Author Topic: Favorite dog (Read 3993 times)

TN_man · « **on:** October 25, 2004, 03:42:45 AM »

I have a 7 year old daughter who would love to have a puppy. The problem is we live on a farm with chickens, cattle and a pony. I would like to get her a dog that will be patient with her and not chase/kill our chickens and cattle. We have tried a couple of dogs on a trial basis and they did not work out.

A Blue-heeler kept nipping at her face and a border collie chased our chickens and nearly killed the ones it caught. We need a watch dog for the farm, but one that will be good to my daughter and one that is relaxed around the farm animals.

I would appreciate any suggestions and experiences that ya'll have had. Thanks, Jeff

Ed · « **Reply #1 on:** October 25, 2004, 04:26:36 AM »

I would try a Labrador Retriever, My family had them for close to 40 years. We always kept them in the house so they were part of the family. Good hunters & excellent companions. They are also good natured with children & put up with alot from a child. While I don't think it's necessary to buy a dog with a championship bloodline, I would get a registered dog from a reputable breeder.

GAV64 · « **Reply #2 on:** October 25, 2004, 04:56:38 AM »

I've had 4 dogs over the years, all rescues, black lab/golden, lab/collie or setter, yellow lab/ something wit a curled tail and a husky. If you want to kill your chickens, squirrels, rabbits, cats and small dogs get the husky. The lab crosses i got from the humane society are the best and you would be doing a good thing, all were 3 to 6 months old when i got them, walk through the kennel a take the dog that pays the most attention to your daughter! i wish the first two were still alive, they were the smartest and most loyal dogs. good luck glenn.

Fla._Deadheader · « **Reply #3 on:** October 25, 2004, 04:57:03 AM »

No matter what kind, ya GOTTA train 'em. A Border Collie is one of the smartest dogs I ever saw. They are handy on the farm, great with kids, and can actually understand you.

Grandad had one we gave him as a pup. The kids would roll on the grass with her.

One day, the neighbors bull crawled over my fence. I got up to go get the shotgun, and Grandad just said, lulubelle, go put that bull back. That dog tore off through the field and that bull HURDLED the fence, never touchin it.

Never heard Grandad raise his voice to ANYTHING, all the 14 years we knew him.

Ya gotta train them dogs, gently.

Ours was raised rough. She ran with a G-Shepard, and mauled livestock. She just as soon grab a cow in the face as the heels. She would cower when you spoke to her, but, she made up for it with the Dairy cows. One DanG smart dog.

sprucebunny · « **Reply #4 on:** October 25, 2004, 05:13:04 AM »

I vote for a lab cross and the rescue dogs. Have gotten 3 female dogs from shelters over the years. All 3-4 yrs old . Female lab that was 1/4 G shepard was extremely smart, patient and had a sense of humor.

moosehunter · « **Reply #5 on:** October 25, 2004, 05:17:25 AM »

Aussie blue is a great farm/family dog. Natural hearding instinks.
My favorite dog is my English Springer Spanial. They love kids and have enough energy to wear out the kids for miles around!
May not be much good around chickens tho... being a bird dog!
Moosehunter

Bruce_A · « **Reply #6 on:** October 25, 2004, 05:58:18 AM »

I am a rottweiller fan if you have time to train them. however they donot do well with porcupines. Will eventually kill them with enough quills. Again, training is the key.

TN_man · « **Reply #7 on:** October 25, 2004, 05:59:40 AM »

Deadheader,
I agree about the training, that is why we would like a puppy so we could start off before any bad habits are formed. The bordercollie we tried, was one that somebody needed to find a new home for and of course, since we have "plenty of room for the dog to run" they thought of us.

We agreed on the basis that if it already had some bad habits we could give it back. I don't want to get stuck with someone else's problem-dog.
Are laborador's good watch dogs? I have not been around enough to know.
Thanks for the input so far!

FiremanEd · « **Reply #8 on:** October 25, 2004, 06:05:29 AM »

I have and will most likely always have Chesapeake Bay Retrievers but they require a good deal of work when they're young and it never really ends.

If you're not looking to train them for helping you on the farm, I'd recommend Beagals or Labs if you're just looking for a pet for the kids. Both will make great alarm dogs, not "guard" dogs but no one will get within sight of your house without you knowing it. I also love Golden retrievers if you don't mind the extra work of a longhaired dog. They are very smart and great with kids.

Dad has a border collie as pet and cattle dog. As noted above they are the most intelligent dog I've ever dealt with and they understand english. I think they're rated as the 2nd smarted dog in the world, second to some ankle nipper. Most will only obey one master but dads will listen to my brother and I, just not as good as for dad.

Get a puppy and enjoy, no matter the breed.

Jeff · « **Reply #9 on:** October 25, 2004, 06:38:44 AM »

I have to echo what Harold says. You gotta train em! We got our Sydney dog when he was 10 weeks old from the shelter. He is an Australian Shepherd. He is now 15 years old. In those years he has protected family and children without ever hurting another creature. I remember years ago the day we were all out in the yard and Syd discovered a mouse. He would herd that mouse around the yard and if it got to far away he would actually pick it up in his teeth without EVER inflicting harm, bring it to the middle of the yard, let it go, and corral it again. When he got tired of this, he picked the mouse up, took it to the edge of the mowed yard, drop it, and let it go on its way.

