best livestock guard dogs for small scale farms

[Mo_fawaazzz]

I have a fox issue and I need a dog to defend my turkeys/ducks/guineas.

However, I have a really small acreage and I cannot fit a dog like a pyrenees. Even a cocker spaniel is capable of scaring away a fox, but they have a hunting instinct (not good for my birds).

Is there such thing as a guard dog that is small enough to fit in the fencing yet calm enough to roam with the chickens without having a prey-drive to kill them?

 

[Mo_fawaazzz]

Are border collies a good choice?

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Herding dogs like Collies are a good choice if you put the time into training them. Are you looking for a breed that will sleep outdoors though? That matters as they are very few breeds that prefer to do that like Pyrenees. My Leo's sleep in the house with me but I leave a window open and if they smell something up outside they sound the alarm. Gotta love those amazing noses! I agree with you that dogs are a great way to keep many predators away. My nieghbor struggles with everything including bear, but I dont.

 

[Mo_fawaazzz]

Herding dogs like Collies are a good choice if you put the time into training them. Are you looking for a breed that will sleep outdoors though? That matters as they are very few breeds that prefer to do that like Pyrenees. My Leo's sleep in the house with me but I leave a window open and if they smell something up outside they sound the alarm. Gotta love those amazing noses! I agree with you that dogs are a great way to keep many predators away. My nieghbor struggles with everything including bear, but I dont.

My birds have a safe space to go to at night, and dont really need a nighttime guard dog, so the dog can be warm during the night but will have to be out with the flock at 7AM to prevent the fox attacks.

My only predator issue are foxes.
I am willing to walk the dog a considerable distance daily because I know that they are an active breed that needs lots of movement.

If I were to train a border collie puppy to be acclimated with all my birds, will the dog ever try to attack my birds? I heard that herding dogs have a really good prey-drive.

 

[NatJ]

I have a fox issue and I need a dog to defend my turkeys/ducks/guineas.

However, I have a really small acreage and I cannot fit a dog like a pyrenees. Even a cocker spaniel is capable of scaring away a fox, but they have a hunting instinct (not good for my birds).

Is there such thing as a guard dog that is small enough to fit in the fencing yet calm enough to roam with the chickens without having a prey-drive to kill them?

Of course the dog needs to not hurt the chickens, but it may not even need to try to guard them. Just trying to "play" with the fox might be enough to make the fox go away!

Maybe look at what adult dogs are already available in your area, no matter what breed, and try one or another of them them with chickens to see if they can learn not to kill chickens, then see if they will also show an interest in the fox (enough interest that it goes away.)

I mentioned adult dogs, because a puppy will not be reliably safe with chickens until it is fully grown (likely 2 years or so), and of course you need to train and supervise the puppy during that time. An adult dog will certainly require some training, but you will not have to wait for it to finish growing up, so you might have a reliable dog with a few months' time.

 

[Mo_fawaazzz]

Of course the dog needs to not hurt the chickens, but it may not even need to try to guard them. Just trying to "play" with the fox might be enough to make the fox go away!

Maybe look at what adult dogs are already available in your area, no matter what breed, and try one or another of them them with chickens to see if they can learn not to kill chickens, then see if they will also show an interest in the fox (enough interest that it goes away.)

I mentioned adult dogs, because a puppy will not be reliably safe with chickens until it is fully grown (likely 2 years or so), and of course you need to train and supervise the puppy during that time. An adult dog will certainly require some training, but you will not have to wait for it to finish growing up, so you might have a reliable dog with a few months' time.

I heard that even the scent of a dog deters foxes..
I am ok with being patient with a younger pup to train it. I always leave my back door open just in case my birds sound the fox alarm but its getting a little too tiring. Sometimes I am busy or out somewhere and a fox may steal one of my birds.

I dont want to risk an adult dog. I think a younger pup could be easier to acclimate with birds perhaps..

 

[Penpal]

My border collie was from a long line of Scottish trial champions. He was not insanely needing to herd, but he was good at it. Calmer than a lot of borders. Very useful in getting the sheep off the road and back into the pasture. Very easy to train, very obedient.

I taught "leave it" before we had chickens. It is what I used to stop him from herding the chickens (chicks). When the ducklings discovered our little pond they stayed in it. The collie herded them constantly, creating a path around the pond. The ducklings laughed at him. He also peed all around the homestead.

I believe the urine markings of an uncut (not neutered) male helps to keep varmints away.

A daily walk is not sufficient for a dog like a border collie. Get a breed that you like that is bigger than a fox, and easy to train. Do not get a hunting breed because what they want to do is hunt and may not stay on your property. My neighbors' Labs killed my chickens, so I would be cautious there. They also roamed the county and killed other chickens and pet rabbits.

A rat terrier might be good for you. They must be trained on what they are allowed to kill. I have heard that they are good as house pets as well.

 

[NatJ]

My neighbors' Labs killed my chickens, so I would be cautious there. They also roamed the county and killed other chickens and pet rabbits.

Some labs are fine with chickens and pet rabbits, and staying home rather than roaming the country. I would say the problem was with your neighbors and their lack of dog training (and maybe lack of fences), rather than the breed of the dog.

But that is a good reminder that any breed can be a problem if it is not properly trained and kept at home.

 

[NatJ]

I dont want to risk an adult dog. I think a younger pup could be easier to acclimate with birds perhaps..

My thought was something like a dog with a rescue organization, if you could arrange to take it home on trial for a few days and return it if it doesn't work out. Some dogs are fine with chickens almost without training (either someone trained them in the past, or they just aren't interested in those flappy things.) You might find such a dog, if you tried a few different adult dogs.

But if you are willing to put in the time and effort to raise a puppy, and you would prefer to do it that way, then definitely ignore my ideas about adult dogs. I explained a little more just to make it clear what I meant, not to try to push you into doing something you don't want.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

My birds have a safe space to go to at night, and dont really need a nighttime guard dog, so the dog can be warm during the night but will have to be out with the flock at 7AM to prevent the fox attacks.

My only predator issue are foxes.
I am willing to walk the dog a considerable distance daily because I know that they are an active breed that needs lots of movement.

If I were to train a border collie puppy to be acclimated with all my birds, will the dog ever try to attack my birds? I heard that herding dogs have a really good prey-drive.

Herding dogs like Border Collies are incredibly easy to train and very intelligent so that's why I jumped on your suggestion of Border Collie. I've trained and showed a lot of dogs. Some of the "not so intelligent," are actually hunting dogs and so you'd have a greater challenge with say training the prey drive out of a Visla than you would a Border Collie. No dog is perfect but I think based on what you're wanting to do you'll be successful with herding (medium sized, will bark alot, chase foxes, easy to chicken train, out all day, in at night, loyal to human, etc.) I love my giant breeds but when it comes to training, they can really make me dream of Border Collies.