Best Dog Breed for My Situation???

[Queen Scoot]

a great pyr...they are wonderful!!!!!

 

[Rosalind]

Whoa...A warning about Pyrs:

If you do not have a fence, they will run away.

I've known a few breeders and a couple of rescues who were very specific: must be a strong 6' solid fence, NOT invisible fence.

My Pyr knows the limits of our property. I know he knows the limits of our property, he has been taught since he was a wee puppy that going off the property meant getting in the car and staying on-leash. And his third time off-leash in an un-fenced portion of our yard, he ran into the neighbor's yard and refused to come back until I grabbed him, picked him up (picking up a 1-y.o. Pyr is no joke, by the way) and physically hauled him, squirming and carrying on, back to the house.

Pyrs do not believe in this human concept of property boundaries. As far as they are concerned, their property is what they can see. Mine can see the neighbor's dog and doesn't understand why he is not allowed to go over to play with the neighbor's dog all day. Nor does he understand why he shouldn't be allowed to chase rabbits into the neighbor's yard, maul the squirrels on their squirrel feeder, etc. He can see them, ergo, they are his.

If you want a dog that will not wander, a Pyr is a bad choice. Think more about one of the other livestock guardian dogs, one that has a better grasp of the whole boundary concept.

 

[kimbaliza]

My Golden grew up around parrots so introducing chickens was a breeze. I did raise chicks in the house first before I expected him to be good with a flock outside. He lets the chicks jump on him and sometimes will walk away while looking at me like "Mom can I have a break?"
My Great Pyr lived in an apartment before we had her and she was walking the fence line the second day. She has two areas where she can scope out the land...one in the front and one in the back. However...she does(..did) wander! We now have ten acres of invisible fence! Oh...she does bark..all the time (guess that is part of the job) GOOD LUCK

 

[walkswithdog]

I hung back, because from person to person, breed choice is a HUGELY personal issue.

But, I'm a big mouth. Don't get PUPPIES. Get PUPPY.

Puppy needs to bond to you and your animals, not another puppy. Puppies raised together at the same time/same approximate age tend to overbond to each other and ignore the humans and human preferences (after all you all are gone for MOST of the day and they'll be together learning to be dogs-without-human-guidance all day. BAD IDEA. Unguided dogs become pure dogs. Dogs that consider dogs first, do dog things first. Dog things like bark, dig, chew and learn chase and territory things FROM each other. Oh such a bad idea.

While some people have done it with success. Most people end up getting rid of one or both about the time they hit teens. Never understanding that they did it to themselves.

Whenever possible it's better to stagger young dogs at about a year to two apart. They'll still bond, but they'll bond to you FIRST and your STOCK first. Big! Important JUJU.

As to Catahoulas as a choice ermmmm NO. The majority of this breed are hard headed, territorial (may bite strangers and fast moving kids/teenagers invited over for the day) and stock hard (aka makes HOLES in stock). Good for handling PIGS is not so good for chickens, children or softer stock. In inexperienced hands they will bite family, a Catahoula never forgets.

Irish Wolfhounds are a SIGHT HUNTING BREED. The majority of IW's in first homes die chasing something mindlessly until they cross a road. They also have SIGNIFICANT and DURABLE PREY DRIVE and were never created to be safe around livestock. Don't get sight hunters bred for a thousand years to hunt what runs for a home with livestock unless you plan on it living on leash forever.

The Drovers and Herders and Livestock Guardian breeds are better choices. But yes, Pyrs and some of the LGDs will absolutely totally leave property to drive off "threats".

Some bird dog breeds can work out with proper training and are safer around children but hyper hyper as youths - meaning huge exercise needs.

I'd HIGHLY recommend STANDARD POODLES for anyone who has the money for the grooming. This highly intelligent breed thrives on obedience, has a neat and sensitive manner indoors, is watchful without being aggressive, large enough to drive off problem dogs and coyotes and a generally soft mouth. (Ask NinjaPoodle LOL) My next purebred is a Std Poodle and I love to death my German Shepherds. I'll always have a shepherd but standards are easier to train, less hyper as long as they get good activity and easy companionable animals. Clipped short and groomed regularly (not all the poufy matty stuff on them) Poos are easy maintenance, and that coat doesn't shed on the floor either. A big bonus.

German Shepherds/labs/goldens - common choices can be good dogs, are hyper as youths, may be found on kitchen counters, eat garbage at most opportunities and will BOUNCE on top of YOU and the KIDS when they're young. More bounce, run and jump depending on how little exercise and training they get. Some can chew ceilings and eat patios. A tied OUT German Shepherd will become territorial.

