Finn's thread!! Puppy is GROWING!!!

[CHlCKEN]

Where's the third one?

Im thinking about the third one

 

[-Clementine-]

Won't kill chickens is trained, not bred. (case in point- my friends have a german shorthaired pointer, a bird hunting dog, that doesn't touch their chickens)

so definitely something easy to train then

 

[black_cat]

so definitely something easy to train then

Probably depends on the dog, and how much focus you put on it. GSP is a great dog, and is great at not killing chickens, but does not have very good recall or leash manners.

 

[EmmaRainboe]

Where's the third one?

Rainboe obviously.

 

[Folly's place]

Our GSHP was the smartest and most independent dog we've ever had! Fortunately I'm also a stubborn German, so persistence did pay off, and he was terrific! One of our all time favorites, sadly missed.
Also a perpetual motion machine, so likely we won't ever have another.
Mary

 

[NatJ]

Won't kill chickens is trained, not bred. (case in point- my friends have a german shorthaired pointer, a bird hunting dog, that doesn't touch their chickens)

I think the breed does make some difference, and the bird dogs are actually a good group to consider.

The bird-hunting dogs are mostly bred and trained to work with the hunter, with the person doing the shooting and the dog retrieving on command. Even when the pointer finds the bird and points at it, the dog is supposed to wait for the hunter to shoot, not run over and kill the bird itself. The dog is also not supposed to chase rabbits, or deer, or other animals that are not being hunted. That requires a fair bit of self-control and trainability in the dog. So a bird-hunting dog is probably fairly easy to train not to chase chickens (or sheep, or whatever else.)

Some of the other kinds of hunting dogs would traditionally work closely with a person (trainable), and be selective about what they hunt. I would consider them possibilities as well.

But sighthounds (greyhounds and similar) chase things that move, and I've read that they are much harder to train in general (not selected as strongly for being trainable.) They would probably not be a good choice, if you want the training to be easy.

Many terriers are bred to hunt rats or mice, and they actually kill the animals, and do not work in such close partnership with people. They also do not have a reputation for being easy to train. So I would avoid them for this purpose (this applies to quite a few terriers, especially smaller ones, but there are probably some exceptions.)

Herding breeds tend to have a lot of energy, but they are also highly trainable. And of course they should not catch or eat the animals they are herding, and they are not supposed to run off and hunt birds while herding other things, so they could also be good choices if you are willing to keep them busy. I've read that they can get into mischief if they get bored.

Livestock guardian breeds have usually not been selected for easy training, because they often work independently. But they have traditionally been bred to protect livestock, so they might not need such intensive training as some other breeds.

I've probably missed a few important groups of dogs, but those are the ones I can think of where the traditional purpose might make the dog more or less suited to living with chickens. Overall, I think the bird-hunting ones are the most promising group, unless you want an actual livestock guardian breed.

 

[CHlCKEN]

third get the rainbow

 

[EmmaRainboe]

Well it appears many of us have come to the same conclusion. (Of course that doesn't matter because it's of course BC's choice.

but we all seem to be ending up at navy blue anchors, rainboe, and plad.

 

[chickentrains]

So exited for you!

He is quite big, but very cute. Give him a pat for me.

 

[berryncherry]

Haven't found a perfect breed, but something easy to train, bred for guarding, loyal and alert, friendly, but also not five thousand dollars (also something that won't kill chickens because that's what they'll be guarding)

BORDER COLLIE!!!!

(If you can handle all the energy)