I think that I need a dog. Our little dog died a few years ago and my hub doesn't want anymore. However, I think that we need one to bark at coyotes, alert us to any nearby snakes, foxes, or other wildlife. Can anyone tell me what breed of dog that you found is best for protection and also to work on a farm?
What is the best breed of dog for protection and on a farm?
- Thread starter shanrose
- Start date
Help Support Homesteading & Country Living Forum:
For protection you want a large dog with mean bark who’s aware and attentive to it’s surroundings and attached to it’s owner, meaning the dog has loving characteristics.
There’s plenty of info on the web, but firsthand experiences with a particular bread or mix are interesting to hear about.
There’s plenty of info on the web, but firsthand experiences with a particular bread or mix are interesting to hear about.
I know people will disagree,
It's ok..it just my experiences ..
I've have always adopted adult dogs, rescues from either the dog shelters or people who are about to take to the shelter for various reasons.
That said, I have put alot of time in basic obedience training, daily consistent boundary rules, like no chasing cats, chickens, going potty outside, off leash recall dispite external distractions..and many other stuff plus miles of trail or town jogs n walks into them .
Every dog needs... exercise , training, boundries in the home and a loving place in a pack ..in that order and consistency.
I've had mutts to purebred pups. Purebred tend to have more health issues. Mutts seem less prone to health issues.
Certain breeds of canine are very drivin to what their breed was developed for and if for example, you get a Australian Shepard and do not have a active lifestyle , have very little time for training , exercise and something for it to herd..it would not be surprising to hear about behavior issues arise.
Maybe narrow down to how big a dog you and your spouse can agree on. Personally, since I live out in a rural area with serious predators..I only adopt large dogs.
Once you agree on how big a dog you want,
Research some breeds , what ENERGY level and WHAT THEY ARE BREED FOR, generally how trainable and general willingness to please are they known for.
I say general because there are always exceptions but 9 times out if 10..if you get a Alaskan Malamute or Belgian Melnoi, your going to have a very energetic dog that needs alot of exercise and training in order to avoid behavior issues.
Really access how your ENERGY and LIFESTYLE fits with that type of breed and look up your areas shelters, rescues or breeders and see what is available.
I personally prefer mixed breeds, I like older adults dogs. The only bad habit I don't like untraining in a dog is a dog with a strong prey drive who chases or kills small critters.
Prey drives need constant untraining. Some breeds are bred to have a strong prey drive, so it can be fairly futile to try to train that out. It requires opportunity to unlearn, and that requires me being home more and available to help a dog un learn chasing cats, poisonous snakes, my chickens or skunks.
There are exceptions to that ..for example I had rescued a Black Mouth Cur. A great southern breed all American ranch type dog who are breed to be ranch dogs and hunters. They are known for having a strong prey drive and it is recommended they be raised as a puppy along with the small ranch/farm animals on the homestead so they acclimate to them and not kill all your small critters like barn cats n chickens.
I took a chance on him because he was a rescue and a adult already. Luckily he is great and is not interested in killing my other animals. His willingness to please is stronger than his prey drive. My rescued boxer , boxers are not known for having prey drives loved to chase kitties. She relapses occasionally but her recall training stops her. Still I have to be on it more with her. And she just met her first skunk, was terribly confused as to why it wouldn't run away so she kept following it about a foot from it's butt all the way out the gate.
Yea..
Luckily she isn't in for the chase to kill..just to chase and getting sprayed a few times only whoaed her up once. It was kinda funny to watch but now my house will smell like skunk untill winter.
My friend had a 7 pound chiwinie. .spell? She was like a 100 pound guard dog on his ranch ..alerted him to everything and would even chase bear n elk out of the yard. She was a gift, he never wanted a dog. He kept her for a few years, he liked her alot but was afraid she would get herself killed and he wasn't home alot. So he finally found a retired person to adopt her.
I think hands down my favorite rescued pooch was my rescued pitty mix. My avatar on the thumbnail n name on here.
Me and Hooch watched the sunset one last time together. I layed behind him on his favorite bed, held his paw n scratched his ears. I stayed up all night that night with him.
His kidneys were failing, the vet came out and that was it. I buried him under his favorite apple tree that next morning.
My heart still breaks ..
Hooch was a gift.
It's ok..it just my experiences ..
I've have always adopted adult dogs, rescues from either the dog shelters or people who are about to take to the shelter for various reasons.
That said, I have put alot of time in basic obedience training, daily consistent boundary rules, like no chasing cats, chickens, going potty outside, off leash recall dispite external distractions..and many other stuff plus miles of trail or town jogs n walks into them .
