Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[Beekissed]

Wow! You've known a lot of bad dogs!

I've had to be in a lot of homes with dogs in them as I work with patients and my family have had dogs for many years of all different breeds and kinds but I've never known any of them~ except the pit bulls~ that actually kill other dogs and cats on a regular basis. How does a dog get to the point in their lives where they attack animals and kill them if they aren't encroaching into their territory or the do owners allow them to just go off like a mad animal?

Any dog will kill groundhogs and other wild game but to kill domestic animals or bite humans for no reason is kind of viscous, don't you think?

 

[al6517]

Quote:

Yes M'am your right..................... I have calmed down enough be very cold and calculating in this endeavor, not fool hardy, nor overly excited. Just firm, steady with my eye on the prize, I won't be seen I won't be heard just a breeze that makes the hair on the back of yer neck stand up, and it's done. Vengence is mine sayith AL.

 

[Pozees]

I don't think I could ever trust her with the chickens. I've never seen a dog like her, she has a crazy switch and once it's flipped it's nearly impossible to turn her off. I believe she was bred from fighting stock and she just has a TON of gameness. Ironically, she's not the least bit dog or human aggressive, super friendly to every dog/person she's ever met. My old dobie gets really nasty with her sometimes and she never retaliates. But boy when she gets focused on something I believe you could harpoon her and she honestly wouldn't even notice. Seriously obsessive behavior, it's weird. I plan to really buckle down and work with her, she really is very smart, but very hard to keep her attention. She's just now around a year old so I'm hoping she'll start to mellow soon-ish and she really does need some more consistent work. I've been lazy with her training because my other 2 dogs are so good and she will just hang with them 98% of the time and stay out of trouble. But if something catches her eye, she is blind and def to everything else on earth.

I had a Shepherd mix like that (shelter dog) and you can not ignore them ever. As he grew older he became increasingly terrified of thunder storms, to the point of jumping through closed windows. I was frustrated and saddened by his mental state. His most redeeming quality was his fervent desire to please me. He was highly trainable but exhausting, because he was always "on." In retrospect I probably should have tried some alternative foods and meds, but it was long ago and I was somewhat unaware of such things at the time, and way too broke to try traditional meds. I don't know to this day whether he ever had a truly happy day. He never intentionally did anything wrong, and I could not help but love him; but if I had him today, I am reasonably sure if alternatives did not ease his constant stress I would have him euthanized.

 

[Pozees]

She sounds like she has potential to me! She just needs to really get trained on wanting to please you....I'd put in some good training time with food reward, aversion training on the chickens, basic commands over and over until she anticipates what you want. She sounds smart enough, just needs a job to do...give her one!

They can but I've never had one to do so. When you kick her out of the nest and she doesn't crouch down, fluff up, act like a complete nut and get right back into the nest when your back is turned, I'd doubt this is broody. Just be patient with her and keep putting her on the roost. Sounds like she may be getting extra "love" from your flock...this is a bird I would cull from one of my flocks.

I had the same reaction! It just hit my funny bone right....

Happy to be of service, ladies

 

[smyers32]

Wow! You've known a lot of bad dogs!

I've had to be in a lot of homes with dogs in them as I work with patients and my family have had dogs for many years of all different breeds and kinds but I've never known any of them~ except the pit bulls~ that actually kill other dogs and cats on a regular basis. How does a dog get to the point in their lives where they attack animals and kill them if they aren't encroaching into their territory or the do owners allow them to just go off like a mad animal?

Any dog will kill groundhogs and other wild game but to kill domestic animals or bite humans for no reason is kind of viscous, don't you think?

To bite humans for no reason, yes. Although some breeds are bred to be very protective and will attack any perceived threat with out training. Personally, I think it's unnecessary and asking for trouble to breed such dogs. Pit bulls are (or at least were originally) bred specifically to be NOT aggressive towards humans. But the terrier blood and that gameness does give them a strong prey drive. Some this it as an issue, but really it just needs to be properly managed. But I don't think dogs make the distinction between domestic and wild animals...prey is prey. Dogs attacking other dogs, in my opinion is either bad genes or lack of proper socialization. The lab was not a well balanced dog at all, he was neurotic, then again so was his owner...not a strong, stable person at all.

 

[donrae]

My dobie has killed a couple stray cats (funny, she knows to respect the barn cat and any house cats when we visit people...won't even look at them) she's killed a few rabbits, tons of moles, squirrels and a ground hog. I've known lots of dogs that kill cats. Dogs are dogs, and individuals differ within breeds. I've been around more pit bulls than any other single breed. I've been bitten by 2 GSDs, a jack russell and a bullmastiff, but never a pit bull. The most dog aggressive dog I've ever known was my friend's chocolate lab, killed a chihuahua in a matter of seconds once and would kill any smaller dog given the chance. We lost some sheep to a chow chow years ago. Why don't folks contain their dogs period?? And a lot of pits may not stay in electric fence, high pain tolerance and all.

I'm with Bee-you've been bit a LOT it seems! I also do home health and every day walk into a home for the first time and all these older folks have dogs. And all their free-loading grandkids that live with them have pit bulls! I've only been bit by a dog once in my life, and that was a little chi-something about 2 months ago, nipped my ankle but didn't break skin.

