Raccoon visiting to steal feed

[aart]

We've both had dogs. I used to have big dogs growing up and he had terriers. We have a fenced in yard about 100x100 and 5 acres total. We plan to make the fence go out even more within the next year. We've talked about getting a family dog but havent done it yet. This was just kind of spur of the moment and timing. I only looked because I was thinking about a guard dog and there she was! I just want to be certain that the breed will work well with chickens. We get to do a 3 day trial before adoption. I just was wondering if anyone else had experience with these breeds and chicken interactions.

Meant to be!
Had an Aussie, but that was before chickens.
If dog is obedient you should not have any trouble training her to them.

 

[Attila the Hen]

I don’t know enough about dogs and chickens. I’m very wary of any dog. One I have now killed a couple of my birds and we had a serious discussion!! She hasn’t done it since and the chickens can often be seen sleeping near her. I think the birds she killed were sick and that’s why she did it. I would never leave a dog alone with chickens until it proved itself and that would be more than 3 days.
The breed of yours is a herding dog..I believe, and one would hope it would be okay. The Great Pyrenees that recently killed my chickens should never have done that based on breed. Personally I’d take a chance on her and monitor her very closely. Hopefully you will have some sense of her responses and your birds very quickly.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

I don’t know enough about dogs and chickens. I’m very wary of any dog. One I have now killed a couple of my birds and we had a serious discussion!! She hasn’t done it since and the chickens can often be seen sleeping near her. I think the birds she killed were sick and that’s why she did it. I would never leave a dog alone with chickens until it proved itself and that would be more than 3 days.
The breed of yours is a herding dog..I believe, and one would hope it would be okay. The Great Pyrenees that recently killed my chickens should never have done that based on breed. Personally I’d take a chance on her and monitor her very closely. Hopefully you will have some sense of her responses and your birds very quickly.

We plan on supervision until she can prove herself. We just dont want a dog we have to take inside everytime we let them out. We want her to be able to tell us something is wrong. We haven't gotten a dog yet because we were worried about our birds. Now with this predator problem and the coincidence of a breed we were interested in showing up in the shelter at the same time...well it just feels serendipitous. She literally was just transfered there at the end of last month. We're still talking about it but I think we're sold on her for the trial period at least. Setting up the trap again tonight

 

[aart]

We're still talking about it but I think we're sold on her for the trial period at least.

It's nice that you have a 3 day trial, in case she's horrible right off the bat....but I've found it takes about 2-3 months for dog to get comfortable enough to show it's true nature.
Best Of Luck!

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

It's nice that you have a 3 day trial, in case she's horrible right off the bat....but I've found it takes about 2-3 months for dog to get comfortable enough to show it's true nature.
Best Of Luck!

Absolutely. This shelter is very nice. They make sure the animal comes with everything you need to get started. They come with their shots, fixed, 1st months of heartworm medication and microchipped. They also ask personality questions like "what would you do if the dog had an 'accident' in the house?" They want to make sure they are doing what is best for the animal. It costs a lot more than the county shelter but its worth it for the benefits. I'm hoping she does well but time will tell when we "rent" her. As for now I'm more concerned with the coons. Last night when we set the trap we turned around and saw two babies on the tree 5 feet from us.

 

[aart]

They also ask personality questions like "what would you do if the dog had an 'accident' in the house?"

When I got my current dog at SPCA(~12 years ago) there was a 5 page questionnaire, many questions being asked several times in different ways(mostly about costs of keeping a dog). At first he wasn't working out with my other dog(the aussie), they had me talk to an 'adoption counselor' over the phone for some tips. They were thorough and very helpful. Have had other less savory adoption experiences.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

When I got my current dog at SPCA(~12 years ago) there was a 5 page questionnaire, many questions being asked several times in different ways(mostly about costs of keeping a dog). At first he wasn't working out with my other dog(the aussie), they had me talk to an 'adoption counselor' over the phone for some tips. They were thorough and very helpful. Have had other less savory adoption experiences.

Wow adoption counselor? Thats crazy! But im assuming it worked out since you still have him!

 

[aart]

Wow adoption counselor? Thats crazy! But im assuming it worked out since you still have him!

They had some good ideas...yeah it worked out, took a few weeks tho, and they never were best buddies.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

They had some good ideas...yeah it worked out, took a few weeks tho, and they never were best buddies.

Did they give any advice as far as chickens go or just other dog interactions?

Btw update. No coon in the trap this evening but did have a young pup charge at us. It tried to bite us so it unfortunately met its end.

 

[aart]

Did they give any advice as far as chickens go or just other dog interactions?

I didn't have chickens at the time, so was just advice on integrating the new dog with the old dog. They did not want the new dog coming back to the shelter.

Btw update. No coon in the trap this evening but did have a young pup charge at us. It tried to bite us so it unfortunately met its end.

Yikes, that's kinda scary(I assume you mean raccoon pup and not a dog)...and not normal, unless it was cornered. Hopefully it wasn't sick, be careful, wash thoroughly after any contact.