Dog breeds for mini farm

[rbstern]

Getting ready to semi-retire to our rural property in north Georgia. We've had several Weimaraners. Love the breed. Recently had to say goodbye to our last one, so we're in between dogs at the moment.

We plan to have some chickens and goats on the property. In thinking about our next dog(s), I'm concerned about the Weimaraner's prey drive and compatibility with farm animals. We had one that we socialized with a pet rabbit, and they did quite well together, but I think that may have been an exception.

Would love to hear from others who keep farm animals and dogs, and learn any lessons that might be helpful about choosing our next dog.

 

[coobie]

We are brittany fans.Great with kids decent watch dogs(bark to let you know someone is around)and great house pets.

 

[GregbkH]

Black mouth cur is probably the ultimate farm dog. Herder, hunter and watch dog. Look them up, they are awesome!

 

[newbury]

Chickens and goats?
Get a smart herder.
Border collies are great, but I'm partial to Corgi's.

 

[randy41]

i have a pit with 2 goats a cat and a few chickens...no problems.

 

[The Deerslayer]

Sorry to hear about your recent loss...never an easy thing. I suspect you will get a wide variety of recommendations. My sense is that there is probably no wrong answer here and really it is based more on personality of the dog vs. breed.

We too are Brittany fans (Coobie-great pics!)and they have been great with all the animals here with the exception of one puppy mishap with a chicken however, that was more on us than the puppy. Once trained, all was good. They are an extremely smart breed and excellent family dog that can double as a top hunting partner if desired. Sadly, we had to put our last one down after 15 years......they also have decent longevity.

 

[TractorGuy]

Dogs are like people. You can find good and bad in every breed.

That said, I favor Border Collies.

 

[JimRB]

We are partial to black dog pound dogs. Black dogs are the least adopted dogs. We have gotten labs, lab mutts and mystery dogs from the pound. Some want to herd and some do not. A few have been better chipmonk, squirel, mouse and rat hunters than others.

 

[coobie]

Sorry to hear about your recent loss...never an easy thing. I suspect you will get a wide variety of recommendations. My sense is that there is probably no wrong answer here and really it is based more on personality of the dog vs. breed.

We too are Brittany fans (Coobie-great pics!)and they have been great with all the animals here with the exception of one puppy mishap with a chicken however, that was more on us than the puppy. Once trained, all was good. They are an extremely smart breed and excellent family dog that can double as a top hunting partner if desired. Sadly, we had to put our last one down after 15 years......they also have decent longevity.

View attachment 496739View attachment 496740View attachment 496741

Sorry to hear about your loss.Our older britt brandy passed last year after 14 years with us.

 

[rekees4300]

A Border Collie or Labrador are good bets.

 

[jfh28]

it really depends on what you intend to have the dog for........guarding......herding......companion........for guarding livestock that's something a great pyrenees excels at.......herding would be border collies.........companion any laid back low energy breed.......Jack

 

[RNeumann]

A Border Collie or Labrador are good bets.

Those are extremes!

We all have our favorite breeds. I'm an ausie guy myself. The males tend to be more loyal to a family while the females tend to be more loyal to a person. They have also had good success with the the mini ausies if you want something smaller.
However, as stated above, it has a lot to do with you! If you get a high energy breed or dog and don't provide the stimulation or tasks they will drive you nuts! And conversely a low energy dog isn't going to be ideal for some. Grab a book or better yet check out Cesar Millan by googling his name. He has lots of ideas from breeds to types of traits to look for if you go the adoption route.

 

[Streetcar]

As others have said your plans for dog will determine type to get. A herding dog will require more training and activity to keep them from driving you crazy. I currently have a pit and a fox hound, both do well with other animals

 

[ustmd]

As others have said, much depends on your personality and your expectations for the dog.

We have Great Danes and love. Gentle & low energy, but protective of the people and the property.

 

[nybirdman]

I wouldn't get a "bird dog" breed if you are going to have loose chickens.My GSP pup got loose the other day and had a field day with them!Can't fault the dog.
Anyway a Labrador retriever is hard to beat for an all around dog;just be careful to check for health problems with past generations.I don't like long haired dogs,just too much up keep.I realize Labs are bird dogs but easy trained to leave domestics alone.
We have four GSP's and a English Pointer but they are not allowed to run with-out supervision.
The herding breeds I have been around are;timid and not guard dogs at all.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Anyone know anything about Rhodesian Ridgebacks?

We're in a similar place but for chickens, ducks, goats, and small children and low shedding is required.

Also looking at Standard Poodles and Wire-haired Griffins.

 

[sld]

I would look at the Australian Shepherd or Blue Healer type dogs. Their intelligence is a cut above most breeds. Their training is only limited by how much effort you put into it.

 

[nybirdman]

You also may want to look at a couple "designer" dogs,the goldendoodle and labradoodle.The ones I have been around have been very nice/healthy dogs.Good intelligence from the poodle and temperament of the others.Nothing wrong with a standard poodle;very smart,trainable dog.

 

[Streetcar]

Anyone know anything about Rhodesian Ridgebacks?

We're in a similar place but for chickens, ducks, goats, and small children and low shedding is required.

Also looking at Standard Poodles and Wire-haired Griffins.

rhodesians are sight hounds, bred to chase animals. They are typically hard to train off leash. I had ahalf bred Rhodesian, he was good dog in a fence or on leash. Went deaf to commands ,off leash. Coworker was a rhodesian breeder that showed her champions, she said my dog was typical behavior

 

[Streetcar]

You also may want to look at a couple "designer" dogs,the goldendoodle and labradoodle.The ones I have been around have been very nice/healthy dogs.Good intelligence from the poodle and temperament of the others.Nothing wrong with a standard poodle;very smart,trainable dog.

Designer dogs are mutts and can favor either breed. Many breeders look for numbers not quality for the popular dogs. My recent dogs are all rescues