Will border heelers kill my animals?

[kaythlin]

Okay so I’m possibly getting a border heeler puppy still small but at that playful age where they nip and play fight.
I’ve been wanting to get a herd dog even though I don’t have a big herd (goats sheep) but big enough to where I need help constantly while keeping them from trampling me and jumping on me when getting food. Also for a guard dog


Now for the questions..

1. How good are border heelers with chickens, ducks, chicks, baby sheep/goats and grown goats and sheep.

2 will they kill my animals

3 will they do good/ happy being around with animals like 24/7.

And since I’m guessing anyone would love to see cute puppies here is a photo of the one I’m trying to get (either one of the 3 ima choose one)

 

[BGcoop]

I can’t answer your questions, but they are soooo cute so thanks for sharing. (I do believe with patience almost all dogs can be trained. It just is a matter of how much work you are willing to invest.)

 

[cassie]

They might. They will chase because that is what they do. They will need training to learn what is expected of them and what they can and cannot do. Be aware that livestock herding dogs are not livestock guardians, and livestock guardian dogs are not herders. It is a whole different set of instincts and behaviors. If you want to see a real disaster, try crossing a herding dog with a guardian breed. The result is a dog that cannot be used for either.

 

[chickens really]

So adorable. With positive training the puppy will be fine with your animals..

 

[EggSighted4Life]

1. How good are border heelers with chickens, ducks, chicks, baby sheep/goats and grown goats and sheep.

Hi there.

Is it a border collie, or Queensland heeler or a cross of the two?

Doesn't matter what kind of dog you get you MUST put in training effort, IMO. All puppies are a threat to smaller animals until taught not to play with, bite, and chase them.

My Heeler... is an excellent family farm dog... he guards them if needed, WHEN he's around. But his intent was family guard dog so he's inside at night.

Those are indeed cute pups!

 

[Folly's place]

TRAINING!!! On leash at first, then off lead with lots of supervision.
Your critters shouldn't be mobbing you, they need some training too!
Mary

 

[casportpony]

1. How good are border heelers with chickens, ducks, chicks, baby sheep/goats and grown goats and sheep.

My current dog is a pure bred Heeler that I acquired when she was three. I got lucky I think as she had never been around livestock of any type, yet when introduced to my livestock she was very well behaved. I've had her for 12 years now and she has never injured any animal other than mice, rats, and gophers.

The dog before her was a Border Collie Heeler cross, and she was also very good about livestock. like my current dog, she only killed mice, rats, and gophers.

2 will they kill my animals

I think with proper training it will be fine.

3 will they do good/ happy being around with animals like 24/7.

What do you mean? Are you planning on letting your puppy live with poultry 24/7?

 

[PirateGirl]

I would say the answer depends on how well the pups are trained.

 

[littledog]

My dog is a Blue Heeler/Border Collie cross - he's now 14 years old so it's hard to remember that in his puppyhood he wasn't always this good. Certain animals he will still chase (cats, squirrels, though he's never caught any) and others he's sensible about (horses, chickens, the local wild rabbits.)
I think with any intelligent dog like these breeds, you can train them that some animals they can chase, others they should leave alone, and others are part of the family and they should help take care of them.
And it didn't take much to teach him. We took him to basic obedience classes as a puppy where he learned the usual "sit, stay, come" but the best thing was "leave it." So when it came to animals we didn't want him to chase, he could "leave it" and sit or lie down and ignore them.
As he grew up he came to understand that "leave it" animals were ones we wanted to protect. We never had cats, but I'm willing to bet if we had them, he could have learned that cats were a protected animal, too.
After learning which animals were protected, all by himself, he started helping us manage them. He got his herding instinct on, helping us gently push the chickens back to the coop at night, without getting barky or aggressive. And this didn't take any training at all, he just understood what we wanted and how to behave without scaring the chickens. He seemed to understand what we expected from him with little effort on our part.
I bet if you get a dog like this, who is intelligent and has a herding instinct, if you train him with positive reinforcement as a puppy, you will find it easy to teach him to differentiate between hunting and chasing, herding, and protecting.