Male or female make a better guard dog?

[Martha80]

I have the opportunity to get a pup that I can raise to watch the chickens. On paper, they meet several of my requirements; 1) they should be good sized - to deal with other dogs, coyotes, raccoons and opossums 2) 1/2 coondog, 1/4 black lab, 1/4 chow
3) shorthair
4) good family (human!) well loved
5) barn acclimated

My question is...As a 1st dog on the farm, in the family, and for the chickens,.... male or female?

 

[Alabama ee]

Depends on the dog more than female and male. Also, the amount of training and time.

I have had a German Shepherd male who was awesome with the kids when they were little. Herding is very instinctual with them. If someone drove up to the farm,
he would stand between the person and my kids. If the kids tried to walk around him, he would carefully push them back toward the house. It was amazing. I have a female one now. She does the same thing with my youngest. The only problem is when she had friends over. She would walk in the middle and try to push her friends out of the gate. LOL I guess she thought that "puppy" needed to go to her own home.

 

[SteveBaz]

I have a Rhodesian Ridgeback. Originally known for a pack-dog and used to heard large lions in the tall grass in Africa. This dog when separated from their pack become very family dependent. As a result protective on the property and close to you off the property. I have owned 2 now and the disposition has been very much the same as I have encountered other Rhodesian Ridgeback owners find the personalities exactly the same. This dog had laid by a new babies door every night wanting to get closer but the door was as closed as he could get so the door was it. During the day lay on the floor and crawl all over him by the baby, pull on him, pick his eyes, ears and tail but still no adverse reaction. If anyone comes on the property the dog goes off until told to go lay down and quiet. Around my chickens he is a herder and a watcher. The main thing I love about the specific breed is the attention it pays to the instruction its given. It will wait patiently awaiting its next instruction. A bit high strung yes but mellow after it has grown from the puppy stage. However this pet needs a strong owner and master/trainer. Needs lots of room to run and play and requires daily exercise. This is not an animal that is mellow without having been trained. If you are looking for a dog that will just do it without work this is not the dog for you. If you have patients and are willing to put the time in it is very smart, loyal and a single family animal and makes a tremendous guard dog that will punish anything that comes on his property. If its a predator Lord help it bc it will be killed for the audacity to come into its territory and threaten his chickens. Good luck with your quest for your new pet.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Generalization: females will guard their home and family. Males will guard whatever patch of ground they are standing on.

That makes males better for police work and guard duty, because they will guard wherever they are.

But if you are keeping the dog at home and expecting it to do its guarding at home, either a male or female will guard equally well. So take the pup that picks your family.

Just a note: not a combination I would want to take home with me. The worst chicken killers I have ever known have been coon dogs and they generally will not guard at all. Chows can be very unreliable biters, not giving any warning and they bite hard (no bite inhibition) so not a good breed around children. Labs can be determined chicken killers, too, if they are not properly trained right from day one and they are very high energy.

If that's the dog you want and you are prepared to put a lot of training into it, then fine. But I would start with something more suitable if I wanted a dog that was going to protect my chickens.

 

[Zootopia]

Just a note: not a combination I would want to take home with me. The worst chicken killers I have ever known have been coon dogs and they generally will not guard at all. Chows can be very unreliable biters, not giving any warning and they bite hard (no bite inhibition) so not a good breed around children. Labs can be determined chicken killers, too, if they are not properly trained right from day one and they are very high energy.

If that's the dog you want and you are prepared to put a lot of training into it, then fine. But I would start with something more suitable if I wanted a dog that was going to protect my chickens.

Wow now that is a mix. I do lots of transports (doggie underground railroad) and deal with different breeds all the time. I transport Chow, but only if the dog is crated and I don't have to touch it. I must say however, I have never had any problem with a Chow mix. Go figure. I raise and show a large protective breed (Fila Brasileiro) and have several Chi mixes that we call Fila alarms. The small dogs being quick and the big guys are the enforcers. I would trust that mix with my kids but I don't think I'd want it around any small stock, That is a hunting dog with built in tenasity (sp) and stubron X all 3 breeds. I would recommend these pup go to homes with large dog experience and a good dog trainer.