Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We are looking to add to our family. Currently have a lab who is 13 and been the best ever. I’ve thought about another lab but I just feel she set the bar too high and I need to look elsewhere.
Been curious in the gsp. I don’t hunt but like a lot of their qualities. Size especially. Lot of lab Breeder have a site of 90# or more near me.
My issue is s I live on land with some chickens. Neighbors all have chickens. I can control the dog to a point but it is a bird dog….am I setting myself up for a chicken serial killer?
We are looking to add to our family. Currently have a lab who is 13 and been the best ever. I’ve thought about another lab but I just feel she set the bar too high and I need to look elsewhere.
Been curious in the gsp. I don’t hunt but like a lot of their qualities. Size especially. Lot of lab Breeder have a site of 90# or more near me.
My issue is s I live on land with some chickens. Neighbors all have chickens. I can control the dog to a point but it is a bird dog….am I setting myself up for a chicken serial killer?
I have 4 GSP's- yes you are choosing a breed with a high prey drive, particularly birds. That being said my neighbor has 3 German Shepherds and had chickens. His dogs killed all of them.
We have neighbors with chickens, and one of my dogs has killed one that free ranged onto our property. However I do hunt with all of mine. We use an underground fence and it is effective for my dogs. They are easily trained and seldom get free.
Some of them do run large. My male topped out around 95lbs. My 2 DK females around 60-65lbs.
My family has lived with a series of working gun dogs, and high drive herding dogs, and a hunting pack of sight hounds, and always had poultry. It's a training issue. Put the time in to do the training and your dog will not bother the chickens.
A GSP is a lot different from a Labrador. You are considering a high energy dog with a strong work ethic and a lot of brain power. Be sure to have a lot of activities for the dog to burn off energy and to use his brain for the forces of good. Be prepared to put time into training.
A Labrador was bred for generations to sit at the hunter's feet and run out and pick up the occasional bird. A GSP has been bred for many generations to run for miles and miles and hours and hours, locating birds to pin them down until a hunter gets there. Not the same energy level.
They are great dogs, the GSP, but they have a requirement for action and puzzle solving that must be met because if you don't find something for them to do, they will find something by themselves and you possibly might not like it.
We are looking to add to our family. Currently have a lab who is 13 and been the best ever. I’ve thought about another lab but I just feel she set the bar too high and I need to look elsewhere.
Been curious in the gsp. I don’t hunt but like a lot of their qualities. Size especially. Lot of lab Breeder have a site of 90# or more near me.
My issue is s I live on land with some chickens. Neighbors all have chickens. I can control the dog to a point but it is a bird dog….am I setting myself up for a chicken serial killer?
You've got our local GSP experts already replying here, so not much I can add. Except a couple of thoughts, because it sounds to me like you're setting yourself up for failure. I would never recommend looking at a breed because of their size. If you want a dog to just be a pet, and you want a particular dog for a size that you like, for whatever reason, you shouldn't be considering dogs who have working dogs in their bloodlines. Go to your local rescues, and visit once a week until something you like comes in. Working/sporting/herding/hunting/guardian breed dogs all were bred for a purpose. You CAN find bloodlines that have bred down the working instincts in favor of being JUST companion dogs, but even they are often high drive when compared to most mixes. High drive, and/or high arousal/excitability, and/or high energy/endurance - each of those alone means you'll probably be needing to learn how to meet the dogs needs, or you'll end up with bad behaviors.
If you go the breeder route, even if it's a one neighbor with a female, and somebody across town with a male, doing the backyard thing, go watch the parents. See how BOTH parents behave. Or don't behave. The peach doesn't fall far from the tree. Don't listen too much to the people - watch the dogs.
Almost all young pups can be taught to leave the chickens alone - IF you know what to look for when prey drive shows up - AND you know how to train around it. Most young dogs who've already shown prey drive can be taught how to behave with chickens, or taught to leave them alone, IF you're willing to spend a lot of time on that training. And that's not the type of training most people have any idea of where to begin with. In my experience, training away from such behavior is not easy when the dog is attracted to it. It can be devilishly hard and frustrating.
