keeping neighbors dogs off the property, what kind of dog can i get?

[unclejohn]

I am wanting to get a dog anyways, so I'm wondering what type of breed to get to keep other dogs away but yet protect my flock and not be too aggressive with the chickens

 

[zazouse]

I am wanting to get a dog anyways, so I'm wondering what type of breed to get to keep other dogs away but yet protect my flock and not be too aggressive with the chickens

Well if you want a dog to stay off your place and have a dog to chase it off without leaving your place you are going to need a fence

I employ great Pyrenees and great Pyrenees/Anatolian crosses and i have no losses to wild critters and another dog would be crazy to cause a stir in my flocks, my place is not under fence but i have no neighbors any where near close and the once that have dogs keep them contained cause they know i have birds and dogs that watch out for them.

How big is your place?

 

[aart]

I am wanting to get a dog anyways, so I'm wondering what type of breed to get to keep other dogs away but yet protect my flock and not be too aggressive with the chickens

Get a fence up, get a run up to keep your birds safe when needed, find out what the laws are regarding dogs running loose in your area.
You can do all that in the 3 months to 2 years it will take to get your own dog properly trained.

 

[unclejohn]

wow great pics! I only have about a 2.5 to 3 acre property, the problem is that the neighbors are right across the road. there is a line of trees and then a little bit of field and then their place.
I am not working right now due to sickness and so building a big fence is not really a solution for me. It's so nice to be able to have the chickens run free as they want because they go all over they yard and really don't need a lot of food in the summer months.

I also wanted a dog because I live out in the country alone and a dog would be a good alarm system and guard.

 

[bobbi-j]

wow great pics! I only have about a 2.5 to 3 acre property, the problem is that the neighbors are right across the road. there is a line of trees and then a little bit of field and then their place.
I am not working right now due to sickness and so building a big fence is not really a solution for me. It's so nice to be able to have the chickens run free as they want because they go all over they yard and really don't need a lot of food in the summer months.

I also wanted a dog because I live out in the country alone and a dog would be a good alarm system and guard.

So, you've already made up your mind to get a dog, and are looking for advice on what breed to get... You don't need to build a "big" fence to keep neighbor dogs out. Electric is fairly easy to install and not too expensive. I'd start with that, since I'm assuming you'll start with a pup to begin with. A pup won't be able to keep the neighbor's dog off your property right away, nor will it be a good guardian for your chickens. The small amount of acreage you have will not be sufficient to keep a GP, in my opinion.There are lots of breeds of *livestock guardian dogs*, and there are many, many more breeds of dogs that can guard your livestock. It's all in what you're looking for. Our last dog was a black lab and he guarded my chickens just fine. My current Redbone Coonhound mix will hopefully learn to guard my chickens too. I had some coyote losses this year, but the dog was just a pup and not old enough or big enough to be a threat to them, I think. He just turned 1 in Dec. A very frequent contributor to this forum is Centrarchid - he uses German Shorthair Pointers to guard his flock. GSPs are generally used for hunting birds, not guarding them, but it works for him. I would recommend not getting a herding type dog, or a terrier breed. There are those that have them and it works for them. Did you have a specific breed or breeds in mind?

 

[unclejohn]

So, you've already made up your mind to get a dog, and are looking for advice on what breed to get... You don't need to build a "big" fence to keep neighbor dogs out. Electric is fairly easy to install and not too expensive. I'd start with that, since I'm assuming you'll start with a pup to begin with. A pup won't be able to keep the neighbor's dog off your property right away, nor will it be a good guardian for your chickens. The small amount of acreage you have will not be sufficient to keep a GP, in my opinion.There are lots of breeds of *livestock guardian dogs*, and there are many, many more breeds of dogs that can guard your livestock. It's all in what you're looking for. Our last dog was a black lab and he guarded my chickens just fine. My current Redbone Coonhound mix will hopefully learn to guard my chickens too. I had some coyote losses this year, but the dog was just a pup and not old enough or big enough to be a threat to them, I think. He just turned 1 in Dec. A very frequent contributor to this forum is Centrarchid - he uses German Shorthair Pointers to guard his flock. GSPs are generally used for hunting birds, not guarding them, but it works for him. I would recommend not getting a herding type dog, or a terrier breed. There are those that have them and it works for them. Did you have a specific breed or breeds in mind?

well no specific breed really but blue heeler, and lab were on the top of my list. i've heard good things about the labs from a lot of people. i like the way blue heelers look though, but have been warned against them

 

[MeepBeep]

i like the way blue heelers look though, but have been warned against them

I have three Heelers and although I love the breed they are sometimes a very hard dog to deal with and I will fully agree they are not for everyone... They need a lot of constant attention, stimulation and re-enforcement training or else they tend to revert back to some bad habits, some habits so hard wired into them that you can't fully get it out of them like their desire to herd and control things around them... Sometimes this trait is desirable, other times it can be VERY annoying... My three dogs even with most of their herding instinct suppressed due to constant re-enforcement training still surround, shadow and herd my young children as if they are flock of sheep, people comment all the time on how protective and close my dogs stay to the kids, but it's not always positive... Also Heelers work much better around traditional herding mammals, they don't really click real as well with poultry and it will take a lot of discipline to stop them from harassing the poultry non-stop...

Either way I suggest you talk to the neighbor and inform them about the fact their dog needs to be confined to their property as you will no longer tolerate it's presence on yours and will be calling animal control and/or taking other measures if it continues to trespass...

And if it's something you can consider, a llama might be a better investment to keep dogs away (but you will need some minimal fencing to keep the llamas on your property)... My llamas like most absolutely HATE K9s and even though they tolerate my dogs, they still stand their ground and keep them at bay, for strange dogs they full out charge and attack the strange dog with no hesitation or remorse...

 

[CliffB]

well no specific breed really but blue heeler, and lab were on the top of my list. i've heard good things about the labs from a lot of people. i like the way blue heelers look though, but have been warned against them

Remember labs are born and bred to fetch birds. When your lab comes running back to you proudly dragging a chicken in it's mouth all you can do is remember it's doing what it's instincts tell it to do.

 

[zazouse]

wow great pics! I only have about a 2.5 to 3 acre property, the problem is that the neighbors are right across the road. there is a line of trees and then a little bit of field and then their place.
I am not working right now due to sickness and so building a big fence is not really a solution for me. It's so nice to be able to have the chickens run free as they want because they go all over they yard and really don't need a lot of food in the summer months.

I also wanted a dog because I live out in the country alone and a dog would be a good alarm system and guard.

Living on a small acreage with close neighbors you have to take precautions to protect your flocks, you can never rely on every neighbor around to keep their pets contained,If you get a dog and do not have some way to contain it to your property then you will also be having a dog at large in the neighborhood

Honestly if ya can't afford a fence i would not get a dog just yet cause they do cost money to maintain

I have had good luck with labs and birds and i have had some that took more than a year to get them totally bird safe , if you have never worked with a dog and fowl i would stay away from dogs that are bred to hunt or retrieve or herd.

 

[bobbi-j]

Remember labs are born and bred to fetch birds. When your lab comes running back to you proudly dragging a chicken in it's mouth all you can do is remember it's doing what it's instincts tell it to do.

This is a possibility, but I can say that my last two labs NEVER harmed any of my chickens. They were trained from Day 1 not to. Yet, the last one still hunted and retrieved ducks and pheasants. They can be taught what to fetch and what not to fetch.