dog breeds that will not chase chickens

[aoxa]

It probably would depend on the dog itself. Both my dogs chase our cats, kids, neighbours, other dogs, etc.. Never once have they chased the chickens. They often sniff their backsides though

 

[Chicken Crazy12]

Our Collie is the best chicken dog. He is a rough coated collie just like lassy and they were bred to be livestock protectors and herders. He kills opossums and keeps predators away. If a chicken gets out in the yard he will go to where they are and lay down and watch over them. He was taught at a young age from our pyraneese that wild animals are the bad guys. I would think the best dog to have around chickens will be your livestock guardian dogs Great Pyranees, Anotolians, collies, etc..... just look up livestock protectors. Quite possibly the worst dogs we have are our house dogs a shi-tzu and a Lhasa-Poo they just really love to chase. We had a couple hounds over the years and they were not to be trusted with chickens so IMO Livestock Guardians are the best dogs for chickens, goats, sheep, etc......

 

[grannyh]

My Malamute X (Bearded Collie?) was introduced to my baby chicks and had no interest in chasing them. He is also learning not to chase the new cat! He is 12 and I've been thinking about another dog too.

 

[Linn Bee]

Somehow, some dogs just know when and what to chase and what belongs to 'your pack'.

My rescue dog, a chocolate lab, chases everything it sees in the yard, woods, or field. It will even "chase' the outside cat we had before Cee Cee was adopted into the family. If only the silly fool of a cat would stop running! Some days she's purring and pawing the dog's side and sleeping spoon-style with her and the next she runs when the dog comes bounding out of the house.

Chickens!

Cee Cee seemed too excited by the chicks to be allowed near them. She was very excitable once the chickens were moved into a pen in the garden shed. By the time their coop was finished and I was able to let them out to free-range, I was worried that I'd have to keep a close rein on the dog.

I let the chickens out of their coop. The dog raced ahead of them and stopped with every appearance of herding them back to the coop. I called her to me, explained that the chickens were okay, and gave her some 'good girl' attention.

Now the only time she minds the chickens is when she hears a strange chicken-noise. Then she runs over just to check and make sure they are not in danger.

Training? Mostly just loving attention.

Love, Linn B (aka Smart Red) Gardening zone 5a - 4b in south-est, central-est Wisconsin

 

[ChickEngineer]

We had two Belgian Sheepdogs when the chicks arrived. Our 11 year old male was curious and liked to look in the box at the chicks. When the chicks were older we moved them to a small coop/run near the back door. The chicks got use to the dogs running in and out of the door and paid them no attention. Later when we let them free range in the backyard they pretty much ignored each other.
Only once did one of the AC get to close to our female's face, a snap and lost feather and the AC got the message.
Bottom line is the chickens need to be train as well as the dogs.

 

[Tikichicken]

My big black Lab thinks she is a chicken! She's so good with them. She has the natural instinct to "flush" out birds and loves to make the doves fly when they're in the yard. The chickens free range and she'll just hang out with them. She's protective of them too. She'll chase off neighborhood cats (not her kitty - who is afraid of the chickens), opossums, and our most recent visitor a cooper's hawk. I think the trick is to make them aware that the chickens are part of their "pack".

 

[J's Orpingtons]

Great Pyrenees Dogs are great with Poultry but are big

 

[ChickInDelight]

No hunting breeds.

My boxer is good.

Sometimes herding dogs wear them out hearding.

Standard poodle? I like companion dogs.

 

[dainerra]

honestly, there are only 2 kinds of dogs GUARANTEED to never chase chickens - stuffed and those with no legs.

Will certain dogs have ZERO interest in chickens? yes. Will certain breeds be LESS likely to chase chickens? I'd probably say "no" herding dogs are meant to herd which equals chasing chickens. bird dogs are meant to either flush birds or to retrieve them. hunting dogs are bred to hunt for things. terriers are meant to kill small animals. lap dogs chase toys and run around. All of those things are just different manifestations of prey drive.

what do chickens do? they squawk and flap and run all over the place. What is the natural response for a dog? to run after things that run away.
Find an individual dog that is laid back and calm. Start with training from the moment you bring him home. Never trust any dog to not chase chickens when you aren't there to supervise.

If your dog chases and kills chickens, pick up the dead chicken and beat yourself violently around the head and shoulders while shouting "Bad owner for not watching the dog!"

ETA: standard poodles are actually bird dogs and have as much prey drive as any other hunting dog

 

[BasicallyHeather]

Quote:

Our dog (SimplySophie is my kiddo) wasn't around livestock of any kind until we got our chickens half a year ago. She was 7 1/2 at the time, and learned very quickly through commands that the chickens were our buddies. She is a wonderful watchdog, and whenever she is outside, we know that she will let us know if something isn't right. She and the head roo make a pretty tight team!

I appreciate all of the breed ideas and anecdotes/experiences because this is an important decision to make. We probably won't be getting another dog until summertime, and this way we have many months to do our research. I agree wholeheartedly with many previous posters that training makes a huge difference. If we could train our girl at 7 1/2 to be nice to the chickens, then it's possible to train most breeds (keeping in mind the purpose for the breed, of course).