Are toy poodles good with chickens?

[wolftracks]

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Looked up this thread again so I could mention all the testing, but looks like you know what you're doing.

I searched for mine for a year and a half. So many breeders to concider and not concider. Right now, I'm going back and look at websites if they have any. Just want to see what they've been up to. May take me another year before I find the right one. At least I'm not rushing. LOL.....May use the breeder Bill was thinking of buying from in which case I may have one around Christmas.


And yeah at my age, low drive is a must. But house training usually only takes me 1-3 days. It's my specialty. LOL. Shocked My husband the first time he realized I could do it and after that I kept getting puppys to train.

 

[Pineywoods Peepers]

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Hmmm... What's your address? If i get a pup I may ship her up to you.

I wouldn't mind doing agility with one, but to do that it usually takes a dog with some sort of drive. Drive for agility and no drive for chickens may be mutually exclusive.

Rachel

 

[welsummerchicks]

All dogs have a 'prey drive'. They are carnivorous, hunting animals, whether they weigh eight pounds or eighty.

Poodles were developed as hunting dogs. They are still quite capable of hunting. My friend's standard poodle was a very good retriever and I've seen smaller poodles retrieve and work very boisteriously in the field.

The clipping of the fur was originally designed to keep the animal warm over its joints yet allow for it to dry quickly when it was doing water retrieving. Poodles are spirited, high energy dogs that thrive on activity and work and are not obsequiously obedient without a good deal of training, and have a combination of a hunting dog and working dog temperament. ALL size poodles. It's unfortunate and sad that people somehow think the smaller poodles are somehow 'not dogs' because they are small or pretty.

All dogs have the ability and the motivation to chase chickens. Chickens are food. Dogs chase food. Training is what changes that. Very intensive, serious training and lots of supervision and very little unsupervised time with the animals. Untrained, my collie would chase chickens, and pretty soon, the herding and chasing would develop into killing them. Why? Because it is a dog. And that's what dogs do.

An untrained unsupervised hungry dog that doesn't chase fowl or livestock, may need the attention of a veterinarian, because he may not be healthy or pain free.

 

[onthespot]

Beensie has not exhibited any prey drive yet. She is fifteen months old and runs with other dogs that have great prey drive, and is out with the chickens and watches off to the side when the other dogs hunt mice. Just no interest. She will sneak a crumb that falls off something I'm eating, but that is as far as I have seen her go for hunting ability, crumb snatching.

 

[welsummerchicks]

onthespot that is a beautiful, beautiful dog.

 

[wolftracks]

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AAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWEEEEEE!

Bad enough there are so many enablers in here when it comes to chickens!

Then I did something stupid with money I couldn't afford and bought a Jag yesterday. Not sure I'll even have puppy money again. Might just sell the car instead now.

Pineywoods Peepers.........Come on out to California and you'll be a house breaker in a weekend! That or send em on out.

 

[BorderKelpie]

Does that breeder maybe have a retired show/breeder that s/he may want to place with you? That way, you see what sort of drive the dog has and housetraining should already be accomplished.

I only suggest that because one of the best dogs I ever had was a 'retired' show dog. He was 3 years old when I got him and already OB trained, crate trained, etc and cost less than a puppy. He bonded extremly closely and rather quickly to me as well.

Just a thought.

Happy puppy hunting! It's fun, isn't it? Gotta love puppy breath.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Make sure the breeder, if you do decide to sell the jag, breeds for personality as well. Nothing like having a "cute" dog be a demon dog from Hades.

If you're still up for options...Shih Tzus, at least mine, LOVE the chickens, especially newly hatched ones!

 

[wolftracks]

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My 2nd daughter is my Shih Tzu fan. I took one in when she was a teen ager and after I found him a good home, she was heart broken. I didn't know she had fallin in love with him so quick. He was a cutie.

I started showing when I was 12. I've raised and shown a few breeds since then. Just to tired after almost 40 years in the ring, so now I have simply family dogs although they still have to come from good lines and I research for a long time before I buy. I haven't bought very many dogs from the US, mainly Germany and Italy. I don't have the money I did back then though.

A new dog us going to have to wait now. I couldn't really afford a Jag. Bought liability insurance only. It's a used car, but very nice and I used money I wasn't supposed to touch. It was actually cheaper than what I really wanted. I Honda Accord. I woke up this morning and someone had actually come up into my driveway, passed my van and dented in the rear quarter panel next to the passenger side back door. Monday I can home after driving my son to school and noticed my mail box had been broken off from under grpund and thrown in my neighbors year. The attacked boxes during the week and cars last night. One of my daughters is online right now looking for a place for us to move. I'm just going to move closer to the cememtery where Bill is buried. A Jag was his dream car and I bought it so I had a decent vehicle to go visit him 2 hours away. I told her to look for a place I can keep my birds. Probably have to sell the car just to move. Waiting for her to call and see what she's found.

I'm so annoyed.