Breaking Chicking Killing Dogs

[Mahonri]

We had two dogs where beating them with the dead chicken worked.

One was a German Shepherd/Australian mix, the other was a purebred German Shepherd. After the beating, neither one went close to a chicken.

 

[chandasue]

My neighbors dogs killed 4 of my chickens a few months ago. I had a fenced pen for them, the chickens were not out in the yard. I was in feeding the chickens and the door was open just a crack, the dogs came in behind me. Oh was I steamed! We ended up putting a 6 foot wire fence around our entire backyard. At least I can let my chickens out in the grass now and they don't really need their fenced in area. Anyway, at the time everyone I talked to said the only way to stop a dog that kills chickens is to kill it, including the deputy we asked. Personally I'd hate to shoot a dog... but I didn't want that aggression on my yard ever again, hence the big fence.

 

[Lextextrapper]

I don't think I'll ever break any of my dogs from the bad habit. I have 2 rat terriers and one yellow lab. Both breeds are for hunting. I guess I'll have to keep up the ritual of having dogs penned and chickens out or chickens penned and dogs out. It's frustrating not to be able to let both run free on my property.

 

[shaggy]

i wonder if you could use something similar to the housebreaking method


housebreaking method --- dog poo's in the house -- put it's nose as close to the poo as possible -- beat it ---- rinse and repeat when necessary (i've used that on my dogs for years and have never had a problems once they were trained)

i wonder if you could do the same thing with a chick ... get the chick to hold still --- put it's nose near the chick -- and then beat it

.... doesn't sound nice .... but since mine hasn't killed any chicks yet ... i would have to either use a live chick or wait until the dog kills one

 

[Brindlebtch]

Electric collar. Aversion training. That way the dog can at least run around free, with e collar on, when you are out walking your property.

Shaggy's method might work, too.

 

[Chicklette]

Punishment will decrease the incidence of the behaviour that immediately preceded it, reinforcement will increase the behaviour that preceded it. From what I understand from veterinary animal behaviouralists and certified pet dog trainers, for positive reinforcement or punishment to work, they must be immediate. Human beings can remember the past, link together unconnected events and have remorse, dogs do not.

Here's what worked for me - it takes alot of work and time. I have 2 dogs, a pitt / lab mix who is very prey driven and a sight hound. It starts with lots of exposure to the chicks in a totally controlled environment in which they cannot fail. Dog is on leash to start and not close enough to chicken to bite. If they did anything bad such as lunging toward, or opening mouth to the chicken, they were corrected immediately - the response is measured, for one dog it only took a minor correction, for the other a pretty strong correction. However using only punishment can lead to resentment and fear and
doesn't really teach what you want them to do. Positive reinforcement does and animals respond well to it, so also be sure to reward good behaviour. Dog looks away from chicks, praise and treat. Dog relaxes and stops fixating on chicks, praise or treat. Eventually when dog can be trusted, dog can sniff chicks (monitor very carefully in case dog is not ready). If good, be positive! If bad, be negative. We spent hours hanging out with the dogs and the chicks. Eventually - and it takes lots of repetition - you get to the point where you are rewarding the dog for good behaviour around the the chickens and rarely have to use any discipline. Our prey driven dog really loves to play fetch, so we can also use this distration to our advantage, and play fetch instead of fixating on chickens. This overall approach works with dogs whose desire to please you and do what you want outweighs their prey drive. For some, I imagine it may be impossible no matter what you do.

I can now trust my dogs off leash in the proximity of the chickens. If this doesn't work with your dogs, you'll know and can keep them separated. But do give them a chance in a safe environment, it can work with some of the tough ones. I hope this helps.

 

[citrusdreams]

I agree with Chicklette 100%

My dogs are always out with my chickens. You just need to work with them and train them. They need to be corrected when they chase a chicken, so you must have them in a situation where you *can* correct them, such as a leash.

Although, I suppose some people would call me bad because I've spanked a puppy or two for chasing chickens. But I don't have to worry about them chasing them as adults.

 

[shaggy]

i am going to bump this so i can re-read it in the morning


great advice

 

[gumpsgirl]

I've been working closely with my puppy's trainer to teach her to not bother my chickens. The advice she gave me was what made the most sense of all. She said to never leave your puppy/dog alone with the chickens. Of course you want to expose the puppy/dog to the chickens, but you want to do that when you are present so you can correct an issues that may arise OR (this is the most important step) you can praise the puppy/dog when it sits by you, looks at the chickens, then looks back at you. Once the puppy/dog has looked at the chickens and looked back at you, that's when you need to immediately reward with treats and lots of praise. That way you are showing the puppy/dog that good things come when she or he leaves the chickens alone. The trainer did say, however, that once they start chasing and killing the chickens, it is almost impossible to break them of it.

 

[Lextextrapper]

When I woke up this morning and looked out the window I saw all three dogs at the coop barking and trying to get at the chickens!

I am so mad because I want to let the dogs out to play with my 5 year old son who loves his puppies, but I want my chickens to free range too. It's SO frustrating!