whats the best breed of dog to get with 3 chickens in the backyard?

[tigercreek]

for sure, skip the sporting breeds. They are bred for the hunting instinct. Setters,spainels, pointers and such. I think I would go for the herding type breeds, Sheepdogs!.......stan

 

[firsthouse_mp]

We have a rescued Beagle who has been great around the chickens! She came from a medical lab, which often use Beagles from Beagle mills. She is the sweetest dog we have ever had (we mostly had labs). I love her size--about the same size as a standard chicken

The chickens might actually be able to attack her, so she keeps her distance but the hawks don't know she's virtually harmless!

 

[turkeymom]

A word of caution: in my opinion (maybe not worth much) no dog can be trusted with chickens.

We have 6 dogs of various breeds and mixes (they're rescues) and several of them are very good with our chickens while we're around. But, when we first started out, we left the chickens loose and one dog (an otherwise perfect border collie) and the dog killed eight chickens in a matter of 5-10 minutes. It was absolutely heartbreaking, particularly since he had always been so good with the birds and helped us herd them into the coop at night. My husband was furious with the dog, but after much thought, I've decided it was human error. Some dogs can be trusted around the birds while you are there, but I would not trust any dog when you're not around. It's just not fair to the dog or the chickens.

I'm so glad you're getting a shelter dog. I would pick the one you fall in love with - your personality will match with one and that will be your dog! We use the Premier electric poultry netting to keep our dogs away from the chickens and it works great, so you might also consider that if you like to free range your birds.

 

[Tenneesse]

We have a Yorkie who we had long before the chickens (5) we also have (2) semi-tame yard cats none of which have ever tried to harm the birds though on occasion the pooch likes to make them jump and she gets a good scolding but mostly she'll range with them and loves a good sniff when they let her. Its a real crap shoot though a younger dogs with good spirit will be tempted to run them and that leads to killing them a younger dog can be trained but not without risk. I's suggest leaving a rag in the coop a few days before you go to the pound and get the birds scent on it. When you arrive tie the rag around your wrist so it doesn't flop or dangle around sort of like a cuff. As you review the different candidates and pet them see how they respond to the scented rag. If they get somewhat interested or seem to show any interest in it other than being petted it may be a warning they would tempted to pursue the birds. If they show no interest it might be a good sign. See if the dog shows any signs of any of previous training, sit/stay/come. You may be tempted to take a good candidate home the first day but the odds are in your favor she/he will still be there the next day. If possible come back the next day and see how the dog reacts again. Look for signs of consistency sit/stay/ come. If you are permitted to walk the dog on the premises remove the rag from your wrist and lay it on the floor/ground and with the dog on a lead walk it around a bit and see it it behave on a lead and doesn't fight it. If it wont be lead it probably should be ruled out. Walk it by the rag and see if she ignores it totally. That would be a good sign. Dont let your heart make the decision. There are dogs that will not harm the birds. By introducing the dog to a scent it will recognize as "present" when you get it home may help to introduce the animals. Keep the dog on a lead when you first let it see the birds and see what the reaction is. You'll know if it wants them for dinner. I'd do that a number of time before you let it explore the birds off a lead. If it doesn't look promising take the dog back to the shelter. Tell the shelter what your plans are and if they would let you try various animals if need be. Its sure worth a try and I'd bet they will. Possibly with the dog on a long (50') lead you can give it some slack and see how it responds to the birds at a safe distance so you can halt any signs of aggression. There is a particular training collar that is very good for dogs that pull hard on a lead. It pinch's the skin when they pull. Its great for stopping a dog who would normally charge an animal but it requires you on the other end. I used to hunt a lot of raccoon years ago and the collar was great for hounds that got too excited before they were turned loose. Good luck

 

[Ohhhdear]

I do agree that training trumps breed in maybe 80% of dogs. However, you stack the deck in your chickens' favor if you choose a breed (or predominant breed in a mixed breed dog) which has herding/retriever rather than hunting instincts. Look on the AKC dog website for breed descriptions.

Hunters: all terriers, schnauzers, dachshunds, beagles, schitzus (sorry for the spelling), chihuahuas, yorkies, spaniels, etc. These breeds were developed to nab and kill prey.

Herding/retriever dogs: collies, shepherds, rottweilers, shelties, labradors, retrievers, etc. However, many of these breed have had the quiet work instincts overbred out of them and they're hardly suitable for family dogs let alone being safe with chickens. And there are many stories of individuals of these breeds who have mauled and marauded through a coop! But at least you have a chance of training to an animal's strengths.

