Advice on type of dog.

donalh087

I have three kids who are breaking my heart to get a dog. I walk 6k a day so exercise wont be an issue.

But, I live next to a farm that has a lot of chickens and occasionally a lot of sheep.

Is there any breed of dog that is less likely to misbehave or does it all come down to training?

boomerang

Training - and a good fence!

jimf

do you have access to this property with the sheep/chickens if yes then as soon as any dog you get is trained and walking well to heel slowly introduce him/her to the above as both chickens and sheep are flight orientated any unsteady dog will be incline to chase im not saying for a minute to let your dog run free in this farmers property but in case of an accidental coming together you will have less worries and as boomerang pointed out above a good fence always helps i myself have springers and live in the country and also shoot and this is how i introduce all my dogs to sheep sometimes i even start them off on a lead one thing a farmer will not tolerate are animal worriers at the end of the day its the trainer not the dog as they say

kylith

Are you thinking of a puppy or an adult dog? It should be quite easy to introduce a pup to the chickens; it'd be too young to harm them, and doing it regularly would get it used to them so it would be less inclined to go for them.

getz

donalh087 wrote: »

I have three kids who are breaking my heart to get a dog. I walk 6k a day so exercise wont be an issue.

But, I live next to a farm that has a lot of chickens and occasionally a lot of sheep.

Is there any breed of dog that is less likely to misbehave or does it all come down to training?

english bulldog no risk to sheep,but very expensive,

kylith

getz wrote: »

english bulldog no risk to sheep,but very expensive,

I don't think a British Bulldog would be able to walk 6k. There's also a good chance of ongoing vets bills.

getz

kylith wrote: »

I don't think a British Bulldog would be able to walk 6k. There's also a good chance of ongoing vets bills.

all my three have done,its all about keeping them active from young and taking your time,but you are correct about the vet bills,if you were in the UK i would have suggested a staffy,

andreac

getz wrote: »

all my three have done,its all about keeping them active from young and taking your time,but you are correct about the vet bills,if you were in the UK i would have suggested a staffy,

Why could you not suggest a Staffie in Ireland?

getz

andreac wrote: »

Why could you not suggest a Staffie in Ireland?

they are on that dreaded list,you could be posh and get a maremma[ its used as a livestock guardian dog],it instinctively guards anything that moves,rather funny in a way there is one near me who will sit with the wild ducks when he can.

andreac

And the point of that is? I dont understand... There are lots of dogs on the Restricted Breeds list, doesnt stop people from getting them, myself included.
I certainly wouldnt discourage people from getting a breed just because its on a Restricted Breeds list.

hadook

kylith wrote: »

Are you thinking of a puppy or an adult dog? It should be quite easy to introduce a pup to the chickens; it'd be too young to harm them, and doing it regularly would get it used to them so it would be less inclined to go for them.

Our pup took out her first adult chicken at 13 weeks -the neighbours dog got in unknown to us and killed three other chickens before my OH noticed. By the time he got outside the puppy had figured out this delightful game and caught one for herself and while she didn't kill it she caused serious injury and the chook had to be put down. It's taken me a few months to train her to leave them alone but I still catch her watching them out of the corner of her eye sometimes. In comparison, the shepherd we adopted from rescue as an adult has never once given me concern around the chooks.

Most dogs can be livestock safe with proper training so I'd personally go for the dog that suits your lifestyle and concentrate on training. And good fences

getz

andreac wrote: »

And the point of that is? I dont understand... There are lots of dogs on the Restricted Breeds list, doesnt stop people from getting them, myself included.
I certainly wouldnt discourage people from getting a breed just because its on a Restricted Breeds list.

its a not very well thought out list,i used to show and had champion staffy and i know how good they are with kids and family,but if anything goes wrong in ireland,the dog by being on that list will be blamed.

andreac

getz wrote: »

its a not very well thought out list,i used to show and had champion staffy and i know how good they are with kids and family,but if anything goes wrong in ireland,the dog by being on that list will be blamed.

