Chicken compatible dog breed

[Chickenaddict]

My neighbors have a yellow lab who is a trained hunting dog. She is NEVER on a leash and roams freely in the yard. SHe has never went after my chickens altho given ample opportunities to do so she chooses not to


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My JRT killed one of our guinea pigs and would have killed our chickens too if he could have gotten to them. If it has terrier in the name it's a hunter. We'll either get a Great Pry mix some sort of shep mix or a little fluff ball this next time around.....

How do labs/labradoodles do w/small animals?

 

[vicki2x2]

What about an English Shepherd? I have not been around them personally, but have heard good things about them. They are also known as a farm collie. They are a livestock dog, but not as big as the pyr, etc.

 

[tomcio]

Quote:
My JRT killed one of our guinea pigs and would have killed our chickens too if he could have gotten to them. If it has terrier in the name it's a hunter. We'll either get a Great Pry mix some sort of shep mix or a little fluff ball this next time around.....

How do labs/labradoodles do w/small animals?

That's why I got the Jack initially. But he turned out to be everything but a killer . The most he will hunt is a milk-bone from my hand. We used to have a peach faced lovebird that would pick on the Jack... he liked when she pinched his lip w/ her beak (sometimes all the way thru) and let her sleep on his head!.

Both my dogs won't even kill frogs or toads. They will lick them and get 'high', then let them go! It takes a bit of time to tame an animal, but any animal can be made to respect livestock.

Also, to whomever was suggesting Aussies;- my friend has one, and it's one of the most unbalanced dogs (hyper one moment, bashful the next)... It's also afraid of new people. Go figure.

 

[Shared Acres]

That's my lab mix Onyx. Before we moved out to the land she used to LOVE chasing ducks and everything. But after a few swift "No's" she stopped when we got our ducks.

We think she's mixed with rottie and Chow. It's amazing how even within the same breed, dogs temperaments can be so different. Kind of like people in the same family!

 

[ChickenLuva]

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My Chocolate Lab loves animals of any size. When she finds herself too intimidating to a smaller dog or animal, she'll actually lay down on the ground and turn her belly up to them - even to a cat. Always very submissive for the greater good of the situation. Just the same, if there is an animal coming at her aggressively, she knows enough to hold her own. It took quite a few months to train her with the chickens. They're just so darn fun to chase - they scatter and run, making all sorts of noise. She wouldn't hurt one purposefully, but the chickens hated it. She doesn't chase them any more, but has had great fun chasing a large flock of wild turkeys from the yard recently.

 

[Shared Acres]

Mine is the same way ChickenLuva. If there is a chase, she is game. She wouldn't know what to do once she caught the chicken/cat/duck, but she thinks it is a game.

My cat makes her very nervous. She always thinks he is going to smack her. But she has NEVER been mean to him. If the cat is laying in her bed, she will stare at her and me but won't get in the bed!

 

[Bugdude]

We have a minpin that loves the chickens. We introduced them as chicks, and made it clear that these are not food. Now he gets along with all 4, its been about 6 months. They will all drink out of the water container together, its cute. The other day the Blacksex was playing Tug-o-war over a rope with him, when the blacksex lost the rope he would stop and she would run up and grab on again.. We got the last of it on camera haha!!

I think any dog would work as long as you train them right. IT might take sometime. I know dale didnt like the new birds in the house and for a week would shiver whent hey were out.. we let them walk on him and made him get used to them. Now they play..

 

[tellynpeep]

Well, the bottom line is that, though there may be some breeds in general that are good or bad with chickens, it is really the individual dog and training that matter. My dogs were 8 and 9 when I got my chickens (a Flat-Coated Retriever and a Collie.) I was worried about the Collie, who has a pretty strong prey drive, and LOVES to chase and kill chipmunks.

Both dogs have been NO problem at all. Other than being interested in the baby chicks when I first got them, they pretty much ignore the birds now (unless I'm feeding scraps, then they all eat happily together!)

That said, having the chickens accustomed to friendly dogs has not been all good. FOUR times now the neighbor's dog has come and killed chickens. I feel absolutely awful, because they had no initial fear.

Now I'm dealing with deteriorating neighbor relations, and legal action. Sigh......

 

[gamebirdsonly]

Trust NO Dog.

 

[my first peepers]

I have a 2 year old schnoodle...he thinks he's one of the chickens! He is the sweetest, most loving dog we've ever had! He's great with my kids too...lets them carry him around. We also have Guinea pigs. With both he was curious at first but now he walks around with the chickens and our most independant pullet sometimes follows him.
I would trust him implicitly with my kids and chickens although he couldn't guard anything, he's too happy to see everyone and everything!