My mom's JRT routinely killed squirrels or chipmonks when she was trail riding, and kept the barn cat population down a lot.

My dogs have killed little things--voles, etc. I'd love it if they went to something bigger but they're big chickens!

 

[Beekissed]

Yes M'am your right..................... I have calmed down enough be very cold and calculating in this endeavor, not fool hardy, nor overly excited. Just firm, steady with my eye on the prize, I won't be seen I won't be heard just a breeze that makes the hair on the back of yer neck stand up, and it's done. Vengence is mine sayith AL.

Amen, brother. That's the best way to do it...SSS, with extreme prejudice.

I was explaining on my other thread just why coyotes are not much of a problem around these parts unless one lives in an urban area. Out here in the sticks, THEY are prey and it makes them elusive as ghosts. I've never, ever seen a coyote in the wild here...not even along the road at night. We hear them a lot but never see one. The reason being is that there are many redneck, good ol' boys just waiting to ping a 'yote and brag about it here. There is no season on coyotes and they wouldn't care if there were...that's also why hawks are wary here. Hillbillies never read up on Migratory Bird Acts or federal laws regarding wildlife. If it's good for eatin, they kill it and eat it. If it's moving and they have a gun in their hands, it's good for target practice.

Same with stray dogs here...when you open the door, strays are outta there like greased lightnin'! They have been shot at one too many times to ignore the opening of a door. Not too many strays out in the backwoods, especially come deer season..if they are in the woods,they are running deer, so they must die. Deer are our cattle and no one messes with our livestock..not dogs, not coyotes, nor bear and lion.

 

[Beekissed]

I'm with Bee-you've been bit a LOT it seems! I also do home health and every day walk into a home for the first time and all these older folks have dogs. And all their free-loading grandkids that live with them have pit bulls! I've only been bit by a dog once in my life, and that was a little chi-something about 2 months ago, nipped my ankle but didn't break skin.

My mom's JRT routinely killed squirrels or chipmonks when she was trail riding, and kept the barn cat population down a lot.

My dogs have killed little things--voles, etc. I'd love it if they went to something bigger but they're big chickens!

You are exactly right!!! I thought I was the only one who had noticed that! Pitties for the lazy freeloader relatives and mean, too fat chi's for the old folks.

Must be something that all health workers encounter and notice as they go into these homes.

I've only had one dog attempt to bite me and that was a friend's Brittany Spaniel. A spoiled brat of a dog. She claimed you shouldn't look in her eyes because she would bite you...well, of course that makes a person have to look in the dog's eyes, doesn't it? I did. The dog lunged and so did I. She jumped and my hand grabbed her bottom jaw, along with her tongue, and put her to the ground and flipped her over. She started screaming and trying to get away and my friend was screaming that I was hurting her "Let her Ggggooooooo!" and "You're hurting herrrrrrr!". My reply? "She was going to hurt me, wasn't she?"

I just got to the hurtin' first.

I held her there until she stopped trying to get away and then I let her go. She ran like a scalded cat into the other room and until that dog's dying day I was the only person who could be approach their house or be in their home without them having to put the dog into the bathroom to protect visitors. That dog walked very meek and mild when I came to visit, stayed off the couch and would go anywhere I pointed my finger. Even my friend couldn't get that level of obedience out of her. Go figure...one little tongue twister was all it took to take the fire out of Hard Eye Hannah.

 

[Pozees]

To bite humans for no reason, yes. Although some breeds are bred to be very protective and will attack any perceived threat with out training. Personally, I think it's unnecessary and asking for trouble to breed such dogs. Pit bulls are (or at least were originally) bred specifically to be NOT aggressive towards humans. But the terrier blood and that gameness does give them a strong prey drive. Some this it as an issue, but really it just needs to be properly managed. But I don't think dogs make the distinction between domestic and wild animals...prey is prey. Dogs attacking other dogs, in my opinion is either bad genes or lack of proper socialization. The lab was not a well balanced dog at all, he was neurotic, then again so was his owner...not a strong, stable person at all.

To balance the point a bit, dogs will kill one another if they are members of a pack and are either fighting for alpha (if a human-owned pack this indicates an insufficiently alpha human) or detect a weakness in a pack member (health and safety of the pack takes precedence).

As you point out, Terriers are generally known for being unrelenting in whatever their task is, whether human- or self-assigned. Pit Bulls are endowed with large and powerful jaws, but as you say, are usually not inclined to bite humans, save the instance in which an owner has irresponsibly attempted to train one to selectively bite humans. A dog who does not 110% believe its human is alpha will make decisions independent of human direction.

Given the above, if you want to work with this dog you must first absolutely establish yourself as supreme alpha. Working on sit and down relentlessly until they are beyond doubt should accomplish this. Once that has been achieved you can move on to everything else.

I admire your dedication and quite understand your teeter on the edge of done. This is a dog requiring a lot of input from you, and at some point you will either know you have her number, or you will know it is permanently unlisted. I wish you well.

 

[Beekissed]

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Excellent insight! Well said.