rescued dog

[Doronxl7]

Hey there,
So i'm about to get a rescued dog around 7 month old female. Shes mixed pit-bull with some retriever as I heard.
The women who giving me the dog said that she very friendly toward other dogs and even cats, I want her to protect my coop from predators and not destroying it (not free range chicks).
How can I do that and train her to protect the coop?

 

[True Patriot]

Neither breed mentioned is usually considered a livestock guard. They can be trained, but the instinct to protect the livestock will be absent. For most predators the presence of any dog is a deterrent. The key to training and animals is consistency. When you want then to respond to a command you have to do and say it the same every time. Praise for proper response and correction for improper. Personally I do not use a food reward when I train. I want my command obeyed wether I have a treat or not. Dogs by nature 1) enjoy working and having a purpose and 2) want to make the alpha happy. At the age mentioned she is going to have a lot of energy and curiosity. I would start by training her to behave how you want her to around the coop and chickens. Basic commands that halt and recall are good for any dog to know.
I'm sure with some work you will be able to have her behave herself around the chickens. As far as guarding, that's mainly an instinctive trait I'm not sure she will have.

 

[mominoz]

you might want to research pit's... had family and friends who loved theirs etc, how wonderful...and yes, they often love their families...but; 72% of attacks are from pits and pit bull mixes on people. My neighbor who is a vet tech was attacked by one of her rescued pits 'pets' because another dog got stuck int he fence and was yelping and she was getting it free and the pit attacked her (set off by the other dogs cries). My son's mix was 'great' except they didn't really train her and she chased my horses as a puppy, got kicked for it...and "yelled at"... one day a neighbor child who used to poke her and growl at her thru the fence (I caught her once and stopped her and warned her)...decided to climb the fence and kicked the dog and pulled her tail...she got bit, twice, even though the dog knew she was bad, and laid down and exposed her belly...(I know ,technically the police said it was justified as the kid was trespassing). No rescue would take her and they had to have her put down.(unless they wanted to kennel her forever). Vets will tell you of other stories of them going "off" and no body thought they would. I know of horseback riders attacked on their horses by a couple that were loose. A lady with a small dog attacked by some loose in a park...etc,etc. etc.... Just be informed...and don't think it can't happen. Too many people get "bully dogs" and can't or won't train them and take precautions. Some insurance companies will not insure homes with pits, dobermans, or GSD... there are reasons for that... technically, it is the owners fault, thru ignorance or irresponsibility.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! I'm with TP on this; it's a puppy and hopefully trainable as far as your chickens are concerned. It depends! Terriers of any sort tend to be more difficult about attacking small animals; it's what they were bred to do! But, that doesn't mean that you will fail; if she's nice, go for it.
I have pit bull terriers and love them! There are horror stories about dogs of many breeds, and right now only the 'pit' stories make the papers. Some of the nastiest dogs I've ever met have been Golden Retrievers, a breed with a generally 'golden' reputation!
If your dog can demolish your coop, it's not sturdy enough and needs rebuilding!
Mary