How To Train Your Dog Not To Kill Chickens

[GloriaGaynor]

I have two Mountain Feist, bred to hunt just about anything. They have been paying way too much attention to my coop, now that I moved it inside their fenced domain. They bark and go crazy anytime the chickens are in an uproar about something, and they have made my chickens really skittish so that I can't get them to cozy up to me when I bring treats. Yesterday, I had the coop door closed but not latched and one of the hens got out and was promptly killed by the dogs. My yoga instructor told me an old country solution to this problem worked with her dog. So, today when Larri started barking and being aggressive towards the chickens, I went and got that dead chicken and wired its feet together. Then, using a carabiner, I hooked the wire to his collar. I am going to make him drag it around all day and then let him loose tonight. As you can see in this photo, he was instantly shamed and he has hardly moved since then. This is a wonderful (although gross) punishment because I didn't yell, hit, or scold. I'll letcha know how his behavior changes after this experiment!

 

[dainerra]

you do realize that dogs LOVE dead things? they go out of their way to roll in them, chew on them, and carry them home.
This type of training, at best, means a dog that is too scared of chickens to go towards them. At worst, it is completely useless. It does nothing to teach a dog HOW to behave around chickens or what, exactly, is expected of him.

There are a lot of different training methods, depending on what you want to accomplish (guard? ignore?) but they all require actual effort on the part of the owner. Quick fixes like this are useless in the majority of cases.

Also, be careful because your dog could easily hang himself if the bird was to get caught on something.

 

[centrarchid]

Dachshunds were breed specifically to hunt badgers. It's a dog with a very high PREY DRIVE as are most burrowing and hunting breeds.

I agree that training and constant re enforcement and practice is the best way to train a dog but in some breeds the prey drive is hard to overcome and it becomes even more difficult if you have more that one dog of that same breed since they compete with eachother.

One of our dogs has a strong prey drive. She is very obedient when I have eyes on her but I would never trust her out of voice distance and she is never allowed near farm animals without supervision.

PS: I just heard (somewhat frantic) "singing"...I think that a RIR just laid her first egg! Our chicks hatched around 4/1 and started laying on Tuesday. Now we have three laying and this would be out 8th egg.... Almost enough for a $500.00 omlet!

This is not a prey drive or herding drive issue. I use high energy hunting dogs and always have. The dogs are expected to free range simulataneously with poultry (mine are juveniles) without supervision. Too many people that have read up on dog breeds but not actually put them through their paces are saying what can and can not be done. It is a combination of training and conditioning that is needed.

Keeping a dog penned up or in house except to use bathroom is not putting it through paces. Neither is keeping a dog for show purposes. Get to know your dogs. Develop communication so you have control. The dog needs a focus of interest that is not directly chicken / livestock oriented. Give the dog outlets for energy so it is not expended on poultry. You can realize a situation where poultry are safe like household furniture in the company of the dogs.

 

[centrarchid]

I have a Jack russell that can never be trusted around anything chicken or 4 legged and 40 pounds or less. He has took down 40 pound wild swine. He is the most lovable 22 pound dog I have ever had and is quite docile for his breed, but was bred to kill vermin in the middle ages and that triat will never be lost. Certian breeds just have such a strong search and destroy drive it cant be broken. You may be chasing nirvana trying to educate a hunting breed not to hunt.

My brother kept a jack russell that free ranged along side a black and tan coonhound. Both patrolled pen area and free-range area supporting gamechickens and as a team were very effective against all small vermin such as raccoons, oppossums and foxes. Jack russell also did well for rats around horse stalls helping to keep their numbers down. During coldest part of winter an old hen not able to get into trees with others would roost in dog house with jack russell on dogs back benefitting both for warmth.

Nirvana is an easy place to reach if you know how to get there.

 

[Gofygure]

I was lucky enough to have some chicks in the house while raising one dog. He spent so much time with them as a puppy that he got bored with them by 12 weeks and was more interested in vacuuming up spilled chick feed. Now they barely warrant a cursory sniff from him.

My Boxer was not raised with poultry, however, and has a respectable prey drive. I started by harnessing her and bringing her to the chickens. Every time she stopped staring at the birds and paid attention to me, she got a treat. Eventually I started drilling her on a leash next to them, going over all the various tricks she knew. Basically, I gave her a choice between the reward and fixating on the chickens. When I felt like she had a strong "leave it" down and she consistently watched me, she was allowed to approach and sniff the chickens to satisfy her curiosity. I spent hours showing her how to relax around the chickens, and now I trust her off-leash with no hesitation. I always recommend positive training, rather than motivating through fear or shocks.

With that said, neither of my two was bred to hunt, and every dog should be evaluated on a case by case basis. Some dogs simply cannot be around free-ranging chickens.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I have a pit-bull mix and three pugs. The pit and two of the pugs are rescues from local shelters with mixed histories of abuse. All four dogs are out in the yard with my 5 chickens everyday without any problems. In fact I once had a chicken attack a dog but never the opposite. Everyone guaranteed me that the pit would kill my chickens but she has never been a problem.

