can you train a dog to not hurt your chickens?

[rogrut1968]

My doberman chases hawks and takes care of chickens...one day she was acting strange...pointing and backing off as if scared...two hawks killed a chicken...she didn't know what to think..only that it was wrong to see a dead chicken...she didn't even think about eating it...she was just sure that a dead chicken just wasnt right. She and my other three dogs are hunters...skunks...rabbits...birds...but they all know chickens are family just a simple firm NO was the only training they had.

 

[spaceylocust]

Not sure if this would work with chicks but I think it would. We had a black lab/chow mix and I wanted to get a couple kittens. Two weeks before I got the cats, I told Mercy that I was bringing HIM kitties. They were HIS kitties. I did this every day for the 2 weeks. Once I had the kittens, I walked in the house, told Mercy I had his kitties. I held them while he came over quite curious, took one sniff and bolted from the room.

What a coward!! It took him a couple of weeks to get used to them and stay in the same room without that "are you gonna attack me" look but after that, they were best friends. He never had any aggressiveness towards them but was a softie. UPS delivery man was another story.....

 

[stonemeadowgirl]

I have had six different dogs in the ten years we've had chickens. Simple scolding worked with all but one. I used an electronic training collar to warn her off the hens. She is great in the yard with the chickens now. I knew I had to be more forceful in her case. She is a wonderful dog who has a strong prey drive. One or two shocks and the chickens have been safe for years. I know some people think the electronic devices are cruel, but used correctly they are a great training device. It helps to keep the bond with you strong because the dog does not "blame" you. For what it's worth!

 

[cschoer]

I have two Golden Retrievers and they are wonderful around my free range chickens. When Libby was a puppy, I put her on a long rope and when she decided that the chickens looked "tasty" I jerked on the rope with a loud NO and she responded. I haven't had any trouble with my Ginger and we got her as an older dog. Working with them and reminding them that all the animals get along on the farm is the key.

 

[Kathy S]

Lots of good advice already that I won't repeat. I think it depends on several factors and hard to answer without knowing the dog's personality and training. My labs have all been trained to retrieve birds on command but never touched our own ducks and chickens. But a lot of training went into their upbringing to retrieve on command and hold their bumpers or birds softly. They knew not to just chase after moving game on their own.
On the other hand my son's mix breed dog is aggressive and dominant and she has been known to escape his yard and go down to the neighbors and kill chickens. When she visited us, she had to be tied in a separate part of the yard out of view of the coop. Knowing her personality I really doubt she can be trained then trusted.
As far as training we have used the training collars for various parts of our retrievers' work so I'm in favor of those when used properly. Allows for the off leash training when you get to that point.
Interesting story about some of my chickens over the years. They knew my dog would not mess with them. Matter of fact my last dog acted like the chicken walking under him wasn't even there. Like they both were oblivious to each other. But if someone came over with their dog, my chickens would go nuts over the stranger just being in sight. They knew the difference.

 

[QuinnFamilyFarm]

In my experience, if the dog is a hound... No way. Not even rearing the animals together can do any good. I once heard a story of someone adopting a dachshund that was so obese it could not move, thinking that since it was immobile, it couldn't possibly get the chickens. They came home to dead chickens. Certain other breeds like ratter terriers can be the same way.

Conversely, the best breed to have with small animals is the pit bull.

We have a pit bull/fiest mix. She is wonderful with our birds. When we first got the birds we did have to train her by firing a warning shot into the air when she would get aggressive with them. She knows that the sounds means no and she backs off. Of course the shot would never be directed at her and she knows that, but this has worked well for us. This wouldn't work for everyone, but we live outside of city limits and she learned very quickly with it. Now she guards them the best she can..she is medium sized so if a larger dog comes up she can't do much, but she gives it her all to keep the birds safe.

