I have used dogs all my life as a predator control measure. Not all individuals are suitable owing to improper imprinting / training but probably all breeds have at least some capacity for livestock guarding. At work we have number of Great Pyreneese and their crosses protecting sheep and goats. Those dogs will occasional pursue hawks apparently for fun but hawks can still hunt those pastures for voles. If those dogs worked chickens, they would likely respond to the chicken alarm calls and move towards hawk flushing it off. My personal dogs have been mostly black and tan coonhounds, dalmations and presently a German short-haired pointer. All three dog breeds effectively stop hawks and even owls from working my birds but the latter two dog breeds are faster and more sight oriented and may be more suitable for protecting loose groups of birds that range over a fair amount of ground. Some dogs owing to age or lack of prey drive are unable to effectively respond to hawks even when chickens give alarms, others are very much on the game. My present pointer will chase a Coopers hawk or red-tail hawk across field. He never even comes close to catching hawk but if hawk were to dawdle while handling a chicken, then I have no doubt dog would pull more than tail feathers from hawks butt. Prey drive in this case is good, so long as it is not directed towards the chickens or other livestock. Focusing or redirecting prey drive is standard for most hunting dogs that are expected to go after only one or a just a few prey species so controlling is easy.
The dog is going to be an investment forcing you and him through a learning curve to acheive predator control. It is not just about getting a dog. Also, even a lap dog can get job done, he just needs to be able to get into fray when hawk visits. Penning him up away from chickens will not protect chickens.
The dog is going to be an investment forcing you and him through a learning curve to acheive predator control. It is not just about getting a dog. Also, even a lap dog can get job done, he just needs to be able to get into fray when hawk visits. Penning him up away from chickens will not protect chickens.
