Which dog breed?

[ShrekDawg]

I'm sure it's possible, but it would take a lot of training and monitoring, and the lab/retriever would never be comfortable with it, except maybe in old age. My neighbor had two very well trained goldens, and then got chickens, which he proceeded to free range. Disastrous. Even after he confined the chickens, the dogs would sit and stare at them whenever they could, and whine. Years ago I had a golden, and experienced pretty much the same thing. I just think it's not worth the misery when there are so many other great breeds of dogs that do just fine with chickens.

Yes, training is definitely the key and I am sure for the first few years of their life they might be energetic and crazy and harder to train but it is possible. And not every one is miserable, some Goldens love "their" babies. Just Google image "Golden retriever baby chicks" and you can see plenty of pictures of them surrounded by babies. They are designed to be gentle with kids and baby animals but of course training is key. Even the well trained dog, of any breed, would likely be very excited and overwhelmed when seeing chickens, especially free ranging ones, for the first time so honestly that is the owner's fault and NOT the dog or the breed. Very sad and tragic of course but the dogs should have been introduced on a leash and/or with the birds still contained and supervised at all times. And also one dog at a time. Two dogs tend to hype each other up more. You have to start at a distance, well below their threshold, and build up. You don't just turn two very large dogs loose with a flock of chickens. That would turn disastrous with any breed. As for the whining, crying, and staring, that can, and should, very easily be corrected. My dog used to be so excited about the chickens he would charge at the fence, do laps around the pen, jump on the fence, etc., it was fun scaring them. Took some corrections as well as time (the novelty had to wear off) and he eventually got over it. Now he lays out there next to the pen and protects them. I still don't 100% trust him off leash with them free ranging but I don't think he'd hurt them. He's just not out with them enough and he also likes to roam and give the very occasional chase. He mostly just lays in the yard and watches.

My Chesapeakes and German Shorthair were raised here, and never had problems with the chickens. We had training sessions with them when they were young, and they didn't ever bother or chase any chickens! They all were trained in obedience, hunted with my hubby, and did hunt tests with me.
Mary

Yours sound amazing. Training is definitely important.

Mine is very sweet.. loves everyone! Will follow you anywhere.. you can just talk to them and it’s like they understand human speech.. can be excitable... and are very in tune to your mood! When I’m grumpy.. she stays away
I am gonna see if she will be good for bringing to nursing homes for visit therapy of sorts.. I just need to find where to train her for that.. I feel she would be great.. wherever we go she gets so much attention... and she LOVES it! I just need to know that she will sit still for the elderly. I might be getting my daughter (who will be 15 in January) a toy poodle and have that one trained as well and that way my daughter can also bring her dog and I will bring mine.

Awww yours sound amazing!!

 

[ShrekDawg]

And I think they have classes for therapy dog training. There are a few organizations that certify teams too.

 

[WhoDatChick]

Honestly, each dog is completely different from the next. Whether they are the same breed or not.

We have 4 dogs, now: A cattledog, a Doberman, and Boykin Spaniel and a (grumpy old man)half Peakinese And half mini pincher

All of them are great with the kids, chickens and ducks. I grew up with always haveing a doberman around. Since i was born. They are amazing all the way around. But i have also had tons of other breeds around.
It is really, at the end of the day the personality and training of the dog that makes them the perfect dog for you.

Oh my goodness! We have a Boykin Spaniel too! For duck hunting..

 

[WhoDatChick]

I ment to add in there, our Boykin is our bird dog. She is our " duck dog" she is an amaing little retriever. But she has never gone after our pet ducks or chickens. Honestly, a Boykin is a great breed. They love to swim and LOVE retrieving anything! Great with kids, pick up on training great. Gard the house and kids. She are very loving too. And a great size. Not too small not too big.
View attachment 1609737

At what age did yall start her hunting training? We’ve always had Labs and my husband would train them at 16 weeks... Boone is 8 months and we probably won’t send him till he is 9 or 10 months. Was just wondering because he seems SO immature and will still potty wherever and I promise that he was traied extremely well... he even knows how to ring the bells to go out but seems to get too distracted I guess... and pees and poops on the sidewalks and driveway... just wherever he happens to be... and he is WILD!!
My husband has worked with him all along but he still won’t retrieve... just kinda runs around and won’t bring it back but once in awhile he will.... any advice? I did tons of research to find a different hunting breed besides a Lab (I have had enough of them!) and the Boykin just sounded so perfect...

