Guard dogs with low prey drive?

[Paz]

I recommend Kangals and Asian sheepdogs.

 

[SamCO]

My border collie is fiercely protective of his people and yard (maybe too much- bit the fedex guy before we got a box to place packages outside the fence) but is the sweetest and kindest dog to friends and family. He loves the chickens and his own cats, but chases other birds and non-family cats.

Not sure if border collies in general are this way, since he’s our first. But I feel much safer with him around.

Sorry you are in that position. Unfortunately meth causes people to do crazy things, and not sure how much a guard dog will help- though I would certainly think it could be a deterrent.

 

[Yardmom]

Don't forget to keep an eye on what is at your local shelters. Many times the dogs brought to shelters were to large and energetic for their previous owners, but with training could be the right dog for your situation.

 

[McChooky]

Most any pup is trainable if you're consistent with training .I have a mutt that alerts me to predators and he's never hurt any of my chickens or pets. Some of our neighbors have cameras that send alerts if it detects movement.They're useful for 2 or 4 legged predators.

 

[Tired old Rooster]

You live in Florida, America. You have two options. One, a yellow Labrador. Two, a South African Boerboel.

Yellow Lab, is smart, caring and will look after you and even your kittens and chickens. Needs little exercise and is totally calm but not very strong. Will present little threat to an attacker.

Boerboel was bred to be a farm dog. Needs space to run and play but is fine sleeping around your feet. Will defend you, your kittens and your chooks to the death. Downside is that they are a dog capable of hunting an African leopard for fun, so you need to bond well and never dare accept some fly by night breeders version of that dog. The upside of course is that an attacker can deal with up to two hundred pounds of death if he enters your house.

Both of these must be backed up by the Sheriff Grady Judd principle.

 

[EChicky]

I'm in a very unique situation here and I'm having a hard time finding an appropriate breed of dog for my land. In short, I own an acre of land on a spring in Florida in an area that's unfortunately developed a very bad meth problem. Moving isn't an option as I'm already heavily invested and have a beautiful homestead here.

Several homes in my area have already been burglarized. One man had his entire AC unit stolen while he was away from home, and another had every piece of copper ripped from the walls of his house. These zombies are very bad, and I would have been burglarized already had I not been home and vigilant.

A guard dog would be a tremendous aid, but I'm not sure if the breed I need exists. It needs to be friendly with children and chickens, aggressive to strangers, and it can't be a high roaming breed like most LGDs. Pyrenees are beautiful but they need far more land than my one acre provides given their high degree of roaming.

Does anyone have any recommendations? Maremma sound perfect but they're almost impossible to find.

I think that it depends on the dog. I have a German shepherd -pitbull mix (both breeds with high prey drives) that loves the chickens. I think he has been accepted into the flock. If you get an even tempered dog and introduce them as a young puppy, it'll be fine. With our pup we had a broody hen who was not afraid to put him in his place.

 

[McChooky]

You live in Florida, America. You have two options. One, a yellow Labrador. Two, a South African Boerboel.

Yellow Lab, is smart, caring and will look after you and even your kittens and chickens. Needs little exercise and is totally calm but not very strong. Will present little threat to an attacker.

Boerboel was bred to be a farm dog. Needs space to run and play but is fine sleeping around your feet. Will defend you, your kittens and your chooks to the death. Downside is that they are a dog capable of hunting an African leopard for fun, so you need to bond well and never dare accept some fly by night breeders version of that dog. The upside of course is that an attacker can deal with up to two hundred pounds of death if he enters your house.

Both of these must be backed up by the Sheriff Grady Judd principle.

X 2 on the lab !

 

[Tired old Rooster]

X 2 on the lab !

I got my Lab as a confiscation from tenants of my boss, when she was a tiny pup. I did not like how they treated her while I was there to deal with their unpaid rent, so she became mine.

She used to go find the kittens out in the garden and carry them back home to the lair their Mom was set up in. Quite funny. I still have a photo of three of them in the lair with spiky hairstyles from her carrying them home by their heads.

About two years later, a friend showed me to someone who was in difficulty, that just got a batch of pups who needed homes. A Boerboel pup for my Lab to raise as her own. Pup ended up three or four times the size of "Mommy". Still followed orders from "Mommy" to the letter.

Both were gorgeous dogs.

 

[Red Mangrove]

X 2 on the lab !

This is actually a pretty old thread. I ended up getting a Lab, German Shepherd and Husky mix. Every night he goes to sleep outside laying directly next to a group of chicks and keeps them safe all night. Very good dog

 

[McChooky]

This is actually a pretty old thread. I ended up getting a Lab, German Shepherd and Husky mix. Every night he goes to sleep outside laying directly next to a group of chicks and keeps them safe all night. Very good dog

I'm happy to hear you found a good dog that worked out! He's an interesting mix!