North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Lori Rizzo <rizzolori1@gmail.com>]

If you want a varmit dog, think of the sighthounds - whippets will keep the
squirrels and rabbits and possums out - and they can catch them! - however,
they aren't much on deer, though they may give chase.  However, they have
to also be house dogs and don't tolerate really cold temps - and it's best
to have 2 of them.  gOTOH, they don't require much training, are very calm
as adults, and are extremely personable to people and children.  They also
don't bark much (some not at all), and are extremely clean dogs.  But no
breeder will sell you one if it is only an outside dog or you don't have a
good fence - you do have to train them to come, since they are fast dogs.

Your other choice is a terrier or beagle.  However, beagles bark and dig.
Rat terriers or Jack Russels are great varmit dogs - but they do bark
sometimes and are not always great around kids - you do have to train them.

Problem with the herding and livestock guard dogs is they don't really go
after small game, though they are easy keepers.  Also, they can be
territorial and taking care of their coats requires quite a bit of time.
 But they can be left outside - i.e., are o.k. with just being barn dogs.
 Some people get Australian Shepherds, but they are very territorial and
barky towards strangers and other outside animals.

Best,
Lori


On Sun, Feb 23, 2014 at 8:39 AM, Ginda Fisher <list@ginda.us> wrote:

> Cats even discourage deer, if the deer aren't too hungry. Some cats are
> much more interested in hunting than others. A good hunting cat is a boon
> to the fruit-grower.
> Ginda
>
> On Feb 22, 2014, at 8:19 PM, Naomi Counides wrote:
>
> > This could be interesting. I have two LGDs.  Livestock Guardian Dogs.
>  Their
> > job and breeding is to protect the goat herd.  They bark. Especially at
> > night.  That tells predators that there is a BIG dog with no sense of
> humor
> > on duty. They are not mouse getters nor do I have any evidence that they
> > would consider trees a herd.  They are  prodigious hole diggers.
> >
> > Cats are good on mice and gophers and they do not bark or dig holes.
>  They
> > do sharpen their claws on trees.
> >
> > No one around here has had much success with deer.  Though some try to
> even
> > up the score with a depredation tag.
> > Naomi
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> >> From: alexis <alexis@conev.org>
> >> Sent: Feb 22, 2014 3:23 PM
> >> To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
> >> Subject: [nafex] Best Dog Breed for Orchard Protection?
> >>
> >> Hey folks,
> >> I have an orchard that is productive, but it gets cut to pieces by
> >> deer, groundhogs, and other varmits. I have tried many things, and as a
> >> result have come to the conclusion that the overall best solution is a
> dog.
> >> Does anyone have any opinions about what breed is best for protecting
> >> an orchard? The ideal dog would ravenously pursue any varmit of any
> >> size, but not be too large or too barky.
> >> Any opinions welcome.
> >> Thanks!
> >> Alexis
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-- 
Lori Rizzo, BSN MBA RN
*Healthcare Quality & Performance Improvement*
*Behavioral Dog Training & Counseling*
*Heirloom & Unusual Vegetable Propagation*
*Dedham, MA*
*rizzolori1@gmail.com <rizzolori1@gmail.com>*