Good small dogs for protecting flock

[Debby R]

Australian Cattle Dogs, Now called heelers are relatively small, bred for herdng sheep and cattle. They can be pretty ferocious guarding their charges. They are very common on farms. I think they'd be most effective in pairs.

Herding breeds are bred to protect herds/flocks

 

[KTsChickens]

He’s not a really small breed of dog, but it only took about a week to train our Brittany to live peacefully with chickens. It’s really funny because he’s a bird dog, but that first week he only tried to retrieve the birds once, and just pointed at them the rest of the time. He lived with chickens in the backyard for about 6 years. We lost our dog last week and will really miss him. Thinking about another Brittany now and wondering how it will be to train another puppy to grow up alongside chickens.

 

[CLSranch]

Herding breeds are bred to protect herds/flocks

My 1st heeler wouldn't touch a chick or chicken while I was outside. But I couldn't just could not break her from occasionally killing 2-7 at a time when she got bored. Free range chickens and dog.

Any possum, coon, neighbor dog etc.... came around she would protect them. Next day she'd get bored. She finally killed 1 to many. Was the best dog I've ever seen

 

[Chickengene]

I have had at least one dog all my life. so in sixty years I have had and/or been around so many different breeds I could not list them. " NEARLY" every dog has the ability to learn not to harm the family livestock. But "EVERY" dog has the inherent instincts to chase.
One rule i have learned is never allow more than one dog unsupervised access to any livestock you want to keep. I have seen Labs slaughter a flock, German Shepherds slaughter a flock. A pair of the sweetest PitBulls slaughteran entire drift of over twenty pigs and forty chickens the same day.
My piece of crap Australian Terrorist is way too arrogant and snobbish to even notice my chickens, or any other animals. But I will not rely on that for any extended, unsupervised time.

 

[OsceolaMomma]

I have a mountain curr....looks a lot like ur dog. She is six and we only got the chickens last year...we’re chicks and super active which made her get way too excited...I would love to start interpreting her but worried I missed my opportunity. Having had this type of breed, what do u think?

So if I may be brutally honest my cur was the same way and especially when you have chicks and any little movement makes them scatter so then it’s game on with this squeaky toy that runs. I have a shock collar with remote and what worked for ME (not all this is just me talking) I would sit and sit and sit some more when I had my chicks and or chickens out it was time consuming for a while, but when they would dust and fluff or run after a bug or ANY sudden movement then like to do if he so much as looked their direction he got zapped....this worked for me I’m not saying it’s right BUT he Si (Robertson) lol will NOT mess with my chickens and will protect the crap outta them HA. He had to understand the job and importance to me and that they are friends not food. Sorry so long and I hope it helps.

 

[Judy Todd]

Just wondering if there’s a smaller breed of dog that’s good for guarding chickens? I know corgis are good, but what else? I’m looking into buying a dog but also using it to guard the flock, especially since we want them to be free range in the day

Listen to the advise on this forum. They are right on, no hunting breeds. My lab who is the sweetest dog I have ever had, killed five of my youngsters when she was younger. Now, at 13, she pays no attention to them freeranging. But, I still would not leave her out with the chickens when I am not out there.
A GP is the way to go, I had one for 4 years and never lost a chicken to anything. She lived in the garage and barn. Great dog, the guarding instinct is bred into most of them. Check out their rescue site, preferably one that has been raised on a farm.

 

[Chickengene]

So if I may be brutally honest my cur was the same way and especially when you have chicks and any little movement makes them scatter so then it’s game on with this squeaky toy that runs. I have a shock collar with remote and what worked for ME (not all this is just me talking) I would sit and sit and sit some more when I had my chicks and or chickens out it was time consuming for a while, but when they would dust and fluff or run after a bug or ANY sudden movement then like to do if he so much as looked their direction he got zapped....this worked for me I’m not saying it’s right BUT he Si (Robertson) lol will NOT mess with my chickens and will protect the crap outta them HA. He had to understand the job and importance to me and that they are friends not food. Sorry so long and I hope it helps.

That brought back memories of trying to train a Yellow Lab to retrieve my ducks, and not every downed duck within earshot.
I am embarrassed to admit the dog won out. After cranking it up to full force and making him do somersaults several times to absolutely no avail, I tried shooting him. After the third weekend I spent digging pellets out of his hard headed butt. I bought him a house with a pool and let him retrieve kids against their will.lol

 

[OsceolaMomma]

Can you tell me if pointers or setters would be a safer breed to have?

No way Jose, lol there natural instinct to go after (flush or retrieve) feathered things. You would be barreling nature and punishing them for what they would bread to do. JUST MY OPINION.

 

[sylviethecochin]

No way Jose, lol there natural instinct to go after (flush or retrieve) feathered things. You would be barreling nature and punishing them for what they would bread to do. JUST MY OPINION.

Enh. Labs and lab crosses have worked pretty well for me in the past. My one uncle had a German pointer trained to hunt, another uncle has a Jack Russel trained to hunt. Both dogs knew the difference between prey and livestock. So does my brother's beagle, and my other brother's beagle cross--all hunting dogs.

I think the difference is almost always in the trainer.

 

[OsceolaMomma]

I agree 100% in the trainer. It’s time and Commitment when it comes to ANY breed of dog a poodle can attack livestock, but it’s our job it protect, teach, and if the case pick the sorta appropriate breed for your scenario. I breed mini dachshunds and we deer hunt with them and you would giggle at the looks we get with a weenie dog at deer camp.