My Dog wants to eat my chickens. She has predator eyes for them.

[ChickenRisa]

I will second what sbhkma said, it does take a lot of training, but if you are the pack leader to your dogs then "the pack mentality" works in your favor. If anyone's not sure what it means to be the pack leader, I would recommend researching and watching The Dog Whisperer. Ceaser Millan has done some amazing things with dogs and it's all with his "be the pack leader" mentality of training. Blew my mind when I watched it.

 

[cafarmgirl]

I have raised and trained our own ranch dogs for years and it is true that training is key but so is the temperament of the individual dog. Some dogs will simply never be safe around chickens no matter how alpha their owner is or how much training goes into them.

 

[CrazyTalk]

Some dogs will simply never be safe around chickens no matter how alpha their owner is or how much training goes into them.

And some dogs are simply never safe around people no matter how alpha their owner is. There's a good percentage of the training world that thinks The Dog Whisperer creates really dangerous dogs who are prone to going after their owner - as an act of trying to reassert themselves as alpha.

As it is with roosters, you don't want to be the top of the pecking order, you want to be outside it.

 

[ChickenRisa]

And some dogs are simply never safe around people no matter how alpha their owner is. There's a good percentage of the training world that thinks The Dog Whisperer creates really dangerous dogs who are prone to going after their owner - as an act of trying to reassert themselves as alpha.

As it is with roosters, you don't want to be the top of the pecking order, you want to be outside it.

I disagree, but I don't want to start a big argument on the forum. I do appreciate the Ceaser Millan has ignored the culturally accepted view that some dogs are irredeemable and has rehabilitated so many that beforehand would have immediately been put to sleep. He's pushing the boundaries of what we thought possible with dog behavior, and I think that's a good thing when it means saving more lives. I know there are many that disagree with his techniques, I personally think they are amazing. We are responsible for our dog's behavior as their owners, and if we are not the ones setting the boundaries then we have no control over what those behaviors are going to be.

 

[CrazyTalk]

His stuff is dangerous nonsense - there are numerous accounts of dogs he has trained attacking people, being more violent after he has worked with them, etc. His techniques make it drastically more likely that you are bitten by your own animal. His results, and the lawsuits against him show this to be very clear.

As to him redeeming irredeemable dogs, a significant portion of the dogs he has worked with on the show have later been put down after mauling their owners. Constant negative reinforcement leads to dogs that are significantly more likely to respond dangerously. Animals that are constantly in fear behave well until they snap.

He's a dangerous crank.

 

[ChickenRisa]

I don't want to turn this thread into a heated Ceaser Millan debate, so let's just agree to disagree.

I do stand by my statement that owners need to be in charge of their dog's behavior. What's dangerous is when the dog is allowed to be in charge which leads to aggression and unpredictability. I have personally seen so many cases of this and it makes me scared for the owner and everyone around them.

 

[BayBay Peepers]

I hope it works out for you whatever route you choose. We got lucky here. Both of our adult dogs took to chickens well. I kept the chicks in the house so both could see them and when it was time to move outside they just kind of all became buds. The only time my dog went after a chicken was for my protection against a mean ole' rooster

The only thing I wanted to add is something I heard from an old timer. He said any time a dog of his killed a chicken he would tie it around the dogs neck and leave it for weeks. He said after that the dog would leave them alone. Just an idea

 

[sbhkma]

The only thing I wanted to add is something I heard from an old timer. He said any time a dog of his killed a chicken he would tie it around the dogs neck and leave it for weeks. He said after that the dog would leave them alone. Just an idea

There are several problems with that
1) This means you're obviously not letting the dog inside or getting NEAR it due to the smell
2) Many dogs think the smell of something dead is AWESOME - one of mine absolutely loves to roll in anything smelly and the smellier the better
3) The dog seriously has NO idea why you did that to him. I love dogs. I've trained many. They're not "that" smart
4) You really want your dog carrying around a maggot-infested dead animal for weeks?

 

[BayBay Peepers]

Like I said it was something mentioned to me. Just sharing. I don't have these problems, I've never had a dog try to kill my other animals...ever and I've had dogs all my life.

 

[meskybar]

I gave my dogs the side yard and fenced it off because I was unsure how they would react to the chickens. After some time the chickens started jumping the fence and now my dogs could care less about them..