Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[Beekissed]

I agree with that. Rarely do you ever find one without the other.

 

[galanie]

Yes M'am your right..................... I have calmed down enough be very cold and calculating in this endeavor, not fool hardy, nor overly excited. Just firm, steady with my eye on the prize, I won't be seen I won't be heard just a breeze that makes the hair on the back of yer neck stand up, and it's done. Vengence is mine sayith AL.

Preach on, Brother AL! HALLELUJAH! Say it again! Say it again!

 

[Pozees]

Doesn't it seem that, most often, those who choose breeds that need an alpha are rarely ever alpha? It's like they are trying to find dogs that hide their insecurities so the most undisciplined, weak people get pit bulls or other "bully" breeds and then have not one clue about how to train or control them. At least, that's just been my experience from what I've seen first hand and even on the Dog Whisperer. Rarely does the dog match the owner's temperament or capabilities as a trainer or owner.

I find that often people choose either for cute or for sympathy - he's so adorable, or he's so misunderstood. First scenario is okay 50% of the time, second far less. Those who actively research and select a breed can still be disappointed if they are not able to realistically assess their available input time and energy (this is why I have yet to replace my last dog). It can be really tough to select the right breed, and the multiplier is the shelter effect - we want to give a home to a truly needy dog, but picking one from a group of needies in a pretty short amount of time and with a tiny or nonexistent amount of background information is difficult for experienced dog owners, never mind those not experienced. Throw in the unknown mix of breeds and it can easily become luck of the draw.

The thing is, most dogs are great and are not problem children, but if they have landed at the shelter there is a reason - sometimes purely circumstantial, sometimes failure to train, and sometimes because the dog is a tough nut.

The biggest mistake I've seen over the last decade or so is choosing a Border Collie because it's so cool at catching frisbees or completing the obstacle course. As a rule they have more energy than 10 toddlers. They are GREAT dogs, but no dog needs a job more, and without a job they make stuff up to do. Huh, you know, maybe that is what YOU should be looking for, come to think of it ...

 

[Beekissed]

Nah...Jake is BC mix and that is the part of him that I don't like so much. It has added much quickness of learning but too much jitter for my liking. I like a dog that has a little more steadiness of action and calmness of attitude.

Two of my best dogs came from the pound at one point and I got them when the new owners just didn't want to fool with them. They came already trained, calm and sweet. No problems whatsoever and became the best companions and utility dogs I've ever known, bar none. Jake came from a large litter of farm dogs that were too much for the dam to feed and were unwanted as well. He was a Christmas gift to my dog, Lucy, and the best thing I ever could have done for her. Lucy had been left tied to a dog house when her family just up and moved away from her..the neighbors were going over and feeding her. She was beautiful and kind....a perfect dog her whole life. She even got her pic on the cover of Star magazine at one point....her 15 min. of fame, I guess.

My dog previous to her was the epitome of Ol' Yeller...looked and acted just like him and I've never met his equal. Never will. The whole town mourned his passing and I don't think I've ever gotten over him either. The best dog I've ever met and also a pound reject.

If I get another dog it will be a GP, Anatolian or a Maremma or any mix thereof.

 

[NikkiMiChickie]

What joy I received tonight when I logged on here to read about one of my heroes (Cesar) and one of my most passionate subjects: pit bulls. Smyers, I don't know how much acreage you have available to you, but you know Cesar's rule: Exercise, discipline, affection, in that order? Before you will get anywhere with your dog, she needs to run. My most recent pittie failed foster (bc I now own the big oaf), needed half-hour runs with the 4wheeler at a steady 20mph TWICE per day for the first month I had him before I even began to make any progress. He also needed to be "Cesar rolled" as we call it in my house, A LOT, and that required me laying my whole body over his to keep him from twisting out from under me in his insanity. He'd been in the shelter fornfour months before I found him, and there was a lot of pent up energy. Your pup shouldn't need anywhere near as much initial exercise I would guess. My boy was just certified as a Canine Good Citizen, a test most dogs I know couldn't pass if their owners lives depended on it, but both of my pitties are certified.

