Beware of even the "Good Dog"!!

[Barnyard Dawg]

I have bird dogs lab's never had a problem with adult birds but chicks are another story, I need to keep them in the pen until around one month old before they get to go outside with the dogs.

 

[amazondoc]

Quote:
Hang on there....

First off, neither pit bulls NOR rotts were bred to attack -- especially not to attack people. Rottweilers were actually bred to be cattle herders, carters, and guarders -- not attackers. Pits were originally bred to fight with BULLS -- not people. In fact, good fighting pit bulls must NOT attack people, so that their owners can safely pull them out of the ring if necessary during or after a fight.

So if you're gonna get sick, at least get your history right first.

If your dog attacks your birds, it is essentially your fault -- FOR NOT PAYING ENOUGH ATTENTION TO THE DOG'S INSTINCTS.

So make up my mind,,,, is a Pit or Rotty, safe with my young kids because I'm a responsible owner,,,,, or are my chickens in danger because I like bird dogs?

It's not an either/or question. Some young children will be safe around some pits and some rotts, and being a responsible owner helps increase those odds of safety. Some chickens will be in danger if you like bird dogs, depending on how responsible you are about handling both the chickens and the dog.

is it the breed or owner?

It's both, of course.​

 

[the simple life]

I have pugs and I never let them near them, I have seen the adults belly crawl through the garden poised to attack them even with me standing there. I always let the dogs out first thing in the morning for their time in that section of the yard and then bring them in to let the girls out to free range the rest of the day. The dogs then have to use the part of the yard on the other side of the fence if they need to go out, where I have to stay out and supervise them. After the girls are safely back in the hen house, I let the dogs run in the yard again. Tts a pain but the only way to be truly safe and its now just our daily routine.I can bring the pups out in the yard with the chickens and no one bothers anyone, these little guys are too little to even notice the chickens.
However, even though they are being brought up with them, born one day apart, I will never trust them alone with the chickens when they get older. I think any kind of dog is just unpredictable, not just the ones with the "bad reputations". My breed is not a bird dog or bred for any kind of hunting, yet I have to chase after them if they somehow get into the yard while the girls are out there.
I think sometimes we get a false sense of security because they seem to all get along, but then one day boom thats it.

 

[Mountain Man Jim]

blueskylen,

Sorry for your loss. Unfortunately, it takes months not weeks to train a dog to be with chickens. I have done it a few times, so I know it's possible and it sounds like you have a good dog. So .... Don't give up hope. You and your dog can get through this.

Unfortunately, now the training needs to start all over from square one. If would like to hear how we have trained our dogs (5), PM me.

Good luck,

Jim