- Jan 25, 2008
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Okay, sorry about that folks. Lost track of time and had to get out the door quick to make an appointment. LOL
*deep breath* Back to where I was. So every "breed" has a default setting. For example, German Shepherds are suppose to be a reserved breed, latching onto their family members or one particular person and then being wary of all the rest. Almost all the GSDs I have owned have been this way EXCEPT Axel, that silly boy has the disposition of a labrador retriever. He loves to chase ducks and he is friends with EVERYONE.
So, as you are seeking a breed, you merely need to "include" chickens into your search, but not center it around the chickens. A dog is an animal that will encompass your life and you need to select to fit your and your family's life, and not just your chooks.
Dogs that do well around chickens are "usually" low energy, and very low prey drive. A high energy animal must find an outlet for that energy, and flighty feathered chew toys are quite attractive.
Our australian shepherd was well mannered and very sweet, but a running squaking flapping chicken was just too fun to chase. With the aid of a shock collar and a couple of spankings, we eventually taught her to leave them alone. We could trust her so well, that we would leave both her and the birds alone in the yard. But, that took training and one poor victim of her playing(a standard size mutt rooster) lost all his pretty tail feathers before we made our point and trained her to the chickens. Even though our sweet australian shepherd was so well trained that she would sit and cry and worry over the newly hatched chicks and all the training she went through, we could never fully repress that need to run and chase. Sadly we lost her a few months ago, she ran out of the yard in pursuit of a cat that was stalking the chickens. Both she and the cat were struck by a car.
Breeds that I have found personally well suited for both family AND farm life are any of the giant breeds(I love them). Great Danes and Great Pyrenese are usually wonderful on the farm. Our local farmer breeds Danes and they roam loose on his farm. A good friend of mine raises both chickens and peafowl, she keeps a Dane herself. They are just big goofy loveable dogs. My mother has lap dogs, lhaso apso and nonsense, both ignore the chickens and can't do any damage to the cats. Personally, I don't care for small lap dogs, but that is a personal preference. The common lab usually does well, even though they were bred by bird hunters as retrievers. Labs are friendly and easily trained from puppy hood. As retrievers they are bred to be sweet and kind, even to the very birds they are bred to retrieve. It still may be instinctive to chase the birds, but they were never bred to kill or harm the birds.
Where do you plan to buy your dog? STAY AWAY FROM PET SHOPS! Many petshops, even when claiming to buy from reputable breeders, buy from puppy mill situations. This is the last place you want to get a dog. When buying a "purebred" puppy from a petshop, you can't even trust the "default" breed disposition. Why? Because these are animals that are inbred and bred for generation after generation in a cage, the ONLY requirement to become a breeding animal? Papers to prove they are "purebred". Many times these animals suffer from dispositional disorders, anxious, nervous, aggressive animals by nature. If you are going to buy a purebred, seek a breeder that works with only one or two breeds, not 4 or 5. Look for both parents on sight, so you can see the temperment of the parents for yourself. Are they well socialized animals? Are they healthy? Do they appear highly exciteable or nervous? Remember you want a calm reserved animal when you have prey animals of chickens around.
A note on adopting animals from animal shelters. While I hate to say anything bad about rescuing an animal, if you are seeking an animal easily trained and will do well around your chickens, be wary of animal shelters. While I am all for rescuing a dog and saving a life, you must be aware that a good portion of rescue dogs will have "some" issues. Some are predatory in nature, seeking animals to chase and/or kill, some a nervous and anxious around loud noises or men, they just have quirks. So if you feel you have the patience to attempt to adopt a dog, be aware that you may have to rehome or have the animal professionally trained. They may fit right in, they may take some professional work. Now a friend of mine was seeking a Great Pyrenese to guard his sheep. He contacted the local rescue and was able to obtain a 3 year old beautiful kind female Great Pyr with a clean bill of health, spayed, and LIVESTOCK GUARANTEED all for $200. It was well worth it and he went back to look for others to adopt.
Whew! Now that all this breed talk is over. Training, training, training!!!! Whatever you get, be aware it will require SOME training. Some individuals need a little, some need more. Be fully aware when getting a dog, that training is just another part of owning a dog. If you begin to have issues with your dog showing too much interest in your chickens, PLEASE CONTACT A PROFESSIONAL TRAINER. I am not a professional trainer, therefore I am simply not advertising my work. LOL A professional trainer will simplify your life soooo much and make working with your dog much, much, much easier and teach you how to train your dog. I'm not talking about trainers from Petsmart either, I am talking about true professional dog trainers. People who train dogs for a living to do stuff, from tracking, narcotics, protection, etc. Get a good trainer and you will save your money in the long run and it will be well worth your lack of a headache in the end.
