially of Blackie. Aren't hunting breeds more likely to go after chickens than some other breed of dogs?

 

[foweler]

This is of interest to me as I would like to find a new dog soon. I lost my Girldog a few months ago and it will darn hard to find another one with her personality.

She was a yellow lab mixed with something, chow, malamute, husky, dingo....I don't know. Whatever it was it gave her one upstanding ear, an up curled tail and a partially purple tongue.

After letting the birds get big and spending a lot of time demonstrating to Girl that I didn't want my chickens hurt I let them co-mingle. Soon they were sharing the backyard unattended, with the cat too.
I think her history had more to do with it than the breed. She was a rescued stray that was very grateful for the love she was given and had had a litter of pups that made her very maternal towards smaller animals. She loved to give the cat the fine toothed chew when the cat would tolerate it.

When my light brahma went broody she once jumped up and pecked Girl. I think it hurt her feelings.

 

[coltbreath]

I have a lab terrier mix, Unfortunately I already think this mutt is a killer.

 

[froggie71]

We have two dogs, both mixed breeds. The 1st is a yorkie/fox terrier/shih tu mix. Looks like a large yorkie. I would never trust this dog with my birds as all. Definitely acts like she wants to eat them. 2nd dog is a Giant Schnauzer/Airdale mix. She loves the birds. When they are chicks/ducks she loves to watch chicken tv and when we had ducklings she loved to lick the tops of their heads. That being said, I would never leave her with the birds either. The few times she was out with the birds she tried to run them over. I believe she just wanted to play with them, but I think she would hurt them in the process.

This is Raven with our little Angel. This picture took a lot of work to get because Raven wanted to keep sniffing Angel and Angel was a bit afraid.

 

[ams3651]

my Beagle thought she was the chicks mommy when they were small, one got out of the brooder and she carried it to the bed and licked it like a puppy. Now that they are grown she really could care less what they do but checks in on them and chases rodents from the coop. The chickens on the other hand really would rather she not invade their space. She actually was attacked by a neighbors viscious rooster because she walked right by him thinking nothing of him but he had other ideas. The neighbor actually had to pull the roo off of the dog because the dog refused to fight back. But dont get me wrong, if its a rabbit or ground hog shes right on it.

 

[JestersEye]

I have had very good luck with all my dogs, regardless of their breeds. Early on, I simply reprimand them for any unacceptable behavior, and they seem to learn what is expected of them fairly quickly. I've never lost a chicken to one of my own dogs (or cats, for that matter). I think perhaps brooding the young chicks in the house has helped our other pets to get used to seeing and hearing them. Maybe that helps to overcome their predator drive for those sounds and behaviors. Just a theory...

Growing up, I had a wonderful "mutt" dog that was mostly an Irish Setter / German Shepherd mix. I would classify her as a Chicken Protector because she routinely helped to keep order by breaking up rooster fights and "gang rape" breedings (which looked an awful lot like fighting). She was utterly dependable and completely trustworthy around our flocks of free-range chickens!

As an adult, I had an aging Beagle who could care less about our chickens. However, she was quite old when we started getting into chicken-keeping, so her advanced age and physical decline could have contributed to her calm disposition toward the birds. She may have acted differently in her youth, as she used to love running and tracking things, but she never caught or killed anything. She was never used as a hunting dog, and was always friendly toward our pet rabbits, however; which I feel is an indicator of trustworthiness around other pet "prey" animals. I would classify her as a Chicken Ignorer.

Currently, I have three mixed-breed dogs who are all great around our chickens! I would classify all three as Chicken Friends. The first is a very large black Lab-mix that has even helped us to locate missing birds (mostly older chicks that had gotten through the fence and hidden someplace in the yard instead of returning to the coop). She is very mothering toward all "babies" and once carried a tiny "days-old" kitten in her mouth without injuring it, after finding it in our yard. [This prompted us to find the hidden "nest" and care for the orphaned litter of three.] Her appearance and behaviors seem predominantly that of a black lab, but she has white markings on her chest and paws, and very pale blue eyes. This comes from her mixed lineage, her traits having resulted from a Labrador Retriever / Husky mother crossed with a Springer Spaniel father.