 

[WhoDatChick]

Having finally settled into our “forever house” (after 22 years and 15 homes while active duty military) we are ready to get a puppy. For years I’ve been wanting a standard size poodle (had some great experiences with them growing up), but after a few hikes around our 11 acres I’m doubting the wisdom of a curly-coated dog in an area full of sticktights (not sure what the real name is, they are tiny oval burrs that stick to fuzzy stuff, they wipe right off jeans and our slick coated miniature pinscher).

A little about us: we are a family of three and our daughter is 17. We have a min-pin (8yrs. old) and a cat (3) both of which live indoors. We will eventually have chickens, dwarf Nigerian goats, and bees. We live on 11 acres approximately 2 of which will be fenced off as a “yard”. We specifically want a puppy because we feel like our min-pin would adapt better to a puppy than an adult dog. We want something easy-going, snuggly (min-pins are fun, and funny, but not snuggly!), friendly, with a low prey drive, and easy to train. We are open to all sizes but would prefer something larger than the min-pin but not much bigger than a golden

I’d love to hear your recommendations!

Forgot to add that the Poodles can be obsessed with squirrels!!! Which really isn’t a big deal.. I have never let mine near the chickens.. I don’t think I’d trust her BUT I do believe that I could most definitely teach her to leave them alone if I had to but there is no need.. mine are in a run. If I would have had the chickens first and got her as a puppy and trained her with them I believe she would be fine with them.

 

[Folly's place]

Training takes TIME, and consistency, and avoiding chances for failure. That means never giving a command that isn't obeyed, or that can be avoided by the dog. EVERY time, one command, and instant enforcement. On a six foot leash, then a twenty foot leash, and then a collar with that magic button in your hand. Smart dogs are trickier, and learn how to game the system faster, and again, need consistency. It's not about more cookies!!! Lots of praise, throwing 'parties', and making the wrong thing harder than doing it right.
Mary

 

[Hope Hughes]

View attachment 1611486
Oh my goodness! We have a Boykin Spaniel too! For duck hunting..

{This is from my Husband, its really more his dog lol}

{The boykin was the perfect fit for us BUT they can be a little different in their training, spaniels will shut down and can get there feelings hurt if commands get too formal and intense , our boykin started retrieving at 8 weeks in our living room during playtime we just started her chasing the bumper attacted to a string around and around until the bumper was her obbsession and when she realised we were done and set it down she would pick it up and bring it to us to drag it back around and thats where the retriever started coming out , with a boykin they live to please there owner so if they think your happy they will keep repeating that act , if i get to forceful with my boykin to this day she will get skittish and confused and shut down, they are very sensitive but the drive for hunting ive seen in them makes them my favorite waterfowl/upland crossover dog , mine started out terrified of the water and EXTREMELY gunshy and i started her both just like i would any pup with walks near the water playtime and a quite capgun and then moved up slowly but it took a bunch of time and work but it paid off in the end. We also had our cattle dog(who loves water) teach her the water is a good thing. And once she saw her jumping in and retrieving the bumper, she was right in there with her. I duck hunt with a buddy that has a certified DU dog that is not well mannered at all and wont listen to some commands, even though he is highly trained and let me tell you my Boykins manners in the blind are so nice she will watch the sky , alert and not break, if you drop 3 ducks and 2 stoned 1 swimming shell get the swimmer first... non of which i trained her for just smart dogs also picked up hand signals real quick , they are high energy dogs and stay playful even up into their years so dont give up a bunch of work and patience and he will shine i thought i had a dud until i realized i was the one who needed the training , spaniels are just a little different and force fetch did not work with mine. Next duck season, if you cant get him going we can bring ours and we can bird dog them together. We are in North Florida. Their confidence is also built seeing other dogs do the work too.
Also electric collers did not work at all. She would just shut down and stay by your side and not move.}

When i get back to Florida i can send ypu some hunt pictures to see her at work.

