thanks all...welI know the dog is the way to go, just don't know what breed. A fence is out of the question for now. Nature is my fence.
as far as the maremma goes...i screwed up from day one and accepted a pup that was too young at 8 weeks. while this is fine for other breeds, its not ok for this dog...too young! Being so little, i felt bad for him in the cold on his first night away from litter mates and let him come in the house. We let him bond to us instead of the horses and chickens. He is a total mess now. I cant even have my 4 year outside because he would knock her down and tramp her thinking she is a puppy. He wont listen, he wont learn. Ive had german shepherds so its not like im new to dogs. I am used to smart dogs that will understand decipline. He will not. I was warned of the fact the maremma does what it wants and doesn't respond well to commands. I read that they have their job, they know their job, and that's what they do. So I suppose I didn't introduce him to the chicken the correct way, i expected that he would bond with them and not kill them like everyone raves about. He is so hyper and wants to play and tag and run circles around me continually. He chased the neighbors dogs away once. He let a opossum eat chickens one night. He has killed 7 of my chickens/chicks.
