Need Good Ol' Chicken Dog

[Mutt Farm]

Good stuff! Right, I have 2 old Jacks. They would still try! I agree, a pup from a farm dog is wired for farm work. They learn from momma and farmers cull any dogs that pester livestock.

 

[Mutt Farm]

Oh the Bouvier! I've owned only 1, passed 20 years ago. LOVED that dog! Groovy Boovie. I was single, only had horses back then, but what a dog! So gentle with cats, kittens, my Cocatoo, small dogs and pups. Strangers were a different story. Better not come on the property or anywhere near Momma. Too hot here to have another. Grooming was $100. Thanks for the memories!

 

[bcolclough]

I understand the sticker shock of grooming so bought good clippers long ago and oil them regularly. Enjoyed the bonding of grooming though Rufus was a bit of a coward to pain!

 

[dwcrwr]

I have an Anatolian Shepherd. She is golden. My chickens can surround her and she pays no mind. When I babysat for my friends 30 nz meat rabbits, she started laying down at the bottom of the hill where they were being kept. She now spends part of the day in that same pen with my caged rabbits, caged quail and a handful of free range juvenile chickens. She apparently loves watching over my animals; something her ancestors have been doing since Turkey was Anatolia.
Having said that, when she was a pup, much time and supervision was spent in instructing/ correcting. Nonetheless, she is a very intelligent breed that has a thousand year history of guarding livestock.

 

[ConPollos]

Are you sure she should keep the dog she has? I have read once they get a taste for chicken its pretty much over.

That's a myth.

Take the dead chicken that the dog wanted in the first place and tie.it under her neck where her mouth cannot reach it. Make her drag that decomposing chicken around for three days to seven days. She will never want anything to do with chickens again.

There are other training methods that also work. Any undesirable behavior can be extinguished.

 

[Mutt Farm]

This post will be long...Hope you can answer some questions about your experience with the breed. I've only known 1. Shelter rescue turned service dog for stability. BIG, kind dog. I have questions: My friend lives WAY out, (way out in So Cal is 5 acres on a dirt road. Hubby gone a lot, she gets spooked a lot at night. Bad stuff happens.Can't sleep. Coyotes, mountain lions, feral dogs, lots of angry Pit Bulls and 2 legged criminals. Oh, she raises and shows cochins. She's scared. Critters kill her birds. She's more scared of human predators. I suggested an Anatolian. Is is true that they are nocturnal and prefer to be out checking fences at night? Is is true that they would challenge a human if needed? She's kinda like the OP here. Didn't want to spend 2g on a pup and and wait 2 yrs to feel safe. I'd love to hear.

 

[ConPollos]

This post will be long...Hope you can answer some questions about your experience with the breed. I've only known 1. Shelter rescue turned service dog for stability. BIG, kind dog. I have questions: My friend lives WAY out, (way out in So Cal is 5 acres on a dirt road. Hubby gone a lot, she gets spooked a lot at night.  Bad stuff happens.Can't sleep. Coyotes, mountain lions, feral dogs, lots of  angry Pit Bulls and 2 legged criminals. Oh, she raises and shows cochins. She's scared. Critters kill her birds. She's more scared of human predators. I suggested an Anatolian. Is is true that they are nocturnal and prefer to be out checking fences at night? Is is true that they would challenge a human if needed? She's kinda like the OP here. Didn't want to spend 2g on a pup and and wait 2 yrs to feel safe. I'd love to hear.

One dog can run off a varmint, but if it chases a coyote to where the pack is laying in wait they'll rip him to shreds. All guardian animals need backup and protection.

 

[Mutt Farm]

That is also an old school false myth, just like rubbing their noses in pee. It's your negative actions that they associate, not the decomposing bird or the pee. Found this post from a fellow dog trainer. Spot on. Post #77 on this thread so I don't reinvent the wheel.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/778988/training-a-dog-to-leave-chickens-alone/70#post_12430416

 

[Mutt Farm]

Sorry, Con Pollos, I think I did this wrong. I was only asking dwcrwr about her experience with her Anatolian.

 

[ConPollos]

That is also an old school false myth, just like rubbing their noses in pee.  It's your negative actions that they associate, not the decomposing bird or the pee. Found this post from a fellow dog trainer. Spot on. Post #77 on this thread so I don't reinvent the wheel.
 https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/778988/training-a-dog-to-leave-chickens-alone/70#post_12430416

It's the tried and true old-timey method that works when all else fails, and therefore saves dogs from being shot, dumped, or beat up.

I'm sure the dog knows it's suffering the consequences of killing the chicken it's wearing around it's neck.

And, even though I don't rub dogs' noses in their poop or pee when they mess in the house, it sure as heck worked in the 50s and 60s. All dogs were well behaved and well socialized back then...come to think of it, so were the kids.