Adopting a beagle / Dotson puppy and concerned about interaction with my chickens

[dainerra]

there is no reason that you can't have the puppy, even if it never grows to like chickens. It's simply a matter of management. IE the dog is never unsupervised with the chickens and without some way for you to step in. Worst case scenario is that the dog isn't allowed access to the birds at any time.

Find the closest distance that the dog first notices the birds in the brooder. This might be in another room if he is one to constantly glance at the door. Put your dog on leash and get some extra special treats that he only gets for this work - bacon, grilled chicken (no spices!), hot dog chunks, etc. When the dog glances toward the birds, say his name and "leave it" If he looks at you, give him a treat - if he doesn't, give a light pop on the leash (think tap on the shoulder). When he looks at you reward him.
You can also teach him "watch me" the same way. You can practice this at random times though out the day. If you have a couple extra minutes while you're watching TV or whatever, just say his name, pause, "watch me" When he makes eye contact, then reward him. You can also (if you get in the habit of keeping a small treat in your pockets) catch him looking towards you say "watch me" and then reward. Or just praise him verbally.

Once the dog is reliably paying attention to you and the birds at a distance, move a little bit closer. If he absolutely blows you off, you're too close. Just back up a bit and begin again. Eventually you will be right amongst the birds. You can then start at a distance or with a long line (20' leash or so) and work from there. I never ever leave my dogs/chickens loose unattended together.
I don't even trust Rayden
I don't mean I constantly hover over the dogs when they are out with the birds, but I am in the area and aware of what they are doing. Think of it as a small child. Even though you've taught them not to play with matches, would you leave them alone in the house with matches scattered all over the floor?

The most important part of the training is to set the dog up to succeed. Don't give him a chance to chase the birds. Don't give him a chance to disobey.

ETA: The best thing about teaching "leave it" is that it works for everything. Drop something on the floor and don't want the dogs to touch it? "leave it" See dog running toward a snake? "leave it" Lots of training and work, but it pays off!
Of course, some dogs just can't be trusted off-leash. Period. They are just too focused on the birds. In that case, just confine the dog when the birds are out.

 

[dainerra]

just exchange "brooder" for coop/pen/area where the chickens are at the time you are working

 

[EggSighted4Life]

It can be done! All 3 of my rescue dogs free range with my chickens ALL the time. Even when we went away for the weekend. 1 Queensland Heeler, 1 lab/hound mix, and 1 lab/bully mix. They also discern the difference between squirrels and gophers as well as wild birds that don't belong.

For me, the time and energy spent training is FAR outweighed by the fact that I can hang out with ALL of my animals at the same time AND the dog gets to come in and be a great permanent companion. Now the dogs do unfortunately love eating chicken bombs.

And sometimes they try to get a bite of the chicken feed. But in years, I haven't had an injury to a bird from my dogs. We play frisbee in the same area. My dogs wrestle and chase. Only time it's a problem is with the cockerels/ roos. They sometimes try to go after the dogs if they land to close to them when we are playing. For that reason I lock the cockerels up. My dogs have been pecked... my most trusted girl, the bully, went back and forth with one, once... because she doesn't take any crud... but she has matured enough that she controls her teeth and usually just holds things down with an open mouth. She was willing to walk away that time, but the flogging cock wasn't. So I ran him off. Now if it was an animal that she hadn't had expectations set about it would be different which is the case for anything wild on my property. When she was a young pup, 6 ish months, she didn't know how to control her teeth and drew blood on a dog at the dog park during play. She turned 8 years old last week and is a great dog!

I love my chickens and they bring great joy. But I can't live without the joy of a dog there to greet me everyday with a wagging tail that says "I love you and accept you for who you are! I would die to protect you!"

Hope she becomes a part of your family!

Shelter dogs are a step above the rest to me. They never forget what you've done!

Of course, you have to make the right decision for you... Or it won't work for either of you.

