Help....my dogs are not liking the new additions

Date sort Score sort
tina 14

tina 14

Hatching
6 Years
Jun 16, 2013
4
0
7
I am new to chickens, thought I would get my own as I was spending so much money each week to buy eggs...what's better then having your own...prepared the 13ft chicken run and house...got my 4 hens yesterday.
My 2 huskies are going mad for them, they have their own run but are trying to break through their gate...at the moment the dogs are inside..just because they now the chickens are there they have been howling, whimpering, jumping up at the run fence and crying..really worried about the neighbours complaining as you never hear anything from my dogs. In a real dilemma now not really sure what to do...the dogs were here first, the chickens are for my eggs and hopefully to become members of the family...but thinking maybe it was a bad idea...really don't think my dogs are going to settle to the new additions...any advice if others have been through this..as its really not fair to keep the dogs indoors all the time...really stressing..
 
welcome-byc.gif
It's also not fair to let dogs think they can run your life. You want chickens and have a right to have them. Electric collars can train them faster when when they get hyper and want to go after your birds. .

Neighbors have 2 Siberian huskies and they also have the buried electric fence. I can tell you they never try to go out of bounds, and they don't yap and bark like a lot of other huskies I've seen.

It's best to have a remote for the electric collars so the dog doesn't know you are giving him a zotz. I am told the shock is like "static shock" and not harmful but it gets the dogs attention.

I know you said the dogs came first but, I am sure they are not the be all, and end all of your life. What is the dogs decided you couldn't have new friends come over?? They have to know you are the alpha dog - the leader, and they have to respect you. Their brute strength and energy doesn't make them the boss.
 
Thank you drumstick diva for those words...will try out the collars and see where that goes...:)
 
Thank you drumstick diva for those words...will try out the collars and see where that goes...:)
 
Greetings from Kansas, tina14, and
welcome-byc.gif
! Pleased you joined us! Sounds very challenging - my dogs show initial interest and then totally ignore my birds. I like drumstick's advice. Good luck to you!
 
I know it takes more effort but if you put them on a lead and hold it tight to your side and walk the dogs around the birds and then a little tap on the underneath part of their mouth has worked so far with our dog. It does take a little more effort and time but it lets them know you are in charge and that you have set the rule that at least these birds are off limits. It is also cheaper then shock collars.
 
drumstick diva's advice is brilliant. You do need to be the alpha dog, you want chickens. Your dogs may be different to mine - but whenever I get a new pet, I've got a pack crowding around me to sniff and bark at the new arrivals. I tell them to back off sternly, before showing them the new pets for less than a minute, getting to sniff the new chicken. They are then satisfied and go and mind their own business after that. If they go back and pester the chicken, I tell them to back off again.
My dogs are good and pretty mellow around my other pets. But I do know that some of my friends dogs can be irritating, aggressive and pushy if they want something, a clear lack of dominance.
Maybe just try showing your chickens to your huskies if you haven't already? But please be careful, I don't want your chicken's head bitten off because of my advice!
Good luck, and welcome to BYC! :)
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom