chicks and dogs

[sharol]

My apologies if this is in the wrong place. I tried a search, but got so many hits on really long threads that I couldn't find any useful information.

Does anyone have any suggestions for acquainting dogs (my dogs, lived here for years) with my (10 day old) chicks? My 13 year old Golden Retriever mix stands and stares into the cage I am using as a brooder. She doesn't bark at them (woofs occasionally if they flutter close, though). Her ears are at alert, but she isn't showing any hostility toward them. LIke my DH says, this could be really good or really bad depending on her thoughts (assuming she has thoughts, she isn't the brightest crayon in the box) about them.

We also have an elderly shorthair pointer mix who is ignoring the whole thing, and a dachsund (this is the one I'm really concerned about).

How do I convince the dogs that the chicks are part of the pack? Is there a method that might work with the doxie especially. He is a pretty good little dog, but he loves to chase things, especially balls, and I'm concerned about this tendency. He is also completely OCD. If he gets interested in something, there is no way to distract him.

 

[gutfiddle]

i wish i knew as i two have 14 day old chicks that are being aquainted w/ a blue tick hound, catahoula leopard curr and a red nose pit.....good luck!

 

[sydney13]

i found these links to be helpful when i was training my dog
http://www.ehow.com/how_5072395_train-dogs-leave-chickens-alone.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_2193909_introduce-dog-pet-chickens.html

 

[MarieNC]

When the girls were still in their brooder I would let my dog (a Lab) in there with me to get used to their movements and sounds. When they got bigger and would start jumping on the edge of the brooder, I would keep her close to me but watching them from a distance. When they were even older than that, say about two months old, I would sit at the doorway to the bathroom with one on my lap, and my dog would sit beside me and sniff them. Eventually I could let her stand in the doorway to the bathroom and whenever one came up to her she would just sniff their butts and that was about it. They're not afraid of her and she likes them. Sometimes she gets down in play pose and barks at them though, trying to get them to play. They don't find that terribly amusing.

I AM worried about my neighbors' dogs, though. I live out in the country and everyone lets their dogs run loose and they seem to like to hang out at my house. This morning I had four of them other than my own, and they are all big dogs. Three of them are Labs but one is a Boxer mix and she is focused like a laser on those chickens. We have them out in the coop/run now and we built a Fort Knox coop/run so the dogs don't get in there, but she just chases them from one end of the run to the other. And she is SO focused on them even if I chase her away she just looks at me very uncomprehendingly. It was a challenge to even get in and out of the doors for fear she would scoot next to me and get in there. So now I have fashioned a fence around the front of the coop/run so that I can open the doors without having a dog underfoot and the chickens can hang out there without being bothered. We are going to put in a regular fence about 20 feet outside the perimeter of the run/coop to keep the dogs out. It will be pricey but it's what I have to do to keep the girls safe. Wish people would take better care of their dogs. There are at least six of them that have run of the neighborhood.

 

[sharol]

Thanks for the great links. I especially like the second one. I think it will work really well in our situation.

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[sharol]

We live in the country on 14 acres. When we found the house 5 years ago, we had several priorities. The top one was either a fenced yard or a yard that could be fenced. We ended up spending a king's ransom to build a fence around a large yard complete with an electric gate. About 3 days into the fencing project, our neighbor from up the road came by. She was outraged that we were "fencing everyone out." I laughed and said it was to fence in our 3 dogs so that they wouldn't mess up the neighbors' gardens or get killed on the highway. I pointed out the "people gate" and said that anyone was welcome any time and we wouldn't be locking the people gate, ever.

Her whole attitude changed. She cheered up and welcomed us to the area. She had seen us a city folk (from a town of 30,000 no less) who were messing up the friendliness of the country, I guess. What I didn't tell her was that the fence was also designed to keep the coyotes and HER dog out of my yard and away from my dogs.

Sharol

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