The other dogs I have are a pair of Jack-Chi (Jack Russell Terrier / Chihuahua) sisters, from the same litter. One is noticeably more dominant and outgoing than the other, and appears to have inherited more Jack traits than the other. That one acts like the alpha of the house, with a keen intellect and enviable agility. She often accomplanies me into the chicken coop or run to look for scraps that the chickens leave behind. Most of the time, she sneaks in when I'm not looking or goes through my feet while my hands are full... but even the roosters don't seem to mind her presence so I'm beginning to let her in, since it's easier than stopping her. Her sister was the runt of their shared litter, and is just as trustworty around the flock; but she isn't as assertive in her attempts to get close to them. She appears slightly more Chihuahua-like, and has become my own personal "house dog". She'd rather stay indoors and cuddle on the couch, if given the choice. This has still given her many opportunities to be near young chicks and sometimes sick or weak birds, however; since we brood them in the house until they're ready for the big coop. She, like all our dogs, is completely at ease around an abundance of flapping, chirping, and squawking!

Edited to fix spelling errors and add pictures.

The white dog is the more "Jack" alpha, while the brown dog is her slightly more "Chi" sister).

This is our lab-mix as she's paying close attention to some back-talk from our little red "mystery" chick (now a black EE? pullet).

Even our "tuxedo" cat tolerates being invaded by chicks as she naps on top of the couch.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

I would also have to disagree about the "all Terrier" as bad comment. I'll explain my reasoning, and would like to add I am not offended by the statement. Nor do I wish to offend with mine...just so we know up front

I have 2 American Pit Bull TERRIER's. Both are awesome with the chickens and the goats. The smaller terriers I agree MAY have more of an instinct to kill chickens because they were small game dogs, but Pit Bull's were bred for large game. The terrier was bred into them for the tenacity of the dog to not quit before the job is done, not just to kill at random, but for specified breed purposes. Small dog=small game and big dog=big game. I was more concerned about my goats getting along with them, but have had no issue at all. The neighbors dog, a black lab, has attacked my birds 3 times by jumping over my 5 foot fence while they ranged in the back. It took a shotgun loaded with small game load(so not to kill the stubborn beast) to convince her to stay away. She knows when my dogs are not out, and only dares try when they are inside. HOWEVER, I do not believe ALL labs are bad, mixes do better, but consider any pure retriever dangerous toward my birds. It's not the dogs fault, they were bred for it. Carefully choose, back up with training, and consider the breed background first, and most any dog CAN be good with birds.

 

[trinityfly]

Well if this pole proves anything, its that almost any dog could kill a chicken in the right circumstances. I have had Fox Terriers for more than 30 years, sometimes 5 at a time. True they are bred as the ultimate little hunters but they also are faithful to a fault. As soon as they understand that the chickens are part of the pack they leave them alone. Even my dumb (but beautiful-see avatar) mini pin has learned that. The mini would love to have fondled the chicks (with his teeth) when the were tiny little peepers but now just stays out of their way. In fact my dogs are picked on by some of the hens and give them a wide berth. I have no fear for my birds with my dogs around but pity any predator that steps in our territory while they are on duty. They have no fear of anything from 400 lb black bear, 200 lb mountain lion down to a 1 lb. rat, and I have the vet bills to prove it

 

[JestersEye]

Quote:
TRUE, but it could also prove that with the right attention and behavior modification techniques, that almost any dog could be "trained" to accept chickens (and other animals) as members of their pack... to be protected, or at least treated with respect and/or tolerance.

It may not work for ALL dogs (or all pets, for that matter), but you cannot dismiss the possibility of acceptable and trustworthy behavior, based solely on an animals breed or appearance. Each pet should be evaluated for their own unique qualities, with regard to disposition and inherited traits.