A big part of it is training and exercise, no exercise (even if loose on two acres) and those breeds may get creative about amusing themselves. Most are relinquished for that very reason at around two, if not earlier.

Sight hounds and terriers are RARELY good choices around stock.

Hard dogs, like pig dogs, primitives like some of the other mountain/culture/cur bred dogs can be significant risks because those breeding them, don't breed them for family life, for soft stock, or for health or longevity, or for living in close neighborhoods with public traffic. Some work out, most put holes in things.

Any one individual dog of any breed may work out because individuals are just that.

But choosing from the right group is more likely to set you up for success. Especially if you have limited training experience.

One thing that helps is to go to breed websites - their national clubs. The PYR site and the LGD site do list the pros and cons of their breeds. Believe BOTH.

It's always better to buy or adopt from someone working their dogs where you can. A pup with parents ALREADY doing what you want yours to do - is like starting with show quality chicken eggs. You have a better chance of getting a good result. You know it's parent could lay an egg and that it's parent actually did win shows. Good start.

From champion lines - bleagh - some dog in the background was pretty. You are going to LIVE with a dog you want sound around stock and maybe children.

From working in the same field - yay- already has parents proven safe around stock. Yay.

Already exposed to stock -big yay!

Already exposed to children is also helpful even if you don't have any - accidental meetings with kids happen.

If you plan on a part indoor dog. Please do yourself a favor and get a home raised pup. Barn/yard/kennel raised pups are behind the curve learning to live indoors.

If you want an OUTDOOR pup, get one reared outdoors with stock.

I love mutts. I have THREE. I don't suggest mutts for "purposes" because MOST people don't know how to test pups and PUPPIES never totally reflect their mature genetic temperament. Mutts make great pets, can be good stock animals. But it's a gamble, that even I as a long time professional in the field don't take.

If purpose, then buy/adopt purpose bred dogs. But don't shoot yourself by trying a hunting terrier (also a purpose) with your chickens. LOL that would be Cross Purposes and a painful lesson.

Thanks for ASKING first.

 

[camjac]

I had to put my 2 cents in here. My std. poodle (9 mos now) is turning out to be a great dog. I have never had poodles before and was not sure what to expect (think foo foo pompoms and hyper barking energy). My boy has totally proven me wrong. He is about 50 lbs of bounding fun. He has grown up with two cats, now has the 9 week old chicks (is very curious but will not touch them as he knows that they are mine). I have two kids 5 and 9 and could not ask for a better playmate. He heels on leash and comes full out running when called and learned his invisible fence (2 acres) in 24 hours. He loves to please and follow me everywhere. The downsides to this breed are definately the grooming. I taught myself to groom him from different sites on the internet and I have to say that I really enjoy spending the time with him. It takes about 1 1/2 hours every month as I do not wait 6-8 weeks because he starts to look shaggy. If you train them from a young age they learn to enjoy it. (It is nice to have all of the hair in one place and not all over the house though)! If you will not groom them yourself expect to pay $60-80 every 6-8 weeks. The other is that they love company (not necessarily a downside). They are not a dog to put out in the backyard and leave there. They are most definately a family dog and want to be doing what you are doing 24/7. He is excellent in the house but will not sleep on the bed (I like them to but can not get him to stay for more than 10 minutes). Std. poodles also have alot of energy. They need to walk or have some kind of play to burn their energy. This is the same as a lot of breeds. Choosing a dog is highly personal and everyone is going to give you opinions why their dog is the best, which is not necessarily a bad thing. You just have to take the positives with a grain of salt and weigh the negatives. If someone tells you that their dog is perfect and there are no negatives either research that breed for yourself or move on and find someone else with the breed you are interested in. Going to dog shows is a great way to find people with the breeds that you are interested in that will give you the facts about their dogs. They will not want to place a dog of their breed with someone if they know it will not work out. Good luck finding you puppy (I agreed with walkswithdog). One puppy will be much easier to train and bond with you. Two puppies can be done but it will take much more effort and time on your part.

 

[MagsC]

The "cur" breeds we have had were great.(Catahoula,Mountain Cur, Blackmouth Cur, Texas Blue Lacy etc.) So I was surprised to see the negativity towards them.Okay, maybe negativity is too strong a word. They were bred for any situation, including being part of the family. The ones we had bore that out.
I would have one again if living in the country.
Sigh, but I am not here to argue. Maybe the ones we had were exceptional.
Edited to add: I agree with Cara's post about not putting dogs and chickens together. Ours werent interested in chickens but they werent confined with them either. Thats probably a recipe for trouble.
Agree also about Catahoulas and strangers. Ours was great with us but didnt consider any strangers his friend! But he was good around the farm animals.

