Dog Recommendation with Chickens Help Please

[SunshineShack]

Thank you all for responding. I guess the type of dog I am looking for would be no more than 50-70 pounds. For my son everyone keeps telling me to get a lab, golden retriever or boxer but I wasn't sure with the chickens. I could definitely have the puppy hang out with chickens as all my girls are friendly.

 

[Cyprus]

Thank you all for responding. I guess the type of dog I am looking for would be no more than 50-70 pounds. For my son everyone keeps telling me to get a lab, golden retriever or boxer but I wasn't sure with the chickens. I could definitely have the puppy hang out with chickens as all my girls are friendly.

Personally, I would go with a boxer.
I have a friend with a 6mo old lab pubby that is a bit of trouble around the birds

 

[mixedbreeds]

I would not just stay away from retrievers it’s the training that makes the dog. I have had labradors for years and they are very smart just make sure to go with a good and recommended breeder. My current black lab has hunted with me for years for ducks, geese, pheasant, quail, and grouse. It took about 6 weeks of showing him the chickens and slowly working with him that they were not birds for him to go after. At first he wanted them like any other bird but after a couple of times every day he figured it out they were part of the family. He is the dog in my avatar. So don’t believe the garbage that you need to stay away from them.

 

[Cyprus]

For everyone saying that certain breeds aren't trouble and that everyone warning against them is wrong: I am speaking from experience.
I have experienced Huskies killing chickens 6 times
GS 3 times
And lab attacks 4 times.

 

[Kessel23]

Training is what matters, an untrained dog will kill. If you train your dog it will not, just because you have seen dogs kill birds does not mean the whole breed kills chickens. If someone has a dog and does not train it to be nice around chickens or any other livestock then it will not be nice around them, simple as that. I have seen plenty of dogs kill chickens and every time it was a dog that belonged to someone who did not have chickens and had no need to train their dog to be nice around them. I have a neighbor down the street who has a boxer and a chocolate lab, they also have chickens, both dogs are excellent little girls and are very well trained, they rarely leave the property but when they do nothing happens, they never mess with my chickens or my dogs or even my rabbits, they know there name's very well and are very easy to return to the owner if they come wondering by. Further down the street I have another neighbor who has two labs, they have no chickens but the dogs are still very friendly and well trained but not with chickens and unfortunately they have killed several of my neighbor's birds and a few of mine. Further down the street in the opposite direction I had a neighbor who had 5 large livestock guardian dogs for their alpacas and another neighbor who had a few mixed breeds as pets. The mixed breed owner had goats, guinea hens, and chickens, his dogs were always very nice to my birds if they escaped, the alpaca dogs were not so nice, they killed the mix breed owner's chickens a few times, luckily they were far enough down the street to not venture onto my land and kill my birds. There is another dog breeder on my street to, he breeds Huskies and they are not trained to be nice with chickens but I have only had to worry about that once, he keeps is dogs very secure and they rarely get out.

Another thing that you should watch out for with dogs being around chickens is having untrained dogs with trained dogs, if you have a dog that is nice around chickens then don't let him hang out with dogs that attack them. If your dog sees another one of his buddies mauling a chicken then he might get hyped up and join in to.

 

[wyoDreamer]

My German Shepherd is only a problem with the guinney hens, he likes to run through the flock and make them fly ... . Once they are scattered, he brings his ball back to play fetch.

My English Setter loves the chickens. They are great to practice his pointing on. No aggression for birds with that dog. He even points robins, blue jays, chickadees, crows and ravens. Any bird that lands in the dog yard will be pointed! Never had to train him on leaving chickens alone. His mortal enemy is the guiney hens - he barks crazy at them but is terrified and will not go near them. When we bought the place, the guiney hens came with the place. We had gone to town for about an hour and came back to find the dog cornered in the fenced dog yard by 3 of the guineys screaming their heads off at him. Obviously, he did not belong there. They now ignore him completely.

I had a friend who had a Malamute that killed his cows. He had to tie it to house with a logging chain. Are all Malamutes bad dogs, I don't think so. It was his third dog of that breed and his first one actually slept with the chickens.

I also had a friend with a golden retriever that liked to pick up chicks and carry them around. Never killed a single one. I have seen that dog laying in the yard with chickens all around him.

I think it is more about the personality of the dog than its breed. My b-I-l had a black lab that would retrieve live birds. Twice he caught perfectly healthy ducks that had not even been hit with shot, and they were alive when he dropped them at b-I-l's feet.

 

[MROO]

Most any dog can be trained around chickens. Some will be harder to train then others. I have a German Shepherd and a yellow border collie that we’re not allowed near the chickens at first but after training they walk right by them like they’re not even there. Actually my border collie likes hanging out with them a little bit from time to time. Just sit there watching them. I have no thought in my mind they would make any false moves. Yes definitely took some training but luckily my dogs aren’t as hardheaded as others

My old Border Collie mix would try to herd the chickens. He was gentle, but insistent with them ... and they were just as gentle and persistent in confounding his efforts. When he got thoroughly frustrated, he would flop on the ground at my feet ... and I swear he would sulk! Our new Border-mix is NUTS! It'll be years before she's chicken-friendly! I love her, but I sure miss my old man!

 

[Birdsong 82]

My border collie is a five-year-old puppy. I think she’s got many more years of puppy to go. I don’t think I could train her to herd the chickens. Mine is completely nuts too. But I think that’s the charm of the border collie. But unfortunately I think that’s also why they say that’s one of the number one dogs that get turned into shelters. You’ve got to have patience and enough land to let their energy out. And again lots and lots of patience . My border collie took no time to get used to the chickens. But since we had her she was getting introduced to everything from bunnies to goats to pigs to cats. She’s friendly to every creature. My German Shepherd took a little bit of work though

 

[MROO]

... I want something that is all around a good family dog but will also leave my chickens alone. ...

There is no guaranteed "chicken-safe dog breed," but there are LOADS of wonderful dogs in rescue, right now, especially if you want a slightly older puppy or a young (usually already house-trained!) dog. Your best bet is to go through a rescue organization that fosters their dogs in private homes. Most will let you (in fact, most insist!) that your existing pets meet the new dog before they finalize the adoption. There should be no reason you couldn't take a kenneled chicken or two with you to visit.

You'll be able to tell the dog's interest level without ever removing the birds from the cage - just make sure you can get the dog to settle somewhat in front of them. The new puppy/dog should be either totally diffident or curious and interested without being actively aggressive or over-excited. The dog or puppy you can distract with a firm command, attention or a favorite toy or treat should be a good candidate for what you need - a trainable, friendly family member.

Most dogs are trainable, but it's always good to hedge your bets and start with one that's biddable - especially if you have young children ... and chickens!

Good Luck - and be sure to post pictures when you bring your new baby home ...
We LOVE pictures!

 

[HenHouse4Life]

For everyone saying that certain breeds aren't trouble and that everyone warning against them is wrong: I am speaking from experience.
I have experienced Huskies killing chickens 6 times
GS 3 times
And lab attacks 4 times.

Sounds like you have had some very unfortunate experiences, were these your dogs? It is unfair to say 'all' dogs of a certain breed just as it is unfair to say all people of a certain whatever..... everyone has different experiences and people are allowed to voice them.... without judgment