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+1 to walkswithdog. If I have my Pyr out by himself, he will hang out with the chickens. He does have some herding instinct and will round up any birds that he perceives to be "loose chickens," including the wild turkeys and anything larger than a dove in the yard. He does this by pushing them with his head, not the faux-nipping you might see from an aggressive Collie-type. Very relaxed, quietly puts himself between any passers-by and the barn. But if our Newfie is out with him, then they work as a pair: she will run up to the edge of the territory and bark, jump around in a big display, chase a coyote or stray dog while he is her backup--also barking, but behind her, from a slight distance, staying close. However, they also will go on guard if there is an aggressive dog or a coyote at the state park. It's not just territoriality, it's not just their flock. They know how many warriors and how many potential victims are in the area and how to assess a threat, that's an instinct they've had since they were wolves.
Of course, since both my dogs come indoors at night to eat their meals and snooze on the couch, in many folks' eyes that means they are not "real" working dogs, although my Pyr has effectively dealt with fishers, hawks, possums, foxes, coyotes, stray dogs, to the point that when my neighbors lost their entire flocks I only lost a couple of birds. And the Newfie will happily rescue people (especially little kids) at the beach when she feels they are swimming too deep--luckily, she is pretty charming and people don't mind much.
