I have an old lab,she deaf now she was great as far as letting us know what or who is on property.We then got a jack russell .shes great,groundhogs,raccoons,people,she digs occasionally but this is her 40 acres so I dont scream..She even rounds up chickens at night .great buddy.

we have a great paraneese that is so very sweet and she guards our chickens and our goats. be careful with smaller dogs b/c if they get in a coral with a racoon or possum then he might get the short end of the stick so to speak. but a blue healer or labrador are wonderful. you want a breed that is easy to train and a calm sweet dog. if you get a puppy there is ways to train them not to eat the chickens like put him around the chickens alot and if he trys anything squirt him in the face with a water bottle.

training a dog for anything takes time and pacience. both i had problems with but i really got tired of possums and skunks and racoons getting my eggs and chickens.

one of our dogs killed a chicken and if this happens what you do is tie the dead chicken around the dogs neck. until it stinks really bad and starts to decay. yes it will make the dog stink but im positive that dog will never do that again. and you can wash the dog later on when you think the dog has been punished enough.

im sorry if i couldnt help much but these are some things i learned and used them. i hope this helps some.

I would not take a chance on getting a dog bred for bird hunting to guard the hen house. I did have a collie/German shepherd cross that would herd the kittens and was a good guard dog. The "no more fence" electric fence does wonders for keeping a dog at home, (neutering helps as well). Plain old electric fence kept our dogs at home--had 7 acres fenced. We have always had an older dog and a younger dog. It seems the older dog teaches the younger dog and they are happy companions.

animal-lover-grower, which one of your dogs killed your chicken? We had been thinking about getting a great pyreness to guard or ducks at night. Was it your GP that killed your chicken????

Well we also have a boxer and a labrador. but it was the boxer that stays tied up on a run by the house. he got loose and went on a killing spree and we were very upset. but no problems with our GP. shes wonderful we adopted her from this GP adopting organization that came to the petsmart in town. they are calm and sweet most of the time while they are puppies too. labradors are very sweet also but most of the time hiper when they are puppies.

Yes a russell was bred for rodents,etc,can handle its self well.This one killed numerous ground hogs.They were as big as her.Thats what they were bred for.She doesnt bother my chickens because we got accross to her what she was allowed to do and not.Like the person above said boxer,lab it could be any dog that goes on killing spree.........

9 out of 10 terriors were bread to scrap with rodents, if you go with a large enough one then it should be able to hold its own against a racoon, just its first barks when a racoon came in to town would be a powerful deterent.

German Sheppard is a good choice. We have one - mostly sleeps in the house, but she ranges the property all day and we don't have many critters that come too close, except deer and they don't eat the chickens! Mind you, they eat everything else in sight, but the chicks are safe ;)

She's a great guard dog, barks and is intimidating but really wouldn't hurt a flea. Loves kids!

One word of advice - don't tie em up, no matter what breed. Makes them "not nice". Dog runs are fine, kennels, etc. too.

I'm glad to know it wasn't your GP that killed your chicken--We are really thinking about getting one--We want a dog that would guard the ducks, but also be a great pet.

I use to think that labs were hunting dogs and would kill chickens and ducks--I know my uncle's lab would--but, a lot of you seem to have some 'nice' labs that get along with farm animals pretty well.

Labs are hunting dogs, but thats not really why your uncles would kill birds, its because alot of labs are downright mean, thety aren't mean enought to jump on you and rip out your neck, but many labs will give things a good bite or two, but if you get one of the many ones that aren't full of piss and vinegar they would probably be an okay racoon deterent. Germain sheperds have alot of health problems, so it may be a good idea to avoid them, not to mention the whole going along as a loyal dog for years and without warning turning on there owners, I've heard more than one first hand account of that.

Well GP are good family dogs and i have never herd anything bad about them. and labs are very smart dogs and they are easy most of the time to train hunters get labs so they can go get the bird their owner shot b/c the owner dosent want to. brendan i dont know were you got the ideal labs are evil but around here they are sweet very loving friendly family dogs. no ofense b/c i have seen evil ones but very few.

the only thing i would let you know is that GP eat alot. but you will love them. i agree i would not suggest putting a lab out there to gard your chickens. i know he is sweet and loving. he may give a big scary bark but if you go up to him all he does is lick you to death. but i would not trust him with the chickens.

the chickens would get out in the yard and go to his food bowl and eat the food. he would just look at them and sometimes lick them (witch scared me) but thats it. the chickens didnt care. but i wouldnt put him out there with the chickens.

I never said that labs are evil, I've known plenty of really nice labs, but I've known a bunch that were just mean for no good reason, dogs that belong to nice people but would tear after you for looking the other direction. I think that how much dogs eat is a good point, most people don't think about it but a large dog can eat ten times as much as a small dog.

