Need help finding breed of dog that is right for my family UPDATE #43

[RWD57]

I love my rat terrier, she's a great small farm/house dog. Never bothers the chickens, kills mice (don't have any rats but I'm sure she would kill them) and her first woodchucks this year.

 

[skybluskyblue]

Former veterinary nurse here.

The breed is not the key, the individual **temperament** of the dog is the BIG factor that will make or break it. You can do a temperament test on the prospective dog Then #2 is proper training. Knowing the breed/s can give clues but will not "seal the deal". http://www.nrta.com/breedforfoundation/temptest.html

BTW I have a male pit bull who is not good with other male dogs but is wonderful with the chickens young or old.

 

[Okie Amazon]

Your new girl has the sweetest face ever!

She looks like a winner! Congratulations!

 

[[email protected]]

A second vote for an English shepherd. Great dogs. Smart as a border collie, but with an off switch. And yes, I have one too.



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[Philbilly]

You might investigate the Maremma. No prey instinct and they see themselves as guardians but they are only aggressive when it it required. You don't need to coop your chickens; they're not going anywhere! They are not as 'neurotic' as Border Collies which would be my #2 pick. Pretty laid back until trouble threatens, and they're discerning about that. Kind of hard to train but then, they don't really need it. Very cool dogs. They're a tad on the large side, just about the size of a German Shepherd

 

[SussexInSeattle]

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I beg to differ about the last statement in this sentence. Very true about the prey drive but if you have an understanding of dogs and have a knowledge of how a pack works and how a dog thinks, you CAN have any breed and teach it to leave your chickens alone! You can also own a toy breed and have them kill everything they can catch in a hen house!

In my earlier post, I was replying on a dog that could meet all the criteria of the thread owner's original question. You can have a lovable Labrador die in defense of it's chickens and you can have a Labrador kill any chicken in sight. But to find a breed capable of doing all that the person asked, also be the correct size and the correct fur type, then you have to start eliminating lots of dogs from the endless possibilities. Being that I have two very large Doberman pinschers and have trained them both to basically ignore all of my chickens but at the same time protect them and to also be very willing to get into lots of physical exercise, these dogs are capable of all of that and have done so for the last three years. They are good with newly hatched chicks and on up to roosters.

A lot of people would never think to put a pitbull near any type of livestock due to their terrible reputations but very many people on this thread commented how great pits and pit mixes have been with their chickens. But I would also bet that lots of other members have had their flocks wiped out by pits and pit mixes. So in the long run, just about any breed would be excellent with chickens and just about any breed would kill chickens and so it's really up to us to train our dogs and pups to co-habitate with our flocks.

 

[dab89]

We have a wonderful German Shepard that totally ignores our birds. But he does shed...

 

[jazzymitchell]

My husband got me a dachshund puppy for my birthday and he is great with the chickens. He's a mini dach but maybe a full size would be of more use to you since you're not really looking for a small dog. When we got him he ran at the chickens a few times but never offered to grab at them or chase them down. He just thought it was funny to scatter them. Now he hangs around with them, he comes in the pen with me to look for eggs, and he *ahem* helps clean up the poop. Dachshunds are also good at killing off pests like rodents and big bugs and are very good snake killers. And he's great with the kids and loves everybody but he'll let you know when someones comin up the driveway.

Becareful not to stereotype the type of dog you decide to get too much. Because all dogs have defferant personalitys it doesn't matter HOW they are sposed to ACT, some won't act that way. You'll just have to get to know the dog. Like I bought a labrador a few years ago because everyone said they were great dogs and loved people and were really smart. It was the worst dog I ever had! (Its mom and dad were really nice!) Even as a puppy he was just awful, he didn't like anyone, he was groucy and he bite me several times. Then when I got my pit bull he was the sweetest thing ever. He was a great dog until he died. So you can't judge a dog too hard on its breed, albiet some do tend to make a lot better farm dog than others.

 

[andi6313]

I have Labrador Retriever, a full blooded and a mix. I let the "mix" lab, Tracey in the chicken pen with the chickens, while supervised in their myself as well. she never bothered the chickens. She was more interested in eating the watermelon the chicks were eating on. The chicks were curious and clucked about it, but Tracey went about her business sniffing the chicks, the yard and all over. As far as children, I think labs are the best. The mix lab I have is 65-70 lbs. She use to be a yard dog, but because of my neighbor shooting dogs, i brought her in the house. She sleeps in the kennel and is in the kennel while I'm at work all day. She does very well. She does bark when she see people drive up, or strange dogs and cats. Very well behaved and keeps us safe. Tracey is a mix of lab & golden retriever we think. She is very good with kids, extremely friendly and careful around little ones. Hope this helps!

 

[happyhour4pm]

I was a full time dog groomer for over 30 years and have seen lots of dogs. I am by no means an expert on breeds as they are all different and how they are raised can make a good dog bad or vise versa.
I have terriers and wire haired mini dachshunds and love them dearly but they are hunters and want to chase the chickens. All but 1 of them were not raised with chickens or trained not to chase them as pups. I can make them not chase them but they still lust, so it is easier to keep them seperate.
While standard poodles are great dogs but they are a breed that takes LOTS of grooming and its not cheap as they take a lot of time.
The breed that comes to mind for you is a mini Australian Sheppard. They are a herding breed and will take some training but the people who have them LOVE them and they are beautiful.
Whatever you do deiced to get if it is an adult, it is best if you can get it on a trial bases and see how they fit.
Rescuing a shelter dog is always the best choice and a noble one but it's a gamble and will probably not fit all your requirements with out some work.
Good luck and take your time. We just lost the best dog we ever had. He was a jack russell, dachshund, poodle mix.
He was 16 and a real bad enlarged heart.

Amy