Can I just vent? Dead chicks.

[sommrluv]

Yes, she's been spayed since she was...I want to say six months old.

She's actually not "hyper". She's just terribly easily distracted. We've never had a problem with her biting, and she doesn't normally jump up. She will rush the door on occassion if you aren't right on top of her with her sit/wait commands.

She does get distracted enough around company that she doesn't obey. It's all impulse control with her...when meeting our dog sitter she jumped up on the kitchen table and walked around on it...probably because she wasn't the center of attention. It's frustrating that I've been able to train everyone but her.

I've emailed around a bit and I'm hoping I'll hear back by the end of the week (trainers) if anyone knows of a good dog trainer in the Philadelphis suburbs, please feel free to let me know. We're going to try.

Thanks, Bobbi-j! I think she's awful cute. It would be so much easier to stay mad at her otherwise. I'm not really comfortable leaving her outside...she's such an escape artist too, I don't know I'd trust any run that wasn't "permanent". I'm home 24-7, and we normally use a sitter if gone for more than six hours. It's the rare occasion she's in the house that long, and we don't crate her any longer. Her crate is available, but we are able to not lock the door. When she was a puppy, she ATE a recliner of ours. Destroyed. So I guess I should look on her behaviour now as progress.

Just because I'm feeling better about the whole situation:

That was before her eye surgery. She got a cherry eye from fighting with something.

That's muffin, she's a little bigger now.

This might've been a post-bath picture. We're restoring a farmhouse, hence the pile of doors in the background.

 

[Cetawin]

Re-homing sounds like the best plan. In the interim, I would crate the dog and keep it on a leash at all times when outside of the house. I am so sorry you lost the birds...

 

[ranchhand]

Worst and best dog I've ever had was a terrier mix from the pound. Predator and escape artist, but a super easy, well-trained and obedient dog INSIDE. Outside? Forget it, she was gone. We put electric wire all over the fences. It didn't slow Folly down, but the neighbor was a little slower at figuring it out..................

Dang dog was faster at learning than the 28 year old next door! He adored her after he learned to follow her over our fence for BBQ!

 

[fancbrd4me02]

Your description of her being "impulsive" and easily distracted sounds like every terrier I have had, so it's not really your dog as an individual is a problem, it's that your dog is just very "terrier", and they need lots of training. Sounds similar to our Bull Terrier (Not a pit, a Spuds Mckenzie dog/Target dog) which are one of the strongest dogs and hyper/impulsive/distractable/impatient like many/most terriers. The training will work but everyone has to train and expect the same thing from your dog from now on. I know it can work, so don't give up.

Also, don't laugh but both my Doxie and our Bull Terrier run on a treadmill to get excersize. They really like it, but you have to stay with them the whole time while they are on it because they can get hurt if they trip or get caught in it or get too tired. The excersize really helps them to be calm and able to focus.

 

[sommrluv]

She's all terrier, that's for sure.

I have her sister from the same litter...completely different personality. She does go after little animals, but after two or three leave its at the chicken pen, she doesn't even glance at them.

 

[LittleChocobo]

One of my friends had something like this happen, and she kept her dog tethered in the yard after it went after her neighbor's kittens. He brought in quite a number of shrews, snakes, squirrels, pigeons, robins, moles, and the like, and she finally decided that a lunge line would be about the distance she'd trust him to roam free without supervision. It was a really hard decision for her though, and may not necessarily work for everyone.

I'm so sorry to hear about your chicks! It's always hard when you lose something under your care, especially ones so young and, as it sounds, carefully timed.

 

[sommrluv]

I might be really fortunate! There are several local chicken enthusiasts who are selling similarly aged chickens.

So I'm not done after all.

And one of the "roosters" I think might be a pullet. Early to tell yet (10 weeks) but my roo is crowing already. I am still saw...my sweetest one was killed but maybe I'll be blessed with another sweetie.

I'm meeting a trainer Tuesday. (You would think in this economy it would be cheap!...No!)

 

[sommrluv]

Fabulous...

She's only been going outside supervised. Hubby came home from work and ran back out to a meeting, and let the dogs out.

They were out for about twenty minutes and I looked out to see her with her arm in the pen...and she had drug the rooster out and killed him.

Ugh, I can't even look at her.

 

[Chook-A-Holic]

What kind of livestock fence charger did you try? Was it properly installed and tested? Did you bait the fence so that she would get a good jolt. My fencer puts out 11,600 volts(at the pen/digital test meter) and nothing gets a hold of it but one time. The neighbors 130lb rottweiler accidentally hit it and it knocked her across the yard(very sweet dog BTW). Now you can't drag her within 50' of the pen. I saw a raccoon hit it and it laid on its back screaming for about 5min. It didn't even know what hit it. My fencer is the pulse type that hurts but doesn't harm. Properly trained to the fence I can guarantee that she will not go near it. Keep in mind that electric fences are only icing on the cake to a properly secure run. It sounds like you really want to keep the dog so I hope whatever you decide that it works out for you.

 

[Ibicella]

I'm really sorry you're going through this. You sound like a good dog owner and trainer, but this is probably going to have to be chalked up to nature of your dog. This is normal terrier behavior, and either you keep one eye on her at all times and lock her up in a crate or kennel only, she's just going to continue to kill things. That means she's never off a leash even in her own yard, or out of a crate or heavily sealed run.

She could live quite happily with that if you are willing to give her enough exercise and things to do, but it's going to be a LOT of work for you for the rest of this dog's life. Personally, I'd re-home her with someone who could use a good hunting dog.