# Farm Dog Breeds



## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

Someone else posted a topic about what sorts of things you teach your farm dogs (not LGDs!). I'm curious to know what breeds some of you have, or which ones you would recommend for a farm dog. I've thought of an LGD but most of them are larger, (more feed) as well as pricier to buy. We are on a tight budget but since we had to put down our Lab/Retriever this summer due to an accident and his health issues, I've been looking around trying to find out what breed is best for us. I've considered Australian Shepherds, but everyone tells me that they are afraid of a lot of things. Australian Cattle Dogs, Collies, and Golden Retrievers are a few others I've considered. I realize every dog is different, but obviously some breeds fit the "farm dog" description better than others. One that won't harm the animals, maybe even help herd them, but also go with me when I do chores and night checks. One that will protect if needed. Any insight or advice is greatly appreciated!


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## SingingBullRanch (Sep 11, 2016)

So sorry to hear of your loss! :mecry:

There are a lot of good Australian Shepherds out there. Maybe the show lines are afraid of everything? Mine were not. I would recommend if you like the Aussie to look at working bloodlines. Their temperament and general health will be a lot better! I have noticed that a lot of them are darn expensive nowadays, although I have also seen them a bit more reasonably priced. 

I have an English Shepherd. He's a good all around farm dog, really wants to be helpful and be there for you. I also have Standard Rat Terriers that try really hard to do anything they can to help, although their main distraction is hunting!! 

There are some other breeds that might be of interest to you. I'll do a bit of research and post them later for you.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

One of the best fogs we had for indoor/outdoor pet was a collie German sheperd mix breed named Farmdog. I think she had a bit of chow in her too. She never chased any animals.
As for the LGDs you would be surprised at how little they eat for their size. It's only the first year or so they really go through the food. :smile:


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

Some of the best dogs I've owned were a german shepard mix and my collie. The mixes were amazingly part doberman for one, and part malamute for the other. So very gentle, but I started them as babies, so maybe that made a big difference. I wouldn't think dobermans or malamutes would be good farm dogs but the mix has been great for us. My collie was amazing. But collies and shelties tend to bark a lot.


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

We have an Australian shepherd. He isn't exactly afraid of anything, just super smart. For instance, if he thinks there is something up, the first thing he does is go get our Great Pyrenees :lol:

Don't get a show dog, get one with working parents. Herding instinct was bred out of show dogs and replaced with good coats. 

As for the feed, my GP eats a ton and he is well past 2. All the GPs I've ever seen were too skinny in my opinion, though.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I'm not sure I would go with a herding dog. They have such a high drive for herding....at least ours do. We have to watch our pups because they will try and herd the cows by themselves and these last two pups I had to put hot fence on the outside because they were getting in and trying to herd my kids. Of course you can train them not to be so driven it's just a lot of work. 
Breeds that are not meant for herding will still herd to a point, they just won't have that drive, it's more like they are trying to please you then being on crack doing it. My hound dog was our enforcer with the cows, he would get turned loose on ones that were hard to gather and he had a nasty bite to him but he would come back like a dream and that was the end of it, he pleased me and was happy.
But farm dog breeds, my hound, a Weimaraner was awesome but they are known for being hard headed. Mine was to a point but really my best dog ever. We had a shelty once, (mini collie) SUPER smart. If I ever find another one I will get it. I now have some kind of boxer cross....she was found behind a dumpster so not sure exactly what she is. Very smart and protective just not allowed to help me with the goats because she bites way to hard. I have some kind of mid sized white dog from the pound lol and she is a great little dog and all I have to do is point to what goat or cow I want her to get and she goes after them. Quite a few of our ranch friends have jack Russell dogs for a family farm dog but I haven't had one myself.


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

Weird, but now that I think about it, my best dogs have always been female.


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## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

Thank You all! English Shepherds sound like they would be a good fit for our family, but I can't find any in our area. Maybe we'll just end up finding a mix somewhere. However, I do love Golden Retrievers and I'm thinking we may just end up getting one of those. So sweet- and the ones I've met haven't been extremely aggressive toward other animals or anything. I'd love to rescue a grown dog from the shelter but I'd prefer to raise a puppy so that I could train it the way I want to, and raise it around our animals.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

That's me too! I dread puppies, I don't know how anyone loves the puppy stage I like the dog stage lol but I won't risk my animals or my kids so I go with puppies :/


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## SingingBullRanch (Sep 11, 2016)

GoatCrazy01, where are you located? I know of at least one ES breeder in Oregon. I keep thinking there must be some more as they have an ES gathering in the Pacific Northwest on a fairly regular basis. They are much more common in the midwest and eastern side of the country.

There are people breeding Collies to English Shepherds, etc., and trying to bring back the older style Collie. Here is one link: http://www.farmcollie.com/
Here is another link: http://www.scotchcollie.org/
Take a look around those websites. You may find something interesting there.

I went with the ES instead of the Aussie when my last Aussie died because I needed more of an all around farm dog versus a herding dog. At this time I don't have a lot to herd or reason to herd, so an Aussie was just a bit more than I thought would be good for my place. If you decide to get an ES, or any herding/farm dog for that matter, make sure you get a pup or dog from working farm dog parents. I do know that some end up in the rescue system, but the drawback to that is you have no idea of the dog's history.

Linda Rorem is a good source for herding type dog information. Here is a website dedicated to herding breeds that she has: http://www.herdingontheweb.com/index.html

Border Collies have been bred to the point of being way too high strung for the average person or farm. There are some good ones out there, but they are much more difficult to find. There are cur dogs too that herd and do general farm dog stuff. Think Old Yeller.They might be a bit more hard hitting and different in temperament than you would want and you would have to be careful where you purchased one.

McNabs are another possibility for a general farm dog/herding dog. They come mainly from BC lines, but aren't as high strung. But they are not really common. Mainly in the CA area and the west, although you can find breeders elsewhere.

The only problem with picking something up at the shelter is you have no clue what is behind them either in genetics or temperament. Some work out fine, but others can be a nightmare. I have nothing against getting a shelter dog, but if you want a dog for a specific reason, it is much more difficult to know with a dog you have no history on. Much better odds when you get a dog that you know the parentage and can talk to the breeders. Health can be an issue too, as no mutt is checked for anything. Whereas a responsible breeder will have done the health checks on his breeding dogs. At the very least, the breeder will have a history of dogs to refer to, and if he is honest, he will tell you if there is any health issues popping up.


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## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

I'm in Michigan. Thank You for the information, I'll read the pages sometime soon  

A relative decided to find a home for one of their dogs, because their dogs were fighting (not actually fighting, just competing-like) for attention and were very jealous of each other and taking on each other's bad habits. We've known this dog ever since she was a pup, so we said we'd take her. She's 1/2 Shih Tzu and 1/2 Toy/Miniature Poodle. She doesn't chase animals (except for one time she chased a chicken) and is great with our family. We plan to keep her as a house dog, and then when we can save up a bit, get a good quality farm dog or LGD that is from working lines. So excited to have a dog again!


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