Dogs that are good with chickens?

[BigBlueHen53]

I've had Golden retrievers who never bothered the chickens.

To acclimate my most recent dog, Sammy, a high-energy Sheltie, to the chickens (that's him in my avatar), we used the see-no-touch method. Every day we'd put him in the bachelor/ grow-out pen next to the chicken run for a few hours. He'd get really bored and take a nap. After a couple weeks of this we turned him loose with the chickens and he had no interest in them at all. They were just lawn ornaments. He follows them around now for their droppings, but that's it. His scent and that of the older Sheltie keeps coyotes away, so it's great that he roams with the flock. He's a Livestock Guardian and doesn't even know it!

 

[Solanacae]

We have two Brittany’s, both from excellent hunting lines. One is anxious and eager to please and learned quickly that we didn’t like her messing with the chickens. They basically don’t exist to her, unless one walks right over to her, and then she moves away. The other is a bit more stubborn and will ‘point’ at chickens and follow behind them. That alone is perfectly understandable, considering that’s exactly what his instincts are letting him to do. However, he starts moving faster if the chicken moves away faster and I don’t want him chasing them (or any wild bird). We do a lot of self control exercises with both dogs like waiting to go through a door until you allow them, waiting for a cue to start eating, balancing treats on their nose, making them sit while the chickens are wandering around them. I’ll never be able to trust the stubborn one completely, but I knew it would be a problem I’d have to deal with when we got the dogs.
Labs are a great choice and many lines haven’t been bred for hunting ability, though they are likely to love playing fetch. If you stay away from hunting lines, you can still find intelligent, well tempered lines. Some labs are happy morons, but even those are still trainable.
Bigger dogs are, in my experience, more quiet than little ones and better with kids. My parents have a miniature poodle who is a great lap dog but not great with my kids and barks at EVERYTHING. I swear, you walk into the room and she barks. Larger poodles are probably a good second choice considering what you’re looking for. All dogs are very good at reading body language - both yours and others. If you have developed a close bond with your dog and are out in a dangerous situation, you might be surprised how they behave.
Be sure to make sure any dogs (and their parents) you get from a breeder have been screened for health problems common to the specific breed. Hip dysplasia is a concern for many breeds and parents should have been certified on the condition of their hips. I have a friend who works at a vets office and told me that German Shepherds are really prone to this and has seen a lot of GS puppies born with dislocated hips because breeders aren’t breeding carefully to prevent that. The dogs will have to deal with it for the rest of their life, and if you intend to take a dog running, you want a dog whose parents have sound joints and good feet.

 

[SusanMc]

Our Border collie is excellent

 

[Chicken-Maniac]

I don't know if you are looking for a dog breed still or not, but I recommend Great Pyrenees. We had one a little while ago and they are friendly, most are good with small animal/kids, and don't drool much at all. The reason I said we had one a while ago is because we adopted one who has never been around chickens and attacked one of ours(it was a small would but still) so I were you, I would get a puppy and let it play/hang out with chickens. My neighbor did that and her dog and is probably friendlier with her chickens than herself!
Anyways, I hope this helps

 

[KW Farms]

Great Pyrenees can be amazing poultry guardians, but most need a good amount of acreage. They love to patrol and can be escape artists. They often nap during the day, then come alive at night to keep watch. That goes for most LGD breeds.

 

[cassie]

Have you thought about a Briard?

 

[Studabird]

I have three dogs. Mountain Cur/catahoula, Blue Lacy/Weimaraner Pitbull mix. They all roam the yard ignoring the birds because the first time they did anything they learned pain follows poultry. I don’t think the breed really matters it is the training. If you look up Blue Lacy and Weimaraner those breeds are supposed to be horrible with any other animal due to prey drive. He chased one turkey once. I yelled “NO” and he came back and looked at me as if to say “but opossum is still cool right?” and never chased another Turkey Duck or Chicken.

 

[GoatGirl123]

A labrador retriever seems to fit all of these except the protective one but if you get a puppy, you could puppy test it and get a more protective one. If you don't know what puppy testing is you should definetely look it up. My yellow lab is wonderful with chickens and little kids. She lets them pull on her tail and ears and didnt even do anything back when the broody hen attacked her These are all things I wish didn't happen but she handled them really well. It really depends on the trainer. If you do get a pup I can give you a link to a great book on training family dogs and you can check it out if you would like. I forgot to include the picture of my quail sitting on my dogs headGood luck!

I second that. We have a Labrador retriever and he is great with all of our animals

 

[cassie]

I have three dogs. Mountain Cur/catahoula, Blue Lacy/Weimaraner Pitbull mix. They all roam the yard ignoring the birds because the first time they did anything they learned pain follows poultry. I don’t think the breed really matters it is the training. If you look up Blue Lacy and Weimaraner those breeds are supposed to be horrible with any other animal due to prey drive. He chased one turkey once. I yelled “NO” and he came back and looked at me as if to say “but opossum is still cool right?” and never chased another Turkey Duck or Chicken.

You never had a Malamute or a Husky.

 

[thehenandchick01234]

I’m biased but we’ve always had corgis. I’m no runner so I’m not sure how a corgi (with their short legs) would do keeping up with you. They do, however, have plenty of energy because they are working dogs—and they’re highly intelligent and trainable. Now there are certain things that are innate and barking is one. They don’t bark incessantly but they do “talk” to you like—“I’m so excited we’re going outside...hurry and get your shoes on Mom” or “throw the frisbee again!” But they can be trained not to. I saw a YouTube video of a guy who lived in a dorm and trained his corgi to whisper
As far as your main question...the chickens. Our corgi is a real gentleman around our chickens and our rabbits. He has gotten pecked a time or two but when we’re out with the chickens he wants to be with us, so he generally gives them some personal space. With the rabbits he will give up his bed for them and go to another spot—he’s actually kind of a wimp but we’re ok with that! I have seen a few corgis on YouTube that will actually help herd the chickens. Lisa Steele from Fresh Eggs Daily also has a corgi.
That’s just my 2 cents! I think you’ve gotten a lot of great suggestions. I probably would start with a puppy though—it would be easier to train and get accustomed to chickens than an adult. All the best!!

Mine is super fast and does agility and has won because of her speed and I run a lot and can hardly keep up with her