 

[Cara]

We have a Black Mouth Cur, and a Black Mouth/Mountain Cur cross and they couldn't care less about the chickens when they are running outside the yard BUT that's because they have a lot of space to run and more exciting things to chase. Confined to a yard with chickens, I think they'd kill them. All of our dogs act this way, and I will not keep them all together (dogs and birds). It just doesn't make sense.

Curs need a lot of space, and are terrible if they do not get enough exercise. One of ours broke a window, tore down curtains, tore up all of the dogs' beds, chewed up my kitchen utensils, a couple of pairs of shoes and my purse all in one afternoon because I had to leave him home by himself and indoors.

I have to say i've never met a nice Catahoula, especially around strangers (which could include your children's friends, or relatives). A friend of ours had two that he had to shoot after they killed and ate other dogs. Another friend had one that bit first and asked questions later. Obviously not all dogs of the same breed act the same way, but you have to be prepared for what you could be getting into and have the capacity to deal with it.

IMO Dogs and chickens is a recipe for disaster.

 

[Beekissed]

My mutts are great! One required a day's training and has held fast to the training all year. The other came fully trained. They are both Lab mixes, one a GP/lab and the other Lab/BC. If one listened to all the bad press labs get over being bird dogs you would be scared to get one. I've had 3 labs over the years and they were all excellent hunters and superlative chicken dogs. As for the GP running away from home...my GP mix likes to roam but is effectively stopped using my wireless electric fence. And the border collie mix...extreme hunter, young and hyper, loves to run, but learned in one day to not molest the chickens and has never offered to do so.

There are exceptions to every rule and one has to adapt to that particular exception. If my dogs suddenly became chicken killers, I would build a chicken tractor and keep them on guard for predators. Get a dog that works well for your family first, and if he works well for your chickens its just an added bonus!

 

[walkswithdog]

I actually LOVE black mouth curs. For pets for people used to their needs. Some are lovely lovely dogs.

I've had six labradors and trained with hundreds through Canine Companions for Independence. Lots of experience with them. Not my breed. If I told the truth, too affable and too ready to accept strangers affections.

I've lived with worked and retrained and seen in shelters and family homes a few hundred mutts. Some are great dogs, most in fact.

My replies were specifically for a dog to "hang out, or work around chickens." Not against many breeds as family pets, really.

I used to do pitbull rescue as well as herding breed rescue. I do Bloodhound Rescue out here in the south as well as giant breeds. Hence knowing what kills Irish Wolfhounds. Nose and sight hounds tend to do what they were bred for - following it.

But if you want a dog for a purpose - looking at those that have been bred for centuries for that purpose makes sense.

And yes, much of what goes wrong with dogs in homes is when people ignore what the dog was bred for.

You can't exterminate genetic drive, even where you can mitigate it to some degree.

It makes sense to pay attention to where the dog comes from and why. For a pet, not so important. Around livestock and children, more care should be taken.

All dogs are usually good dogs. Some are better for some purposes and situations - which was the question, than others.

Understanding where the dog comes from genetically, and understanding how much time YOU have to train or groom, or exercise a dog matters.

Labs are wonderful but thousands don't end up in labrador rescue, and I transport for lab rescue - I'm current on the numbers, because they're EASY for the first two to four years. More than that die in shelters because it's not easy to meet their needs to do things. Nevermind the whole airhead thing. And I've spent decades now working in shelters.

Choosing wisely is all anyone can do. Mutt or purebred, there are no guarantees. I've had over 100 dogs through my doors, even the unsaveable were good dogs. Dogs are good people. Human-type People sometimes suck and the dogs pay.

I've trained with, worked with, rescued and fostered, and groomed thousands. Been there when hundreds died every year for the sins of men.

Dogs are good dogs, we fail them too often, and it is usually the human that fails.

 

[bwebb7]

ENGLISH MASTIFF
ENGLISH MASTIFF
ENGLISH MASTIFF
NOT BULLMASTIFF
NOT NEOPOLITAN MASTIFF
BUT AN ENGLISH MASTIFF-He is a giant and his presence alone will keep predators away.
As a puppy-1 or 2 ehh ehh's will train him. He will chew his big huge bones while chix catch the bugs off his back! He eats a lot and you do need to spend time with him but you won't regret an English Mastiff.
NEVER NEVER NEVER AN AMERICAN MASTIFF-
IT IS A BAD CROSS BETWEEN AN ANATOLIAN SHEPHERD AND AN ENGISH MASTIFF A BAD CROSS
NEVER NEVER NEVER AN AMERICAN MASTIFF