HELP: What breed of dog should I get to guard my chickens?

[Frosty]

Somebody local has some Great Pyr pups for sale, so I looked into the breed. I found that they like to cover a large territory, and they want to be dominant. I read that they don't do well with other critters that show aggression including roosters and possibly geese. They also can mistake rough housing for fighting so that can be a problem. I read enough to find that I would have to fence my whole property if I wanted one (and it would need to be solid fencing, the buried type fence that works with a shock collar won't keep them home) and that I would have to get rid of my male Sheltie or the GP would likely have him for dinner. They did say that for the dominance issue you are better mixing sexes, so I might be able to get away with a female? I just put on my big girl hat and decided that I can't have one. Anatolians do sound promising so far.

 

[Kbagwell1]

Quote:
NO SIBERIAN HUSKY! I have a 3 year old male who has been around chickens for quite some time and still chases them! They have that natural instinct to chase if something runs!

 

[sabianshepherds]

Excellent post, the Burg Peeps! I have my titled herding dog put the chickens back in there coop, he's rather mild mannered anyway, but the others here would probably drive them crazy! I'm not sure these chickens know the difference between being herded and being hunted, and I don't want them to be overly fearful, so the dog goes away after he's done what I need him to do. I don't think he could be out just watching them.

 

[carolinagirl58]

Quote:
Great pyrs can be great LGDs and they can also be terrible ones. They have been bred for pet and show for so many years that many have lost their working ability and make terrible LGDs. They do like to wander, but ALL LGDs need to be fenced so they don't wander. Even one that stays with the livestock may leave the property if it's chasing something for instance. Anatolians are not any different. And really no LGD evern truely bonds with poultry like they do sheep and goats. They will protect them, but not really bond with them. A GP or anatolian won't eat your current dog if you get the LGD as a pup. Animals they grow up with are perfectly safe. Anatolinas are more dog aggressive than GPs but also more stable as far as working temperment since they have only been an AKC breed for a short while and most have not been screwed up by irresponsible breeders yet.

 

[aineheartsyou]

Herding dogs are NOT guardian dogs! get a dog that is bred for guarding and comes from working stock!

 

[animalpro24]

Quote:
You can always train them.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

There's several other threads on here that discuss exactly the same thing. Then thing I always say is this: You aren't looking for a particular breed that has all those traits. Why? Because most of what you are looking for in a dog comes from training and temperament NOT breed genetics. I'll address all your criteria as you wrote them, my comments in italics.

Must be a farm dog that does not wander (we do not cage or leash our dogs)

If you want a farm dog get a puppy from a farm,bred and raised there, or better yet a partially trained older pup or young adult dog.

Must be a puppy

See above.

Must be a female

Make sure there are females available.

Must get along with other dogs

This is going to depend on your new pups temperament, the socializing you give her and training, of course. There's no one breed that is always good with other dogs. Though pack hounds and the like are usually good with other dogs -- but a hunting hound is NOT what you should be considering.

Must get along with young children

This is a slightly silly expectation, that is if you are talking about a breed trait. A dog that is really good with kids first of all has good experiences (meaning you don't allow the kids to do unfair things to the puppy) and also has a lot of training in being calm. Good with kids is also something that a dog either is or isn't -- there's no inbetween on this one. Some breeds are usually better with kids than others: Goldens, beagles, Labs are usually fairly good -- but it's a crapshoot really.

Must NOT be too aggressive toward strangers, although some sense of protection is good

Again...your training will determine this, and the base temperament of your pup. The less you socialize the more issue you may face with undue aggression toward strangers. Train accordingly.

Must be good with cattle

Socializing with your herd from an early age, or better yet, get a pup born on a farm with cattle exposure. Other than the obvious Australian Cattle Dog, Kelpie, Aussie, this is pretty much a crap-shoot-- and again depends on what YOU do with the dog.

Must be SUPER GOOD with chickens

There's NO such breed that is automatically good with chickens. I don't care how many personal experiences people tell you on here, even the people with multipul good experiences with their chosen breed. This trait is mostly going to depend on training and setting your puppy up for success not failure. That means you NEVER allow her to chase any chicken -- ever, this also means having her on leash or a long time 100% of the time when she is in sight of the chickens so that you can correct/control her and all her interactions. ​

 

[animalpro24]

Quote:

You are 100% right! It's pretty much all in the training.

 

[onlyme8]

my beagle/german shepard chases my chickens all the time, but he would never kill them. (I don't think...) But he does do a pretty decent job guarding them.

 

[aggie9296]

My "guardian" dogs are a fat Chihuahua and a terrier/Maltese mix.

But we don't have bears or coyotes to scare off either.