Talk to me about your pet dogs & your beloved chickens!

Beware the little dog too! My miniature schnauzers are my little killers. The big dogs would probably kill a chicken if we weren't around but our shepard just waits till they get close enoughand jumps at them and goes WHOOF! Just to see them run screaming. She thinks it's funny. But the little ones tried to eat the chicks a few times. I had to do a back of the head slap on my female because she snarfed up one of my banty chicks. The whole thing in one bite! I whopped her a good one and the chick went flying out at max velocity. A few missing feathers and drool but mostly ok. I was lucky.

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Sorry! This just struck me as so funny! "Snarf!"

Thanks for all the replies! In general, the little one is "meaner" than the big one, but the shepherd does have quite a prey drive. It will be interesting (and unnerving, I'm sure!) to see how it all pans out. The yard will be framed top & bottom with wood & will have wire over the top, stronger wire as a second layer on the bottom half & will be flanged out and buried in the soil. I'll also put timbers & large rocks around the bottom.

I might not ever trust the dogs with the chickens, but I'm sure after awhile they will learn to live in the same yard without too much fuss. The shep is not a puppy & minds pretty well once you get the idea through her thick skull.

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My parents had a stud horse when I was young, and I remember grabbing onto that electric fence trying (like a bad girl) to get into his turnout.
Hey, I made it to adulthood just fine!

we got a english Bulldogg puppy that runs from little chicks. lol. On the other hand We also have 2 English Mastiffs The weighs 210-230 pounds, i'm pretty sure they will eat my chickens.

I agree with the above comments. Buried my wire but 90lb lab has dug it up and pushed his way in to get to the watermelon and other treats I give the chickens. He could care less about them just wants all their food so I am always fixing the fence. I raise my chicks around the dogs. Chicks in secure cage around the dogs. For our first batch of chicks I conditioned the dogs (Lab, Husky, and Beagle Spaniel mix) with the hose. If they chased the chickens they got sprayed. they learned pretty quick. I still keep an eye on my husky cause in his younger years he was a proven skunk and ground hog killer. the beagle/spaniel mix will go in the chicken run and house and hunt for rodents which is great. My Muscovy duck will attack the Lab so they have to be separate. It is neat to have the chickens and the dogs roaming around the yard together. It is a process but worth it in my book

We have a Shepherd/Chow/Rot mix, and a Dachsund. When we first got chickens the dogs left them alone for a day or two, them our shepherd mix killed one in a burst of high spirits one day. I scolded her severely, and then every day twice a day or so, for about a week, I would take her by the barn, or somethimes we'd go in...I'd point to the chickens and scold her..."look, NO,NO,NO you cant HAVE them!!!! Bad Dog!!!". Eventually she dreaded going near the barn and would not look at the chickens. They thought this was cool, that a dog was afraid of them, and they would make scary noises at her and flap their wings. That was almost two years ago, and she has never harmed another one. Today she will come and sit with them when they are begging for treats; she gets treats, too, so they don't mind each other; otherwise, she ignores them, except when we need her to herd them away from the road...this she gently does by putting her nose low to the ground and walking along behind them...this is fun for her, and they get the message . The Dachsund just does whatever the shep mix does, so he has never been a problem; thechickens are just about as big as he is. Dogs can be a problem; I have two friends who badly want some chickens of their own but are afraid of what their dogs will do. I think it just depends on the dog's personality.

I have introduced the dogs to the chickens with guidance, instruction and supervision.
Now the 2 dogs; terrier mix{think Benji at 65#), and the younger dob/shep/lab mix(1 1/2 yo, 40#) and the 3 cats one of whom weighs 22#!! AND the chickens all hang out together.
The younger dog may think it's funny once in a while to come blasting over the bridge over the pond and send the chickens indignantly clucking and flapping away. GREAT fun for him.:|
Seems to me I had a brother who did that kind of stuff to me.
I looked out yesterday and there was one dog, one cat and three chickens under the bushes resting.

