Dog has adopted my chicks

[plucker]

Put my chick outside in a pen today for the first time. Was a bit worried about our 6 dogs. But one of our young females took it upon herself to adopt the chicks. She growled at any other dog that came near the pen and acted as their protector. Makes me feel safer about when they eventually move outside for good.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Fantastic dog

 

[CherBru]

Good dog!

 

[wannabchick]

 

[Kudzu]

Probably waiting on them to gain a few lbs before chowing down. Just joshing......

 

[cadobbertien]

Mauhhahahahah Kudzu that's funny. I have 3 standard poodles and I can only hope they will behave when the chicks arrive

 

[TouchO'Lass]

Gooooood, Poochie! Is she one of the poodles?

Probably waiting on them to gain a few lbs before chowing down. Just joshing......

wrong, but funny!!

My golden mix, Chance, has been 'guarding' the laundry room since the peeps arrived, but I don't know how the shepard mix, Loki, is going to react when the girls git to running around. He mostly ignores my my cat and chihuahua, but he DOES live up to his name at times...

I've been trying to introduce them a little every day so it's not a novelty when the ladies go outside, but I sure would like to hear about other BYCers successful intros of dogs to chickens?​

 

[WalkerH]

I had the same thing. My very motherly dog went after our two puppies when we had the chicks inside. The pups stuck their head in the bin and Peanut went right after them. They backed off after that and Peanut would go and look in on them every couple of minutes.

 

[abobwhat]

anyone have tips for getting dogs used to the chicks / chickens so they dont harass them?

 

[WalkerH]

I'm a fan of rewarding for good behavior and correcting bad. I don't really care what people say about correcting a dog when it does something bad, they want to say a dog is like a child, I certainly correct children when they are bad. It is how you balance it out. Salivating and focusing is bad behavior, which should be corrected. Laying there calm = good behavior, reward. That is pretty much what I do. Although my sister's dog has been banned from going anywhere near my chickens after we found her carrying it around in her mouth, before we had the covering on the brooder. She stole it and was carrying it around, sneaky little bugger. Didn't kill it, didn't crunch it. She was just soft mouthed with it, but I don't want her to think she can do that.