# hunting/ guard dog



## dirt (Oct 15, 2013)

my fiance and I just got our first small homestead (2 acres and farmland on 3 sides. I've never owned a dog before and I want one that I can hunt with and one that will protect chickens, my fiance and maybe a pig and a sheep someday.

I want something that can retrieve ducks doves and pheasants but can also kill groundhogs ***** and tree squirrels. 

I'm in South Central PA (cumberland county) so it gets decently cold in the winter. 

based on the reading i've done so far, the drahthaars seem like a good breed. any opinions?


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

Golden retriever


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## wiscto (Nov 24, 2014)

Honestly, from what I've seen of wirehairs or any of their cousins I would not expect them to actively protect your stock, I'd say you'd have to put a lot of time into teaching them not to chase. But I don't know much about them. Just a few personal experiences with really stubborn dogs.

But training is the key as always. With 2 acres, as long as you can train your dog to behave itself while it's outside alone with the chickens and it isn't just behaving itself when you're looking, his/her presence will be a problem for predators and you should be okay. I've never had to train a bird dog to consider the difference between chickens and pheasants, but I'd say it's probably doable. I wouldn't take a harder temperament, more dominant puppy in the litter though. You want it to stand up for itself with *****, so a middle of the road pup, but definitely not one that's going to regularly test your authority. Their prey drive is high, so, the decision they're going to challenge the most is probably the one that says they can't chase your other animals. If I had to go back in time and raise my high drive lab in your situation, I'd expect a few chickens to die the first three years before I could trust her alone with them. And even then, I wouldn't actually leave the property for any amount of time with just them in the yard together.

On the other hand, ***** and coyotes gave us a wide berth so... Yea, with your acreage and the right training/practices you could probably get away with some kind of bird dog, just maybe not guarding your chickens when you're gone.


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## JasoninMN (Feb 24, 2006)

If you've never owned a dog before I am not sure a drahthaar is a breed I would recommend. One reason is, they are high energy. A walk isn't going to cut it when it comes to getting these dogs what they need. Also hunting season isn't open all year and the rest of the year you will need to devote time to working this dog. Yes they are a versatile hunting breed but they still need training to be a good gun dog.They are a kept primarily as hunters and rarely as pets. They want to hunt 24/7 and if you leave them outside to entertain themselves they will soon by 10 miles away. I am sure you could break them of your chickens and livestock under supervision but I wouldn't expect them to have any type of bond with them and want to protect them. You might want to look at a Chesapeake bay retriever, they will be a bit calmer and easier to train but they can be a dominant minded breed so you need to stay on top of them. Also most do not like strangers so are more protective then other retriever breeds. They may look like a lab but they don't act like your typical lab and that gets a lot of people in trouble when they buy one thinking they are getting a happy go lucky dog that loves everyone. You might want to look at wirehaired pointing griffons they are a little easier to handle then drahthaar with the same look.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I've known people with labs that might fit your criteria.

I've got "enthusiastic" prey driven springer spaniels and I've never had a problem teaching them the difference between my chickens and game birds. 

Even young labs can be high strung and require daily training for a while. Sadly that's why some end up in shelters. Their owners want a mature acting lab when they bought a puppy. Actually adopting a mature lab might get you closer to the type of dog you are looking for but you'll still need to work with it and most important 'spend time with it daily'. A daily walk around the perimeter of the property will build a habit in the dog and teach it to patrol it's home.


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## wiscto (Nov 24, 2014)

JasoninMN said:


> You might want to look at a Chesapeake bay retriever, they will be a bit calmer and easier to train but they can be a dominant minded breed so you need to stay on top of them. Also most do not like strangers so are more protective then other retriever breeds. They may look like a lab but they don't act like your typical lab and that gets a lot of people in trouble when they buy one thinking they are getting a happy go lucky dog that loves everyone.


Yea can confirm. Neighbor had a Chesapeake when I was still living with my parents. I won't tell you stories, because that neighbor didn't do jack to train his dog. I just know she was definitely protective of the property, and she definitely had natural hunting instincts, but she listened to him very well when he was actually there. She was also dominant toward other dogs to the point where she tried to eliminate competition while they were still puppies, not kidding. If she got off leash she wandered and hunted, but she surprisingly knew it wasn't her property and did not attack anyone. Very aggressive on her turf.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

You want a bird hunting dog that doesn't treat your chickens like birds?
Good luck with that


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## rhobbs (Apr 23, 2013)

I would look at Mountain Curs if I were you. They are primarily tree dogs though I have heard of people bird hunting them. These dogs were originally bred by settlers to do all of the things you want; protect the homestead, keep pests out of the barns, and put food on the table.

We have a cur and a Feist and they are both great dogs.


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## JasoninMN (Feb 24, 2006)

Bearfootfarm said:


> You want a bird hunting dog that doesn't treat your chickens like birds?
> Good luck with that


I have had quite a few and know many other that have chickens and bird dogs the coexist fine. Why would I want to take a dog hunting that hunts chickens? That would be silly, like every other hunting dog out their your break them off of "trash."


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

A dog with a soft mouth is going to be much slower to bite or to bite hard. An Irish Setter will carry a chick in it&#8217;s mouth and spit it out without ruffling a down. I had one like that. But, he could be very protective of family and did bite a couple of people. But, they bite and let go, not bite and kill, or bite bite bite.

A retrieving dog is a hunting dog. A hunting dog likes to follow a scent. He needs to be trained to stay within the boundaries of your property, or be fenced in.


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## wiscto (Nov 24, 2014)

I saw this picture of a Golden Retriever today, and decided that it was highly relevant.










Now before you say, "Oh man a coyote would kill that guy." Most predators just need a stern bark to feel discouraged. And someone will probably be near by most of the time. The real worry for your property is probably cats, foxes, *****... Your dog might be a total pushover, but no one has to know. ;-)


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## Bucks2Ducks (Jun 15, 2015)

I have a 125 pound male Chesapeake, he gets along great with the Chickens and Pigs, yet retrieves a few hundred ducks each season. He is perfect for our back yard, but I've defiantly seen some that are very protective. If you spend the time training them I feel like they can be a real great dog. Labs are always great, and even a German Short Hair could fit your bill.


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## dirt (Oct 15, 2013)

thanks for the replies folks. I'm planning on waiting a little while to get settled into this house and then i'm going to get one. still trying to decide, I'm glad i started thinking about it early


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## JJ Grandits (Nov 10, 2002)

You people are smarter then I am about this, but what about an Airdale? I know they hunt and they are protective.


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## JasoninMN (Feb 24, 2006)

JJ Grandits said:


> You people are smarter then I am about this, but what about an Airedale? I know they hunt and they are protective.


Actually thats not a bad suggestion. My farrier has them. The only thing is, if the op truly wants a duck dog he will probably want a retriever that will mark falling birds and can do blind retrieves.


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## mooose (Nov 24, 2013)

Do a little research on mountain curs before settling.
There are some in western PA that I know of.
All around dog IMO.


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## Buckles (Dec 14, 2013)

Our white shepards are excellent guard dogs. They are very protective and larger than the normal German shepards. Males get about 120 lbs. 

Here is one guarding our pig pen...believe it or not (because he looks like a puppy next to freezer) he is 125 lbs of pure muscle. Looks small next to a 400# boar.


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