are boxers good with poultry?

[sydney13]

i have a boxer and i just got two chickens. He is doing great with them and will go up to them and sniff them, so i was trying to train him to go chase squirrels away from him. My chickens are out free range so i thought it would be good if he would guard them from hawks. Every time i tell him to get the squirrel he just walks in the other direction. Do boxers make good guard dogs for poultry and how do you train them to do it?

 

[chickenlittle32]

I would advise to not have them chase anything....I have 2 boxers and can trust them in the chicken yard alone(they are spoiled inside dogs..but love to be with us)....but they are trained pretty well.

 

[tnchickenut]

I have two boxers... both run down the chickens if they (the dogs) get out. So far, they never killed one, but they pin them and try to play with them the way boxers play with... everything... rough.

As to the chasing squirrels... any breed of dog... it's a no-no if you want them to guard livestock. Chasing only enhances the preditory instincts they already have... then you put them with chickens and you will have feathers and blood everywhere. I wouldn't.

One of the best breeds for livestock is Great Pyreneese. there are MANY others, but at least around my area... they are very common and you can even get them for free sometimes on craigslist.

GL!

 

[Bec]

I think as long as you train them not to go near or chase the chickens, they will be fine. My mom's boxer puppy got to one if my chickens who had flown into the back yard..the outcome was not good, but that didn't have to do with the breed...he is a puppy and doesn;t have chickens at his house