What dog breeds can be taught NOT to hurt my chickees?

[meghan713]

Thank you for all the suggestions What about mountain dogs? Like bernese mountain dogs and such.

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

I can only tell you that if you choose a LGD, you may lose it to the neighbors flock of sheep. These dogs will guard chickens, but they have such a strong guarding instinct, they seem to gravitate to sheep and goats over chickens. Unless your fence is really good, you may just find your dog guarding his sheep!
Now, you may not have this happen either, I just wanted you to be aware of it. A lot depends on training.

I have a Blue Heeler/Border Collie mix that guards and protects the chickens. I leave her in the run and leave the coop door open. She has raised litters of puppies with my chickens. She accepted the chickens very easily, and I could leave her in a pen with day old chicks and trust her not to hurt them. Her greatest trait is that she is a natural mother. She will mother anything...she has let goat kids nurse her, and she loves the pot belly pig babies too. She hates cats, but will take care of kittens. She has brought me newborn baby rabbits that had fallen out of the cages, unharmed, and will show me where she found them, so I can put them back with the right mother.

I have had one Great Pyrenees that killed chickens if they went into the pasture with "her" goats. She has been the only one I've had that would do this, though. Even her pups didn't go after the chickens.

I recently gave a Red Heeler away to a friend, that said he must have learned a lot from my Great Pyrenees cause he won't leave their pasture of horses except to eat. He doesn't bother their chickens either.

I've had Doxie's, Rott's, Heeler's, GP's, & a Boston Terrier that were all good with the chickens. I really love my GP's, but there are so many dogs that would work.

You might be able to do a test trial period with a dog, before buying it. I would ask the person who is selling about that. Most responsible breeders will want to make a good match for their dogs in a new home. I'm not a breeder by any means, but I have taken a dog back that didn't work out for the people who bought it.

I probably haven't helped you much, but maybe I've given you a couple of ideas.

Jean

 

[hilareee]

i have a pembroke welsh corgi who was introduced to chickens as an adult. he was curious at first, but quickly lost interest. when the chickens free range, they'll follow him around and surround him- cute! this is a cattle herding breed, however, and might be more interested in the sheep next door, though my charlie only wants to herd other dogs, lol. other than that it's a great family pet breed- with training, of course. they can be stubborn.

 

[meghan713]

Wow, thanks everone-- and jean that helped a lot, actually.

 

[Bandit]

I have to add my 2 cents. My golden retriever lets the hens come up to him and scratch through his tail looking for bugs, sometimes they even peck him to see if there's food under all that hair. He will look at me and ask for help but never chases them. He's the second golden retriever we've had and both acted the same way....tell them once to leave them alone and then when they forget, the second time reminds them forever.

 

[Atlchick]

Our mutt (part dachscund - part enigma) adopted us before we adopted chickens. She loves to wander around inside their pens and has never made any attempt to hurt one. Even when we let them free range and they panic for some imagined reason, she just stands around watching...but let a squirrel take off towards and tree and she's off to the races. Who knows why? I'm just glad she's figured it out...

 

[cluckcluck42]

We have a german sheperd who never touches the chickens when we are around and can be trusted outside with them alone. He may run up to sniff them but we have not had a problem so far, once when we first got him he roughed up two of my hens a bit but no one was injured. I've found GS to be brilliant, playful dogs that train very well. This dog was 1.5 before he ever saw a chicken and has adjusted well. Any GS we ever had would know to not hurt the family pets but if you want to sick him on a raccoon or such, boy does he go.

 

[chickenlover54]

I believe it depends on the individual dog, I have 2 puppies(1 3/4 y.o) after about 15 chickens and 2 geese (and yes they ate them) later they don't touch my chickens if they were the last thing in the world to eat. They are great but it takes DEDICATION it was one of the hardest things i've ever done and we probably tried to load them 15 times to the shelter

but we hung in there.

 

[Chicky Tocks]

I have two mini-dachshunds. One of them is an instigator and high strung. The other is very, very sweet and wouldn't hurt a flea. Tonight I let her go out with me for the first time to visit the chickens while they were out free-range, WITHOUT the little instigator. She was very good. The chickens were more curious about her than she was about them. Although I won't let her outside without me to supervise, I am pleasantly almost surprised and she will get to go out with me more often while the chickens are out. I say almost because she is so docile and sweet. And too I will say that it takes a very special weiner dog that can be trusted around the chickens.

 

[RedfogsFlock]

Ok first of all we have a poodle, yorkie, chihuahua, and rhodesian.


Poodles.... they are bird dogs! So not a good choice. Our poodle has to stay on a chain cuz he will eat our chickens at any chance! Poodles are bred to retrieve the birds from frozen lakes and thus is why their crazy haircuts. The haircut with the poms on their hips? That is so their kidneys won't freeze when they enter the frozen water.

Yorkies.... They are bred to go down small holes such as praire dogs, ground squirrels, etc.. Our yorkie doesn't even look at our chickens, BUT EVERY single one or our yorkies babies chases them and tries to eat them.

Chihuahua.... don't know why they were bred, but ours and all of our friends don't bother our girls.


Rhodesian... They are bred for guard dogs, and to bate lions for hunters till they can get there. Ours loves to lay in the coop, and eat the scratch with our flock (which is the only thing we haven't been able to break him from)! BUT no problems from him.