Every dog needs... exercise , training, boundries in the home and a loving place in a pack ..in that order and consistency.
I've had mutts to purebred pups. Purebred tend to have more health issues. Mutts seem less prone to health issues.
Certain breeds of canine are very drivin to what their breed was developed for and if for example, you get a Australian Shepard and do not have a active lifestyle , have very little time for training , exercise and something for it to herd..it would not be surprising to hear about behavior issues arise.
Maybe narrow down to how big a dog you and your spouse can agree on. Personally, since I live out in a rural area with serious predators..I only adopt large dogs.
Once you agree on how big a dog you want,
Research some breeds , what ENERGY level and WHAT THEY ARE BREED FOR, generally how trainable and general willingness to please are they known for.
I say general because there are always exceptions but 9 times out if 10..if you get a Alaskan Malamute or Belgian Melnoi, your going to have a very energetic dog that needs alot of exercise and training in order to avoid behavior issues.
Really access how your ENERGY and LIFESTYLE fits with that type of breed and look up your areas shelters, rescues or breeders and see what is available.
I personally prefer mixed breeds, I like older adults dogs. The only bad habit I don't like untraining in a dog is a dog with a strong prey drive who chases or kills small critters.
Prey drives need constant untraining. Some breeds are bred to have a strong prey drive, so it can be fairly futile to try to train that out. It requires opportunity to unlearn, and that requires me being home more and available to help a dog un learn chasing cats, poisonous snakes, my chickens or skunks.
There are exceptions to that ..for example I had rescued a Black Mouth Cur. A great southern breed all American ranch type dog who are breed to be ranch dogs and hunters. They are known for having a strong prey drive and it is recommended they be raised as a puppy along with the small ranch/farm animals on the homestead so they acclimate to them and not kill all your small critters like barn cats n chickens.
I took a chance on him because he was a rescue and a adult already. Luckily he is great and is not interested in killing my other animals. His willingness to please is stronger than his prey drive. My rescued boxer , boxers are not known for having prey drives loved to chase kitties. She relapses occasionally but her recall training stops her. Still I have to be on it more with her. And she just met her first skunk, was terribly confused as to why it wouldn't run away so she kept following it about a foot from it's butt all the way out the gate.
Yea..
Luckily she isn't in for the chase to kill..just to chase and getting sprayed a few times only whoaed her up once. It was kinda funny to watch but now my house will smell like skunk untill winter.
My friend had a 7 pound chiwinie. .spell? She was like a 100 pound guard dog on his ranch ..alerted him to everything and would even chase bear n elk out of the yard. She was a gift, he never wanted a dog. He kept her for a few years, he liked her alot but was afraid she would get herself killed and he wasn't home alot. So he finally found a retired person to adopt her.
I think hands down my favorite rescued pooch was my rescued pitty mix. My avatar on the thumbnail n name on here.
Me and Hooch watched the sunset one last time together. I layed behind him on his favorite bed, held his paw n scratched his ears. I stayed up all night that night with him.
His kidneys were failing, the vet came out and that was it. I buried him under his favorite apple tree that next morning.
My heart still breaks ..
Hooch was a gift.
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2020
- Messages
- 4,771
if you are going to move back to the city, you should probably not get such a dog unless you want to walk , exercise and take it to the dog park regularly
My choice of best dog: German Shepherd
Love my Otto, loved my Heidi before him, but they do tend to have health issues sometimes
( Heidi was allergic to rice for example and had to eat mostly grain free dog food, or just meat)
German Shepherds need training or they misbehave, but they are very smart and easy to train, and they are rarely aggressive despite their reputation. Otto will put his paws on the window and bark like crazy if anyone comes to the house, but he wouldn't actually bite anyone. But most people would think he will
We also have 2 livestock guardians that are with the sheeps and goats
Good dogs too , but unless you have livestock, they are not good dogs to have in the house and not easy to train.
Plus we have a rescue mutt that doesn't listen, never has, not trainable. But he had a bad start in life, so oh well.
