I have a jack russell who chases rabbits and has furiously chased a fox he saw on our street before, but doesn't object to the chickens (who are bantams) sharing the meat off his marrowbones. I always thought he would go for the chickens too but I guess he just likes to chase what he likes to chase. We've never lost a bird either with him (unknowingly) guarding them. I think he only stays close to them so he can eat their poo (yuck!... but handy).
His chasing preferences are a lucky combination I think!
I think you would be best to go to a shelter and ask for what you need. There's no guarentee a puppy will grow up knowing the chickens aren't toys/prey (my goldie tries to play with them whenever he gets the chance!) But shelters can let you know if the dog is good with chooks/cats/other livestock, so hopefully there won't be any nasty surprises. You could also see if you can get a patch of fox fur and/or scent (or any other predator in your area) and do lure coursing with it with the dog, making the dog think that anything foxy is oh so exciting and must be caught!
Marrema's are used to guard wild penguins at phillip island. I think they actually believe they are a member of what they are protectings species, so must protect their family. If you ever need to catch the chooks though you'll have to tie up the dog or the dog might take you out for 'attacking' his 'family'
His chasing preferences are a lucky combination I think!
I think you would be best to go to a shelter and ask for what you need. There's no guarentee a puppy will grow up knowing the chickens aren't toys/prey (my goldie tries to play with them whenever he gets the chance!) But shelters can let you know if the dog is good with chooks/cats/other livestock, so hopefully there won't be any nasty surprises. You could also see if you can get a patch of fox fur and/or scent (or any other predator in your area) and do lure coursing with it with the dog, making the dog think that anything foxy is oh so exciting and must be caught!
Marrema's are used to guard wild penguins at phillip island. I think they actually believe they are a member of what they are protectings species, so must protect their family. If you ever need to catch the chooks though you'll have to tie up the dog or the dog might take you out for 'attacking' his 'family'
