Dog breed info needed

[Dave Bean]

I'm looking to get a dog that can protect a flock of chickens. AND is hypoallergenic. Any recommendations?

 

[Moonkit]

Not really going to happen.. all the "hypoallegenic" breeds are hunters or toys. For guarding.. you'd want to lean towards herding breeds or even purpose-bred ones like the Anatolian Shepard, but they aren't hypoallergenic.

 

[MetalSmitten]

... a donkey?

sorry, but x2 to the above comment.

 

[Dave Bean]

I guess if I keep it outside all the time, I don't have to worry so much about allergies. If that's the case, is there a listing of breeds somewhere that people can recommend to me?

 

[yinepu]

great pyrenees, anatolian or a cross between the two are the classic livestock guardian dog..
I have a pyr/anatolian mix and she does a great job.. she has guarded goats, mini equines and now poultry. I can trust her 100% to guard and take care of her "family"
They are NOT hypoallergenic though.. when she sheds you would think it was snowing out..

 

[Stacykins]

There is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog. A dog that does not shed their fur (such as poodles) still shed dander, which triggers allergies. If you did any research into the matter, you'd have found that out in five seconds.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Are you feeling wealthy?

Many people who are allergic to dogs are not allergic to Leonbergers. It's beyond me why, because they are huge hairy dogs. Find a breeder and go and spend the day around the dogs and see if you are OK with them.

There is no such thing as a dog that will guard chickens without being trained that they are not to be chased. Leonbergers are easy to train. Start with a puppy and don't leave the dog unsupervised with the poultry until it understands that they are family and thus get protected.

Then, of course, sorry to say, you will discover that the Leonberger is your heart dog and it will move into the house with you and your chickens will still need a guardian.

 

[cris2]

There is such a breed that is a livestock guardian dog... that does NOT shed and thus is very very low allergy affect.
It is called the Mioritic Shepherd.. It is from Romania and they are breeders in the US.
very large and great dogs..
I know a lady in Ohio that breeds them.. she actually has a female that is 10 mos old for sale for 500 bucks
Puppies are generally around 800 bucks.

-Cris

 

[sonomachx]

As others have stated, there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog. It really depends on the severity of your own allergy. For people that are highly sensitive, any dog will trigger their allergies. For others, they don't react unless there is a lot of loose fur in the air and environment. If you aren't too sensitive then any of the non-shedding breeds might work for you. The best breed also depends a little on what you need to protect the chickens from. For example, if you mainly want dogs that will chase off smaller pests like opossums and raccoons, you may want to consider something like a Puli. They are medium sized and won't eat you out of house and home. If you have larger predators such as bear, coyotes and mountain lions then a few Komondors might be best. If the dog will be purely a guardian and not a part of the family, then I also recommend getting more than one. Dogs are social pack animals, and need companionship to be happy.

 

[joan1708]

I hope you really want the dog and will keep it whether the dog "gets it" or not.