does anyone have a mini bull terrier or a staffy?

[chkinut]

hi guys! i'm researching dog breeds and i'm trying to decide between 2 breeds at the moment......a staffordshire bull terrier and a mini bull terrier. i'm leaning towards a mini bull and i was wondering if anyone has any experience with this breed and how they are with chickens? of course i would be getting it as a puppy and i believe most dogs would be good with chickens if they're brought up with them....but i wanted to ask your opinions here first. and it will probably be about 2 or 3 years before i even get this dog.....just planning ahead. thanks! oh, and if anyone has an opinion about a staffy i would appreciate that too. i hope i'm posting this thread in the right place! lol

 

[Tripp16]

Hi I havent heard much about the bull terriers.....but I do have a suggestion of dog breed. A English Bulldog.

I have 1 female her name is Ruby and she is GREAT with my chicken babies, she just walks around and sniffs them. She does sometimes try and play with them in a dog way but they just run from her and she is too fat to catch them. So no worries of them chasing them down and killing them.

Hopefully this helps. By the way Bulldogs loooove people and espescially their owners she cant stand to be away from me!

They are great dogs!

Hope I can help a little

 

[birdface]

Hi.

If i had to chose, i would go with a staffy. but im a pit bull person. either dog would probably be good if brought up with them from a pup.
Staffy's are basically pits so this is what i know...great family dogs, great with kids and super smart. they have to have their rules and know whos the boss. and socialize the crap out of them. they will do anything for you. and get them fixed. But, they do have a very strong prey drive, but if they are brought up with your chicks they should be ok. Make sure the dog knows the chickens are the boss. My pit wants to eat my birds and just about everything else that arent his cats. Mine jumped a pig fence and tried to pull down a 200 pounder, twice. And tried to jump a cow fence, luckily the fence was to high. Also make sure theres are no laws in your town about pit bulls cause that would put either one of those dogs at risk. Either way if you treat it right youll have a good dog, but i would pick the staffy

 

[chics n more]

Rat terriers come in three sizes and are very low maintenance- except the smallest (toy) has to stay inside in winter- Ours walks around with our chickens looking for treats!

 

[psyche-chick]

I have shelter dogs and they are the best. I have an older jack russel terrier and a beagle pup. My beagle protects the chicks like they are part of her pack. It's so cute.

Sadie, the beagle, started out as a foster pup when she was 4 days old. I had her and 3 sibling pups. Te first weekend was rough because I lost 3 of them in quick succession. We all fought to keep Sadie going and now she's a great member of the family.

I've had different types of dogs and picking a breed would depend on what you're looking for in a dog. I still recommend a reuse though

 

[4acresNachick]

HI. Both breeds are great but keep in mind there are inherent traits for the breeds. One of those is prey drive. Do some research for training and behavior modification games you can play that don't bring out the inner terrier (terror) in your pup. I have a pitbull mix and love him. Adopted him at 1 yr old and he is 11 now. We just got chickens this year and i was really worried about what he would do but I allowed him to watch the chicks in the brooder and kept telling him they were babies (which is what I told him about the kittens I fostered for the animal shelter) and he has been great. I also took him through obedience classes and he was a Human Education dog. Having the training tools (like commands, and a plan) made keeping a breed like a terrier easier. If buying from a breeder it is very important to meet BOTH parents if adopting from a rescue or shelter spend a lot of time with the pup before committing. I love that you are giving the bully breeds a chance. So many people have written them off and that is sad because when raised right with lots of training and socialization they are incredible companions. Good luck.

 

[nickie]

Both great breeds. I have two American pit bull terriers myself, so I tend to lean toward the staffing, but I love the bull terrier too. Training is key. Both my girls know that the ducks and chickens are MINE and no one goes against momma's rules, but they do keep a lot of the other predators away from the yard (except the skunk incident, but that's a story for another day). Research and training is key.

 

[gumbii]

my friend has a bull terrier... not good with chickens... but then again, i have a american pit bull terrier and he's awesome with my chickens and chicks... but it's all about how it's raised and stuff... all dogs that are balanced can and will do good around chickens or other critters... they will know that the chickens are your possessions, and protect them as well... funny how my dog chases other pigeons around his food, but when i let my pigeons out, he lets them perch on him... LOL...