Didn't know where to post this. What do you think???

[franklinchickens]

Quote:
So true. We have a lab that we rescued at 9 months. We trained her well but she is just the best dog ever. We had her in with the chicks when they were young and she treats them as part of the family. We do foster golden retrievers and one of them 'retrieved' one of our hens. She was fine though a bit shell shocked for a while. Our lab only retrieves tennis balls & sticks! She's wonderful with the chickens - in fact one of our hens thinks she's a dog and hangs out with Lulu more than the rest of the flock!

 

[mysweetgypsy]

Kind of unusual for farm work but I love standard poodles, not toys, or minis, just standards. One of the smartest breeds. The only issue is the "bird" drive. So you'd have to purchase from a breeder that also has poultry and livestock for early exposure. But a well trained standard poodle can be an amazing dog!! We had two, one from show stock, and one from field stock. The field dog did exactly what he was bred for, bird hunting (stupid me for thinking I could change that). The other was purely for looks, also bad when you want a farm dog. This will be my third try. The reasons I'm so set on this breed; no fur=no shedding, and no drool.

But the main reason was a standard poodle I got to know that was owned by a co-worker. HE was from service stock. There wasn't anything this dog couldn't do with just a one or two word command. It was almost like having another person around. He protected his family, retrieved anything, could open doors, and was always perfect with children and animals. He was so good he didn't need a lead. This dog never made a wrong move, and I was forever impressed

Currently we own a boxer. I spent countless hours training him as a puppy. Today he's an older dog, but is still perfect to us. He CANNOT be trusted alone with the birds, but when one of us is out he's excellent. He is perfect for my kids!! I taught my oldest (4yo) to give him proper commands, he listens to her as if she were an adult. The drool is insane however.

I almost forgot! If you have the land, I mean a lot of land, a Great Pyrenees! We had one but they are impossible to fence by conventional means. She was the ultimate farm dog

You need acreage and a good pond

Any livestock or people we brought into "her"yard she protected. She patroled first thing in the morning, around lunch, and before bed. The partoling became an issue with one neighbor. His pack of mutts had killed severl of our birds, not while we owned Fiona. But she patroled his yard as well, and he threatened to shoot her. We tried EVERYTHING to keep her in, chaining, a run, fencing, she just could not be contained. Down side would be the buckets of fur, and drool. She kept herself very clean though

 

[ChikeeMomma]

One of my favorite breeds is the rough or smooth coated collie. Rough collie think Lassie. The smooth is a short haired version. I don't see them much around here. I grew up with one and it was one of the best family dogs ever. I would think that they would be good around farm animals, too. If you don't mind the grooming, the rough collie is beautiful. The smooth isn't so cute, but is just as gentle and loving. I have saw a mix of the two which produces a medium length coat that doesn't seem like it would require quite the effort as the rough. I have decided that our next dog will be of that breed.

 

[OnBorrowedWings]

Wow ChikeeMomma I love your suggestion of a rough or smooth collie for the OP. They're bright, not high drive, and usually really great with kids. (I also like the suggestions of boxer or well bred German shepherd).
As so many have written, the individual dog is more important than the breed, and how it is raised means everything.

All of my dogs are wonderful farm dogs, great with livestock, responsible, well trained, trustworthy, etc. But I have trained dogs my whole life, and have trained dogs for a living, as well as compete with my own and coach other trainers. I always choose high drive individuals because that's what I am attracted to, and I don't mind doing the work to channel all that drive into doing a job. My main breed, which I've owned and bred for 25+ years, the Irish water spaniel, is a true "do it all" dog. They helped me raise my son, are hypoallergenic (there is no reason for doodle breeding, the curly smart retriever already exists), are tender and kind to small critters, tremendous athletes and hunting companions, and are incredibly intelligent. I've also loved and studied border collies, and have owned them for 15+ years. There are so many now, and they vary so widely, that there are no useful generalizations to make about them, other than I would recommend one from true working lines. And my other breed, Pyrenean shepherds, are the most fabulous little rustic farm dogs from France. One family dogs like the Irish, they are suspicious and need a lot of socialization. They are very intuitive about discerning what their job is, and are super SUPER athletic in a small dog body. A landrace breed, the Pyr Shep comes in several coat types and many colors. These breeds are ideal for me, and for many farmsteads; just not necessarily for the OP.
__________________________________
Irish water spaniels, Pyrenean shepherds, an elderly border collie, Lipizzan horses, Clun Forest and Clun/Shetland cross sheep
See Pyr Shep puppy pics at www.madcap.name
And unedited puppy videos on YouTube at MadcapPyrSheps

 

[ChikeeMomma]

OnBorrowedWings -- Thanks! I'll have to see if I can dig up a picture of my Pete. He was a rough collie. He was such a great dog. We had lambs and he was excellent with them. My grandparents lived next door and had chickens and turkeys. He'd never bother them. We had rabbits and guinea pigs we'd play with outside and he didn't care. I love the fact that he just loved being around his family. If he was out of sight, you could always call him and he'd be right there. Right now we have a Siberian Husky -- I don't trust him around chickens (high prey drive), but I have had him off lead right with me and he watches them. I know he'd pounce if I weren't right there. We love him dearly, but he isn't the front porch lying family dog like my Pete was. I'll be busy today, but I'll try to find a pic and post it sometime. It's kinda funny because my dad grew up with collies (50s & 60s) and it sounds like many people used to have them, but nowadays they are harder to find.

 

[Mattemma]

My mini pin is a super stinker,so short hair is no help in that.Just wash them weekly. I have the pin and a mix lab/corgi and both are decent with kids and pets.So far no chicken kills,but I don't leave them alone with the birds.

 

[centrarchid]

To have a reliable livestock / poultry guarding dog, you must be able to trust it with its charges while not being supervised. Ideally dog will have access to stock or at least be able to go around the confinement areas at all times. Otherwise, some predators will find away to get at your stock when dog can not get at predator.

 

[nickie]

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I have 2 pits myself. LOVE THEM! Gentle, sweet, and smartest dogs I've ever had. I have two toddlers and while we have rules about being in their face and feeding them those are commonsense rules any dog owner should have.

One of my girls walks the perimeter of the property every night before bed and alerts us to any strange findings and chases off any and all predators she finds.

The only thing with pits is they do need to be well mannered and well trained. My girls are stronger than me (no joke, giving ear medecine means putting one in a headlock, administering meds while riding her through the house), but I am the boss.

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[1maria100]

A Australian Cattle Dog! I have a ACD mix and when we had our first chicks she was very gentle around them, she protected them like her own. They are bred to be around livestock and they may herd them a bit but they are bred not to hurt them. Also as a bonus they are very loving and extremely smart!

 

[bgates1970]

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Couldn't agree more! I have a hunting dog that will walk amongst the birds but as soon as I grab the shotgun she goes into hunting mode.