Advice for family dog running chickens

[Rachelleigh24]

We just got our chickens and our beagle runs them constantly whenever they come out of the coop into the run. She runs and barks which sends them back into their coop. Any advice on how to get the dog used to the chickens? I assumed she would eventually get tired of barking but that has not happened yet.

 

[sourland]

She may very well be trailing them by their scent which would be normal for a beagle. If so there is little chance that she will stop as it is what she was bred to do.

 

[FloorCandy]

My neighbor has a beagle and he does this to my dogs and to wildlife. He is running the fence and baying long after my dogs lose interest and go do something else. It’s frustrating because I only have my dogs loose in the main yard when I’m out there working on something and the beagle has taught my frenchie puppy to bay and the noise isn’t great. Unless you train him to have a quiet and leave it command he probably won’t stop because a beagles instinct is to bay until the hunter finds him and dispatches the prey. Zak George has great tutorials on speak and quiet and leave it I believe.

 

[Vickischics]

Training "not to run animals" in a Beagle is a feat not worth the number of hours and consistent training he would need to suppress a genetic trait in your Beagle.
A Beagle is a scent hound, bred to chase and will run the animal to death. Very difficult to train for Recall too.
Put him on a chain if you don't him chasing your chickens.
He just can't help himself.

 

[Folly's place]

Training and fencing!
Mostly fencing, and he needs to be on leash out there, and lots of training.
He will stress the birds out, at least, and likely kill them, so stop this behavior immediately! Any dog needs to learn that the chickens are off limits, and it's harder for some than for others. It's your choice how to proceed; let him wipe out your new flock, fence them separately forever, or fence while you spend time retraining your dog. It may take a year, BTW, so don't expect instant results. Consider working with a trainer too.
There are threads here on this topic too.
Mary

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Time, training and patience. It can be done. It's usually best to introduce the dog to them when they are young but if its not possible you can do what I did with our border collie.
Step 1: leash the dog and walk to the coop. On the walk use the command "easy" or something calming. When the dog is quiet and calm approach the coop.
Step 2: sit. Have the dog sit and just watch them. Do this for as long as your dog will sit quietly. Reward frequently. I did this until my dog was able to sit quietly by the birds for about 20 minutes.
Step 3: introduce outside the coop. Keep on a leash at all times.

You can go from there. It will take a lot of patience and time. You cant go against the dogs natural instinct but you can use the instinct as protective. Our border collie was initially very aggressive to them. Now she comes with me to do "her chores" and even lets them climb on her. I got 5 pullets a few days ago and she ran right up the the brooder and sat. She was so happy mommy bought her babies

 

[Sonya9]

A beagle is a hunting dog with a high prey drive. I would not even try to change his behavior because I doubt he could ever be fully trusted. If it is a known problem and he hurts/kills a chicken then we can only blame ourselves -- not the animals.

I have five dogs and two of them will catch/kill chickens immediately if they get the chance. Because of that my chickens only free range in the late afternoon. I let them out a couple of hours before dusk and keep the dogs in the house at that time, the birds go back to their coop on their own as darkness falls. If I let the birds out earlier in the day I can't get them all back in the coop when the dogs need to use the yard.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

A beagle is a hunting dog with a high prey drive. I would not even try to change his behavior because I doubt he could ever be fully trusted. If it is a known problem and he hurts/kills a chicken then we can only blame ourselves -- not the animals.

I have five dogs and two of them will catch/kill chickens immediately if they get the chance. Because of that my chickens only free range in the late afternoon. I let them out a couple of hours before dusk and keep the dogs in the house at that time, the birds go back to their coop on their own as darkness falls. If I let the birds out earlier in the day I can't get them all back in the coop when the dogs need to use the yard.

It is important to note that a dog no matter how well trained should never be left alone with your chickens. I didnt let our dog off leash with ours until I was certain that she was trained well enough to leave them alone. Even then she is never left alone with them.

 

[Sonya9]

It is important to note that a dog no matter how well trained should never be left alone with your chickens. I didnt let our dog off leash with ours until I was certain that she was trained well enough to leave them alone. Even then she is never left alone with them.

I have 3 that I trust with the birds. My Anatolian is completely trust worthy, I think of him as the "chicken whisperer" as he instinctively knows how to use body language to put a nervous bird at ease. He is a livestock guardian dog so it comes naturally to him though he is a companion dog and doesn't officially guard the flock.

Though if I leave the house I don't leave anybody outside loose, all sorts of stuff can happen.

 

[cmom]

My brother had a beagle and he wouldn't listen to my bother. My brother put a shock collar on him. He took let him out and the dog ignored him so first he used the tone and no results, then he used the vibrate and still no results and finally gave him a shock. He said he only had to use the shock once and from then on when he used the other functions on the collar the dog responded positively. Good luck...