Looking to about a young dog or puppy!

[CaramelKittey]

Hi all!

Everyone in my family has been incredibly sad due to the loss of our favorite chicken Raven. Our favorite chicken was killed by a hawk yesterday..and our duck Judy was killed by a hawk around May this year. We are looking for a puppy we could train as a livestock guardian dog, as well as a companion for us as we go about our daily chicken-ing. We are mainly looking for a golden retriever, beagle, Australian cattle dog or any other medium sized breed that would make for a good herding or hunting dog. I live in South Jersey and we have a HUGE yard so if anybody knows of a Mama dog with a litter with puppies or any puppies somebody is trying to re-home please let me know! Thanks in advance!

 

[sylviethecochin]

Beagle bad. No beagle.

Seriously, avoid those. They're stinky, stubborn, and bark (howl/yodel) like it's going out of style. They'll dig anything, eat anything, and possibly decide your chickens look tasty. Or dig under your fence after that scent they just had to follow. They're not really for the inexperienced dog owner. Most hound breeds aren't.

 

[chickens really]

Try your local animal shelter..

 

[BaaKaaawk]

It would be great if you could save a dog at an animal shelter- but it could be a risk to your flock introducing them to a grown dog- but shelters have puppies too! If you get a puppy that is an instinctual protector type dog, you will have a great advocate for your birds.

If you plan to get a breed, I personally am a Doberman person. They get a bad reputation for being guard dogs- but that's kind of what you want and that reputation comes from people on the wrong side of the dog. They are actually one of the most gentle breeds with their family I have ever seen, and I've had a fair share of dogs. They need a lot of room to patrol (which you have). The only down side for you if you want an outside dog is that they are indoor dogs (at least at night and in the bitter cold). They bond heavily to the family and form an even more special bond with one person in the family (my last 3 that was my daughter). They do need to be around people and socialized if you don't want them to be mean and you'll need to at least get them some training at puppy class. BUT, I got to tell you, one of the best dogs ever in my opinion. They're obedient, loving, they guard the family, don't really shed, they like to be clean, and if you ever do need protection- they're top notch.

Just my $0.02. I think @DobieLover could add another perspective too.

Here's mine checking out the coop.

"Don't you ladies even think about jumping out of that pen...."

 

[Cheychey222]

It would be great if you could save a dog at an animal shelter- but it could be a risk to your flock introducing them to a grown dog- but shelters have puppies too! If you get a puppy that is an instinctual protector type dog, you will have a great advocate for your birds.

If you plan to get a breed, I personally am a Doberman person. They get a bad reputation for being guard dogs- but that's kind of what you want and that reputation comes from people on the wrong side of the dog. They are actually one of the most gentle breeds with their family I have ever seen, and I've had a fair share of dogs. They need a lot of room to patrol (which you have). The only down side for you if you want an outside dog is that they are indoor dogs (at least at night and in the bitter cold). They bond heavily to the family and form an even more special bond with one person in the family (my last 3 that was my daughter). They do need to be around people and socialized if you don't want them to be mean and you'll need to at least get them some training at puppy class. BUT, I got to tell you, one of the best dogs ever in my opinion. They're obedient, loving, they guard the family, don't really shed, they like to be clean, and if you ever do need protection- they're top notch.

Just my $0.02. I think @DobieLover could add another perspective too.

Here's mine checking out the coop.
View attachment 1966365
"Don't you ladies even think about jumping out of that pen...."
View attachment 1966364

That is a beautiful dog

 

[DobieLover]

It would be great if you could save a dog at an animal shelter- but it could be a risk to your flock introducing them to a grown dog- but shelters have puppies too! If you get a puppy that is an instinctual protector type dog, you will have a great advocate for your birds.

