Around here, people use maremas, or marema crosses, guardian dogs. They live outside with access to a dog house, their coats are so thick that they overheat if brought indoors- they are not comfortable indoors, and are away from their job if indoors- again a source of discomfort for them. The yard would have to be fenced with a dog-proof fence, but this is not a difficult issue since these dogs are too big and heavy to jump high. A regular “farm fence” (wire squares) would hold them from straying off the property. The problem with the electric underground deterrent fences is that if the dog gets past them while doing their job, they can’t get back to your house and yard. They need to have company full time, something that they can “guard”, some sort of livestock with which they can “bond”. This can be chickens, or sheep, or whatever, possibly horses would do. So they hang out with their livestock, in the fenced yard. And they are on patrol 24/7. Nothing comes into the yard that they do not notice, day or night. They don’t bark much, they just chase and remove anything that enters their area to the fence line, day and night, to protect their livestock. Most invading animals simply don’t enter the yard, knowing that the guardian dog is there. They work for deer, as well as predators… anything that enters the yard and is not part of their flock or herd, anything that they recognise as “other”. Down sides, they eat a LOT of dog food, and produce a LOT of dog manure, which, in a restricted area, if you don’t get picked up regularly, will have the same or worse issues that you currently have with the deer poop. They are expensive dogs to buy, usually around $1000 with basic training and socialization installed, which you then need to transfer to your own situation. They tend to be friendly dogs with people, but if you get one that isn’t, they are big enough to do substantial damage to a human. We don’t own one, but probably should, as we do have problems with predators and our chickens and cats. We have a number of local friends who do have one, or more than one. Normally, these dogs are kept on large acreages, surrounded by crown land, and their ranges are extensive, and they are not fenced in when working in these situations. These are working dogs, not pet dogs.
We have a lot of deer too, at our house. The deer poop is good lawn fertilizer, and doesn’t stink, and breaks down fairly quickly. My vegetable garden, and my one small flower garden, are deer fenced. Our hay barn has a “deer curtain” to keep deer from eating our stored hay crop. The fawns are cute in the late spring. We have deer on our deck, looking in and licking our living room windows, and touching noses with the house cat. We have deer in our indoor arena in summer- the arena has to be “de-deered” before riding (they give you the stink-eye as you explain that all deer have to LEAVE now). We had one instance of a deer jumping into the arena during a riding clinic (the deer didn’t know that the clinic was on), landing in front of a green horse being ridden into the turn, almost head on collision, spun and jumped back out again (everyone survived). They try to eat my fake flower brush jumps. We have deer out grazing with our horses. I have horses who will chase deer, for fun and entertainment. Deer born and raised on our farm become semi-tame, we walk by them 10 feet away, greet them as we pass- they are accustomed to us. When hunters fatally wound them, they come here to die, where they have felt safe. Sometimes it is easier to simply embrace and appreciate nature. Some people don’t have this opportunity.