 

[Folly's place]

My Chesies and the GSHP were not 'soft' at all, responded very well to praise, not treats, and took some convincing that I was the 'queen' in everything. Every dog is different, and takes training targeting that individual. Right now I have two pit bull terriers, one of whom is steady and easy, the other worries about everything and is much trickier to work with. She too is afraid of many things, and it's just harder.
Mary

 

[WhoDatChick]

{This is from my Husband, its really more his dog lol}

{The boykin was the perfect fit for us BUT they can be a little different in their training, spaniels will shut down and can get there feelings hurt if commands get too formal and intense , our boykin started retrieving at 8 weeks in our living room during playtime we just started her chasing the bumper attacted to a string around and around until the bumper was her obbsession and when she realised we were done and set it down she would pick it up and bring it to us to drag it back around and thats where the retriever started coming out , with a boykin they live to please there owner so if they think your happy they will keep repeating that act , if i get to forceful with my boykin to this day she will get skittish and confused and shut down, they are very sensitive but the drive for hunting ive seen in them makes them my favorite waterfowl/upland crossover dog , mine started out terrified of the water and EXTREMELY gunshy and i started her both just like i would any pup with walks near the water playtime and a quite capgun and then moved up slowly but it took a bunch of time and work but it paid off in the end. We also had our cattle dog(who loves water) teach her the water is a good thing. And once she saw her jumping in and retrieving the bumper, she was right in there with her. I duck hunt with a buddy that has a certified DU dog that is not well mannered at all and wont listen to some commands, even though he is highly trained and let me tell you my Boykins manners in the blind are so nice she will watch the sky , alert and not break, if you drop 3 ducks and 2 stoned 1 swimming shell get the swimmer first... non of which i trained her for just smart dogs also picked up hand signals real quick , they are high energy dogs and stay playful even up into their years so dont give up a bunch of work and patience and he will shine i thought i had a dud until i realized i was the one who needed the training , spaniels are just a little different and force fetch did not work with mine. Next duck season, if you cant get him going we can bring ours and we can bird dog them together. We are in North Florida. Their confidence is also built seeing other dogs do the work too.
Also electric collers did not work at all. She would just shut down and stay by your side and not move.}

When i get back to Florida i can send ypu some hunt pictures to see her at work.

Thank you so much for your input... there is NO issue with water!... he LOVES it.. when my husband brings him fishing he jumps out of the boat just to swim around.. not really a good thing when the waters are loaded with gators ... he is gun shy from the cap gun though and so we stopped trying for awhile.
We are sending him to a guy who trains near us who is HIGHLY recommend by lots of people... so here’s hoping!
Our last two Labs my husband trained himself and they were great... the first one hunted at six months... my husband knows that he is the issue... he’s just not familiar with this breed and knew Labs so well... I think the sensitivity level of the two is the main factor... Labs are tougher than stone!
I will keep you updated on him and if need be take you up on your offer to meet up! Thanks again... where did yall get her from? We got ours from Red Creek Kennel in Mississippi..

And so sorry for high jacking this thread

 

[Hope Hughes]

Thank you so much for your input... there is NO issue with water!... he LOVES it.. when my husband brings him fishing he jumps out of the boat just to swim around.. not really a good thing when the waters are loaded with gators ... he is gun shy from the cap gun though and so we stopped trying for awhile.
We are sending him to a guy who trains near us who is HIGHLY recommend by lots of people... so here’s hoping!
Our last two Labs my husband trained himself and they were great... the first one hunted at six months... my husband knows that he is the issue... he’s just not familiar with this breed and knew Labs so well... I think the sensitivity level of the two is the main factor... Labs are tougher than stone!
I will keep you updated on him and if need be take you up on your offer to meet up! Thanks again... where did yall get her from? We got ours from Red Creek Kennel in Mississippi..

And so sorry for high jacking this thread

For sure keep us updated. And you are welcome we are alway happy to help where we can. We got her from Dracco Kennels in Kentucky. You can always PM for questions. I will try rememeber to find some hunting photos of her for you when i get home.