My family has owned rottweilers and dachshunds for more than 50 years, and my daughter in law next door has an Australian blue-heeler. The dachshunds have all delighted in killing any critter they can find. No way would I trust my chickens with a dog that strains at the leash to chase and kill. The rottweilers (once they were past 3 years old) were completely laid back and ignored chickens. The blue-heeler herds them into corners and then doesn't know what to do, so he lays down and just watches the girls and happily keeps them penned in a corner.
We've tried to train the dachshunds in many ways to stay away from chickens, but nothing has overcome the overpowering urge to grab it, shake it to death and gnaw on the remains. But we don't have any gophers or ground moles either, and the squirrels know better than to stick around when the dachshunds come to visit.

Try to choose a very young shelter dog so you can at least hope to be a major part of its training. Older dogs can learn new tricks, but it's best to start young.

 

[elizabethbinary]

Any dog - proper training - electric fences.

On that note I have quite possibly what's considered the worst dog for chicken raising - a staffy/pit cross. And she's LOVELY. She killed one ONCE and after a good punishing she never ever did it again. Once the fence was electrified she stopped even trying. It got to the point now where chickens jump her fence to HER side of the yard and sleep ON MY DOG while my poor dog just looks petrified of getting in trouble for having chickens near her, haha.

Seriously though you don't need fencing to make an electric fence. Just some wire, some tomato stakes, a battery converter, an old car battery and an hour or two.

Edit: Noticed blue heeler was mentioned. My husband LOVES these dogs and wants one more than anything. I've seen them at work, they are AMAZING with proper training but they don't seem hard to train at all. Gorgeous friendly LARGE dogs who can herd cattle, organize ducks by type and bring you dinner, gosh darn it.

I know a blue heeler that likes to sort the ducks by breed and then mess them up again so she can sort them by colour.. just so she can mess them up again and sort them by sex. It's so great, seeing groups of confused ducks constantly being herded into different categories.

 

[Muscovies]

I have a german shephard crossed with an australian shepherd she is a good dog but I got her when she was a pup when I got her.

 

[cobrien]

congratulations on getting a new doggy!
Best breed = a mutt with a good disposition and likely to be easily trained, preferably one who does well with cats - ask the shelter or rescue for recommendations. Most shelters evaluate how dogs are with cats and this is a good clue for you. BUT even a dog who has a prey drive can be trained - I have trained my 2 dogs and they can be left unattended with the chickens. People think it can't be done, but it just takes more training and patience than most people know how to do or are willing to provide.

I recommend a group obedience class - or 2 or 3 through your animal shelter or other trainer. A very important command to master is "leave it" and "come". That is how you can get your dog to ignore the chickens.

while you can't always go by breed, I recommend a working dog or herding dog mix. I would avoid terriers, hounds and hunting dogs as they can be harder to train. There are always exceptions. My cocker/dachsund mix is one of them - he is great with the chickens because I trained him to be that way. Both my cattle dog x and doxie x are great with the chickens but they do have a prey drive - chase raccoons and possums away and they are rat killers too. So prey drive is not necessarily a show stopper.

get ready for LOTS of training, it will be worth it to have a perfectly trained dog!!

oh, one other tip - if you look at dogs in rescues/ foster homes you will know more about their personality and how they are with small animals. it can be hard to tell with dogs in the shelter because the environment is tough on them and they aren't quite themselves. when you adopt one from a rescue/foster, you are essentially rescuing a shelter dog as well because the rescues will go out and save another dog from the shelter if you adopt from a rescue.

 

[cobrien]

Quote:
absolutely false!!! just takes more training than most people know how to do or are willing to do. not trying to be a snob here, but most people ( including me despite decades of dog experience) are not naturally skilled at dog training. enlist the help of a dog trainer - doesn't have to be expensive in group classes. ask lots of questions and commit a lot of time in the first year, you will be well rewarded. i am no a master dog trainer, but my dogs are perfectly behaved around chickens because I trained them to be perfectly behaved around chickens.

for >10 years i have been able to leave my dog(s) unattended with chickens. only problem is that the dogs eat chicken food and poop

 

[Tdub4chiks]

I have had boxers since the 70's and they have been the greatest dogs I have ever owned. But, I did have one that hated cats. I believe it was because cats were not introduced to her until she was older. Some boxers can be very hyper dogs, but there are a lot that are very mellow and they absolutely love kids. You just need to observe them before making the choice. Maybe, I've just been lucky. I have a wonderful 3 yr old girl now that I really believe would be great with my hens, but since I have a very stupid husky/shephard mix living here, I cannot train my granddogger with my hens. I love this dog, but I don't like him and I am so looking forward to this dog moving out.