Dogs are personal choices, and you get out of them what you put in
oh and I disagree with people liking to get older rescue dogs. In my experience ( and I have had many dogs in my life)getting a puppy and training it right is the best way to go, much more difficult to train a older dog, especially a rescue that might have been abused or not taken care of , never once had a good one of those
You can get mixed breed puppies for free or cheap many places if you dont want to pay for a dog
My choice of best dog: German Shepherd
Love my Otto, loved my Heidi before him, but they do tend to have health issues sometimes
( Heidi was allergic to rice for example and had to eat mostly grain free dog food, or just meat)
German Shepherds need training or they misbehave, but they are very smart and easy to train, and they are rarely aggressive despite their reputation. Otto will put his paws on the window and bark like crazy if anyone comes to the house, but he wouldn't actually bite anyone. But most people would think he will
We also have 2 livestock guardians that are with the sheeps and goats
Good dogs too , but unless you have livestock, they are not good dogs to have in the house and not easy to train.
Plus we have a rescue mutt that doesn't listen, never has, not trainable. But he had a bad start in life, so oh well.
Dogs are personal choices, and you get out of them what you put in
oh and I disagree with people liking to get older rescue dogs. In my experience ( and I have had many dogs in my life)getting a puppy and training it right is the best way to go, much more difficult to train a older dog, especially a rescue that might have been abused or not taken care of , never once had a good one of those
You can get mixed breed puppies for free or cheap many places if you dont want to pay for a dog
I totally agree sonya..
Getting a pup and training it right the first time is eaiser.
And I totally agree , it can be much more difficult to untrain a adult rescue of bad habits, and retrain them to a socialized well behaved pup.
It's unfortunate you never had a good experience with yours but maybe you are so used to getting your puppies right out the gate that you struggle in the rhelm of untraining bad habits of a unknown adult dog .
You said it best..you get back what you put into them.
Most of my dogs except for Butchy and Bella were abused throwaways no one wanted to adopt. Probably would have been pit down if the shelters were kill shelters.
All my dogs had to be retrained ..but the reward of having a balanced well socialized rescued pup has been worth every minute.
And the retraining is fun..but I know what I'm doing too..probably not for everyone especially if someone really doesn't understand dogs and how to train them.
Shelters are full of pups who's owners are idiots and taught them bad behaviors to begin with, then throw them away in a shelter and get a new puppy to screw up.
Luckily for them I'm a softy for the hard cases..
most bad behavior can be fixed, bad owners , not bad dogs.
Most dogs want to please and do their job..most people don't understand what a dog is telling them and completely screw it up.
Getting a pup and training it right the first time is eaiser.
And I totally agree , it can be much more difficult to untrain a adult rescue of bad habits, and retrain them to a socialized well behaved pup.
It's unfortunate you never had a good experience with yours but maybe you are so used to getting your puppies right out the gate that you struggle in the rhelm of untraining bad habits of a unknown adult dog .
You said it best..you get back what you put into them.
Most of my dogs except for Butchy and Bella were abused throwaways no one wanted to adopt. Probably would have been pit down if the shelters were kill shelters.
All my dogs had to be retrained ..but the reward of having a balanced well socialized rescued pup has been worth every minute.
And the retraining is fun..but I know what I'm doing too..probably not for everyone especially if someone really doesn't understand dogs and how to train them.
Shelters are full of pups who's owners are idiots and taught them bad behaviors to begin with, then throw them away in a shelter and get a new puppy to screw up.
Luckily for them I'm a softy for the hard cases..
most bad behavior can be fixed, bad owners , not bad dogs.
Most dogs want to please and do their job..most people don't understand what a dog is telling them and completely screw it up.
Why limit yourself to a dog? I hear geese are really good protection animals. They even use them in prisons south of the border.
Also do not listen to me. I don't know anything about dogs but felt like commenting anyway.
Also do not listen to me. I don't know anything about dogs but felt like commenting anyway.
These are pretty good dogs (
he thinks he's Bear's brother)!! He announces when anything is not quite right!! Good at killing dogs and keeping coyotes away! Loves to cuddle!!
Oh crap this reminds me of the talledega nights "motivation scene" Glen's died" maybe i have shoveled too much clay slurry in the
sun too
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2020
- Messages
- 4,771
I don't have the patience for that and don't see the need when you can get a perfectly good puppy . I have to admit, I paid a substantial amount for my purebread German Shepherds. Probably not the best financial choice, but one of the very few things in life I have probably spent money on that I didn't need to.
But I have had mixed breed dogs I got as puppies that were great also. But my favorites are the German Shepherds LOL .
It's like adopting kids. I would NEVER do that. Why would I want someone else's rejects and problems? No thanks. It's just me, many people are perfectly happy adopting kids and rescue dogs but it's not for everyone
I hate people abusing animals , but that doesn[t mean that I have to become responsible for them, if that makes sense to you
I have never created a rescue dog, so I'm good
I like rescuing older dogs as well. I currently have 4 German Shepherds. Hooch pretty much has the topic covered and Sonya covers the puppies.
