chicks and the family dog

[l.s.cooper]

We are blessed with a great dog, our chickens in the past would hang out with her while she slept.

 

[Zahboo]

Aw sweet puppy What breed? I wish all our dogs would be able to be that close to a chicken! Isabella, my three pound dog is a year and thinks chickens are her play things. I don't think she'd kill intentionally, but

 

[dkluzier]

oh my - that is sooo sweet!! What a wonderful doggy you have.

 

[b.hromada]

that is so sweet. She is "protecting" her "babies". How cute.

 

[Bridget399]

I think that if your dog were a chick, s/he'd be an EE! (Just by her markings.)
Very Cute!!

 

[ChickenCharmer]

that-is-sooooo-cute

 

[LuLuBelle]

I totally agree.. what great pictures, and that's so sweet that the dog is so caring towards the babies.

Our dog passed away about a year ago, but I sooo wish she were here to see out chickies because she would be just as sweet and gentle with the chicks as your dog is.

Great picture

 

[allmypeeps]

LOVE your photo! I LOVE when animals all get along like that!!!!

I don't know what I'd do if mine didn't I am so lucky they DO!!!

This is my Jadamarie ( bordercollie/hound mix) with a little peep

Cheers
e

 

[NancyBrew]

I suspect every dog is different and some breeds are better than others around livestock. Heelers and Austrailian shepards are probably great with chicks too.

I have raised both chicks and ducklings with purebred labs in the past and have always used the following training.

After they eat and are calm let the dog sniff each of the babies, smaller the better since you can protect the chick/duckling covering it in your hands. This way the chicken smell and yours meld in their memory. Since they know better than to bite YOUR hand they will sniff and maybe lick. It helps to have a helper so you can keep chick safe IF the dog misbehaves.

When the dog is satisfied, and not actively snifffing, put chickie down and reward doggie with lots of love.

If the dog tries to bite, gets aggressive or agitated use the angry voice, and do whatever that dog needs to have done to punish it quickly, so they associate the two events.

Keep trying and working with the dog, daily until they show disinterest in the yellow fluffy squeakie toy. My dog would let the baby chicks climb all over her. I would never let them together though un-supervised, though I suspect she would be fetching wandering drool covered chickens if I did.

After grown the chickens and duck pose a less enticing morsel, in fact my large Pekin drake would pick on the dog. So I had to protect her from the duck!

Both the dogs I had were hunting stock labs who had never been gun dogs but had some training. They are trained to pick up birds and NOT bite them. I think part of this behaviour is ingrained. Any hunter would be furious to have his birds crushed by a retreiver I think. In fact you train them to not bite and squeeze the dummies they are trained with.

Now my house cats... that will be another question.... Luckily I live where it is very warm and I think the new baby chicks I am planning on getting with grow up in the garage in the box/brooder. I have one cat who is too fat and slow to catch anything. But my little male woud probably love to pounce on an escaped chick.

 

[rhondapiper]

Oh, you're so lucky. My dog wants to eat my chicks desperately, stands outside the door to the room they are in and whines and whines, trembling the whole time at the idea of getting to them.

The cats on the other hand, are unimpressed. They know they can't kill anything I take care of, so they're pretending the chickens don't exist.