Our sheppard is 8 years old and hasn't had any health problems yet. I also highly doubt she would ever "turn" on her owners. Sometimes old dogs get a little senile, but then again so do people. Most dogs will not turn on anyone unless provoked to do so. Sometimes the provoking is by accident, but it still happens. I think the important thing to remember with ANY dog is that regardless of the fact that it is a family pet and lifelong companion, it IS an animal and has basic animal instincts. They certainly can be wonderful friends, though.

Ive had about 5 labs now,I have a yellow now.None of mine never bothered any of our farm animals,including chickens.None were Ever mean.Great loving dogs,just glad to be here.Not sure about raccoons,Now her with my russell would wipe out raccoons,groundhogs whatever.

Dog have been bred for specific purposes. The working group and herding group were bred to help man with home and livestock. The sporting group are hunting dogs. The terriers are vermin killers. Hounds, both sight and scent, are hunting dogs...and on and on. You can't expect a dog not bred for protective instincts to have the same as a dog bred for such. Granted there are exceptions to every rule but do your homework and read up on specific breeds before you bring a dog into your family.

Some breeds have health issues related to the breed. Other health issues are in all canines. This is where buying a dog from a reputable breeder who does health checks comes into play. It doesn't give you a clean bill of health because nothing in life is guaranteed but it is a start in the right direction.

And yes large dogs eat more than small dogs but they don't eat you out of house and home either.

Jan

Get a good for nothing Bluetick Coonhound. If they don't hunt well they are usually given away or put down. Blueticks are very intelligent, loyal, and devoted dogs. If they aren't good hunters they make excellents pets. When they are good hunters, a coonhunter will not what them to be a pet, they should not be allowed to run around off of a leash because their sense of smell is so acute that they will chase after any scent they get a hold of. On the other hand when they are a "good for nothing" hound they make excellent companions, they make great guard dogs as well, and will usually stick around (too lazy to go anywhere or just don't have a nose.) They have been known to slobber from time to time and have a very long and deep voice! Usually they are beyond the puppy stages before it's determined they are not quality hunters.

What I dislike about talking aboput dogs is that so many people will have what you say go in one ear and out the other, you say "not to mention the whole going along as a loyal dog for years and without warning turning on there owners, I've heard more than one first hand account of that." and someone talks about how there dog is nice and loyal and will not turn, as if that was a reson that my postulate couldn't be true, rather than a part of it. Also I said that most labs are nice, I also said that some are just mean for no apperent reason, the fact aht your 5 dogs are nice has no bearing on my postulate at all.

Now, as to health issues Wikipedia!
"German Shepherds are prone to elbow and hip dysplasia. Other health problems sometimes occurring in the breed are von Willebrand's disease and skin allergies. German Shepherds are also prone to bloat. They have an average lifespan of twelve years."

Aloha Roberta,

It seems the question should be "How do I keep the racoons out of the chicken coop at night?" instead of "which guard dog should I get?"

How about putting some electric fencing around your chicken coop that can be turned on at night? You might even be able to hook up a photo-sensitive switch so it automatically goes on at dusk and off in the morning. Then you can get any kind of dog you like, at least as long as it doesn't eat the chickens.

We have mongoose which will kill the chickens so our coop is about four feet off the ground on metal pole legs. The chickens can jump up into it and the mongoose can't. I don't know how high racoons can jump, though, if they can jump higher than chickens the raised coop won't save the chickens. I would think an electric wire net fence would stop racoons.

We also have border collies who chase away the mongoose, but they also go to the beach with us and aren't always on duty which is why we also have a mongoose proof coop.

A hui hou,
Cathy

Well cathy has a good point in that if you cant get a dog right now electric wire should work. i know i have problems with wild dogs and they jump the fence so i put electric wire at the top of fence. havent seen them since.
i hope you find a dog that fits you and good luck with finding one. i hope we all were at least some kind of help.

,malorie

I want to thank you all for so much help! Isn't this forum great? We have electric fencing that is surrounding yards for chickens that are too young for free-ranging. (They are also closed in at night though.) We really can't afford more electric fencing now to go around the hen's hoophouses.

The thought of trying to train puppies at this point in my life is stressful, but I guess we have to do that. Our 14 yr. old won't be around too much longer and isn't any help anyway. The kittens sleep in the layer's hoop houses and it would be so simple if they were a deterrent --- nope --- they are dinner just like the chickens are although they are harder to catch. I thought roosters would help keep the flock safe and they do but only in the daytime.

(They can be knocked off a roost and eaten at night the same as a hen.) I know there are no simple answers but I appreciate the help.

Roberta,
Let me know if you decide to get a guard dog and what kind you get. We need one to guard our ducks, goats, and cats. We are leaning towards a Great Pyrenees, but would appreciate any advice from anyone who knows of a good breed for us.