Pay attention to what they are bred for, and if you can't give any of them the time and attention they need to keep them sane and happy, don't get one.
Pay attention to what they are bred for, and if you can't give any of them the time and attention they need to keep them sane and happy, don't get one.
Of the dogs we've owned, the breed I think would be the best protector is the German Shepard. We have had two of those.
This breed is smart. It can be trained to be very protective.
The breed we had that was the most aggressive? That would be the little Jack Russel Terrorist.
I would say this breed is pretty good if you like smaller dogs, as long as it's the only pet in the house. They are too wannabe-alpha with other pets around.
The breed we had that has scared away the most people? The Newfoundland (no doubt due to the size, not the temperament).
The breed we had that was the friendliest and most even tempered? Also the Newfoundland.
This breed is so easy going. Nothing bothers it, it bothers nothing. Probably not a good choice if you're older, they're so big and heavy that you can't carry them to the vet if they need care and can't walk themselves. You're not going to go jogging with a Newfoundland if that's your plan. They are more leisurely.
This breed is smart. It can be trained to be very protective.
The breed we had that was the most aggressive? That would be the little Jack Russel Terrorist.
I would say this breed is pretty good if you like smaller dogs, as long as it's the only pet in the house. They are too wannabe-alpha with other pets around.
The breed we had that has scared away the most people? The Newfoundland (no doubt due to the size, not the temperament).
The breed we had that was the friendliest and most even tempered? Also the Newfoundland.
This breed is so easy going. Nothing bothers it, it bothers nothing. Probably not a good choice if you're older, they're so big and heavy that you can't carry them to the vet if they need care and can't walk themselves. You're not going to go jogging with a Newfoundland if that's your plan. They are more leisurely.
anything in terrier group is bred to just kill...kill drive like no other...hence name at ending of various breeds...fox terrier...the jacks and patterdales and jagdterriers.
I agree that a larger dog is probably better due to the coyotes. We used to have a little terrier and she was fierce! That little dog was the best watchdog we ever had. No one got near our property - she knew her job. Some dogs seem to have more of a sense to protect which is why I asked about breeds. We had a mixed breed dog that I loved but if people came to the house he was too friendly. We had a Rottweiler shepherd mix but she was afraid of everything - I don't know why. Just from my limited experience, the terrier was the best watchdog. But if any animal attacked she couldn't do anything. I'd like to get a dog that knows his or her job.but can handle the threat of coyotes or other wildlife. A family member has a small terrier mix and it went right up to a bear and barked at it. I couldn't believe it! And she had just had a litter of puppies!
Small dogs are always the fiercest. Vicious little things. Take the Chihuahua for instance. But they are pretty useless for protection since with one good kick you can make a 40 yard field goal with one.
Use the little dog to alert the big dog to get up and do something.
Use the little dog to alert the big dog to get up and do something.
You reminded me of a dog that a family member rescued. They bought a house and the people left their dog chained up in the yard - the collar was choking him. They left him no water or food. The family member rescued that dog and it became so loyal to them. The only problem was the strong prey drive! It was a HUGE dog and family was staying with us. My hub took the dog out to do it's business and the neighbor's cat was in our yard. My hubby is a big man but he could not hold that dog back. It attacked the cat. So I know what you mean about the strong prey drive. I want some prey drive to keep snakes and mice and other wildlife away.
What a beautiful picture! It makes me long for a dog.
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2017
- Messages
- 22,236
Our red heeler pup barks at everything. Even animals on the tv. We've always had heelers, they are great farm dogs, they just need a job to do. Ours is learning to follow with animal chores in the morning, and he alerts us to everything and everybody. He could not take down a coyote, wouldn't expect him to.
I'm on the fence about moving back to the city. I still think a dog is a good idea and I miss my terrier's company. My uncle used to have a beautiful shepherd and he was a great watchdog. They lived in a row home in the city. A shepherd is a dog that will scare people and likely coyotes I would think. My husband told me that his neighbor had shepherds and they always had some kind of hip problem. But police use shepherds so they must be intelligent. I would hope that if the dog is big enough it could defend itself against coyotes.
A family member got two rescue dogs and they were great. I went to visit her and she was like a gestapo with the heating bill and kept the house like a freezer. I was so uncomfortable visiting! But the two dogs jumped into bed with me and kept me warm! They were good dogs.