Here is what I personally recommend: The most important thing to focus on overall is controlling your dogs impulse control. Make sure that you can snap your dogs attention back to you even when they see something they want. (I can't snap so I use an "aht." noise) One of the best ways to work on this without a live animal present is during feeding. Do you free feed your dogs or do they eat at regular times? I would recommend taking them off of free feeding if you are doing that. Focus on training your dogs so they they will not eat anything unless you give a specific command. I set down all four bowls of food and make the dogs wait. They do not eat until they hear their own name and see a hand gesture. Also work on them stopping eating at a command and willing stepping away from their food. I say "Name, wait." and they stop and sit until told to continue. These skills help with impulse control in many areas of training. It takes time but it's completely worth it.

I would introduce the dog to the chickens on a leash and just sit and be calm. As soon as she starts to fixate on the chickens in any way other than simple curiosity or barks or is excited I would scold her with the same word everytime and immediately take her inside. With my dogs I brought them back when they were calm and started all over again. It took a bit of patience but within a few days all of the dogs ignored the chickens and now find very little interest in them at all other than a sniff here or there. The key is teaching your dogs that everything including those chickens belong to you and not to them. I never yelled or hit them or used a choke or a shock. None of that is needed. I just said no and took them away immediately at any sign of fixation or barking. Patience is the key and consistency. It sucks because sometimes you are busy and don't want to deal with it but starting and stopping will just make it worse.

Overall I would be a bit concerned about tying something dead to my dog. I would assume she would eat it and it also seems unsanitary to keep there for long especially in the hot summer. But, I am not knowledgeable in this method.

For fun, here is my dog Lou with a silkie chick.

 

[TXchickmum]

-can't imagine that hanging a chicken carcass around a dog's neck is of any benefit regarding training. -pretty much useless. -also, can't imagine having hunting breeds (large or small) around chickens with the reasonable expectation that they won't "hunt"/kill the birds. Why punish a hunting breed for doing that for which it is bred? -makes no sense.....

 

[FOWLEDPEAS]

I have actually tried this method years ago. It only worked for a short time. A trick I saw a lady use one time seemed to work real well with her parrots, cats, and dogs: She would take the parrot and allow it to bite the cat while holding the cat. She would take the cats and do the same with the dogs. The cats never bothered her parrots again and the dogs stayed clear of the cats. The thing that worked for me recently, was to buy a remote-controlled shock-collar. Yeah, sounds cruel, but it works fast! Two mild shocks to our pi-tbull taught her to NEVER chase after a bird again! I bought mine off Amazon, and you can either use a sound or a shock to frighten the dog with it. Good luck!

 

[kota1369]

I have chickens and dogs and goats. The "best" way to teach them is to TEACH them! Its no different then teaching them not to pee in the house. Consistancy and with patience.
LOL My dogs would eat the chicken off the other ones collar. Its dead! Dogs eat dead things.
An electric collar can be usefull but they are a tool that you know how to use. Just putting it on the dog and busting it, is not teaching the dog. You can ruin a dog with the wrong tools.
Training, training, training..........
Will bring you amazing rewards.
And yes, I have had a chicken killed by one of my dogs. It happens. Move on. And continue to teach your dog the correct behavior around a chicken.

 

[fluttervale]

"so all I would have to do with my puppy is go out with her and tell her no with the chickens everyday?"

Somewhat. You want to teach her a "leave it" command that applies to WHATEVER you tell her to leave. "Leave it" means "you may not have whatever it is that you want." So in my house, it means: Stop begging, leave the cat alone, don't bother the kid on the sidewalk, you do in fact NOT need to pick up that dirty sock, stop staring out the window, etc.

Training dogs is not a one-and-done. It's an ongoing process through the animal's entire life. You will have a partner, not a pet, by the time your dog is about 2 years of age. You don't just take the dog out to the coop once a day and tell her to leave the chickens alone. You use a generic command in a specific circumstance. You'll use the same command when telling her that she can't steal food from the kids. As your puppy ages you'll leave her in the coop for a minute while you grab a scoop of feed, once you think she's trustworthy. It's not a test of her obedience, but a demonstration of your trust. So you don't do it until you know she won't do anything but wait for you at the door, just like you don't leave her alone with the kids until you know she won't steal their snack right from their hands.

Some dogs you will never be able to trust with chickens. I have a Labrador girl that I've had since she was 4 months old that can't be trusted with a cat. I have a Labrador male from the same breeder that I'd trust with anyone, anything, anytime, after an appropriate introduction. Current cat I would have no issue with plopping her into a pen of day old chicks and leaving her there for the day. She'd be mad but no one would get hurt (except maybe me.) Want to add that the Labrador girl that I would never trust with cats has the softest mouth imaginable and brings my Dad ("her human") at least a dozen baby birdies every single year. I wouldn't leave her with chickens, though, as she'd mouth the entire lot.

Dogs can't be used just as "things" that serve a purpose, they are best used when considered a partner in your venture. Dogs that aren't fulfilled mentally become destructive and dangerous. You have to have the relationship in that even if your dog does the unthinkable (killing a chicken, etc.) you can still reach in his mouth and take something away from them without worrying about getting bit. My Labrador boy is a partner in everything. We go for rides together (Yay, Rides!), we go for walks together (Yay, Walks!), he's within arm's length whenever he can be.

He does have one weakness. He would very much like to kill himself a raccoon (he is neutral about everything, though does flush pheasant) and while he can be called off, he makes it really clear that you are ruining his day when you do it. I won't let him tackle a raccoon. I'd rather use the .22 and not risk the vet bills.