Livestock guardian dogs

[livingstone]

I have 1.7 acres in Florida, maybe about 1 acre fenced in the back where I keep chickens, ducks, rabbits and goats.

I've lost 2 chickens to hawks and 4 ducks to raccoons ( I think ).

I recently bought some guinea fowl to help with the hawks, but they are currently only a few days old.

I was looking at getting a dog. My yard is fenced, but its not a great fence, they goats were always going into the neighbor's yard before I ran an electric wire on it, but it seems like that electric wire needs daily maintenance to make sure nothing fell on it to make it stop working.

I don't have a lot of money to spend, would a dog be a good way to protect my fowl and rabbits? I was thinking a great Pyrenees, but maybe it would be too big and need too much food, so then I was thinking a border collie or Australian shepherd or Australian cattle dog.

suggestions?

 

[centrarchid]

Acreage you have is tight. Smaller dog would be less expensive but still you might do better with electrified poultry netting as the netting when properly used will stop most ground predators. Overall, you are small enough to be blessed with ability to protect with options not involving dogs that are the most expensive approach unless that are valued as companions or for hunting purposes as well. Consider investing in covered runs and chicken tractors to protect against raptors. I use dogs and fencing. Dogs are a must when spread out like I am but the fencing can provide immediate protection and has lower maintenance costs. With dogs starting from a pup you may require 1.5 to 2 years to get into working shape with some losses of birds caused by dog itself during that interval.

 

[BuckAlorp]

Hi There, I have read most of this thread and I guess I just got impatient and had to ask. I have not seen mention of the South African Mastiff, I have read that the Boerboel is considered one of the best LGD breeds there are, due to the fact they were bred to protect homesteaders from the lion population in Africa and will protect to the death. In addition to this they are said to bond the best with the families and to treat them as they're flock. Does anyone have any experience or additional knowledge on this breed.

 

[BuckAlorp]

Oh and my avatar is not a Boerboel, she was a lab-beagle mix mutt I had a few years ago; probably the smartest dog I ever knew.

 

[BuckAlorp]

This is a Boerboel

 

[centrarchid]

Hi There, I have read most of this thread and I guess I just got impatient and had to ask. I have not seen mention of the South African Mastiff, I have read that the Boerboel is considered one of the best LGD breeds there are, due to the fact they were bred to protect homesteaders from the lion population in Africa and will protect to the death. In addition to this they are said to bond the best with the families and to treat them as they're flock. Does anyone have any experience or additional knowledge on this breed.

What you are looking for are opinions. To make quality assessment you desire you need someone that has kept multiple dogs of multiple breeds over multiple years. That is expensive. Additionally most anecdotal information comes from context dogs were developed for such as working with herds. Chickens are not herding animals.

Peddlers will ram accounts down your throat in effort to sell you a dog that is often infirm or not particularly well suited for poultry or smaller operations. Too much pet shop action has been run on this.

 

[Phoenixxx]

I, too, have a small property. I'm adopting a 4-yo what looks to be a collie/shepherd cross this weekend. The people she's coming from have 1.5 acres and have never had to put up a fence for her. I did research the cross, and they are supposedly quite amazing. I'll have to let everyone know how she is, because I can't afford fencing a property that I don't own, plus fences don't keep coons out.

 

[aart]

Breed can have little to do with a dogs behavior,
has a lot to do with environment and how they were handled/trained during their brains formative period(8-16 weeks),
and how they are handled/trained from there on out.

 

[rainbowhatchery]

Just a fare warning from an LGD breeder and Hatchery owner. Everyone discussing collies and shepherds and heelers ect.. as dogs to get to guard their livestock this is a horrible idea. Yes there is the occasional dog that does it but in general that is not the purpose of those dogs, they are herding dogs with EXTREMELY high prey drives. Please please please educate yourself a little more before you dive into getting the wrong breed for the wrong job because it just ends up with dogs in shelters or having to be put down. LGD dogs are not herding dogs and herding dogs are not LGD dogs. They have black and white personalities and drive. With LGD dogs they have the lowest prey drive of any breed on the planet, with working dogs they have the highest prey drive of all breeds which is what gets them to chase and herd. If you have poultry this has disasterous possibilities. You are going to be protecting your poultry from the dog that you got to protect them. They also do not have the protection instinct against predators the same as an LGD, some do but its not a breed characterstic. Just asking people to please do research first, I just hate to hear the horror stories of people getting bad advice and getting the wrong breed of dog for the wrong job. I have heard people give advice to use labs with chickens, a bird hunting dog with poultry, really. Just please if your need is a livestock guardian dont try and get any breed, get a livestock guardian. I know many breeders that have both the herding breeds like collies, australians ect... and they also have LGD dogs, the LGD live with the livestock and the herding dogs are only out with them with the people are to use them to work.

 

[zazouse]

Breed can have little to do with a dogs behavior,
has a lot to do with environment and how they were handled/trained during their brains formative period(8-16 weeks),
and how they are handled/trained from there on out.

It also has so much to do with their breeding

I have a pit bull that will kill anything that mess with the birds she is bred to catch hogs and she loves it but i value her more as a farm dog so i hung up her vest and coller and farm dog is her only job now. I have many different breeds here and all of them are great with my birds.





















































First day in training