I agree about the list. But i wouldnt use it as a reason to deter people from getting the breed. Its up to the owners to be responsible and do right by the dog.
There are amazing breeds on that list and i wouldnt let that stop me from getting one or recommending them either to people.

kylith

getz wrote: »

all my three have done,its all about keeping them active from young and taking your time,

We don't know how into 'taking their time' on a walk the OP would be.

OP, can you give us an idea of what kind of exercise you do (fast walking/slow walking/running), the amount of grooming you're willing to do, how big a dog you'd like, that sort of thing.

fifib

def recommend staffie or cross of one with having kids. they are brilliant with kids especially the younger ones.
we have dashund x staffie so no problem with the sheep..she can even see over wall let alone climb over!!

Synyster Shadow

I have a Doberman and he is great with horses and cows and chickens and all that but no way can I have him near sheep he hates them cause of the noises they make and when there afraid they run stupid it drives him mad! However beagles are great they love walking they will walk for days. And iv never heard of them been bad with animals my cousin lives beside farms and there beagles never attacked any sheep or other animals. Just be prepared they follow there nose so they pick up a scent they will follow so fence your garden well! Also there great with kids

DBB

fifib wrote: »

we have dashund x staffie

I am so sorry to pull this off-topic, but I need to see a photo of your dog.. what an unusual mix, I just can't picture one :)

ABajaninCork

DBB wrote: »

I am so sorry to pull this off-topic, but I need to see a photo of your dog.. what an unusual mix, I just can't picture one :)

I agree. My first thought was 'WOW'!! This I gotta see...

Weathering

Here's a great link for you. Answer the ten questions and they select the dog they feel is most compatible for you
http://animal.discovery.com/breed-selector/dog-breeds.html

Sarky

Having had an Irish setter for years now, I'd recommend them. They have loads of energy so exercise away, but they're also really good at blending into a family's routine (mine would recognise the different length of the ring when my dad would call and then hang up to indicate he was coming home from work and he'd head straight to the front door and wait eagerly), they're quite easy to train (our house is surrounded by farmland, but we were very quickly able to teach him not to go chasing stuff we hadn't thrown for him) and if my just-shy-of-2 year old nephew is any indication they're good (or at least very patient) with kids too. They're a bit clumsy as puppies, their legs growing faster than the rest of them, but after a year or so they've got great poise and style.

fifib

DBB wrote: »

I am so sorry to pull this off-topic, but I need to see a photo of your dog.. what an unusual mix, I just can't picture one :)

yea bit of weird one. people always ask us whats in her and when we say dashund first they look at us funny and then go ah yea! short legs and long body! we got her from an animal shelter in cork, her mum was brought in pregnant so we know her mum was def a dashund and they thought dad was some sort of terrier. we've since been told its staffie, though my uncle reckons theres some ridgeback in her too :eek: cos of a zig zag marking down her back.
some pics there of her when we got her and her in last year.
MilliePics

ABajaninCork

She's cute! Lovely expression.

Does anyone remember Jake (The dog rescued by Jimmy Bottlehead)? She looks a lot like her...

*Must remember to drop him a line and ask how she is!

fifib

ABajaninCork wrote: »

She's cute! Lovely expression.

Does anyone remember Jake (The dog rescued by Jimmy Bottlehead)? She looks a lot like her...

*Must remember to drop him a line and ask how she is!

Thanks ABajaninCork. Our biggest regret is we didnt take the other male puppy aswell (chocolate colour in the pic) but I dont think they would have let us home with 2 puppies!!

Got intrigued ABajaninCork and had to look up Jimmy Bottlehead to see dog you mentioned. Shes very like Millie with the tricolour. And its funny we've just taken in a stray that is very like the other dog in his picture! She's a real live wire!
Jimmy BottleHead - pic of dogs

donalh087

Thanks for the advice all... I've read a bit more and am leaning towards a beagle or a wheaten, training and fence.

fifib

donalh087 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice all... I've read a bit more and am leaning towards a beagle or a wheaten, training and fence.

sorry OP - I took this thread way off topic and apologize.

