dog breeds that protect chickens?

[JamieandShady]

I'm curious if there are any dog breeds that protect chickens? shelties? other herding dogs? or are all dogs predators?

I'm really getting nervous that our coop isn't skunk proof. The sides are made of plywood so its possible that a skunk could chew thru...sigh...

 

[Frozen Feathers]

Definitely not Shiba Inu's. Mine like to chase them. I wouldn't trust her alone with them. I know my German Shepard was not good either. I also really wouldn't want a dog I might want to pet protecting my chickens from skunks...dogs are stinky enough... especially mine after playing in th swamp

Maybe someone else knows.

 

[Whirlwind]

My wise father told me this when I asked him this question.
Old English Sheep Dogs just like in the Fog Horn Leg Horn cartoons.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Watch out for herding breeds. They have a high prey drive that is bred into them. Not always a good thing around animals without supervision

 

[FrozenChicken]

Had a German Sheppard that wouldn't hurt a chicken even when it would try to raid it's food dish. Make your chickens part of your pack (Think dog whisperer) and any dog is safe around your hens. The Scotch Collie I have now is pretty good at keeping predators back though.

 

[jkm]

I am a professional dog trainer with three shelties, www.justineleo.net
I spent the first 7 weeks training them to control the bite/prey impluse, then the stupid chicken ran up to my big sheltie"terror of sheep" stuck its wing in his mouth and screamed.
Ivan did not rip the wing off. Good dog.
later another pecked at a bone bewtween his paws, she got a fast , air snap , no contact.
training is the key.!!!!
love my shelties and they loved helping me,(or trying to) put them in the pen for the night, highlight of their day.
all dogs need training to control the prey /bite drive!!!
one of my shelties couldn't care less, he just runs at them once a week for fun, barking.
but boy I train and train ,
I use lots of good dog, leave it cookies. when Ivan did not murder the chicken , I rushed in the house and rewarded the self contol.
Punishemnet does not work, for long term behavior control, it has its place in the training regieme. but not as a first choice.
Positive training got me impulse control, not punishment!!!

Ivan guards the house and yard, now the chicks are part of the yard, like our cats, so they fall under his work load.
Not all shelties are like this, sigh , Ivan will be very hard to replace. I wll call his home kennel and pray the bloodline is still strong.
justine

 

[keljonma]

A number of us discussed our dogs and their chicken behaviors here....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=345&p=1

 

[keeperofthechickens]

I was just reading one of those free magazines you get at Fleet Farm and they had two family dogs listed that protected their chicken flocks.

One was a doxie that has killed a bunch of skunks and a fox.

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

We have a full sized collie. He came from farm stock and I wouldn't trust him at all. He once got into our coop and chased the chickens around. He didn't hurt any of them but he sure rounded them up. It was a job trying to get a 100 pound dog out of the chicken run. No thank you he stays in his yard and the chickens stay iin theirs.. He is great with the goats and horse though.

 

[countrygirl4513]

Great Pyrenees are great with livestock they are bred for just that. I use to breed them and still have one to this day. They are best when raised from pup-hood right in with the livestock. That way they become more like the stock than pets.