Farm dog?

[islandgirl82]

The Old English Sheep dogs are considerably smaller than Pyrenees. I've had Pyrenees and they would be my top choice of all the dogs you have listed and for the variety of livestock you have/will have. My dad had a sheepdog (he got as a puppy from his neighbors). Both his dog and the neighbors' dogs were wonderful, friendly, playful, loyal and surrounded by livestock but as I recall, they seemed a little spacey...or maybe they were just stubborn, thus can be a little difficult train. Both breeds also require considerable amounts of time in grooming or their fur will get matted quickly. I currently have a Newfoundland (who has a medium-long coat like the Pyrenees) and use a marvelous shedding tool that has drastically reduced the amount of time it takes to groom him. The sheepdogs require a bit more maintenance.

I would stay away from anything with a high energy and prey drive for the sake of all of your livestock.

I've also had bad experiences with Irish setters. They tend to get into a lot of trouble/distructive when they get bored and seem to have the attention span of a goldfish.

Shiba Inus are guard dogs and territorial but not sure how they'd be with livestock.

Bernese Mountain Dogs are wonderful but like the Golden Retriever, come with a whole slew of health problems due to overbreeding (specifically breeding for the perfect cross on their chests) and as a result, have a much shorter lifespan than they used to.

 

[LoveThemBirds]

Golden retreviers will do just the same.

 

[abbygibson1212]

@islandgirl82 Thanks! I will probably go with OES or try harder to talk my mom into Great Pyrenees.

 

[abbygibson1212]

@LoveThemBirds I've had a golden retriever before too, he was super well mannered and calm and probably one of the best dogs I've ever had haha although he did dig. But I had him before I got my chickens so i don't know how he would've done with them. Probably good, he was good with everything else, he was a gentle giant. Unfortunately he got stolen (which is why I got the German shepherd, who ended up being a chicken murderer)

 

[Percheron chick]

I've had my share of farm dogs over the years. All mutts. I would NEVER own a long haired or must be clipped/groomed dog. You can not keep them out of the ponds or stock tanks so they spend a good amount of the summer wet and stinky. A good farm dog can just hang out. Does not need to be tied up, doesn't follow you down the driveway, doesn't get excited when the horses take off at a dead run, is a good trail companion, ignores the chickens, is big enough and has a good bark to keep strangers in their cars until you go out to check things out and can hold their own against predators. My current dog is a 100# medium coat GP/lab. I found him at the pound. He had been in since he was 8 weeks old and was 8 months when I got him. He did have a bit of a detachment disorder the first year but I think having an older labX female to show him the way helped. I specifically went looking for a GPX as my coyotes had become too bold and brazen after my last male dog died. The fact that he was cat and chicken proof was icing on the cake. He was born a farm dog and had been welped with geese. I suspect he got his butt beat at an early age and he will still back off from any stare down with the guineas. He does eat a #40 bag of dog food every month and I free feed.

 

[abbygibson1212]

@Percheron chick I don't have a pond and I've got plenty of time to groom them, plus they won't be coming in the house unless the weather is extreme, so I can deal with a long coat as long as I get a good dog, I'll shave em if I have too. I was thinking I might just look for a pyrenees puppy that was born on a farm with other animals, which should be easy to find around here, and a 40 pound bag a month doesn't sound too bad, so I might be able to manage talking my mom into it. I could probably even pay for the food myself pretty soon.

 

[islandgirl82]

Pyrenees prefer to spend their time outside and don't like water, however, mine did like to dig in the soil in shady areas to keep cool in the summer months and their thick coats keep them warm in winter. Their coat is also very dry so when they do get muddy, as soon as it dries the mud falls right off.

It helps to start with young puppies when teaching them to co-exist with other species but not a must. My newfie was raised in a NY city apartment until he was 9 months old then he came to live with me. I didn't have chickens then but horses and a mini donkey. He learned very quickly that chasing them was a horrible idea. When I got chicks and ducklings, he acted more like a sarogate mom for them and to this day, despite not being a LGD, he's a peace-keeper will drive away any and all threats to my flock and he's been an amazing influence on the foster West Highland Terrier I recently took in who is 8 years old and was rarely taken out of his previous home let alone been exposed to livestock. If anything, he's scared of them which is fine with me. @abbygibson1212, if your little dog is well behaved around your other animals you could use that to your advantage when training your new dog.

 

[abbygibson1212]

@islandgirl82 I will definitely be starting out with a puppy so I can introduce it to all the other animals. And my small dog is a chihuahua, she won't be much help with training a new dog because she wants nothing to do with any sort of livestock or the outdoors

 

[dainerra]

take anything with the word "doodle" off your list. they are not well-bred and there are no set criteria to even begin to guess what the dog might be like in looks, needs and temperament.

German Shepherds are easy to train, once you find their motivation. They do not do well as outside dogs unless you spend the majority of your time outside - they are bred to work 1 on 1 with humans. If left to amuse themselves, they do it in ways that humans will NOT like.

if you want a dog to live outside 24/7 and protect the livestock, then you need to get a breed intended for that. All of the breeds on your list are not really dogs intended to protect livestock.
Setters are hunting dogs so that is something to keep in mind. Beagles are also hunters and tend to follow their nose.

Your list of choices are all over the place. What do you want the dog to do, precisely? What amount of time every day can you set aside for training? What experience do you have training? Will the dog come to live on the farm and never leave again or do you want a dog that can go to town with you and hang out in the community? What experience do you have with dog grooming? Do you want a dog that is "wash and wear" with little upkeep other than brushing or are you up for multiple hours spent grooming every week? Do you have a fenced area for the dog? Will the dog be in the house or will it be an outside dog? Everything on your list is not going to do well as an outside dog, except the beagle. Life span, exercise, training needs, grooming, genetic health issues, general temperament, etc are all things you need to narrow down before you can start to think about breeds.

Do you plan to go to a breeder or will you rescue? If you want a mix, go to the pound and adopt a dog. Don't support a breeder purposely producing mixes because you are not likely to find someone who is doing it responsibly.

 

[Kk Augy]

I recommend a border collie as it's berry smart and easy going with animals
Thanks kk Augy