Good small dogs for protecting flock

[Willowspirit]

DON'T get an Australian Cattle Dog ~ unless it's not the Australian Cattle Dog we have here in Oz. They have been bred to nip @ the heels of cattle during round up & have a reputation for being biters. Not aggressive, just bitey. As a working dog they also need huge amounts of exercise. They can run forever. I wouldn't use any sort of bird dog either, so that's labs out.

Any rescue will have dozens of dogs given up for that reason. In my experience cattle dogs are MUCH higher strung than the LGD I've known. But I live in a very rural area where both are common. Breeding/how they are worked makes a huge difference though. We may just have more ornery cattle dogs bred in my area lol.

My useless Doberman passed this in October

I am so sorry. When dobes die it just rips a piece of your heart out. We lost the one before this at age seven. She was so wonderful.

This one i have now is only a year old and has an amazingly high prey drive. She's incredibly smart but very goofy. Just learned to pass the chicken coops on lead at a fair distance.

 

[Halfpasthen]

I am so sorry. When dobes die it just rips a piece of your heart out. We lost the one before this at age seven. She was so wonderful.

This one i have now is only a year old and has an amazingly high prey drive. She's incredibly smart but very goofy. Just learned to pass the chicken coops on lead at a fair distance.

Thank you. It was a tough year. She was a rescue we had adopted about 8 years ago. We also lost our senior lab mix in feb due to cancer. It was such a blow to lose both of our dogs in such a short span.
Olive (our dobie) was the goofiest thing. She had a lot of issues with resource guarding that we were able to work through. lol that's the other thing about guarding breeds though. It's often misdirected lol.
You are going to have so much fun over the years with your baby. It's only a shame they aren't as long lived as other breeds.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Thanks, @Halfpasthen - glad you liked it!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

My useless Doberman passed this in October

Oh man .... I'm so sorry to hear that! Nobody and nothing is useless if it is loved .... Our buddies may die, but our love for them never does.

 

[Halfpasthen]

Thanks, @Halfpasthen - glad you liked it!

That's true. Left a big hole in our hearts but grateful we had the time we did.

I like shelties a lot. I groom one every couple of months and I love her. Matter of fact most all of of the ones I've met have been sweet, well mannered dogs. Little needle noses

 

[BigBlueHen53]

That's true. Left a big hole in our hearts but grateful we had the time we did.

I like shelties a lot. I groom one every couple of months and I love her. Matter of fact most all of of the ones I've met have been sweet, well mannered dogs. Little needle noses

Needle nose, Lol! Love it! She loves it when anything causes the sun to sparkle anywhere, reflections, ya know? When it happens on the floor she tries to catch it and the other day she kept bumping her nose on the floor. I try not to laugh at her, but honestly, I was crying! She was just having so much fun!

 

[Willowspirit]

Thank you. It was a tough year. She was a rescue we had adopted about 8 years ago. We also lost our senior lab mix in feb due to cancer. It was such a blow to lose both of our dogs in such a short span.
Olive (our dobie) was the goofiest thing. She had a lot of issues with resource guarding that we were able to work through. lol that's the other thing about guarding breeds though. It's often misdirected lol.
You are going to have so much fun over the years with your baby. It's only a shame they aren't as long lived as other breeds.

I hope so! I am so sorry about you losing two dogs so close together. I'd be shredded. Do you have a dog now?

 

[Halfpasthen]

I hope so! I am so sorry about you losing two dogs so close together. I'd be shredded. Do you have a dog now?

No, sadly. I still feel pretty raw about it. But I usually have 2-3 pups here any given day because I groom and occasionally puppy sit.
It's going to take a while before I take on the financial and emotional investment in a new pup. Its a big commitment. Plus we have 4 cats ranging from 3-15yo. I foresee them costing me an arm and leg in the coming years lol.

 

[duluthralphie]

I just need to speak on behalf of labs.

Mine are trained hunting dogs. Trained being the keyword. They know to leave the poultry alone.

I throw treats on the backs of the dog for the chickens to eat off.. just because I can and it reinforces in the labs to leave the birds alone. Also it amazes people to see a lab not bother a bird. I have a chick in a box alongside the dogs bed right now. We went away for 5 hours yesterday. Dog and chick are still both alive and happy.


I can leave them alone outside with free ranging birds all day. She will not chase harass or kill any. She would chase a land predator away. If she could be bothered to stay awake long enough to look and see one.

I doubt she would protect them from birds of prey, but I force them to be out there and hope the birds of prey are just leery enough to avoid her.

However labs are not small dogs.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Yup. Labs are a great breed too. I love how they talk with their eyes, they have such expressive faces! They could never play poker, lol! (Thinking of that famous painting) It's when people take the time to socialize their dogs with other animals and put in the training that makes the difference. No matter what breed of dog you get, that's going to be a requirement.