I just want to reiterate why I post what I post about mixing herding breed dogs with chickens...
I love herding breed dogs. They're smart. They're generally very excited to see you when you come home in the evening. They're energetic. In a word, they're just fun. I wouldn't trade the world for my herding breed dogs.
I love them dearly. I can't stress that enough.
However, I see posts on this forum time and again from people looking to go get themselves a dog to keep around their chickens, and inevitably, someone recommends a herding breed dog.
Now, if that herding breed dog is worth a plug nickel, it's going to have a strong modified prey drive and an inclination to stare at small animals and make them want to vacate. That's what herding breeds do, if they're any good.
A strong modified prey drive is primarily triggered by sight, and nothing is more likely to kick it off than all those feathered tennis balls and frisbees that you call "chickens" out there in the backyard.
Yeah, that's right...to a dog with a strong prey drive, a chicken is just a frisbee that throws itself. Nothing more. When they see a chicken go flapping as chickens are wont to do, it might as well be you tossing a tennis ball.
Yes, you could probably train the dog not to chase the feathered frisbees, but...why? What are you left with if successful?
A useless herding dog...that's what...a dog that's been conditioned to go against all its natural instincts. A dog that may have been really, really great if it had been allowed to do its job, but instead is sentenced to a fate of resisting the urge to do what it was made to do.
And if you're not successful, what do you have? Well, if you're most folks, all you've got is an errand to run...to the shelter or rescue to drop off that #*#&&#*@# stupid dog that keeps killing all your chickens.
All I'm saying is...pick the right dog for the situation. If you want to herd your poultry, by all means -- go get a border collie or a heeler or an ACD or a GSD!
If, however, you're simply looking for a dog that won't kill your chickens...well, there are thousands of other breeds of dog out there to choose from, some of which are made not only to not kill small animals, but protect them from your neighbor's herding breed dogs.
That's all I'm saying.
I love herding breed dogs. They're smart. They're generally very excited to see you when you come home in the evening. They're energetic. In a word, they're just fun. I wouldn't trade the world for my herding breed dogs.
I love them dearly. I can't stress that enough.
However, I see posts on this forum time and again from people looking to go get themselves a dog to keep around their chickens, and inevitably, someone recommends a herding breed dog.
Now, if that herding breed dog is worth a plug nickel, it's going to have a strong modified prey drive and an inclination to stare at small animals and make them want to vacate. That's what herding breeds do, if they're any good.
A strong modified prey drive is primarily triggered by sight, and nothing is more likely to kick it off than all those feathered tennis balls and frisbees that you call "chickens" out there in the backyard.
Yeah, that's right...to a dog with a strong prey drive, a chicken is just a frisbee that throws itself. Nothing more. When they see a chicken go flapping as chickens are wont to do, it might as well be you tossing a tennis ball.
Yes, you could probably train the dog not to chase the feathered frisbees, but...why? What are you left with if successful?
A useless herding dog...that's what...a dog that's been conditioned to go against all its natural instincts. A dog that may have been really, really great if it had been allowed to do its job, but instead is sentenced to a fate of resisting the urge to do what it was made to do.
And if you're not successful, what do you have? Well, if you're most folks, all you've got is an errand to run...to the shelter or rescue to drop off that #*#&&#*@# stupid dog that keeps killing all your chickens.
All I'm saying is...pick the right dog for the situation. If you want to herd your poultry, by all means -- go get a border collie or a heeler or an ACD or a GSD!
If, however, you're simply looking for a dog that won't kill your chickens...well, there are thousands of other breeds of dog out there to choose from, some of which are made not only to not kill small animals, but protect them from your neighbor's herding breed dogs.
That's all I'm saying.