 

[MountainOrchard]

This is a great thread, lots of helpful info! I have two dogs, a Golden Retriever and an English Coonhound, and chicks coming soon. I have no worries about the Golden, he's a gentle giant and pretty slow. He is very obedient - he'll be chasing a squirrel and when I call him he'll stop immediately and come back. The Coonhound on the other hand, is going to take some work! She listens when she wants to, and is smart enough to know when she doesn't! We got a kitten last year and the first few weeks we had him our hound would quiver and drool anytime he was within sight/smell of her. After lots of training (I use the clicker method too, it's great) and desensitizing, she now leaves him alone, and they are even kind of buddies! The Golden and the cat are BFF and cuddle up with each other every day. With dogs it's all about rewards and consistency.

 

[Momturtle]

We have a very difficult dog to have around chickens. It is a Jindo and they are extremely high prey drive Korean wild type dogs. She is one of only two in the country that can be around chickens without killing them or going crazy trying. We got her as a rescue and it took 1 full year of training before she could be around free ranging chickens. The key with us was consistancy. She was NEVER off the leash or a strong tie out. ANY interest in the chickens at all was corrected immediately. And she was pretty slick. She would be looking kind of off to one side of the chickens and moving towards them sideways. She would try to follow them at a distance but you could tell she was focused on them. Any of this behavior is corrected immediately. I will still not leave her outside alone with them and if I am tending to them and they start yelling and flapping, all bets are off. She immediately wants to run over and "help" with the chicken. We have even caught her sneaking shed feathers into her bed to chew on when she thinks no one is looking.

It may take a long time but it can be done if the dog trusts you enough to let you be the leader. If they don't respect your leadership, it can be a little rough.

 

[GAchickennewbie]

We have a very difficult dog to have around chickens. It is a Jindo and they are extremely high prey drive Korean wild type dogs. She is one of only two in the country that can be around chickens without killing them or going crazy trying. We got her as a rescue and it took 1 full year of training before she could be around free ranging chickens. The key with us was consistancy. She was NEVER off the leash or a strong tie out. ANY interest in the chickens at all was corrected immediately. And she was pretty slick. She would be looking kind of off to one side of the chickens and moving towards them sideways. She would try to follow them at a distance but you could tell she was focused on them. Any of this behavior is corrected immediately. I will still not leave her outside alone with them and if I am tending to them and they start yelling and flapping, all bets are off. She immediately wants to run over and "help" with the chicken. We have even caught her sneaking shed feathers into her bed to chew on when she thinks no one is looking.

It may take a long time but it can be done if the dog trusts you enough to let you be the leader. If they don't respect your leadership, it can be a little rough.

A Jindo? Nice! Gorgeous dogs, but I agree-they are definitely a handful! Well-done-it sounds like she definitely knows her boundaries and that is easier said than done with them.

 

[number9]

I have a fiest too. Every time I think I can trust him with the chickens he proves me wrong. I was given a white crested black polish hen. Not the smartest bird I have ever owned but very pretty. Bigen my dog for some reason was drove crazy by that hen. He would sit and stare at it all the time. Always wanting to go up and smell it too. My other three hens he did not bother except to steal some scraps that I would give them or steal an occasional egg. I would let the chickens out while I would mow. Bigen would always lay out in the yard and watch. I looked up and noticed he was gone. I went around back just in time to see him sneak off to the woods with my hen in his mouth. He knew that he had done something wrong. He did the same thing with some 1/2 grown mutt chicks that was also given to me. He would lay out in the yard watching them and never bothering them and then one day while I was mowing I finished the front yard and went to the back and all six chicks were dead.

I then thought we had broke him but the neighbor inherited a big dog from his parents when they passed. His smaller dogs never gave the hens a second look. Then one day I was listening to music with head phones. When I was done I went outside and there was feathers all over the yard. Bigen was trying to drag one to the woods. I snatched her up and she was still alive but didn't make it through the night. One of the other hens was up on his back porch.

Now when my dog is out when the chickens are out he wears a training collar. It has a vibrate and two levels of shock. So far I have only used vibrate on him which he hates. Only time will tell. Maybe this will brake him.