Best Protector dog breeds

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

I have a mixed (large, and part pit breed) from a shelter and while I’m not ready to trust her around the chickens when they are free range (even though she’s mostly interested in just eating their poop!) we are training her to watch our property (from inside) and alert us to predators passing through. If she spots one, she gets a big exciting run-around the yard as a treat. And it’s training the predators that she’s watching for them. Not the perfect solution, but it’s better than nothing.

Oh, I forgot about eating the poo. My Shepard reeks of it. Another reason she is outside more. I like the idea of rewarding the protection.

 

[FluffyFaverolles]

I’ve heard Tibetan Mastiffs and Pyrenees are good guard dogs due to their protective nature, but they’re incredibly large (which might be good if they’re to intimidate predators.) I work with dogs and have met many Pyrenees and their temperaments were usually calm and easygoing unless they were playing or felt threatened. One thing with the mastiffs though is that they can get very territorial and might scare/be hostile towards visitors.

 

[Penpal]

Any dog will run off small critters like opossums and raccoons. I never had a problem until my border collie died. As written above, herding breeds will be good. Collies of any kind, Bouvier des Flanders, a gentle German Shepherd (not bred for aggression). Collie means, literally, good farm dog.

He wouldn't have to be outside 24/7, a housedog is just fine as long as he enjoys being outside and running around. Do first teach the dog "leave it" so you have some control over the situation.

I believe a pit could work for you, but I would not get it from the shelter because you won't know what else it may have been bred with, if it was bred for good health, how it was treated.

 

[Ndahly]

I have a blue heeler/catahoula mix that is an amazing watchdog and protector. Catahoulas are kind of an all around breed and they do great as stock dogs but also as guard and watch dogs. He's super good at getting rid of all kinds of unwanted pests and knows what's suppose to be on the farm and what isn't. He's never touched the chickens, guineas or cats we have around. He's gotten rid of raccoons, skunks and stray cats. I think the only negative side to the heeler and Catahoula breeds are that they can be overly protective. We've done a lot of work with him as far as socialization with people, when new people come in the yard he is right there. I personally think they need a bit of training, they can be a bit strong willed. Ours is trained to work cows which has really taught him a lot of different commands. So any time he's doing something I don't like I tell him to "lie down" and he has to wait for his next command. But overall he's a really great predator remover and he actively seeks them out, he's always running around tracking some kind of scent.