To get a dog or not to get a dog....

[srd5757]

Well, I've talked to her several times. I found out that these are not actually her pups, but due to a friend's illness she took them in to sell them for her. (which kinda worries me)
She does have several LGD's of her own and seems very experienced and knowledgable with them. She doesn't seem to think it will be a problem, and said that she thinks after the initial transition time that she would settle down and it would all work out fine. She said she wouldn't normally place a dog in this situation, but because we are planning to move out to more property that it would be short term. She seems very genuine but it is hard to tell sometimes if someone is just saying something to sell the animal. However, She did mention that she would take her back if we were not happy with her. Which did ensure my belief that she really does care about the animal going to a good home and doesn't want it to be in a bad situation.
I'm so torn here, but I'm leaning toward waiting til we're on the property.

 

[donrae]

Well, having just had some major construction plans get put on hold due to a completely unexpected job loss, I'm more in the mode of waiting until things are secure vs acting now and planning for things to be different in a few years. Just my thoughts. If you're still wanting a dog, get a family friendly breed or mutt now.

 

[Vicky2479]

I would wait too, to many things can happen in a few years and by the sounds of it any dog you do get will need to be walked everyday or no matter how much training you put into it, it will cause all sorts of problems, barking all night being the least of them. a dog needs to burn up its energy somehow and a few chickens that run up and down flapping will look like a mighty fun way to achieve that. If you are able to provide this till it is time to move to the country then that's great, but if not then wait (this goes for any size dog, not just the big guys).

 

[13chooks]

Get a Jack Russell. they are small. It will chase the chickens around the yard, but they are little enough to lock in the bedroom or house if you want to let the chickens out. thats what we do. I have 2 JRs and the male (Phantom) will chase at the birds even yipping and playiung at the fence of the chook pen. The female (Mia) is only 9 wks old but the other day it was windy and she got in the door of the pen and did her best to chase the chooks. They will still bark and give a warning if anything is in theyard of a night or in the day. If they do happen to bite the birds or the baby their bite is not so bad as to do too much damage. I love my Jack Russells. My male can get quite an aggressive sounding growl if something is aroujnd at night. This is good for me as my husband works away for 2 wks at a time..JRs are loyal, loving, protective, entertaining and great with kids if the chills are taught to be gentle with them. I think I mightbe a bit biased.

 

[dainerra]

Get a Jack Russell. they are small. It will chase the chickens around the yard, but they are little enough to lock in the bedroom or house if you want to let the chickens out. thats what we do. I have 2 JRs and the male (Phantom) will chase at the birds even yipping and playiung at the fence of the chook pen. The female (Mia) is only 9 wks old but the other day it was windy and she got in the door of the pen and did her best to chase the chooks. They will still bark and give a warning if anything is in theyard of a night or in the day. If they do happen to bite the birds or the baby their bite is not so bad as to do too much damage. I love my Jack Russells. My male can get quite an aggressive sounding growl if something is aroujnd at night. This is good for me as my husband works away for 2 wks at a time..JRs are loyal, loving, protective, entertaining and great with kids if the chills are taught to be gentle with them. I think I mightbe a bit biased.

They are also hunting dogs, bred for centuries to kill vermin. "bite not bad"??? LOL they are hunting dogs, made to kill animals much bigger than themselves like foxes and raccoons. I'd start training them yesterday that behavior like that isn't allowed.

 

[SJUDD]

I was going to suggest that if you get a dog now, you will have to walk it at least twice a day to burn off their energy. Having had bigger dogs with a small backyard in the past I can say that it would be necessary to walk them for 30 mins to an hour twice a day. But if you have the time for that, it would be good for you as well as the dogs. Walking my dogs twice a day put me in better shape than I had been in years. You could also consider a doggie treadmill. You have to start them out young on those as if they are older, it is hard to get them used to it but my vet recommended it when we had to move to the smaller house. Now that we have a bigger yard and they are free to run around all day, I actually miss my walks with them.... but of course now I have chickens, ducks, dogs, a rabbit, a cat and a parakeet as well as a larger yard to care for so it takes me longer in the mornings and evenings to do my chores than it used to.
Do what is best for you and your family. Your child being 4 years old is the perfect time to get a pup as they will grow up together and bond. If you do get a pup, I would recommend training classes for both you and the dog. I sure wish I had done that with mine! Good luck!

 

[smilingcat]

DON'T PANIC!! We have a Pyrenees mix and a pure bred Great Pyrenees.

Pyrenees and any othe breed of LGD requires that the owner and the family is above the dog in the pack order. This is single most important thing to remember. Pyrenees are gentle as far as LGD's go. They are stubborn but they can be trained just as much as a golden retriever or poodle. (poodle ranks #1 in trainability and golden somehwere around #4.) Pyrenees ranks #64 out of 68 breeds because of their stubbornness.

You can train him not to bark or reduce it to a point where its an acceptable amount.
You must never alllow the dog to sleep on your bed or on any family members bed. He must sleep at a level lower than you.
You must be the first one to exit the house and first one to enter. Dog must follow.
You must heel the dog when you take him on a walk. Must always walk next or behind you. NEVER in front of you.

With 1/4 of an acre of backyard, you will have to walk him minimum of 2 miles a day when he reaches one year of age.
Feeding must be split to two feeding. Once in the morning and once at night to reduce chances of bloat.

Get him acquainted with your flock as soon as he is home. He needs to learn who his family is.

It is a good idea to sign up for obedience class with other dogs. This will socialize him and teach you how to handle the dog. Dog training is much about training the dog as it is about training the handler in proper handling.

At absolute minimum, your dog must learn to: heel, leave it (alone), stand, stand-stay, sit, down, stay.

If yours is a puppy, he will need toys, pull toys and a ball or two. You will need to invest in a walking leash (one to two feet long leash).

You will also need to invest in grooming brush. When he is blowing his coat in spring time, you will be brushing him a minimum of 15-30 minutes a day. and be prepared to have flying hair balls inside your house.

Do NOT ALLOW YOUR children to rough house with non family member in front of the dog!! Dog may go into protection mode and attack the non-family member!

Dogs must be vaccinated against rabies (always), parvo (always), disemper, bordetella. Additional ones are hepatitis, parainfluenza, adenovirus. LEPTOSPIROSIS is a must if the dog is working around sheep, cattle and other livestock.

 

[smilingcat]

One more very important thing.

NEVER ALLOW HIM TO RUN LOOSE when you take him for a walk. They have a very strong tendency to "roam" (run away).

6 foot tall fencing is the minimum required. They can scale 5 foot tall fence. my boy is 30" at the shoulder and almost able to counter surf without getting his paws on the counter.

 

[Ellochicken]

I think one of the best options for you right now is a mini australian shepherd.... They are small, I don't think they bark alot, and they are GREAT herding dogs when they are trained, but sometimes it comes out in instinct! I think that is your best option.

Hope this helps!

-Ellochicken

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

My Australian Sheppard (12 years old) has very little interest in the chickens that I have (first time raising chickens, got chicks in May). The Sheppards are gentle and good guard dogs. Mine alerts us to coyotes, deer and other large animals. He does try and "herd" the chickens when they fly/run after or away from something. He does catch and eat small critters, ie. squirrels, moles, mice but shows no real interest in the chickens. My cats are the same way, it may be that they have been around them since they were chicks and supervised by us when introducing them. Now the chickens free range during day and my only real concern is from hawks and owls, but that is where my roo fills in. My suggestion is wait until you move and get a sheppard. Also know that sheppards take about 3 years to completely grow out of puppydom, so lots of training will be needed. Good luck