 

[thegyrlie]

there is no reason that you can't have the puppy, even if it never grows to like chickens. It's simply a matter of management. IE the dog is never unsupervised with the chickens and without some way for you to step in. Worst case scenario is that the dog isn't allowed access to the birds at any time.
Find the closest distance that the dog first notices the birds in the brooder. This might be in another room if he is one to constantly glance at the door. Put your dog on leash and get some extra special treats that he only gets for this work - bacon, grilled chicken (no spices!), hot dog chunks, etc. When the dog glances toward the birds, say his name and "leave it" If he looks at you, give him a treat - if he doesn't, give a light pop on the leash (think tap on the shoulder). When he looks at you reward him.
You can also teach him "watch me" the same way. You can practice this at random times though out the day. If you have a couple extra minutes while you're watching TV or whatever, just say his name, pause, "watch me" When he makes eye contact, then reward him. You can also (if you get in the habit of keeping a small treat in your pockets) catch him looking towards you say "watch me" and then reward. Or just praise him verbally. Once the dog is reliably paying attention to you and the birds at a distance, move a little bit closer. If he absolutely blows you off, you're too close. Just back up a bit and begin again. Eventually you will be right amongst the birds. You can then start at a distance or with a long line (20' leash or so) and work from there. I never ever leave my dogs/chickens loose unattended together. I don't even trust Rayden [COLOR=000080] [/COLOR] I don't mean I constantly hover over the dogs when they are out with the birds, but I am in the area and aware of what they are doing. Think of it as a small child. Even though you've taught them not to play with matches, would you leave them alone in the house with matches scattered all over the floor? The most important part of the training is to set the dog up to succeed. Don't give him a chance to chase the birds. Don't give him a chance to disobey. ETA: The best thing about teaching "leave it" is that it works for everything. Drop something on the floor and don't want the dogs to touch it? "leave it" See dog running toward a snake? "leave it" Lots of training and work, but it pays off! Of course, some dogs just can't be trusted off-leash. Period. They are just too focused on the birds. In that case, just confine the dog when the birds are out.

It can be done! All 3 of my rescue dogs free range with my chickens ALL the time. Even when we went away for the weekend. 1 Queensland Heeler, 1 lab/hound mix, and 1 lab/bully mix. They also discern the difference between squirrels and gophers as well as wild birds that don't belong. For me, the time and energy spent training is FAR outweighed by the fact that I can hang out with ALL of my animals at the same time AND the dog gets to come in and be a great permanent companion. Now the dogs do unfortunately love eating chicken bombs. And sometimes they try to get a bite of the chicken feed. But in years, I haven't had an injury to a bird from my dogs. We play frisbee in the same area. My dogs wrestle and chase. Only time it's a problem is with the cockerels/ roos. They sometimes try to go after the dogs if they land to close to them when we are playing. For that reason I lock the cockerels up. My dogs have been pecked... my most trusted girl, the bully, went back and forth with one, once... because she doesn't take any crud... but she has matured enough that she controls her teeth and usually just holds things down with an open mouth. She was willing to walk away that time, but the flogging cock wasn't. So I ran him off. Now if it was an animal that she hadn't had expectations set about it would be different which is the case for anything wild on my property. When she was a young pup, 6 ish months, she didn't know how to control her teeth and drew blood on a dog at the dog park during play. She turned 8 years old last week and is a great dog! I love my chickens and they bring great joy. But I can't live without the joy of a dog there to greet me everyday with a wagging tail that says "I love you and accept you for who you are! I would die to protect you!" Hope she becomes a part of your family! Shelter dogs are a step above the rest to me. They never forget what you've done! Of course, you have to make the right decision for you... Or it won't work for either of you.

This is great info as i have yet to learn how to train a puppy, period. I Believe i will take some training classes with her but only you guys can help me to train on the chicken situation. I will definitely work on the leave it!

 

[donrae]

I'm not saying you can't do it. I'm going to say you need to adjust your expectations.

You sound like you're wanting a "One big happy family", everyone hanging out in the yard, no fences/leashes, everyone just showing goodwill to each other.

that's not gonna happen.

