breaking dogs from killing chickens/tying dead bird to neck?

[Theapplechicks]

oh it's kinda too late to do this now for you but w/ us we introduced our dog to them as tiny chicks and kept her exposed to them as they grew up. We of course never left her alone w/ them, but she has never ever tried to harm any of them.

 

[mamabahre]

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It's not an undesirable habit though. It is a dog's nature you can't CHANGE a dog's nature no matter how much you beat/shock/tie dead things around them. Some dogs just are more predatory by nature. It's sad to think that a dog would be put down by it's owner because it can't help the way it is, just give it someone who doesn't have chickens/livestock...

I CANNOT train my dog to not want to kill the chickens, it is how she is. I just make sure they are separated at ALL times. A pita, maybe but I love my dog and my chickens so I do what I have to.

 

[chickened]

Youi can teach them honor and respect though and in return they will obey you to please you. A dog that is loved will bond to its master. I know folks that do the same as you described with their children they hide everything instead of teaching them to respect. I have 2 heelers and a german shorthair hunting dog, they all have been taught to respect chickens never had to beat one yet (5 years) but if I told them to get it they would in a minute.
Quote:
It's not an undesirable habit though. It is a dog's nature you can't CHANGE a dog's nature no matter how much you beat/shock/tie dead things around them. Some dogs just are more predatory by nature. It's sad to think that a dog would be put down by it's owner because it can't help the way it is, just give it someone who doesn't have chickens/livestock...

I CANNOT train my dog to not want to kill the chickens, it is how she is. I just make sure they are separated at ALL times. A pita, maybe but I love my dog and my chickens so I do what I have to.

 

[mamabahre]

Quote:
It's not an undesirable habit though. It is a dog's nature you can't CHANGE a dog's nature no matter how much you beat/shock/tie dead things around them. Some dogs just are more predatory by nature. It's sad to think that a dog would be put down by it's owner because it can't help the way it is, just give it someone who doesn't have chickens/livestock...

I CANNOT train my dog to not want to kill the chickens, it is how she is. I just make sure they are separated at ALL times. A pita, maybe but I love my dog and my chickens so I do what I have to.


You are applying HUMAN qualities to a dog and that is doing a disservice to your dog. My dog is bonded to me and I know she loves me but she doesn't know wth honor is. Respect I suppose you could mean it that she obeys me, and she does but she is a dog first and her instincts are just that instincts. You can't turn off biology.

 

[chickened]

You missed my point me thinks. Domestication suppresses instinct by definition which is a human quality a wild animal will do what comes natural, dogs are not natural they have been domesticated by HUMANS. I think your dog knows more than you give it credit for. Training begins with puppyhood trying to train a dog not to kill a chicken as an adult onset problem is a hard one but that behavior is unchallenged up to that point but not impossible to overcome. A domesticated dog living in a mans world needs to be taught what is acceptable and what is not the consequences are far worse for the dog the owner can always get another one.
Quote:

You are applying HUMAN qualities to a dog and that is doing a disservice to your dog. My dog is bonded to me and I know she loves me but she doesn't know wth honor is. Respect I suppose you could mean it that she obeys me, and she does but she is a dog first and her instincts are just that instincts. You can't turn off biology.

 

[mamabahre]

Quote:
You are applying HUMAN qualities to a dog and that is doing a disservice to your dog. My dog is bonded to me and I know she loves me but she doesn't know wth honor is. Respect I suppose you could mean it that she obeys me, and she does but she is a dog first and her instincts are just that instincts. You can't turn off biology.


I think we are in agreement just wording it differently.
I actually got our dog at 9 months so training really begins when you get the dog...

I actually absolutely believe a dog has to adapt to living in a human world but you can only suppress instinct to a point. Just because a dog is domesticated doesn't mean it still doesn't have strong predatory tendencies. They may be misguided but they are still there...

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people refer to the domestic dog as a "pack" animal. They are NOT..They are descended from wolves yes but their direct ancestor is NOT a wolf, they are related obviously very strongly to wolves but are not DIRECT descendants. It is relative of the wolf (it gets confusing when you look at the geneology). Dog's today do not form packs when they are left to their own devices. Feral dogs will form loose groups in which members come and go without issue and there is no clearly defined "alpha"...The whole your family is your dog's pack and you must be the "alpha" thing drives me nuts..

Ok rant over.

 

[chickened]

Trust me the dog whisperer is a rackett there is alot you don't see behind the camera. A feral dog would never survive in the wild maybe short term the same as a wolf in captivity will not survive in the wild they cannot hunt suffieciently to survive. There are a few exceptions but generally they don't make it.

There is an old saying that is true "1 dog is a dog 2 dogs is 1/2 a dog and 3 dogs is no dog at all". Humans domesticated them and now they are dependant on us for ALL survival.

 

[PoultryRocks]

My Grandfather did the same thing when he had chickens but it only works if the dog has only killed one or two birds and it doesn't work with all dogs.

 

[bryngyld]

An electronic collar on the dog with the setting set to the lowest possible stim the dog feels and using a threshold protocol will work. Look up Lou Castle for the protocol. You can read it for free. Basically, you start the dog as far away from the object he wants to chase and stim him every time he stars at it until he stops looking at it. Then you move closer and repeat.

 

[bryngyld]

I haven't lost a chicken since I moved my livestock guardian dog in - Anatolian Shepherd. Third dog was the charm. The first two were confirmed chicken killers, but the previous owners didn't tell me that. Argh. Tying a chicken to them certainly didn't work.