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If you are looking to protect your livestock you will need a couple of dogs that were bred for that. Highly advise 2 because 1 dog can be attacked easier than 2
Maremma sheep dog
Mastiff
Akbash
Anatolian Shepherd
Pyrenees
I’d have to add Bouvier to the list. Aubrey is one of the smartest dogs I’ve ever had. It’s almost like having another person around. I never have to tell him anything twice. He stays well away from the chickens and is the first one to hear a coyote and has chased off his share.
At one hundred thirty pounds, he grew a little larger than the breeder said (eighty) but he is very agile and no sign of hip problems. His lineage is from France and Belgium where these dogs have been helping farmers for centuries. His breeder who is also from that region, has showed Bouviers extensively and couldn’t have picked a better dog than Aubrey. He is a super smart and devoted boy.
I have allergies and Bouviers don’t shed. It’s easier to send him to the groomer than to brush out that sheepdog hair he grows.
We had a Bouvier. Best dog ever. I see you gave yours a close shave. Ours was a blonde with a black beard. He was about 120. He was pushing 14 when he died of bladder cancer. He would put our cats and any children in a big easy chair. We had to spell certain things because he had a pretty good vocabulary. No hip problems.
However, I would not let any dog wander around unsupervised in the country. I live in the country. Dogs chasing livestock or even chicken's get killed.
Give me a short haired mixed breed with stand-up ears not floppy, light colored, with a minimum of aggressive traits, medium size. Female or neutered male.
I used to have a poodle and while she was a nearly perfect city dog, when she got in the country, the grass burrs in that thick curly coat were just a nightmare. I would also prefer never to have another dog with floppy earsl, due to ear infections. Especially bad with a thick coat.
A black dog really suffers in the summer sun and heat.
"Fly strike" is a threat to dogs with stand up ears. The damn flies would chew the edges of my poor Malamutes ears to pieces and she hated anything I put on to try repel the flys or protect her ears.
I don’t remember what WA law required, but CO is a free range state, often called a fence-out state. This is obviously a carryover from when ranching was more prevalent. The law was abused by a guy near our old neighborhood who would TRUCK OVER “his” cattle (they almost certainly belonged to someone he was charging grazing fees), truck them over a steep ridge between his home and our area, which he would then turn loose. People got sick of finding “his” assortment hanging out over septic leach fields, in driveways, u der building eaves, etc. Then he had the gall to suggest that we pay him to install a fence. Last I checked, he was running a “horse time-share” ownership program. Yeah, right.
We have no recourse that is under our control other than fencing the dogs out. In the city, there is a leash law, but not this county. Some counties do have a leash law throughout the county (our old one did).
I wish you luck in solving your dog problem. Or, more correctly, the owner problem.
I suppose it varies from state to state, but in Oregon free range areas a maverick belongs to whoever can catch it. If there is no brand or ear tag, it's your cow.
The best dog depends on what you want to do with it. I'm a bird hunter, so my current ideal dog is an English springer. She was a rescue and I don't know where she came from, but whoever bred her was a freaking genius. She is athletic, intelligent, has a tremendous nose, and retrieves fur or fowl. She loves water and will retrieve a duck or nutria as enthusiastically as a pheasant or jackrabbit. As a bonus, she is territorial and doesn't like strangers. On the down side, I would never let her loose around free range chickens.
Now that I'm in my 70s, I don't do puppies. I adopt rescue dogs because I don't want my dog to outlive me.
I have known some really nice pit bulls, but they are a terrier and you never know what will trigger their prey drive.
There are adoption agencies for all breeds. I used to foster for a basset hound rescue group. Pure breed dogs are available for much less than a breeder would charge. People hand over dogs to rescue groups for all sort of reasons like: big dogs and apartments are a mistake, or dogs need exercise or whatever reason they have.
I got my two recent springers because her original owners dropped dead from a heart attack. It takes a little time to socialize a rescue to a new home, but nowhere near as much effort as training a puppy. Nursing and assisted living homes do not take dogs, so if the owner's health fails, off to rescue they go. I once got a Large Munsterlander (no kidding) because the owners got a divorce. They paid $2,000 for that dog and I got him for a $200 adoption fee.
Just give the dog time to settle in. My previous springer was homesick for months. Then one day he "got his sparkle back." It was like flipping a switch. He went from moping around to being a bundle of joy overnight.
I suppose it varies from state to state, but in Oregon free range areas a maverick belongs to whoever can catch it. If there is no brand or ear tag, it's your cow.
The best dog depends on what you want to do with it. I'm a bird hunter, so my current ideal dog is an English springer. She was a rescue and I don't know where she came from, but whoever bred her was a freaking genius. She is athletic, intelligent, has a tremendous nose, and retrieves fur or fowl. She loves water and will retrieve a duck or nutria as enthusiastically as a pheasant or jackrabbit. As a bonus, she is territorial and doesn't like strangers. On the down side, I would never let her loose around free range chickens.
Now that I'm in my 70s, I don't do puppies. I adopt rescue dogs because I don't want my dog to outlive me.
I have known some really nice pit bulls, but they are a terrier and you never know what will trigger their prey drive.
Laws and local ordinances such as the ones about animals at large might be used to fight negligent owners. CO does permit landowners to “take custody” of livestock on their property, which explains why most livestock owners try to keep those animals on their own land. I don’t think dogs are included in that category, or else owners might be more diligent.
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