Beagles are lovely dogs, Ive always wanted one myself but I've been told they are notorious escape artists. if you google "beagle escape" there are hundreds of youtube videos etc about this...if they want to get out..they will!!
just for you to be aware of anyways!

leanonme

Sarky wrote: »

Having had an Irish setter for years now, I'd recommend them. They have loads of energy so exercise away, but they're also really good at blending into a family's routine (mine would recognise the different length of the ring when my dad would call and then hang up to indicate he was coming home from work and he'd head straight to the front door and wait eagerly), they're quite easy to train (our house is surrounded by farmland, but we were very quickly able to teach him not to go chasing stuff we hadn't thrown for him) and if my just-shy-of-2 year old nephew is any indication they're good (or at least very patient) with kids too. They're a bit clumsy as puppies, their legs growing faster than the rest of them, but after a year or so they've got great poise and style.

Have to agree on the setters (small bit bias as I have a two). Lots of energy and very good with kids, I live on a farm with chickens and cows, and sheep beside us, and they don't seem too bothered with the chickens. As long as you dont have a number of dogs where you will gain a pack mentality you should be ok. We have five dogs and can only let out certain ones together as they try to hunt when let out all together.

Setters are grate for training too, very cleaver animals.

nursey101

we got two labs a few yrs back. the are kept at the back of the house that backs onto fields. to secure the yard we put sheep wire all around so they cant escape and go across the fields also since they are pups bed is out in a closed shed. so it is possible to keep them away from sheep etc. also labs are a great family pet loyal, and easy going great with children would never go for a different breed:-)

liquoriceall

My mother has a wheaten shes lovely but so lazy! Spends more time asleep that my basset!
Only bad thing about her is she snaps at the cows & calves on the farm

Ms Tootsie

We have a wheaten and he has tons of energy! That being said he is really patient with kids. One little girl in our area has practically claimed him as hers. She is about two and every time we met her out on walks with our dog she gets all excited. She calls him Teddy (his hair is quite long so maybe that is where she gets the inspiration from). We tell Frodo to sit and he happily lets her pet and paw at him. We always have a hold of him in case he gets too excited - wheatens are known for their 'wheaten greetin' which involves a lot of over excited jumping.

They are known as well for chasing things that move fast (but that mainly comes down to cats and vermin) we have trained our guy and apart from barking at the crows he pretty much ignores everything else. But as you said in your OP it comes down to spending the time training them. And I would still reccomend a fence.

Wheatens also require a good bit of grooming - including a daily brush down or their coats get matted. You could keep him clipped short but if he is outside a lot of the day the coat is great for keeping them warm. Once you get into the routine of brushing it should only take a few minutes each day. Leave it longer and it will become a harder job. Also start grooming the dog from puppy stage so they are used to it.

I seem to have highlighted all the bad parts! I should say I am a huge fan of wheatens, they are a very intelligent dog and pick up on training very quickly. Just dont let them get into bad habits or they will be hard to break. Frodo is extremely loyal and as long as he gets plenty of exercise then at night he is happy to flake out in front of the fire. He loves to lick our faces, especially when we come in after work (all part of the wheaten greetin) so prepare for lots of slobbery kisses. They are very playful dogs. Our guys is 1 1/2 and still acts like a 5 month old puppy with his antics. They make great watch dogs and will bark to alert you to visitors or strange activity. But they would make terrible guard dogs i.e will bark to alert a visitor and then proceed to try to lick them to death. We are fecked if we every get burgled!

They can be prone to digestion problems - our guys has colitis but if you are feeding him a good diet this isnt a problem. We feed our guy a mixture of a fresh and raw diet and he is grand on this. However we had him in a boarding kennel once and he was given wet pedigree food, it had his stomach in a jock.

If you want anymore info on the breed let me know. I did tons and tons of research before we got Frodo so I have a lot of information that is pretty much useless in pop quizzes but great for anyone thinking of getting a wheaten!

DogsFirst

The literature has Wheaten Terriers down in the top 10 for gluten (wheat) allergy. Hence so much colliitis / IBS in the breed. A move to fresh sorts the vast majority of their digestive woes and it's why canned stuff upsets their tums (also packed full of cereal but made look like meat). Wheat ironically is the enemy of wheaten's!!! Need to avoid more bread, pasta, dog treats, cereal based dry foods!