in need of chicken dog. "UPDATE" !!!

[lacyloo]

ok I have lost 10 chickens and 1 goose to a bobcat that want stop till he kill's every freaking bird I have . I play a radio really loud by the coops all night and still he keeps coming.. and last night I lost a black cochin roo. since my mom works at a vet clink she can get me a puppy for free.

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what are the best dogs for garding goats, rabbits and poultry? we are already looking for a great perenses (sp).

 

[nccatnip]

I would say the pyrenees is your best bet. But you must be willing and able to train it. They do come with inherent guarding instincts but will also need training not to hurt the chickens. A pup will not do you much good for many months and if small may become prey to your predator.
Maybe check with pyrenees rescue for an adult.

 

[lacyloo]

thanks cat i will find out if threr are any recues near us.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Pyranese are good, but we have an australian cattle dog and he is awesome. They are very home body dogs and don't need to be fenced in to be kept from running off. Be sure to research them first though, as they are not for everbody.

Also, Border collies and australian shepards are great too.

 

[picklespickles]

i put some motion detector lights up. dont' know if that would help you or not. the cheapest one was about twelve dollars at the chain hardware store.

 

[Rosalind]

I have a Pyrenees puppy, and I can tell you they take a LOT of training. And a fence without any weak spots. They will NOT stay on your property just because you told them to, and their idea of their territory is basically everything they can see for miles around. Mine tries to "punish" roosters if he thinks they are being bad, such as if they are noisily mating. Big dog + little chicken = very injured chicken. He is slowly, slooooooowwwwly being trained out of this, but it's hard work.

It's also true that they are stubborn. Maddeningly so. He can do a perfect routine of tricks, then spontaneously forget all of them 20 minutes later. I have a secure 6' fence, a sectioned-off stall in the barn for penning him in where he can see chickens but not touch them, the family work schedule is such that he gets lots of supervision and training, and he has a separate indoor crate so that he can come in at night and not bark his fool head off.

As someone else mentioned, a puppy won't do you a whole lot of good immediately. The best you could hope for with a puppy is that the scent of a dog might keep away predators. About two weeks after I got my puppy, a coyote left a huge poop in the backyard in broad daylight, so...

 

[Mountain Man Jim]

Bobcats are ruthless and cunning. Much of the standard security measures will not work. They will even slip into a fenced in area with a person and four dogs inside if they see an opportunity. That is until a bird makes a noise; then the chase is on.

I agree a Pyr makes a great guard dog, but Pyr puppies can be a handful and a little too ruff with the birds. Great Pyrenees do not mature until they are about 1.5 to 2 years old. Hence, I would suggest the following:

Make a fenced in area for the chickens. Find a guard dog and keep the guard dog on the perimeter of the chicken yard. To keep the dog from running loose, this works best in large fenced in area. So, basically you have need a fenced in area with a smaller fenced in area for the birds. Never ever tie up you dog outside, they must be free to move about.

The dog you need is a guard dog that can take the weather and doesn’t need a huge amount of people interaction. Hence, why the Great Pyrenees and other LGDs (Livestock Guardian Dogs) work out so well; they were breed for this. Check out www.dogbreedinfo.com and www.lgd.org. If you can keep the birds and dog separate, I would suggest an older Pyr or German Sheppard or another weatherproof guard dog breed. Hunting and companion dogs may not work out very well.

Also, just because you find a breed good at guarding doesn’t mean they do well. Temperament is even more important. And, any new dog will need to be trained to ignore the chickens and to learn to obet you.

All of this means lots of work for you, so get ready. I let my guard down for a couple of days and the bobcat started to show and kept coming back.

Good luck,

Jim

 

[lacyloo]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UPDATE !!!!!!!!!!



im getting a female great perenness today, shes only 6 weeks but i can do all the training and i will work with her with the chickens , she will be outside in the next few days so right now my baby goat will keep her company, i will take pic when i get her,
tayler...

 

[skatcatla]

Just wondering. how is the bobcat getting in to your chickens?

 

[domromer]

Please post pics when you get her.