Well, it may. But not for over a year. At least. It's going to be a long road. Training a puppy like this isn't a 6week puppy course type of thing. It's going to be consistent, daily, training. No slips, no Oops, no accidents. And even then, no guarantees your particular dog will ever be trustworthy with your birds when they're all loose together.

So, adjust your expectations. Plan to keep your birds cooped. Have a place to contain the dog when/if you let the birds range. A very secure place. I can't tell you how many posts we've had about the dog getting out of the supposedly secure pen and killing birds. Heartbreaking.


Be sure your run is predator proof. Your puppy will likely look for a way to get to your birds.

Have the idea you're in this for the long haul. The puppy can make a great dog for you. But she's a high prey drive animal, and an impulsive puppy at that. She's not going to be dependable or really trustworthy for a long time. You'll need to be very vigilant.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Donrae's advice is very good. I guess my concern is you said you've never trained a puppy before, does this mean this is your first dog or that all the others were already adults and partially trained? Training is a constant thing, a 6-8 week class will give you the basics but you have to keep up with it at home. And depending on the dog some things will be easy for it to learn and other things will have you tearing out your hair.

Honestly the best solution is to simply keep your chickens and dog apart, and to make sure that family (or any regular visitors) know that the chickens have to be locked up before the dog can come out. Your dog should still get basic training because an untrained dog is just unpleasant, period. Nailing recall or "leave it" would be ideal, in case the dog somehow makes a run for the chickens.

I currently have 2 dogs, one is an Akita/husky. She's very sweet... but she'll never ever be allowed anywhere near the chickens because her prey drive is so high. Even if it weren't, she's stubborn and likes playing rough, and a 95 lb dog versus a chicken isn't ever going to end well. My other dog is "fence friends" with the chickens but he also wants to eat their poop, so I haven't let him get any closer to them than that.

 

[thegyrlie]

Donrae's advice is very good.  I guess my concern is you said you've never trained a puppy before, does this mean this is your first dog or that all the others were already adults and partially trained?  Training is a constant thing, a 6-8 week class will give you the basics but you have to keep up with it at home.  And depending on the dog some things will be easy for it to learn and other things will have you tearing out your hair.

Honestly the best solution is to simply keep your chickens and dog apart, and to make sure that family (or any regular visitors) know that the chickens have to be locked up before the dog can come out.  Your dog should still get basic training because an untrained dog is just unpleasant, period.  Nailing recall or "leave it" would be ideal, in case the dog somehow makes a run for the chickens.

I currently have 2 dogs, one is an Akita/husky.  She's very sweet... but she'll never ever be allowed anywhere near the chickens because her prey drive is so high.  Even if it weren't, she's stubborn and likes playing rough, and a 95 lb dog versus a chicken isn't ever going to end well.  My other dog is "fence friends" with the chickens but he also wants to eat their poop, so I haven't let him get any closer to them than that.

That is correct, i have only had grown dogs. So since I now work from home the training will be mainly my responsibility. Which is why I am trying to find out what to do, i really appreciate your feedback, i really hope i can successfully train her. If not i guess i will have to keep the apart

 

[rosemarythyme]

It certainly is worth trying, don't get me wrong, especially since puppies are clean slates compared to older dogs. But if it doesn't work out, it's not because of a lack of trying. Some dogs will never be great with other animals, so better to be safe than sorry if you can't feel 100% confident that your dog will behave properly around the chickens.

 

[dainerra]

the most important key is to not give the puppy the opportunity to chase the chickens. It's what trainers call a "self-rewarding behavior" In other words, every time a dog chases chickens he is rewarded because it's FUN! That makes him want to repeat the behavior in the future.

 

[thegyrlie]

the most important key is to not give the puppy the opportunity to chase the chickens.  It's what trainers call a "self-rewarding behavior"   In other words, every time a dog chases chickens he is rewarded because it's FUN!    That makes him want to repeat the behavior in the future.

Good point. Should I let her visit from outside the run for a while?