Need new guard dog

[denimeggs]

Due to health problems we are going to have to put our Labrador down. He has been a sweet boy and will be missed by us as well as the chickens. He stayed out with them and kept them safe from predators. Now I don't know what to do. Anyone know of a breed with a good reputation for taking care of chickens? A German Chickherd maybe?

 

[jonathansenn]

my wife's chihuahua does a good job. After the rooster broke her from chasing the hens.

 

[madelynbelle]

I am so sorry to hear that. We bought 2 Great Pyranese puppies last December as we had heard wonderful things about them as guardians of animals as well as our kids. We have been raising them around the chicks in the house and they do extremely well being puppies not chasing them or treating them as chew toys. The only thing so far is they try to touch them with their gigantic paws, but I think that is just a puppy thing. They are much calmer than any other dog we have had, neighbor has 2 lab puppies exactly the same age as our dogs and they are extremely hyper in comparison. We also have a Jack Russell terrier, that cannot be trusted around the chickens as she is a spaz......but thats another story all together. We also got 2 dogs sisters...instead of one, because if you have coyotes especially it can be beneficial to have a team instead of one dog. I have heard stories of them bringing coyotes home dead as trophies of their good work.

 

[Pupsnpullets]

Quote:
While I agree 2 guard dogs are better than one I would be very cautious about getting 2 pups. They can get into 4 times as much mischief as a single pup can. An older dog and a pup would be good especially if the older dog already knows the ropes.

Denim, maybe your old lab has enough left in him to train a pup? So sorry to hear he's on his way out.

 

[denimeggs]

How long might it take for him to train up a puppy? We can keep him going for a while with frequent trips to the vet although after a while that gets to be inhumane. My parents have some German Shepherds, but they are rather over-enthusiastic. What about Aussies? We don't have many coyotes where we live now-in the city, but will when we finally move out into the country.

 

[Cluckatar]

You might look into some of the other livestock guardian breeds as well. We had a Kuvasz for 12 years who was the most sensible and awesome dog... no chickens then, but I'm sure she would have done well with them. Great Pyrenes, Marrema, Caucasian Mountain Dog (Ovcharka) could all be good choices.

You probably want to steer away from the herding breeds, as they do their work with a lot more prey drive and some nipping... a bad combination for birds

 

[Picky Chicky]

We have a German Shepherd pup, Sara, who's going on 2 years old this summer. She's a baby doll and I love her to death, but she loves to antagonize our chickens. With that being said, my chickens aren't free range (yet), and she's very protective of "her" yard. So when another dog comes in, she chases them out - hackles up and all. That's my sweet Cujo.. I mean Sara.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

I wouldn't get an Aussie. I have a 2 yr old female. Very hyper and always barking at and scaring the chicks if they make any noise, I pick them up and hold them, feed them treats, etc.

I also have the sweetest 3 yr old ACD (Austrailian Cattle Dog) that leeped up to take a bite of one of my 5 wk old chicks while I was holding her in the living room. All she was able to bite was my top and tail feathers. That totally shocked me but made me realize I would NEVER ever be able to trust my girls with the chickens.

My latest rescue, Roofus (red heeler/nonsense) looks like a heeler with short legs, was 8 wks old when I got the chicks. He was my constant companion when going to check the brooder. When the chicks started flying up out of the brooder, Roofus would lick their feet.

The last time I took Roofus out to the coop when the chicks were 7 wks old Roofus would chase the chicks a little when they would come up and peck him in the nose.

They grew up with him, so the chicks had no fear.

Good luck to you and so sorry you're other dog's time is near.

 

[MagsC]

Great Pyrenees are wonderful. Currently I have a GP/Old English Mastiff cross and he has been the best dog I have ever had around other animals. He is also protective over his "charges".

 

[scootermom]

My two banty hens used to chase my lab, Angus, around when he had a bone or some other treat they wanted to "share". I wish I had video taped it! A 90- pound dog getting buffaloed by two tiny birds! If someone we don't know or another animal comes in the yard, though, Angus is on guard duty and takes care of us. I reccomend another lab, maybe an older one like someone else suggested, Angus was 4 when we got the chickens. I'm not sure he would have left them alone as a puppy.