If you plan to get a breed, I personally am a Doberman person. They get a bad reputation for being guard dogs- but that's kind of what you want and that reputation comes from people on the wrong side of the dog. They are actually one of the most gentle breeds with their family I have ever seen, and I've had a fair share of dogs. They need a lot of room to patrol (which you have). The only down side for you if you want an outside dog is that they are indoor dogs (at least at night and in the bitter cold). They bond heavily to the family and form an even more special bond with one person in the family (my last 3 that was my daughter). They do need to be around people and socialized if you don't want them to be mean and you'll need to at least get them some training at puppy class. BUT, I got to tell you, one of the best dogs ever in my opinion. They're obedient, loving, they guard the family, don't really shed, they like to be clean, and if you ever do need protection- they're top notch.

Just my $0.02. I think @DobieLover could add another perspective too.

Here's mine checking out the coop.
View attachment 1966365
"Don't you ladies even think about jumping out of that pen...."
View attachment 1966364

The right Doberman would be an excellent flock guardian when they can be out with them. As mentioned, they are NOT outdoor dogs that can be left with the chickens all day long, especially in temperature extremes.
All of my Dobies have had extremely high prey drive and would have gleefully killed a flock of chickens, including my last boy whom I recently lost.
Dobies are difficult to come by unless you are willing to purchase a pup at an exorbitant price. I am keeping an eye out for the 'just right Dobie' to bring back into my life so have been looking around my region.
There are lots of dogs looking for homes in shelters or private rescue organizations. You would need to find one that has been tested around small animals and preferably around chickens.
If you are looking for a puppy, select one that is on the submissive side vs dominant. I feel that will improve the odds that they will have a lower prey drive and could be trained to ignore and/or protect the chickens.
Now, having blabbered all this, I think a hawk would still make a strike for your birds even if a dog was present. They have made strikes on birds practically at the chicken owners feet. Your best bet for hawk protection is a large covered run and/or pen with lots of good hawk cover. Having a rooster or two for look out that actually sounds alarms will help every one reach safety. But there are no guarantees. When you free range, you have to accept that risk.
Good luck.

 

[CaramelKittey]

Thanks for the information! We have had a few dogs before however, that was before we had other animals. In that case, we won't get a beagle! Thank you
@BaaKaaawk
Awwww He/She is so cute! I know the majority of my family doesn't want a Doberman for some reason. We are looking for a medium-sized dog that could be an indoor/outdoor dog, and we would take it inside at night, especially cold ones! We were trying to adopt a puppy through MatchDog.com however there are a lot of complications with them since you have to apply to adopt a puppy and then wait until December 7th to see if you ever got it. We are trying to go through different shelters and pet stores to buy a puppy. We start out dog hunting adventure sometime this week.
@DobieLover
Thanks for the tips! We are currently rebuilding our new coop and we have plans to give them a huge space that is covered with hawk-proof netting. We are also using hardware cloth for the chicken's runs.
@sourland
We have been researching training like crazy! We plan to stat training from day 0!




Thanks everybody for their input! We will start looking at various shelters soon!

 

[sourland]

Beagle bad. No beagle.

Seriously, avoid those. They're stinky, stubborn, and bark (howl/yodel) like it's going out of style. They'll dig anything, eat anything, and possibly decide your chickens look tasty. Or dig under your fence after that scent they just had to follow. They're not really for the inexperienced dog owner. Most hound breeds aren't.

Hey, those are my dogs you are talking about. Trust me I would never allow hounds or hunting bred dogs near fowl of any sort. Herding dogs, properly trained, might work. Other breeds to avoid are terriers - any breed with a high prey drive. Genetics are a powerful force. Regardless of the choice of dog, training is essential from day 1. Good luck in your choice.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Hey, those are my dogs you are talking about. Trust me I would never allow hounds or hunting bred dogs near fowl of any sort. Herding dogs, properly trained, might work. Other breeds to avoid are terriers - any breed with a high prey drive. Genetics are a powerful force. Regardless of the choice of dog, training is essential from day 1. Good luck in your choice.

Hunh. My brother's beagle is fine around chickens (it took one sharp shock to teach her to keep her mouth off my birds) and is actually a fairly sweet little dog. Sorry, didn't mean to give out an anti-beagle rant; my point was (supposed to be) that they're hard dogs to train, and definitely not a suburban house-dog.

 

[sourland]

@sylviethecochin - no need for apologies. I was just funnin'.