Getting a guardian puppy - any chicken<-->dog communicables I need to worry about?

[ChiliChicken]

We just gained a puppy this week. She is a Border Heeler and very young. Starting her out with a lot of observation from afar and closer when we are with her. Also have livestock across the way so we think she will be great as long as we keep her busy and with her purpose.

 

[chickfused]

Man, Copper can be an obnoxious witch all day if she wants to be because she did SO WELL this morning.

We were out having our morning cigarette and coffee (she was having kibble), and all of a sudden she went tearing off toward the stream at the property boundary, barking and growling and alerting. After making sure all the cats were inside and nothing like a rabid dog was crashing around over there, I was like "Git it!". She went bounding across the stream and started barking and growling and alerting at a specific spot. I couldn't see a damn thing, so I went down there and she had this HUGE possum cornered. It wasn't hurting anything, so I told her it was ok, and then we went back to the house. She remained interested, but this was the first time that she took clear, independent, protective action and called me over to investigate and assess. And then followed my direction.

She also chased a chicken back into it's pen that had flown the coop, and I honestly think she maaaay have been putting it away vs. playing/hunting. She's done that with this one several times. As soon as it took flight and was clearly going over the pen fence, she instantly lost interest and went on about her doggy business.

For the first time, I truly felt like I had a working partner, for sure. And she is just under 18 weeks old. I cannot wait to meet 3 year old Copper.

Edit: She just chased the hell out of another chicken I was putting away, and I'm 90% sure she was herding it for me. She knew where it was supposed to go, and was keeping it right at the gate to the pen. The chicken of course, was panicking. Copper was clearly not playing. But she remained verbally controllable when she wasn't actually running the chicken, and kept checking in with me when she was, which tells me she was in her right mind and not in hunt/prey mode. Really fascinating!

Today has been incredible. After the previous 20+ pages of experience, I however, am waiting for the other shoe to drop

I also had the fleeting thought that I might need to get one of her siblings someday down the road before I stopped myself from the insanity.

2nd Edit: Today remained incredible. Wow. Is this what owning a dog is supposed to be like?!

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

There's no loss, she was apparently never gone. She's got a nest somewhere I can't find But thank you nonetheless!

Oh, ok.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

Man, Copper can be an obnoxious witch all day if she wants to be because she did SO WELL this morning.

We were out having our morning cigarette and coffee (she was having kibble), and all of a sudden she went tearing off toward the stream at the property boundary, barking and growling and alerting. After making sure all the cats were inside and nothing like a rabid dog was crashing around over there, I was like "Git it!". She went bounding across the stream and started barking and growling and alerting at a specific spot. I couldn't see a damn thing, so I went down there and she had this HUGE possum cornered. It wasn't hurting anything, so I told her it was ok, and then we went back to the house. She remained interested, but this was the first time that she took clear, independent, protective action and called me over to investigate and assess. And then followed my direction.

She also chased a chicken back into it's pen that had flown the coop, and I honestly think she maaaay have been putting it away vs. playing/hunting. She's done that with this one several times. As soon as it took flight and was clearly going over the pen fence, she instantly lost interest and went on about her doggy business.

For the first time, I truly felt like I had a working partner, for sure. And she is just under 18 weeks old. I cannot wait to meet 3 year old Copper.

Edit: She just chased the hell out of another chicken I was putting away, and I'm 90% sure she was herding it for me. She knew where it was supposed to go, and was keeping it right at the gate to the pen. The chicken of course, was panicking. Copper was clearly not playing. But she remained verbally controllable when she wasn't actually running the chicken, and kept checking in with me when she was, which tells me she was in her right mind and not in hunt/prey mode. Really fascinating!

Today has been incredible. After the previous 20+ pages of experience, I however, am waiting for the other shoe to drop

I also had the fleeting thought that I might need to get one of her siblings someday down the road before I stopped myself from the insanity.

2nd Edit: Today remained incredible. Wow. Is this what owning a dog is supposed to be like?!

Glad she is finally learning what she is suppose to do!

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

We just gained a puppy this week. She is a Border Heeler and very young. Starting her out with a lot of observation from afar and closer when we are with her. Also have livestock across the way so we think she will be great as long as we keep her busy and with her purpose.

Congratulations on the new pup! Shes so cute!

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

Good thread! I’m hoping to get a chicken protecting pup someday myself. My eldest daughter likes Old English Sheepdogs, so that’s what I’m currently reading up on. (I grew up with beagles & dachshunds—my last dachshund loved our chickens, but she was a house dog, not a farm dog. Beagles are definitely not what I want.) My youngest likes Great Danes, but I’m not on board with a dog that large yet. I like the looks of blue Merle Australian shepherds, but have never really known one. My hubby likes black labs. My brother has a Great Pyrenees—but she wanders too much for our liking. Now I have another breed to consider, thanks to your chronicles of Copper.

I will get one someday hopefully in the next 1-2years, when we will be moving to land and gettting animals. Ive heard Old English Sheepdogs are good, but i dont see Great Danes protecting animals. And im definitely learningg a lot from copper and her breed. know someone who has a great pyrenees and he guards there animals very well. We had a lab australian shepard, his mom was a blue merle aussie.

 

[chickfused]

Copper legitimately and certainly helped me herd loose chickens today. No question about it. What's really fascinating is she knows which ones she can force to fly back into the pen and which ones will need to be run to the gate. I have no idea how she figured this out but she's dead on correct.

 

[chickfused]

I ****ing love having a chicken herding partner. That will be all.

 

[chickfused]

And today we chased chickens vs. Herding

 

[chickfused]

Nothing of note to note. Things are getting a bit harder for everyone with the bitter cold and short days. Copper's biting has remained a problem and I'm still frustrated as hell. But she's wonderful when she's wonderful, and we'll keep trying to fix her bad habit.