Visit any horse place, and you will meet a canine friend for sure; horse owners love to keep a farm dog to hang around their horses. They are animal lovers, of course, but dogs are also known to herd cattle for decades and have several benefits of being around a stable. Obviously, different breeds of dogs can serve different purposes, and as the owner of horses, you should consider the one which suits your situation the best. Here are some breed types you should check out.
1. Guard Dogs:
If you live in an area where your main aim is protection from the unknown, such as people or predators of their livestock, these dogs are the ones you should consider. Their protectiveness comes in use in ranches as well. Dogs like German Shepherds, Doberman, Mastiffs, and Rottweilers are some breeds you can choose from. These are large breeds; hence their presence may scare away the unknown threat. Also, due to their size, they are less likely to be injured. But these are protective and strong dogs that need proper training, or else they can become dangerous to the surrounding people. These dogs are not generally good with horses and may need some training to maintain the needed distance from the horses to avoid any injury due to horse kick. If you are looking for a breed with which you can travel around, these are not really apt as they are large and may not be comfortable to travel around with.
2. Livestock Protection:
If, along with a horse ranch, your property also stores livestock like cows, goats, sheep, and chickens, they are prone to attack by predators. Well, the good news is that there are breeds out there specifically to protect livestock, such as Bernese Mountain Dogs, Great Pyrenees, and Anatolian shepherds, which are bred to protect livestock from predators such as eagles, cougars, coyotes, and others. They are again large in size, hence traveling with them can become a challenge.
3. Pest Control Dogs:
These are smaller dog breeds specially used to keep rodents away, hence also named ratters. This breed of dogs can be used as pest population control in farms and ranches. If you also farm, these may be the best dog breeds you can get hold of. Though they are small, they are super energetic breeds of dogs like Rat Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier, Yorkshire Terrier, and Brussels Griffon.
4. Good Travelers:
If you are a horse owner who needs to be a lot on the road as you attend horse shows, then a large dog breed may be tough to travel with. You have to opt for medium to small dog breeds like Fox Terriers, Australian Cattle Dogs, and Corgis.
5. Friendly:
You may need a dog not just for the farms and ranch, but also one who can be friends with your family as well. An aggressive dog breed is not safe to be around small children. Instead, you can get friendly dogs that can be easily trained to guard your farm and ranch. These breeds include Golden Retriever, Labrador Retrievers, Standard poodle, Corgis and Greyhounds, and mixed breeds like Labradoodle and Goldendoodle. Check out We Love Doodles to gain more info on the Doodle breed.
The reality is that not all dog breeds are good for farm life, and even if you get the right breed, you have to train them to really be of any use on your farm.