These dogs are high energy hunters and are bird dogs. Growing up my dad hunted pheasants. Even though we had a large yard they need to run so every night after work my dad took them out in the country where they could run off leash and they would walk for a hour if it wasn’t hunting season. Yes they will kill the chickens. They are great loving protective dogs but they need a job.
I'm going to share this little bit that says so much about this issue, and says it well.
***I am a 21st century dog.***
-I'm a Malinois.
Overskilled among dogs, I excel in all disciplines and I'm always ready to work: I NEED to work.
But nowadays I get asked to chill on the couch all day everyday.
-I am an Akita Inu.
My ancestors were selected for dog fighting.
Today I get asked to be tolerant and I get scolded for my reactivity when another approaches me.
-I am a Beagle.
When I chase my prey, I raise my voice so the hunters could follow.
Today they put an electric collar on me to shut up, and you make me come back to you - no running - with a snap of your fingers.
-I am a Yorkshire Terrier.
I was a terrifying rat hunter in English mines.
Today they think I can't use my legs and they always hold me in their arms.
-I'm a Labrador Retriever.
My vision of happiness is a dive into a pond to bring back the duck he shot to my master.
Today you forget I'm a walking, running, swimming dog; as a result I'm fat, made to stay indoors, and to babysit.
-I am a Jack Russell.
I can take on a fox, a mean badger, and a rat bigger than me in his den.
Today I get scolded for my character and high energy, and forced to turn into a quiet living room dog.
-I am a Siberian Husky.
Experienced the great, wide open spaces of Northern Europe, where I could drag sleds for long distances at impressive speeds.
Today I only have the walls of the house or small garden as a horizon, and the holes I dig in the ground just to release energy and frustration, trying to stay sane.
-I am a border collie
I was made to work hours a day in partnershipwith my master, and I am an unmistakable artist of working with the herd.
Today they are mad at me because, for lack of sheep, I try to check bikes, cars, children in the house and everything in motion.
I am ...
I am a 21st century dog.
I'm pretty, I'm alert, I'm obedient, I stay in a bag...but I'm also an individual who, from centuries of training, needs to express my instincts, and I am *not* suited for the sedentary life you'd want me to lead.
Spending eight hours a day alone in the house or in the garden - with no work and no one to play or run with, seeing you for a short time in the evening when you get home, and only getting a small toilet walk will make me deeply unhappy.
I'll express it by barking all day, turning your yard into a minefield, doing my needs indoors, being unmanageable the rare times I'll find myself outside, and sometimes spending my days sunk, sad, lonely, and depressed, on my pillow.
You may think that I should be happy to be able to enjoy all this comfort while you go to work, but actually I’ll be exhausted and frustrated, because this is absolutely NOT what I'm meant to do, or what I need to be doing.
If you love me, if you've always dreamed of me, if my beautiful blue eyes or my athletic look make you want me, but you can't give me a real dog's life, a life that's really worth living according to my breed, and if you can't offer me the job that my genes are asking, DO NOT buy or adopt me!
If you like the way I look but aren't willing to accept my temperament, gifts, and traits derived from long genetic selection, and you think you can change them with only your good will, then DO NOT BUY OR ADOPT ME.
I’m a dog from the 21st century, yes, but deep inside me, the one who fought, the one who hunted, the one who pulled sleds, the one who guided and protected a herd still lives within.
So think **very** carefully before you choose your dog. And think about getting two, rather than one, so I won't be so very lonely waiting for you all day. Eight or ten hours is just a workday to you, but it's an eternity for me to be alone.
I think you would be setting yourself up for disaster having a bird dog and chickens.
I'm sure really diligent trainers who spent a lot of time and effort could train a bird dog to not chase chickens, but why get a dog if you know you have to overcome every purpose and drive the dog HAS in order to succeed?
I waited til my bird dogs were done before getting chickens.
I would pick something else. All will need training... but there's a difference between tweaking the chase instinct all dogs may have, and completely re-wiring a dog that was specifically bred to do the opposite of what you want.