Thing about pit bulls is the REASON they are such great fighters: they have the strongest desire to please their owners of any dog I've ever worked with. You ask them to kill another dog, and he sees how happy it makes you, then you've got yourself a game pit bull. Both of mine would jump off a cliff if I asked them to. They do what makes me happy! So I'd suggest exercise and Cesar discipline, but for me, I do show a bit more - still not extreme - happiness than Cesar does to show them how happy I am with their endeavors. My female, also a rescue, is probably headed for a therapy dog certification, but in the meantime she is my "pit bull Pyrenees" as she is wonderful with my chickens and horses. My male has a bit too much playful pup in him still, and we're working on not getting excited when chickens go flapping around for whatever reason and inadvertently squashing one.

My dogs live in harmony with a housecat who visits them for cuddles when we ignore her.

I am in 100% agreement that many people get pit bulls for the wrong reason: they feel sorry for them. They meet one like mine, think "what great dogs! I want to get one too to help stop the misconceptions" and then they let them take over their homes. A dog that gets on the furniture without permission might be ok if it's a golden retriever, but you let a pit bull take over your couch and you're sending a clear message of just who owns that couch. Or the bed. Or the whole darn house for that matter. Next thing you know, that pit bull owns the owner too, and if a stranger approaches said owner, or visits the pit bulls house, chomp. I've been training dogs as a side job for individuals for 5 years now. I've worked with some extremely aggressive large breeds, but never been bitten. Bitten twice this summer: once by an 8lb Maltese and once by a 10-lb chihuahua. Same owner. Same spoiled brat dogs. Difference is: I didn't need to go to the hospital for my vicious dog wounds. Had I been bitten by a pit, I would have lost my hand and made headlines. Dog bite statistics are derived from hospital visits and police reports. Who reports a chihuahua bite? Not many people.

Ok sorry for rambling on... Ya'll made my night with the positive pittie comments and interesting questions from Bee. Good luck, smyers!

 

[galanie]

Nah...Jake is BC mix and that is the part of him that I don't like so much.  It has added much quickness of learning but too much jitter for my liking.  I like a dog that has a little more steadiness of action and calmness of attitude. 

Two of my best dogs came from the pound at one point and I got them when the new owners just didn't want to fool with them.  They came already trained, calm and sweet.  No problems whatsoever and became the best companions and utility dogs I've ever known, bar none.  Jake came from a large litter of farm dogs that were too much for the dam to feed and were unwanted as well.  He was a Christmas gift to my dog, Lucy, and the best thing I ever could have done for her.  Lucy had been left tied to a dog house when her family just up and moved away from her..the neighbors were going over and feeding her.  She was beautiful and kind....a perfect dog her whole life.  She even got her pic on the cover of Star magazine at one point....her 15 min. of fame, I guess. 

My dog previous to her was the epitome of Ol' Yeller...looked and acted just like him and I've never met his equal. Never will.  The whole town mourned his passing and I don't think I've ever gotten over him either.  The best dog I've ever met and also a pound reject.

If I get another dog it will be a GP, Anatolian or a Maremma or any mix thereof. 

 

Ok so Bee, give me some pointers on selecting a good LGD. My own limitations are great. Being this far south, I don't want a Great Pyrenees because I think one will just get way too hot with that heavy coat. And I dont' want one that has the reputation of roaming as bad. Those are the least of my limitations.

I love animals, but I'm not the typical dog lover. I do not, in fact, love dogs. My exposure to them has been such that I view them as dirty, smelly, and opportunistic creatures that take advantage of a person's weak spots to ensure their integration into said person's hindquarters for their own survival as a valued member of the family. I don't want a smelly thing that ingratiates itself so that it can live right under a human's rear end, I want a dog that will look after my danged animals! And I have no qualms at all about being alpha. Probably to a fault. So how do I look for a dog?

 

[Beekissed]

I loved your rambling and so wish more people were like you in their responsible attitude towards their dogs. They truly should be more than just the family pet and I think they are much more adjusted and satisfied creatures when they are treated as more than couch ornaments. I really like to watch the YouTubes on pulling and most of the dogs are pitties...what a great application for these animals. They are perfectly suited to this job and their willingness to perform for the owners just shines through! How much could a person utilize that strength and willingness to work on a farm? They could be so much more than just pets if folks would see that work is not punishment but a fulfillment of their purpose and makes them feel valued and gives them an enjoyment that few things can do.