I have never thought of my dogs being trained but they are. My dogs don't live on a chain. They are part of the Family. They live with us and interact with us, and learn through discipline and love.

Corley5 · « **Reply #10 on:** October 25, 2004, 06:53:33 AM »

Pound puppies are my favorite

Roxie · « **Reply #11 on:** October 25, 2004, 07:31:49 AM »

You're getting some good suggestions here and almost any dog that is trained correctly will leave livestock alone. My favorite dog is an Australian Cattle Dog (Blue Heeler), but they require the patience of Job.

From my personal experience, the only dog I've ever encountered that completely ignores any kind of stock is a Burnese Mountain Dog. I've got an 11 year old fella that even rabbits aren't afraid to cozy up to him. He is phenominal with all children. Visitors to my home tell me that they think the dog would protect me if it were necessary, but just the appearance of him is enough to stop most people in their tracks to ask if he's friendly.

I have friends that also have Mountain Dog's and they have identical experiences with their animals and children. The question really becomes how much time you want to put into the puppy. The quiet breeds like Bernese Mountain dogs and Collies require less correcting...the very active breeds like Heelers, Border Collies, Labs and Aussies simply require more time and patience to work that energy into the proper direction.

Paschale · « **Reply #12 on:** October 25, 2004, 07:58:14 AM »

I'm a huge fan of Golden Retrievers myself. My brother has one, and he has seven kids! There's always been a little tot running around, and those kids can hang all day off of that dog, and she'll just take it all in stride. She's the friendliest, most even-keeled dog I've ever encountered. The kids use him as a pillow when the family gets together to watch movies. She was a rescue from the pound as well--I think you can really find some great ones at the pound (bad ones though too).

The only negative about a Golden that I can see is that they're not really good guard dogs at all--I think their tail would start a waggin' away, even while a burglar was having his way with the place. But, my vote would still be for a Golden.

DanG · « **Reply #13 on:** October 25, 2004, 08:11:48 AM »

Old timer told me of a trick to keep pups from chasing chickens. Just put him in the chicken house for a week, just as soon as he's weened. The hens will teach him some respect!

I've never tried it, but I bet it works.

Jeff · « **Reply #14 on:** October 25, 2004, 08:40:38 AM »

Goldens are great family dogs, but you should be aware of where you get them. They are prone to hip problems, especially the ones from the puppy farms. They still make pretty good gaurd dogs of the friendly variety. They will bark when something is different. I know, we live next to 3 of them.

D._Frederick · « **Reply #15 on:** October 25, 2004, 11:25:28 AM »

I have had a dog most of the 60+ years of my life and the Australian Shepherd gets my vote as the smarted and most friendly animal you could have as a pet. We always get a female and have her spayed, a lot less problems they stay home better. This the second Aussie we have had and is the best watch dog of the 7-8 dogs we have owned.

The road is the worst dog killer for dog owners. When I was young, I could count the cars on the fingers of one hand going by are place, now we have a 1000 a day. We can't leave a dog run loose anymore, if they get on the road people will hit them, they will not give an animal a chance to get out of the way!

Our first Aussie liked to tell us about her day, if she didn't like what was going on, she would spend 5 minutes telling us how she felt. You will never find a better dog for a pet than an Aussie.

Patty · « **Reply #16 on:** October 25, 2004, 12:12:34 PM »

We have always had labs of one color or another, and they are great dogs to have around kids. My boys used to play tackle football with the labs, and they just kept coming back for more fun. On the downside, though, labs are hard headed, and it is tough to change their ways once they get something in their head. Our beagle was smart as a whip, but completely untrainable. Right now we have a black lab/beagle/golden retriever mix. He is the smartest dog I've ever owned, easy to train, but loves to kill my chickens. I can't seem to break him from that bad habit.
My son has a Burmese Mountain dog over in Germany. She is a great dog, smart and very well behaved, but like a lot of big dogs that are pure bred types she has trouble with hip dysplesia. One of our labs had the same problem.

beetle · « **Reply #17 on:** October 25, 2004, 01:15:37 PM »

I agree with Dan G, expose the dog as a puppy to your other animals. Let them live together as a pup and they will become freinds, when the pup turns into a grown dog he/she will protect the animals.

Of course the breed will make a differance.

jgoodhart · « **Reply #18 on:** October 25, 2004, 01:41:35 PM »

Lab mixed make good dogs, had one that just showed up one day and called it home.

crtreedude · « **Reply #19 on:** October 25, 2004, 03:06:48 PM »

I had a lab / beagle cross for about 14 years. Wonderful dog, and very easy to train. Never seemed to forget what she was told. Very good guard dog too.

One time, when she was young. I threw something accidentally toward the street and she started running toward the road. I yelled at her to stop. She stopped, and never would ever fetch anything ever again!

I could teach her anything, except how to fetch a ball, and she was part lab.

Fred

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Author Topic: Favorite dog (Read 3993 times)

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