training a dog to leave chickens alone

[CatUT]

i agree that until you know how an animal is going to be, they shouldn't be left unsupervised around any other animals. That being said not all dogs will attack chickens when ever they get a chance. Our dog was older when we got chickens but we've never had any problems with her and any of our other animals. We've never had to train her or anything. However, I would say that she is the exception rather than the rule. I totally trust her around our chickens. She actually cracks walnuts open for them. Most so they'll leave her alone.

 

[MaineChickenRun]

I understand the dogs are predators and chickens are prey thing. I personally leave my dog outside only if my chickens are free ranging. She protects them and will herd them into the coop. She sounds the alarm if a predator comes near her chickens. We taught her that they were her chickens when we got them. She loves them.

 

[settingdusk]

An australian shepard can be taught to herd anything. A good dog whistle can help you train him.

 

[Amastacia]

I just realized the the OP asked for advice on how to teach the dog to leave the hens alone.


Try a remote controlled shock collar. Right when the dog gets to the hens, give the dog a little jolt. They will associate the discomfort with the chickens and actually run away from the chickens when they get to close. My neighbor did this and it really did work!!!

Thank you for trying to re-rail the conversation and for the advice.

we are considering trying a shock collar, especially has she has recently decided that "come" when outside should become a game of chase. that needs to be stopped immediately.

i'm not entirely sure she was trying to actually catch the hen when she got it; apparently when my husband found them the hen was laying there not moving but apparently not even seriously injured and the dog was laying next to it. i kind of think it was herding instinct gone slightly awry. so hopefully she can be trained.

 

[centrarchid]

Thank you for trying to re-rail the conversation and for the advice.

we are considering trying a shock collar, especially has she has recently decided that "come" when outside should become a game of chase. that needs to be stopped immediately.

i'm not entirely sure she was trying to actually catch the hen when she got it; apparently when my husband found them the hen was laying there not moving but apparently not even seriously injured and the dog was laying next to it. i kind of think it was herding instinct gone slightly awry. so hopefully she can be trained.

Odds are dog was up to no good when found with chicken.

The use of shock collars is apparently not frequent with most parties keeping dogs and chickens that interact. That should be an indication such is not best route to take.

 

[Amastacia]

Odds are dog was up to no good when found with chicken.

The use of shock collars is apparently not frequent with most parties keeping dogs and chickens that interact. That should be an indication such is not best route to take.

i'm sorry, but i have to disagree with your logic. just because most people do it one way does not mean it is the best way. i know that some people have employed shock collars to great affect. a lot of people seem to have decided it just isn't worth the risk/effort to train their dog well enough. i am going to, and i fully believe i can do so.

as to the dog being up to no good, there was another hen maybe 5 feet away in the coop when she was found. she showed no interest in that one.

 

[Dylon]

Odds are dog was up to no good when found with chicken.


The use of shock collars is apparently not frequent with most parties keeping dogs and chickens that interact.  That should be an indication such is not best route to take.

Maybe most parties haven't realized what an effective tool it is. I have seen a collie, known to slay a flock of fifty in the middle of the night, be reinforced very effectively with a shock collar.

It only took one week to teach the dog, so it clearly can be a very effective method that works fast if the owner is up for the challenge

AND the OP asked for advice. So that's what I did.
I didn't know you are the leader of "most parties of keeping chickens and dogs" .... How did you ever find out how the majority of use train our dogs

 

[centrarchid]

You guys are going to learn the hard way. Fire up your brooders because you are going to need replacement birds. Go easy on dogs because it will not be only they that are going through a learning curve.

 

[Amastacia]

i think i am going to start a journal thread, documenting what i do and how it works with training my puppy. hopefully i can find something that works without too many loses.

to be honest, i'm surprised i haven't actually lost any hens yet, between my dog and any wild animal predators. i know we have raccoons, opossums, skunks, and hawks, not to mention cats, in the area, and no signs of any in my yard since we got the hens. to be honest, i think having a dog has helped there.

 

[Hayduke27]

I wanted to chime in here. I have a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, he is 120 lbs and a hunting dog. He isn't just trained to hunt, he actively hunts pheasants, ducks, geese, and grouse for 6 months out of the year, retrieving hundreds of birds every year. This dog knows his way around birds.

I have raised him from a puppy, and I spend a LOT of time with him, so he's very used to reading me, and knows when I am pleased or displeased. The more time you spend with your animal, the more you will learn to read each other, and know what to expect as far as actions and reactions.

I have had my dog at the park around ducks and geese that are relatively tame, and he is no problem. Not only does he not chase the birds, he pretty much pays no attention to them, except to make sure they don't come near him. He knows from past experience that he is not supposed to chase them in that setting. As a puppy I had to yell at him a few times for getting amped up around the domestic birds, but he now knows that dad gets mad when he chases them in the park. This has not negatively affected his hunting abilities in any way.

He had his first experience with chickens just within the past 3 months (he is almost 7 years old). I took him to a friend's coop. At first, he looked at them briefly from outside the run, but was far more interested in the pig. The next day I took him into the chicken run, and he was actually quite shy when the chickens started running up to him to check him out. He prefers to keep at least 5 or so feet away from the chickens. I think he knows he has to resist the instinct to grab them, so he just keeps his distance to make it easier on his willpower

Anyway, the point to my post is that I have a dog that is well trained to flush and retrieve birds, and has plenty of experience with wounded and dead fowl in his mouth, and he is still very good around the chickens. This is not to say that if I left him unattended with them all day he may not end up hurting one. It's a balance of your dog knowing you, and knowing that you don't want it to chase the chickens; combine this with your knowledge of the dog and how it reacts around chickens, and know when to watch your dog.

Dogs and chickens can be compatible, but the human is the key component. You have to make it clear to the dog that it must obey you, and that the chickens are off limits. With most dogs this will be easier to train into them from a young age. However, puppies are also probably most dangerous to the chickens because of their energy and desire to play. They could hurt a chicken without malicious intent.

Dogs are inherently predators, I do agree with this. Most dogs may never be able to be left totally alone with the chickens. However, playing your part as a responsible human will certainly tilt the odds in your favor.

One more thing: until recently, I never liked shock collars. I trained dogs without them, and never saw reason for them. However, recently I met a very good young bird dog that was just so intense and high energy in the field that she would just lose track of her master entirely, and go chasing the pheasants like the Tasmanian devil from Looney Tunes! However, the shock collar was the tool that snapped her out of her frantic chasing and reminded her she needed to check back in with her handler. The collars should not be used as punishment. They are simply a very strong reminder that the dog needs to stop what it's doing and check back in with master. Once the dog becomes accustomed to the process you can turn the electricity down, or even just use a collar that has a low audible tone, and you get the same effect. Once again, just a matter of training the dog to read the human's desires.