What is a good breed of dog?

[Keara]

Quote:
Than do not get a husky, they are notorious for running off!

sorry read the rest of the postings and saw you are not going to get a husky after all.

I have a bird dog, a chessapeake bay retriever, and while they are not a good dog for a first time dog owner....they tend to be strong willed..... he has been great with the chickens. So I dissagree about not having a bird dog.

I think the best dog is a well trained dog! I'm sure you will find a nice mutt in need of a good home.

 

[Montana-Hens]

I think this all comes down to how much time are you willing to put into your dog training. Almost any dog can be trained. Our Cairn is completely reliable with our ladies. We had a foster and in the time he spent with no amount of training would we leave him with free ranger birds even when we were outside with him.

Time & training.....it is all up to you.

 

[GableBabble]

We have both a large German Shepherd and a Pyrenees. Both are perfect for what they do. If they are outside to do it...lol. I also have kids who think that the dogs should be in the house 24/7. The Pyrenees will actually lay with the birds and seems to enjoy watching the chicks play around her. I take her often into the pens with me. The GSD is an egg sucker so she never goes in with me, but she will chase off anything (even hawks) that try to go after my birds. I have found one things though. My father in law has a large lab mix, he was not raised around birds, and if left alone will attack them. My opinion is that you should get a puppy of a guardian breed to raise with the birds.
Huskys in my opinion are a huge no no. For all their aloofness they have a huge prey drive and act much like a cat training wise. Huskies can also travel over 50 miles a day no problem. They need a ton of exercise, and attention.

 

[Ole rooster]

I would say in spite of what you've read, the American Pit Bull was bred to be a farm dog. Remember, any dog is what you make him. Some have natural instincts but can be trained to channel those same instincts. That said, of the one's you mentioned, the lab cross would be my choice.

 

[effie]

We have a bird dog-springer spaniel--he is doing quite well with the girls so far----matter of fact this week the husband was at the barn and he saw what he thought was a funny looking chicken with our BO girls and suddenly our springer alerted and went after it--it was a grouse free ranging with the girls -- LOL --and he knew the difference!!!!!! He didn't catch it but my husband and I found it very interesting..... good luck on your dog hunt!!!!

 

[Buff-Island-Australorp]

I have a full blood black lab.....4yr old....He is great around the chickens for several reasons....He ABSOLUTLEY will not go after them, just his presence in the backyard deters other predators, and he shares his holes with the chickens that he digs out to keep cool.

 

[franklinchickens]

We have a 4 year old chocolate lab that we rescued as a 9 month old pup. We got our first chicks when she was 2 1/2. We raised them in the house and had her nearby, meeting & greeting. She is the best dog with them - in fact one of our recent chicken rescues thinks that Lulu (the dog) is her flock as she was raised alone and isn't quite sure she is a chicken. So Marshmallow (the chicken) hangs with the dog in the yard. The only thing the hens need to watch out for is getting out of her way when she is chasing her ball. While she is high energy she would never consider (as far as we can tell) touching any of our pets (cats/chickens) in an aggressive manner.
We do foster golden retrievers and had an experience where one of our fosters 'moved' one of our EE's across the yard. Didn't hurt her but 'retrieved' her and brought her over to us. She was fine but lesson learned on letting another dog in with our flock.
I really believe that if you get any dog, that if they are raised with the chickens, taught that they are part of their family and not to be messed with, you will most likely be ok. It all comes down to training in my opinion though there are most definitely some breeds that would be better choices than others.

 

[tommboy1973]

Just had to add my two cents since no one has mentioned Rotties. Both my rotts were over 2 years already when I adopted them. I only had to show them the chickens were "mine" and they have been very good with my flock. I do not hesitate to leave them alone with my birds and have done so for over a year now. They hate coyotes and other dogs, and also chase rabbits and ground squirrels out of the yard, but not the chooks! Pic below is them sharing treat time.

 

[flowerchicks]

Funny, my DH and I were just talking about whether we could trust our two dogs to be alone with our chickens. I told him I do when I am around and for limited times unwatched, but I would never intentionally leave them alone with the chickens for an extended time. It is just a tragedy waiting to happen. My chickens are fenced away from the dogs, but there have been several instances where a hen flew over the fence and spent the day with the dogs. The chickens aren't afraid of the dogs, and the dogs ignore the chickens.

But, I think it boils down to this; are you willing to take the time to TRAIN your dog (or puppy) that the chickens, ducks, bunnies, whatever, belong to YOU and are part of the family and therefore, part of the dogs PACK? If yes, just about any dog can be trusted with your animals UP TO A POINT. I have a cattle dog and a HUSKY, neither of which were raised with chickens, who don't pay any attention to the chickens. Until she met me, the husky used to chase stray cats that came into her yard. She went after my cat ONCE. She learned very quickly that was NOT acceptable behavior!! I agree with the folks who posted about the intelligence of huskies, she is the smartest dog I have ever met. And because of that, she is able to learn very quickly what is and isn't acceptable to chase and kill. Squirrels are fair game. A stray cat that comes into the yard better be fast. But, the chickens might as well be invisible to her, she doesn't even look at them. The cattle dog, she still enjoys a bit of the herding game from time to time, especially with one of the roosters, but she is playing more than preying on them. Either way, it is not encouraged. I do realize that my huskies behavior is atypical, and overall they are probably not the best choice to put with chickens, but I had to put in a good word for the intelligence of this breed.

 

[Elite Silkies]

Quote:
Beautiful Rotties you have there! I have a Min Pin and a Wiener Dog, and neither can be trusted around chickens. My Min Pin almost killed my Sussex, the day I got them. He actually got the cage open, and I do not know how in the world he done it.

I also love the Dogue de Bordeaux, if I could just afford one!