I was also surprised to see a fair amount of Labs in the pulling competitions! I guess I shouldn't have been surprised because they are also a breed that lives only to please their owner and would pull the world to see you smile. Jake loves to pull and loves to work...you can almost see him squirming with pleasure when you tell him that he has done a good job. Nothing makes him happier than helping me work. He will even pick up corn cobs from out of the garden and bring them to me when we are cleaning up the fall garden...then he lets me hook him to the cart and pulls his heart out to bring the load to the place of disposal.

I hope to get a recreational harness for him and start him out on simple pulling and finally transition him over into working in the firewood efforts around here. Not that we need him for this but I think he needs more work to keep him fulfilled....he LOVES to work and we don't have near enough for him to do around here. No more sheep to work, no more cows to work...just a few chickens. Big whoop.

 

[NikkiMiChickie]

Nah...Jake is BC mix and that is the part of him that I don't like so much.  It has added much quickness of learning but too much jitter for my liking.  I like a dog that has a little more steadiness of action and calmness of attitude. 

Two of my best dogs came from the pound at one point and I got them when the new owners just didn't want to fool with them.  They came already trained, calm and sweet.  No problems whatsoever and became the best companions and utility dogs I've ever known, bar none.  Jake came from a large litter of farm dogs that were too much for the dam to feed and were unwanted as well.  He was a Christmas gift to my dog, Lucy, and the best thing I ever could have done for her.  Lucy had been left tied to a dog house when her family just up and moved away from her..the neighbors were going over and feeding her.  She was beautiful and kind....a perfect dog her whole life.  She even got her pic on the cover of Star magazine at one point....her 15 min. of fame, I guess. 

My dog previous to her was the epitome of Ol' Yeller...looked and acted just like him and I've never met his equal. Never will.  The whole town mourned his passing and I don't think I've ever gotten over him either.  The best dog I've ever met and also a pound reject.

If I get another dog it will be a GP, Anatolian or a Maremma or any mix thereof. 

 

Found him for ya, Bee: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/24648100
I believe we have some Canadian friends here on BYC. he has a sister available too, but she's got shorter hair so may not be as suitable for outdoor life 24/7, according to the organization. Road trip!

 

[Beekissed]

Ok so Bee, give me some pointers on selecting a good LGD. My own limitations are great. Being this far south, I don't want a Great Pyrenees because I think one will just get way too hot with that heavy coat. And I dont' want one that has the reputation of roaming as bad. Those are the least of my limitations.
I love animals, but I'm not the typical dog lover. I do not, in fact, love dogs. My exposure to them has been such that I view them as dirty, smelly, and opportunistic creatures that take advantage of a person's weak spots to ensure their integration into said person's hindquarters for their own survival as a valued member of the family. I don't want a smelly thing that ingratiates itself so that it can live right under a human's rear end, I want a dog that will look after my danged animals! And I have no qualms at all about being alpha. Probably to a fault. So how do I look for a dog?

Look at Anatolians...I think you will like this breed's qualities and personality. Look for one that is calm and quiet when you choose a pup...not the one that approaches you boldly and not the one that shies away. Pick the one sitting on his butt or lying down in a relaxed manner like he doesn't have a worry in the world. That's the one that will be your keeper.

 

[galanie]

Look at Anatolians...I think you will like this breed's qualities and personality.  Look for one that is calm and quiet when you choose a pup...not the one that approaches you boldly and not the one that shies away.  Pick the one sitting on his butt or lying down in a relaxed manner like he doesn't have a worry in the world.  That's the one that will be your keeper. 

Sounds great! Now for my big fear. What if it doesn't work out? What if it turns out just not to work around chickens? I had already thought Anatolian might the be breed I needed, but I wasn't sure, not being the dog lover that many are and not trusting my own judgement here. I don't want to get any dog and give it flowers and promises of a forever home then end up having to "dump" it off somewhere since it didnt' work out. I am not a dog lover and don't view them in the best light that can be, but I do have compassion. Are the chances of what I'm fearing high should I choose a calm, not bold but yet not retiring individual and then raise it around the birds so that it bonds with them rather than us pretty much (while keeping it in a crate or pen when unsupervised so that as a pup, it won't be able to kill any by "playing" too hard) ??