How to stop the family dog from chasing my chickens?

MitchellB

Hatching
9 Years
Jul 9, 2010
6
0
7
Greensboro
I may need to look in a dog forum for the best answer, but I need some advice or tips on getting our dog to stop chasing my chickens. I can be outside working all day with the chickens loose and my dog hardly pays them any attention, but as soon as I go inside and leave her alone with the chickens in the yard, she is off chasing them around. She has caught 2, but never harmed them yet. She only mouths it softly and lets it go again so she can chase it some more. So far all she had done is get them good and wet and scare the dickens out of chickens, but I gotta stop this before it goes too far. My dog has learned that I'll scold her if she goes near them when I'm around, but what to do when I'm not? Right now either the chickens or the dog has to be kept up when I'm inside. I was hoping I could let the chickens free range during the day in our fenced in back yard with the dog loose to protect them somewhat from local the racoon, foxes & possum that have been seen at night prowling the neighborhood.
 
I am sure if you search for dog in the Predators and Pests forum you will come up with a heap of questions/answers for your problem.
It is as old as the hills.
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Its positive that your dog doesnt hurt but lets go, you've been lucky there.
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You have identified when the problem is, when you are out of inside.
So it is either dog is on the tied up if left outside, while you go in.
Maybe you can do some training of having the hens come to you while you give them treats and ensuring that he really learns to "leave it" cause they are yours.
Good Luck
 
You could muzzle the dog while with the chickens so she cant bite. Ideally, one should never tempt the dog with easy chicken. This is just the dogs nature to be a preditor and the chicken is by nature prey. Another solution maybe to tie the dog in one area--soon the chickens will learn that they cant go there. Really, I think it is too much to ask to expect the dog to not be a dog. It is great that she doesnt chase them while you are there--perhaps she gets bored with out you.
 
My dog did the same catch/release game with my chickens but I a couple days after each "game" the chickens died! I then resorted to putting the dog in the kennel during the day and letting the chickens out to free range, and at night I reversed it! Worked for me!
 
Sorry to say this but those shock colars are maybe the only answer except gettin rid of the chickens or the dog. I don't agree with them 100% but we had someone drop a purebred Irish Setter around 5 years ago. He was and is an absolutely gorgeous dog. The only flaw he had was he would run into the woods, garden that has our bird feeder, whereever and just stand there and bark at the birds or just the trees. We used this and it took no time at all to break him of this. He never even had to go on the high setting to stop him. He is however a good watch dog and barks at anything that comes in the yard. He has also killed some predators near the coop for us (all by himself we didn't even ask him he just did it lol)
 
I used a shock collar on my dog and she has yet to even look like she is even thinking about chasing the chickens. I only had to shock her once (from what the instruction say the jolt is more like a static shock not like a huge electrical shock) and never had another issue. she even hangs out when i feed treats just in case i give something she might like.
 
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Yep, my Rusty does the same thing. He will come inside the runs or coops if I let him. But her usually stays with me and my Golden Retriever in the morning and evenings. Sometimes during the day as well. Glad we rescued him.
 
My girlfriend did the same thing. It took her dog, who is alittle slow, a couple of times. Now she won't even look at the coop and will run if she see a chicken. My girlfriend felt bad about doing it but was done losing birds to her dog.
 

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