What is a "SAFE" breed of dog to have with free range chickens?

[MummaZette]

HI all...
We'd like to try again for a family dog. My DH & I have serious dog lovers and have our favorite breeds, but need to know what would be a "safe breed"? Know training is the biggest component, but apparently even that doesn't take the hunt/kill prey drive out of them.

We had a 13 month old Husky and she killed half our 9 month old flock last week.

We have 6 children varied in ages from 2-16 so we'd like more than just a mini house dog. We'd like a med/large one that the children can play with.
We surrendered our Husky and she was adopted within 4 hours to a couple without fowl! Along with ourselves our neighbors have free range birds too, so we're looking out to protect everyone's birds.

thanks for your input!

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

There is no "safe breed"
Dogs are individuals and will need to be trained as such

 

[zazouse]

here are a few i have here,great guardians.

Pittweiler pup in training, i have 6 of these and they are doing great with the birds

This is the dad.
Tucker

and heres mom best varmit/hog dog in the world.
Gracey

 

[Peck Johnson]

Most of the Livestock Guardian Dogs work great with chickens. Although, they are mostly large breed dogs and will need plenty of room and exercise to be happy. They also require some basic training and work best if they have been introduced as puppies to livestock. Locked up for extended periods of time will not be good for them. They are are known to be stubborn and more difficult to train.

We have a Maremma Sheepdog and I will probably never own another kind of dog. But, that being said, he is outdoors all year long guarding our chickens and will not come inside, he does not even want to come into the garage, prefering to be outside and alert. He has a mind of his own and that works well for our situation. But it would not be good for an inexperienced dog owner.

I have read many stories about Great Pyrenees being awesome family dogs both in and outside the house, and that breed is more common in the states than other LGDs. They are also known to be great with children.

I had a husky years ago that was also a chicken killer. They, like their wolven ancestors, have a strong prey drive whereas the LGDs have had the prey drive bred out of them. Bird and hunting dogs (labs) are also more prone to attack birds and will be more of a challenge despite being intelligent.

Like I said, I would always choose a Maremma given the opportunity for the particular traits of that breed. They have been used to protect an endangered species of penguin somewhere in the South Pacific. But other LGD breeds will also do well with one important thing to keep in mind: good strong fencing to keep them from expanding their territory.

 

[bobbi-j]

Quote:
X2 We have had labs over the years. The one we currently have is a pheasant dog, but doesn't mess with the chickens. He was taught at a young age to leave them alone. It depends entirely upon the dog and it's training.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Just goes to show -- while I certainly don't disagree with this statement, I had two lab mixes who were easy to train and made great guard dogs, chasing off all foreign four-legged critters and never bothering the chickens.

 

[ranit]

We have a great pyrenees that has worked wonderful for us. We did get her as a pup so she grew up around the poultry which I think makes it much easier to train. She was so easy to train I was amazed. Even though she is large she is also very gentle with our grandkids which is very important to me. I would definately buy another if the need ever arises.

 

[FlowerFarmer]

You've heard it before; it really does depend on the dogs intellegence and obedience. Larger breeds generally have better personalities for chickens and tend to be more intune with their owners. Smaller 'rat' dogs (terrorists... I mean terriers) are bred to hunt small prey and often follow instincts without instruction. While other working breeds are bred to work for their owners ... like my German Shepherd Lab who lets the chicks walk on her, because she knows they're not food and wants to please her owner over anything else.
Bottom line if a smart dog is trained and calm and has a greater instinct to obey over it's prey drive, then a little training goes a long way and you'll have backyard bliss

Until then take precautions, and a little patience

 

[FireTigeris]

Stuffed dogs are safe... and that's about it I have a keep them separated forever dog and chickens.

 

[MummaZette]

Our Husky had been raised together with the chicks and sat watch all summer & fall with them - not so much over the winter as they didn't go out as much. For what ever reason she bolted out of the house last week and broke into the run and slaughtered our girls (