Q&A for How to Train a Dog to Protect Chickens

It's possible, but you need to have reasonable expectations. The training should be about controlling the dog, calling it away, telling it to stop, etc. You should train your dog and socialize it so it understands that they're sharing a space with the chickens and that they're not prey or playthings.

Yes, if your dog is friendly and won't eat the chickens.But no, if your dog is aggressive and is not trained well.

She could be trusted with guarding your chickens, but before that you need to train her a lot. I recommend supervising her while she is close to the chickens so that you can correct her if she gets aggressive toward the chickens. Try to get her used to being near the chickens and seeing them. If you teach her this, the instinct of protecting her masters and their territory should come by itself.

Yes, because dogs are carnivores. They eat meat and other animals on the food chain. There is no way to stop this besides keeping the dogs away from the chickens.

You will want to look for one of the shepherd breeds because they are suitable for guarding. In my experience, I have found Great Pyreenees, Australian Shepard, Corgi, Shetland Shepdog, and Collies are good for protecting. Always research which breed is best for you, as some of them are high maintenance with grooming and feeding.

Yes, using tips from this article and from my friend's advice, I have done so. The hard part about it is getting your dog to pay attention and getting them to focus on the chickens and not hurt them. Some of the herding breeds are stubborn, so you must be patient and try not to leave them alone at first with chickens.

Your dog. A fully-trained dog will work efficiently and effectively. Dogs are patient and trustworthy, but an untrained dog can kill the chickens instead of protecting them.

Yes, as long as it is not too small. Breeds that would be considered 'too small' are chihuahuas, Yorkshire terriers, rat terriers and miniature pinschers. But in your case, your dog is perfectly fine. As long as your dog is train not to attack chickens, it will work.

Border collies are great medium-sized dogs that can protect chickens, but won't harm them. They are very smart and easy to train, so they make a great breed choice. Other non-medium-sized dogs that are good with chickens and can protect them include golden retrievers, German shepherds, Kangal dogs, Anatolian shepherds, great Pyrenees and Tibetan mastiffs.