Best Livestock guardian breeds

[SuperPeacockman]

I have a jack russel who is great with our birds, she would not hurt any of them. She killed two guineas when we first got her but we have trained her not to do that and she has been very good about it. She would not even hurt the babies, we had a few duckling pop the glass panels out of the incubator and come looking for me early in the morning and she just lay there and made sure they did not attack us upstairs (she guards us from everything). She does a cats job to a kills the rodents so she is a very good dog all around. She cannot kill raccoons though. I was wondering what you though the best guardian dog breed is.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

I was wondering what you though the best guardian dog breed is.

"Livestock Guardian Dog" refers to specific breeds, and not just every mutt that won't kill your birds and barks at strangers

There is no "best" breed,, only different breeds

http://www.lgd.org/​

 

[chickenzoo]

In every LGD breed there are those that do better with one kind of animal then their littermates, so if you get a puppy keep that in mind.
For my needs I chose Great Pyrenees. I may have went with Marammas since they have thinner coats and may have been better in FL heat, but GP's were easier to find at the time here.
I have not regretted getting them, although they are not for everyone. The Bad: They bark a lot, that is their way of telling predators they are there and on guard. They dig big holes - maybe not as bad in other states that are cooler, but they love digging here. They are more docile towards people, which can be pro or con. If you're looking for a guard dog for other than the animals, they may be lacking more than other breeds. Lots of hair..... And they sleep a lot during the day unless needed.
The good: - very loving dogs, most good with children and animals. Very tolerant of animals bad habits such as geese goosing, LOL. Some better than others around fowl, make sure you talk to the breeder and let them know what you will be using them for and make sure they have fowl on the property. Also ask how they train theirs around the birds. Pick puppies that do not like to chase after things. From my experience those are more likely to have problems with fowl. I have also had better luck with males vs females with the birds, but that may be just my experience.

 

[Kevin565]

That last picture is ADORABLE!

 

[medfaxx]

Great Pyrenees is a wonderful bird protector and large enough to ward off most predators including coyotes. We also have a Kangal which is strong enough to ward off practically anything including wolves.