Help!!!STOLEN CHICKENS NEED GUARD DOG!!!!!

[tileman@prodigBird Raiser]

I have a english setter female. She is 3 years old. She is a hunting dog but does very well protecting her birds and the property. The yard is fenced in and she walks around of the borde of the fence and if she sees anything she barks alot. She She does not care for any of the chickens, ducks, geese. She only care for the wild mallards that fly in and the quail,pheasant and pigeons if they get out. She has scared off opposums, skunks, and raccons. She treed a raccoon one night because it was trying to break into one of the quail cages. I still lock every one it there houses everynight but she does a good job doing what she needs to. She is a great family dog and is calm int he house and very oving but when outside she is very fast and likes hunting and doing whatever she can. Here is a picture of her.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd195/Maine72/DSC00229.jpg

 

[walkswithdog]

I've also been considering a PYR, then I found a box of them. Placed most of them, kept one. Though there's some risk in a rescued one being more predatory than protective, if you train them, they make good livestock guards. You DO need a fence to keep mature dogs IN, and separate from strangers. Mature pyrs have been known to range MILES. okay now i type one handed, she's asleep in my arms. lol

you do have to work with young ones on chickens are not toys. you can adopt pre-trained dogs through pyr rescue. that really works if you have an immediate need, like a thief.

it will be a year and more before a pup becomes a reliable guard.

good luck

 

[epona4]

Those of you with border collies will appreciate this.

We have a bc/aussie cross. He's such a good dog and so affectionate. Smartest dog we have, but at other times dumb as a box of rocks!

Anyway, we got him from a no kill shelter. We were his 3rd family in his first year of life! The first family got him from a pet store. It was a working couple who lived in a town house and asked "We're at work all day, will he be ok in the house?" The idiot at the pet store said "Sure! Just make sure you walk him and play with him a night!"

That obviously didn't work out. The 2nd family got him from the rescue. A while later the mother brought him back saying "Anytime I hug my boys he barks and growls at me!" We've tested this time and time again. The only time he gets "upset" is when the kids are wrestling or getting rough with each other!

When we got him we lived in the burbs in a large house. The kids kept him pretty well entertained, but he is SOOO much happier out here in the country. He takes his job of making sure the horses stay inside the fence very seriously! And when the chickens are in the run, he happily lays next to it, chewing on one of his toys.

b

 

[goobhen]

Last night I was driving around & the van in front of me was with the Indy Great Pry rescue! Their email address is WWW.IGPR.ORG they service all of Indiana & Kentucky. Hope this helps.
Merry Christmas. Theresa

 

[Laskaland]

Quote:
So.. they have no interest in EATING the chickens? Also, how would they work with goats and cows?
Thanks
Christina

 

[Fredster]

Quote:
The only interest mine have shown in the chickens is to chase them off if they get too close to the food while the dogs are eating, or if they're trying to herd a wayward group back to the flock. As far as I know, they were given no training, they've just lived with goats, sheep, and chickens since birth.

We had someone visit us Friday afternoon, and I had him come out to the chicken yard (where I already was) to see how the dogs would act. The male (George) wanted to be his buddy, but the female (Gracie) didn't. She immediately positioned herself between him and the chickens and did the whiny-growl-I-want-to-bark sound until I told her it was okay. She still seemed leery of him and wouldn't let him pet her.

The nice thing about Pyrs is that their instinct is to protect a flock, so there's not a whole lot of training involved...if you get yours from a line of working dogs, not pets or show dogs. The guy who runs the feed store here has Pyrs guarding all the goats/pigs/poultry at the store (it's almost like a petting zoo there), and he said the biggest problem with Pyrs and chickens is that the puppies will sometimes kill chickens --- not trying to eat them but trying to play with them. We haven't had that issue, but we seem to have gotten the most perfect Pyrs ever born.

They should actually work even better with goats and cows, because they're traditionally used to guard bigger livestock like that.

 

[redhen]

okay..i just thought of something...so, do you think it was a human that did this or a predator?...because if you want a dog that guards aganist humans AND predators...you will need a VERY carefully trained guard dog...me personally..i wouldnt mess with a human guard dog..to many things can go wrong...the dog could get hurt by the intruder..AND..guard dogs (if not trained right, by a professional) CAN and DO turn on random humans...they may mistake a regular person as a threat..then..thats where you may run into all kinds of problems...best of luck to you!..hope you get the dirty rat that did this to you!

 

[babalubird]

There are many more livestock guardian dog breeds actually than mentioned here if you do a web search. Though Pyrs seem to be the most common.

My first choice would be an akbash. Supposedly they have a little less wanderlust than the pyrs. One man told me however that he felt compelled to get rid of his when it threatened a teen friend of his son who was visiting. He was however in a suburban setting, not a rural setting. Livestock breeds generally do better if they have a real job. He also told the story of how the akbash grabbed a chunk of pants from a would-be thief one night in his yard while his other dog did nothing. He still loved akbashes above other breeds.

The akbash are a little sleeker than other livestock guardian dogs and just sound like they would meet our particular needs in our hotter climate and very high predator problems, 4 and 2 legged. However they can be pricey and harder to find.

A neighbor has Pyr-Anatolian crosses that are beautiful. But she told us the electric web fence was as much to keep the dogs at home as it was to keep the goats home. That is however what we will probably eventually wind up with due to availability and lower price.

Connie

 

[walkswithdog]

Akbash, Anatolian, Great Pyr, Kommondor, and Tibetan and Spanish Mastiffs are all livestock guards. Each different in some detail, coat, and temperament.

Pyrs are the most common. There are more of them in rescues, being pre-trained and rehomed. That means more pre-trained stock guards available from those rescues. Anatolian and Akbash do both have working rescue groups who also re-train and re-home.

Yes, most livestock guards will actually object to some or all strangers prior to introduction. That's part of their purpose they aren't labradors. So yes, a fence between strangers and LGDs of any breed is generally recommended. Pyrs do tend to in general, to have the greatest wanderlust but they can all get it. You do have to fence them in.

Rescue LGDs are the best bet going. Since they only place dogs with stock if they dog is good with stock. And generally they're cheaper than a good puppy will cost you. And usually they've been vetted checked for joint diseases and spayed or neutered. A fairly super deal.

And the route I'll go for our second one. Finding Naga wasn't intended. But will hopefully work out. With pups there aren't any guarantees.

 

[epona4]

The "problem" I'm finding with rescues is that they state the dog MUST be an inside dog with outside privileges. Meaning, if you are wanting to have the dog for guard duty at night, you want be allowed to adopt.

b