Neighbor's dog killing my chickens

[Starfire669]

Dogs are not "imprisoned". They are not wolves that "must run free". They are domesticated animals and should be contained, need to be contained.

If you feel you are imprisoning your dogs by confining them, do what I do. i take mine to dog park every Sunday for exercise and socialization. you could just as easily take them on hikes or what not for the same reason. Aside from exercise this is a great way to spend time with your animals and further your bond.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

instead of trying to imprison the animals why not try to actually fix their problems? They need exercise and discipline! And not beating the dog either, that just makes them fear you (not trust you) and lose respect for you. This is the exact opposite of what you want from a dog.

These dogs were bred to run hundreds of miles in days. You think it's going to be content to sit in a cage all day, or spend all of its time frustrated and trying to get out and once it sees something catch its attention, BAM! dead livestock.

Where in the post you quoted did the poster say that their dogs were beaten or not exercised? Containing your dog does not mean you don't provide exercise. My dogs are not allowed to roam, they are exercised with daily play/training sessions AND are out with us anytime we are outside - we do chores, they get to "be dogs". The exercise is for everyone's benefit - they need the exercise and I benefit from it because a tired dog is a good dog. That being said, the rest of the time they are "imprisoned" - for their safety, our peace of mind and because it is our obligation as responsible pet owners to keep them contained.

 

[Starfire669]

Where in the post you quoted did the poster say that their dogs were beaten or not exercised? Containing your dog does not mean you don't provide exercise. My dogs are not allowed to roam, they are exercised with daily play/training sessions AND are out with us anytime we are outside - we do chores, they get to "be dogs". The exercise is for everyone's benefit - they need the exercise and I benefit from it because a tired dog is a good dog. That being said, the rest of the time they are "imprisoned" - for their safety, our peace of mind and because it is our obligation as responsible pet owners to keep them contained.

I agree 100%!

Containment is just as much for the dogs safety as for the livestock's safety. I do not beat my animals, i train them with a firm hand yes. I will use physical touch, not to hurt but to get the dogs attention. If the dog is hyper and you yell at it, it doesn't hear you. Using a gentle tap or smack to get the dogs attention, then giving correction is not beating it! my dogs used to get daily walks, until the day we were attacked by the pack of strays down the street. Now i have to keep them in my yard for their safety. If they got loose they would be seriously injured by that stray pack, they have already killed 1 German Shepard, 1 Weenie dog, and 1 Shepard/Husky mix. They broke into yards to savage the German Shepard and weenie dog, and the husky mix got loose and they killed it.
So we make a holiday on Sunday. The hubby and I pack up the dogs, kids, and some snacks and go to the dog park for most of the day. There we play with the dogs, both ours and other peoples, let our dogs run and play with other dogs and just have a good time. Dogs need daily interaction from the owners to be well behaved, happy dogs. Just letting it run in the back yard and feeding it does not make for a happy pooch.

 

[Starfire669]

I am just as guilty as everyone else, but how about we turn this thread into something more productive? Like giving ideas on how to protect chickens and other livestock from the predation of dogs, and also fencing ideas to keep our beloved dogs safely confined to our property. Someone saw a weakness in my fencing idea, anyone have suggestings on improving it?

 

[speckledhen]

Basically, "contained" means no more than keep them on your own property by whatever means necessary, so they are unable to leave it. It does not mean they never get exercise or that they are abused. That is just silly to think it's all or nothing, run free through the neighborhood or "in prison". It's as much for their own safety as for the safety of other humans and animals in the surrounding area. '

Some people are deathly afraid of dogs and should not have to put up with being chased/tracked by some one else's free roaming "pet". Frankly, my signature line says it all. If a dog is off the property of its owner, it instantly becomes a predator and is in danger of being treated as one as it enters the property of some other individual, rightly so. Most state laws back that up to some degree. Any dog that lowers its head and growls at a human is a dangerous animal, period. Even normally friendly ones when in their own yard may suddenly turn and bite when approached while on a killing spree or when packed up with other dogs.


Starfire, I saw the gap. The bungees may work to a degree, not sure what else to do.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Should say, my dogs "imprisonment" is in a spacious (3 bedroom) climate controlled structure -- aka our house - where they are "forced" to lounge about on furniture, chew bones and be doted on by their human servants. We don't have a fenced yard or kennels - outside time is on leash until they earn off-leash after they show themselves ready (trained and reliable).

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Funny story? Just to lighten things up?

A lady looks out her back window to see her German Shepherd shaking what looks like a rag doll. Oh no. It's one of the neighbour's prize rabbits. He keeps his hutches at the back of his property and her dog must have gotten through the fence! She runs but is too late. The prize rabbit is very dead and covered with mud.

She notices the neighbour is not home and decides on a plan. She takes the dead rabbit indoors, shampoos and rinses it and dries it with her blow dryer until it is fluffy and silky. The, feeling very guilty, she sneaks into the neighbours back yard and puts the dead rabbit back in his hutch.

That night the neighbour stops by her front porch to chat.

"Amazing thing happened today, ma'am"
"What might that be?"
"My prize rabbit, found him dead in his hutch."
"Very sad, I'm sure, but why amazing?"
"Because ma'am, he died yesterday and I buried him in the garden last night!"

 

[Starfire669]

Should say, my dogs "imprisonment" is in a spacious (3 bedroom) climate controlled structure -- aka our house - where they are "forced" to lounge about on furniture, chew bones and be doted on by their human servants. We don't have a fenced yard or kennels - outside time is on leash until they earn off-leash after they show themselves ready (trained and reliable).

i have had good results training my Belgian and Rottweiler, but the second they see a dog walk by the yard, they go crazy trying to get to it. Do you have that problem? If so, how did you train your dogs to resist the urge?
My Siberians, sadly must stay confined at ALL times, either on a leash or behind a fence. Those suckers are fast and and keep going forever, so i don't take chances with them off leash. But I would like to train the Belgian and Rott to be chicken guardians, any tips or advice? Both on how to make them chicken friendly and how to train them to stay in our yard even when a dog walks by.

 

[Starfire669]

Starfire, I saw the gap. The bungees may work to a degree, not sure what else to do.

The only thing I can think of is to rebuild the gate using standard sized posts. But I am not sure if it would be too heavy for the hinges then. I wish, that they made size adapter pieces like they do for PVC. Then, i could just slap an adapter on top of the gate and screw the leaners down on that, then no gap what so ever.
For those starting from scratch, i would recommend making the fence higher than 4 feet, that way even if you have the same gap it is much harder for the dog to jump up and get a good enough grip to be able to climb out. Bungee is all well and good, but is temporary at best, dogs can chew through it so it must be checked everyday.

 

[Starfire669]

Funny story? Just to lighten things up?

A lady looks out her back window to see her German Shepherd shaking what looks like a rag doll. Oh no. It's one of the neighbour's prize rabbits. He keeps his hutches at the back of his property and her dog must have gotten through the fence! She runs but is too late. The prize rabbit is very dead and covered with mud.

She notices the neighbour is not home and decides on a plan. She takes the dead rabbit indoors, shampoos and rinses it and dries it with her blow dryer until it is fluffy and silky. The, feeling very guilty, she sneaks into the neighbours back yard and puts the dead rabbit back in his hutch.

That night the neighbour stops by her front porch to chat.

"Amazing thing happened today, ma'am"
"What might that be?"
"My prize rabbit, found him dead in his hutch."
"Very sad, I'm sure, but why amazing?"
"Because ma'am, he died yesterday and I buried him in the garden last night!"