Many people get a breed or individual that needs training, but instead of having the animal trained, they get rid of it. It's a pity that more people don't take an interest in their animals and pay to have them trained if all else fails. Training is just as important as health care. Take your dog to the vet to see why it's hacking up blood? Well, take your dog to the trainer to see why he still chases the chickens after you tell it no.
Good luck!
-Kim
Okay, sorry about that folks. Lost track of time and had to get out the door quick to make an appointment. LOL
*deep breath* Back to where I was. So every "breed" has a default setting. For example, German Shepherds are suppose to be a reserved breed, latching onto their family members or one particular person and then being wary of all the rest. Almost all the GSDs I have owned have been this way EXCEPT Axel, that silly boy has the disposition of a labrador retriever. He loves to chase ducks and he is friends with EVERYONE.
So, as you are seeking a breed, you merely need to "include" chickens into your search, but not center it around the chickens. A dog is an animal that will encompass your life and you need to select to fit your and your family's life, and not just your chooks.
Dogs that do well around chickens are "usually" low energy, and very low prey drive. A high energy animal must find an outlet for that energy, and flighty feathered chew toys are quite attractive.
Breeds that I have found personally well suited for both family AND farm life are any of the giant breeds(I love them). Great Danes and Great Pyrenese are usually wonderful on the farm. Our local farmer breeds Danes and they roam loose on his farm. A good friend of mine raises both chickens and peafowl, she keeps a Dane herself. They are just big goofy loveable dogs. My mother has lap dogs, lhaso apso and nonsense, both ignore the chickens and can't do any damage to the cats. Personally, I don't care for small lap dogs, but that is a personal preference. The common lab usually does well, even though they were bred by bird hunters as retrievers. Labs are friendly and easily trained from puppy hood. As retrievers they are bred to be sweet and kind, even to the very birds they are bred to retrieve. It still may be instinctive to chase the birds, but they were never bred to kill or harm the birds.
Where do you plan to buy your dog? STAY AWAY FROM PET SHOPS! Many petshops, even when claiming to buy from reputable breeders, buy from puppy mill situations. This is the last place you want to get a dog. When buying a "purebred" puppy from a petshop, you can't even trust the "default" breed disposition. Why? Because these are animals that are inbred and bred for generation after generation in a cage, the ONLY requirement to become a breeding animal? Papers to prove they are "purebred". Many times these animals suffer from dispositional disorders, anxious, nervous, aggressive animals by nature. If you are going to buy a purebred, seek a breeder that works with only one or two breeds, not 4 or 5. Look for both parents on sight, so you can see the temperment of the parents for yourself. Are they well socialized animals? Are they healthy? Do they appear highly exciteable or nervous? Remember you want a calm reserved animal when you have prey animals of chickens around.
A note on adopting animals from animal shelters. While I hate to say anything bad about rescuing an animal, if you are seeking an animal easily trained and will do well around your chickens, be wary of animal shelters. While I am all for rescuing a dog and saving a life, you must be aware that a good portion of rescue dogs will have "some" issues. Some are predatory in nature, seeking animals to chase and/or kill, some a nervous and anxious around loud noises or men, they just have quirks. So if you feel you have the patience to attempt to adopt a dog, be aware that you may have to rehome or have the animal professionally trained. They may fit right in, they may take some professional work. Now a friend of mine was seeking a Great Pyrenese to guard his sheep. He contacted the local rescue and was able to obtain a 3 year old beautiful kind female Great Pyr with a clean bill of health, spayed, and LIVESTOCK GUARANTEED all for $200. It was well worth it and he went back to look for others to adopt.
Whew! Now that all this breed talk is over. Training, training, training!!!! Whatever you get, be aware it will require SOME training. Some individuals need a little, some need more. Be fully aware when getting a dog, that training is just another part of owning a dog. If you begin to have issues with your dog showing too much interest in your chickens, PLEASE CONTACT A PROFESSIONAL TRAINER. I am not a professional trainer, therefore I am simply not advertising my work. LOL A professional trainer will simplify your life soooo much and make working with your dog much, much, much easier and teach you how to train your dog. I'm not talking about trainers from Petsmart either, I am talking about true professional dog trainers. People who train dogs for a living to do stuff, from tracking, narcotics, protection, etc. Get a good trainer and you will save your money in the long run and it will be well worth your lack of a headache in the end.
Many people get a breed or individual that needs training, but instead of having the animal trained, they get rid of it. It's a pity that more people don't take an interest in their animals and pay to have them trained if all else fails. Training is just as important as health care. Take your dog to the vet to see why it's hacking up blood? Well, take your dog to the trainer to see why he still chases the chickens after you tell it no.
Good luck!
-Kim