Genny

Well, I hope this discussion has helped you decide what to do, Roberta. There are no sure-fire breeds that will give you absolutely no problems whatsoever, that's for sure.

I was not for a minute implying that other opinions weren't valuable, however, there are always two sides to every coin, and we were asked for our opinions. I know several Sheppard owners and very few have ever had mean dogs or dogs with out-of-the-ordinary health problems. Therefore, I maintian that they are good guard dogs AND family pets in my experience. I'm sure there are many other breeds that are just as good or better.

We have a spaniel/basset/terrier/mutt pup who is shaping up to be one GREAT dog. She's figured out the ducks, and hasn't bothered the horses. The rooster taught her about chickens. Very good at barking alerts so we are hoping for the best. I am partial to mutts and smaller breeds, though I've seen German short-haired pointers, Irish setters and great danes who were great farm/guard dogs. The Irish setter was a real sweet heart of a dog.

If you like small dogs, there are rat terriers and miniture pinchers that are bred to be farm dogs. They may not be able to kill a coon, but they can certainly let you know that there is trouble in the coop. It depends on if you want the dog to alert you to trouble or take care of the problem for you.

One of my magazines had an article about bringing back the farm collie, a mixed breed with a standard collie base. There are a lot of border collies around here that people swear by as the perfect farm dog. They aren't good city dogs, too work-a-holic. I'd love to have one to round up the critters at night for me.

Years ago I had a collie/shepard who was nearly perfect on the farm, but when we moved to the city, she became too protective, hated men and children. I gave her to a lady who had a fenced in yard. The dog has thwarted 5 burgleries that her owner is sure of, and warded of numerous unfriendlies.

Our Jack Russell has too much prey drive, and he's pretty quiet for a jack. He was six when we moved here, he stays in the house. Catching mice is his speciality, he's a quick killer. He can't resist ducklings, and the chickens were in grave danger until the Rooster came into his own. Once the Rooster matured he gave the dog "what for" every day for a week before the dog gave up.

According to urban legends around here, the dog most likely to savage it's owner is the cocker spaniel. Go figure?

Some Cocker spaniels get spells called spaniel epilepsy, they don't go into convulsions and try to swallow there own tounges but they do go berzerk and try to kill everything that they can identify as alive, not a good choice for small chilren or birds.

We are looking for a Great Pyreneese for a family pet. I think I saw on this website someone that had pups in Oklahoma they were giving away....Is this true?

My chicken pens are surrounded by chainlink with a lighter but still heavy gauge wire over the top. The pens are only closed up at night or if I'm going to be away for an extended period of time. Racoons are strong, racoons are smart, racoons have thumbs. I've had coyotes and dogs rip through plain chicken wire like it wasn't there. The one pen I don't have chainlink around has electric fencing that's starts a just barely above the ground and goes every 3 inches up past my knees. That pen also has a wire cover.

My lab (actually a lab/cocker mix) is loose when one of us is home. He will guard the chickens with his life. Chases fox with zeal. Not as good at tracking as a hound but he does his best. Listens at night to sounds in the back. Will bark a warning and ask to be let out if something is out there.

I've gotten a lot of free chainlink from freecycle and from the dump. Chickens don't care if it's pretty and a few sunflowers outside it or something equally fast growing hides the older fence. Just don't plant it so thick so it gives predators a place to hide from you.

Haven't lost a chicken to coons since the use of chainlink. But I do also have a donkey and one of my mares does the predator stomp. The poultry is kept inside the horse fencing. Probably helps.

Did have a bear rip off the door to one of the coops once. Dog and donkey did have enough sense not to take that on.

We have Belgian Terv, a top notch herding breed also commonly used for police work. She was an 11 yr. old 'rescue' case - one of those "loyal for years then suddenly turned".. .she bit the baby, and needed a new home, fast! We don't have kids, so that eliminated that problem.

As a guard dog for the home, she's been simply terrific, and reads the situation i.e. stranger/threat level very well. As for LGD, looks as tho her prey drive is too intense. Fortunately, she gave only a 1/2hearted chase the 1 and only time she escaped her yard to the free rangers. Not sure if we got lucky, or if it was more for the chase than for blood, but we're more cautious than ever now. When the poultry is safely penned, she circles it in a barking frenzy, enough to terrorize them.

From our experience we'd suggest you somehow figure out how well an adult dog does around your livestock before committing to an adoption. Possibly find another farmer/rancher who breeds a proven stock of dog - whatever it may be.

We're keeping ours for her other assets, and hoping to work with her. A neighbor says that you can get a dog like ours used to living alongside livestock without going berserk. Hate to stretch this thread longer, but if this is true, I'd LOVE some advice. She's been with us 1 year.