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2017
- Messages
- 22,236
Our daughter lives in Washington state, and just bought a pure breed registered shepherd pup, paid a bit for him. He's 4 months old, 50 lbs already, she's training him 24/7. Attached at the hip. He'll be a good dog.
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2017
- Messages
- 14,727
Blue (or red) Heelers are good dogs, very territorial, known for being aggressive, hard working and very protective. Our mixed heeler is bigger than a heeler and a great dog. I wish I would have socialized her more and gotten her used to gun shots and fireworks. Still, she is territorial at home. Is wary of other dogs at this point. She barks a lot and it serves as a good deterrent to strangers.
There have been a few times when uninvited humans came to the door and she had her hackles up. Times like that I wouldn't have put it past her to bite. When we lived out in the country we ran her a lot. She needed a lot of exercise, is very intelligent, and shepherding came to her naturally starting when she was 8 weeks old. She would always try to herd us as a puppy. She weighs about 50-55 pounds, is a bit big to pick up and carry for me. She also doesn't tolerate anyone's roughness.
Coloring like this puppy, and ours looked a bit like this except she has derpy ears, they don't really stand up like a German Shepherd, don't lay flat like a Border Collie either.
This is a Kelpie. Our dog has white markings on her chest like a blue heeler.
There have been a few times when uninvited humans came to the door and she had her hackles up. Times like that I wouldn't have put it past her to bite. When we lived out in the country we ran her a lot. She needed a lot of exercise, is very intelligent, and shepherding came to her naturally starting when she was 8 weeks old. She would always try to herd us as a puppy. She weighs about 50-55 pounds, is a bit big to pick up and carry for me. She also doesn't tolerate anyone's roughness.
Coloring like this puppy, and ours looked a bit like this except she has derpy ears, they don't really stand up like a German Shepherd, don't lay flat like a Border Collie either.
This is a Kelpie. Our dog has white markings on her chest like a blue heeler.
Sounds like the wife's Cavapoo. He is all of 15lbs. But any noise on our porch and he's at the dog wanting to attack. Barks at the TV at dogs, horses, etc. Also barks at Medicare and life insurance commerials
I think they used geese in the army if I'm not mistaken. I could put a few geese where the pond is. I wonder if they kill snakes. I know there are snakes there because the previous owner killed a snake and skinned it and hung it on the barn. It grossed me out. But I'm going to research geese. I want something self-sufficient though - that finds it's own food if possible. The previous owner left us their cat and now we have to buy her food, see that she has water, and buy pills to kill fleas. I worried about her when the weather got cold so I bought her a cozy cat house to keep her warm. I'm concerned it's not enough though as she lives in an old farmhouse on our property. I want to find some way to keep her warm when it gets cold. Maybe a heating pad? I didn't want the cat and asked them about it and they said it was a stray.
Awwww!!! He's adorable! I noticed people around here have donkeys - probably because they kill coyotes.View attachment 158867
These are pretty good dogs (
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2017
- Messages
- 22,236
Ours is a red with a long, ringed tail. Ha a ring tailed red dog. He was hysterical when watching the Clarkson's Farm series...always some animal sound on there.
We have geese, but they are in a massive run and have a house, too. They'd drive me nuts if I had to deal with them on the porch like the guineas are, half the time. The guinea herds have the run of the farm.
We have geese, but they are in a massive run and have a house, too. They'd drive me nuts if I had to deal with them on the porch like the guineas are, half the time. The guinea herds have the run of the farm.
Wisdom there. I have to research what each breed is bred for.
blue heelers are biters for sure in my experience...in fact last time i got dog bit was a BH
Sounds like shepherds might be one of the best breeds to consider. Terriers are aggressive. I was walking in my front yard and a HUGE dog came up and dogs usually like me so I continued on my way unconcerned. My little terrier was leaping up at the big dogs neck and I didn't know why. She knew before I did: the big dog bit my hip. Luckily my little terrier distracted the big dog enough so that it didn't get a big chunk out of me. The dog bit me but it didn't break the skin.
You haven't really died until you've stepped in goose crap on a wet board porch with a goose trying to nip your butt.
That pup is adorable! It looks like a Rottweiler to me. What beautiful coloring. I want a dog that is not overly friendly like the one dog we had. I want an intelligent dog that knows her job. It came natural to my little terrier, but our mixed breed was just such a laid back dog that he didn't do what our terrier did. It seems you have to select the right breed.
A family member just got guinea hens to keep the ticks down. Ticks and Lyme disease are really bad on the east coast.