Even a herding dog might be taught to help you move chickens, (our corgis do) without wanting to KILL them.
Our other dog is a livestock guardian dog. BIG dog, not big on obedience, but sweet and protective of her chickens.
Get a dog that doesn't conflict with your life. It's just easier.
Last edited by Diana Holbrook; 03-07-2024 at 03:42 PM..
I'm going to share this little bit that says so much about this issue, and says it well.
***I am a 21st century dog.***
-I'm a Malinois.
Overskilled among dogs, I excel in all disciplines and I'm always ready to work: I NEED to work.
But nowadays I get asked to chill on the couch all day everyday.
-I am an Akita Inu.
My ancestors were selected for dog fighting.
Today I get asked to be tolerant and I get scolded for my reactivity when another approaches me.
-I am a Beagle.
When I chase my prey, I raise my voice so the hunters could follow.
Today they put an electric collar on me to shut up, and you make me come back to you - no running - with a snap of your fingers.
-I am a Yorkshire Terrier.
I was a terrifying rat hunter in English mines.
Today they think I can't use my legs and they always hold me in their arms.
-I'm a Labrador Retriever.
My vision of happiness is a dive into a pond to bring back the duck he shot to my master.
Today you forget I'm a walking, running, swimming dog; as a result I'm fat, made to stay indoors, and to babysit.
-I am a Jack Russell.
I can take on a fox, a mean badger, and a rat bigger than me in his den.
Today I get scolded for my character and high energy, and forced to turn into a quiet living room dog.
-I am a Siberian Husky.
Experienced the great, wide open spaces of Northern Europe, where I could drag sleds for long distances at impressive speeds.
Today I only have the walls of the house or small garden as a horizon, and the holes I dig in the ground just to release energy and frustration, trying to stay sane.
-I am a border collie
I was made to work hours a day in partnershipwith my master, and I am an unmistakable artist of working with the herd.
Today they are mad at me because, for lack of sheep, I try to check bikes, cars, children in the house and everything in motion.
I am ...
I am a 21st century dog.
I'm pretty, I'm alert, I'm obedient, I stay in a bag...but I'm also an individual who, from centuries of training, needs to express my instincts, and I am *not* suited for the sedentary life you'd want me to lead.
Spending eight hours a day alone in the house or in the garden - with no work and no one to play or run with, seeing you for a short time in the evening when you get home, and only getting a small toilet walk will make me deeply unhappy.
I'll express it by barking all day, turning your yard into a minefield, doing my needs indoors, being unmanageable the rare times I'll find myself outside, and sometimes spending my days sunk, sad, lonely, and depressed, on my pillow.
You may think that I should be happy to be able to enjoy all this comfort while you go to work, but actually I’ll be exhausted and frustrated, because this is absolutely NOT what I'm meant to do, or what I need to be doing.
If you love me, if you've always dreamed of me, if my beautiful blue eyes or my athletic look make you want me, but you can't give me a real dog's life, a life that's really worth living according to my breed, and if you can't offer me the job that my genes are asking, DO NOT buy or adopt me!
If you like the way I look but aren't willing to accept my temperament, gifts, and traits derived from long genetic selection, and you think you can change them with only your good will, then DO NOT BUY OR ADOPT ME.
I’m a dog from the 21st century, yes, but deep inside me, the one who fought, the one who hunted, the one who pulled sleds, the one who guided and protected a herd still lives within.
So think **very** carefully before you choose your dog. And think about getting two, rather than one, so I won't be so very lonely waiting for you all day. Eight or ten hours is just a workday to you, but it's an eternity for me to be alone.
BTW, just to keep the record straight, the original of that was in French, written by and copyright to Elsa Weiss. Original published on cynopolis.fr. I don't know who did this translation.
And, while the poem concentrates on purpose-bred dogs, there are lots of dog breeds who make great pets. And lots of rescue mutts, same. And bloodlines within breeds that were more recently working, but whose bloodline has bred the working character down.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