I know it can be done. I just don't know if it can be done with every dog.
Good luck!!
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I agree with chickbea about kids and electric wires. One zap is worth a hundred, "Now, Junior, please don't touch the fence or you will get hurt!".

I have 6 dogs and would love to let the chickens free-range with the dogs. Four of them would probably be cool with the chickens, but I have two of which I'm very uncertain. One is just plain stubborn; I would probably have to have a training collar for him, and even then, he tests the Invisible Fence often enough to have his battery wear down in less than a month. The other one is a varmint killer, and I'm not sure he would ever understand the difference between varmints and chickens. I'm also concerned that if I let out all 6 dogs at once, a pack mentality would set in and the prey drive would kick into gear, even on my gentle dogs.

Sure wish I knew the answers; I really don't want to have any training mistakes that would cost the life of Bo and the Production Reds!

While I've never had chickens before, I have had the incredibly stressful pleasure of introducing dogs to a whole range of various other animals. I think the biggest thing is patience and confidence on your part. If you're stressed out and scared during a first introduction, your dog will pick up on it and may react negatively, thinking your fear is being caused by the other animal. Another thing is training your dog(s) to know that the new animals are pets and part of the family. Being around the new animal, but not within striking distance---seeing and smelling--is also very, very important. I think that positive praise is also an excellent method. Scolding can work for a minute, but a lot of dogs forget they were just scolded within 2 minutes. On the other hand, for some reason they tend to remember what they did to earn a 'gooooooooood pupppy!!' and a treat Just dole out the head-scrubbin'-lovin continually while the dog is not doing anything naughty.

Nothing is ever 100% guaranteed with dogs because, well, they're dogs and they go with their instincts. But if they are not vicious by nature and are conditioned to recognize the chickens as fellow parts of the family rather than odd looking alien intruders (oh no!), I think that is a huge step.

First and foremost, though, is you being comfortable with the situation. I wouldn't leave the dogs and chickens unattended at all until you know for sure that nothing will happen. Don't force yourself and feel free to take as much time needed in order for you to not be in a constant state of worry. There is also nothing wrong with taking a few extra percautions (like electric fencing at night) for the first little bit.

I have 3 dogs and the only one I am the tiniest bit worried about is my Jack Russell, only because he loves to play and doesn't always understand if he's being too rough. (When he was a puppy, he used to drag the cat, who was just a few months older than him, around by the neck. They both found it highly amusing. So much that the kitty would run up to my Jack, and flop over on his side, waiting to be dragged around the kitchen. I, on the other hand, almost went into cardiac arrest every time I saw it.) I can say that every animal I have introduced him to has lived to tell the tale, even if I gained a few grey hairs in the process. If my high energy, annoying little Jack can do it, I think any dog can !

Many have made great comments. Ill add mine and they wont be pretty, so if you are a sensitive type stop now.

I have several family dogs, warm and loving and all that jazz. They had always been so sweet adorable, angelic - use whatever adjectives you like.
Someone always does so when this discussion comes up, regaling us with tales of how good their dogs are with chickens, kids and animals in general. Been there, thought that myself.

The I got some chickens in the back yard. I penned them up and built a pretty stout enclosure out of farm wire fencing. Or, so I thought.

Dogs have little els to do, it seems, but poke around the yard and they managed to discover a chink in my pens defenses, unseen by me. End result:
Every chicken I had was DEAD. Massacred and scattered about like leaves in the wind. A small and unknown battle had been waged in my yard and the birds were the definite losers.

For their part, the dogs were as happy as could be at the sport of the whole thing, They merely killed the birds, throttling them by the neck. No blood was found anywhere.

I learned that no matter what, say what you will, dogs are predators and they have that abiding instinct. Some more than others, some keeping it well hidden... but they all have it. To this day, my dogs are on probation.

Build your fences, string your electric wires and train your hounds as you will. But, whatever else you do, DO NOT turn your back on them around your chickens.