Do you trust your dog around your chickens?

[Whitney13]

Now I trust my dog completly around my chickens. He is a Shar-pei/Healer/German Shepherd/ ?, those are the only three we are certain of. When he was a puppy though he accidentally killed one of our roosters so he got banned from being around the chickens. He was chasing it and when he went to catch it he got its head instead of its tail. He liked playing with the tail feathers and once he realised it was dead he brought it to the porch and then laid down by it until I found it. I got rid of my other two chickens a couple months later but last year a bought a baby Americauna and raised her in a bird cage until she was big enough to go outside. The dog left her alone while she was in the bird cage. Then one day I was going into the chicken house to feed her and I forgot to close the door and the dog came in. The dog barked at her and went to chase her before I even knew he was in there but instead of running Kip(my hen) turned around and attacked my dog. Now he stays outside of the chicken house unless he is invited in. He no longer chases chickens when we go to other peoples houses either.

 

[Saminku]

I don't trust my dog she is sweet but when it comes to chickens she will kill them
she killed my mom's small hen about 4 or 5 years ago

 

[LocoPollo]

I have a golden, and he did play with the first chick he ever saw and it died, but since then, with training, he doesnt touch any of the chickens. When the roosters go after him, it is pretty funny cause he wants to play with them and he knows he cant. He goes in the pen with me and everything, and I dont worry about it at all.

 

[gallatea]

I trust my dog, an Old English Sheepdog, but he's 100 lbs. so I definitely watch and him and am with him when around the birds. He's been around parrots and is scared of them, but chickens/ducks are new. He will follow them, but no lunging, barking, chasing. They are faster than him too. I think it's part of his nature to be gentle to other animals, rather herd them, than eat them.

I did use the beep of an electronic collar though when we started to let the duck go into the koi pond. He could very easily step on her and he was getting annoying - she's afraid of him, so she'd run even if he was just standing there looking dumb. He needed to keep a larger perimeter from her for her to feel OK.

The duck (Cayuga) is huge now and scares the bejeebers out of him. All about the beak. He thinks she has the bite of a hookbill which can amputate fingers. It's kind of funny how an African Grey parrot trained him first. And who is he most afraid of - the tiniest parrot of them all, the lovebird.

Here's a video with our little lovebird and a video w/ the duck. My voice gets nervous because I was waiting for him to jump off the coffee table, but it was OK.

duck

lovebird

 

[Yardbirds286]

I have a 3 year old Boxer. Inside with babies, yes he is scared of them and ignores them. Outside, heck no. He is a different dog. Loves chasing squirrels, and bunnies (although he never catches them). The prey drive is way too strong to ever trust him even if I am out there. Dog inside, the girls can roam, dog outside girls in their yard. Better safe than sorry.

 

[PeepsInc]

I have a rottweiler that wont even look at my birds. My beagle is great with chickens,but cant be trusted with ducks. I don't know why he hates ducks. Then I have a lab rotty mix that I use as a heard dog. She is the protector of the flock. I don't know what I'd do with out her. My dad always said mutts are smarter,& He always said females are easier to train. Pick a dog that works off site & sound instead of scent. That's the basics behind herding dogs. Their less likely to be killers. A happy dog is a dog that has a job. Make your dog feel like part of the flock. Take the dog out at feeding time & make it do nothing but sit there while the birds eat. Your dog should know every bird on the property. Always take the dog with you when locking up the coop at night. That's the easiest way to teach them to heard, because the bird naturally wants to go in the coop. The dog will feel accomplished once all the birds are in.(don't use treats to train your dog,the satisfaction of a job well done should be the treat) My mutt can move the birds around with out ever touching them. She intimidates them with her eyes. ....... As far as chicks go, I've seen Jade(the mutt) pull dead chicks out of the garbage & lay there with them between her paws protecting them like they were her puppy's, until I take them away from her.......If I had to recommend a dog, I'd say get a nice quiet Female Mutt from the pound

 

[chubbydog811]

Hehe...One of my dogs are awesome and I trust him completely - he is a black lab. He had never seen a chicken before coming here, and he was perfect when the new flock came. Never even looked at them. Even 3 years later, he still doesnt bother them. He'll look at the chicks, but he knows not to touch them! Now my other labX acted like a good dog, then went after them last minute...And of course you cant trust jack russels!

 

[kfchickenlady]

Quote:
I would say thats working for me also, I have a corgi who is our goat herder. He can be aggressive with them if need be, but when we got adult hens, he was never allowed to herd them. Ever. Instead, he happily runs ahead of me at feeding and locking up time, when the chicks are outside in a small pen, he chases the cats away. He knows what his job is, and even when they run from him flapping wings, he looks away and wont chase them. I think he is proud of his jobs and tries to do them well, even though he is a herding dog and such a "bad little boy" at times...hehe. (hes my 12 yr old son's dog, theyre like twins)
That being said, would I trust him completely locked up in a coop with them? Of course not. Also, my daughter has an old Lab, she is the sweetest thing, with the softest mouth, will let the kids ride her, and Ive never even seen her mad in 9 yrs, not once. BUT. She is very interested if you know that look, in birds of any kind. She has a history of playing with birds to death, and chasing and killing pet rabbits. (All were years ago and escapees). You would think she would be the more trustworthy, just like my ancient springer spaniel, who is deaf, lame, senile, etc. She is the least trustworthy of all, actually. She too, is the sweetest, most obedient dog.... I think it has to do with how crazy that feather smell makes them, who knows?

 

[Doodle_Doo]

mine is kind of embarrasing to put haha cause i dont have a big dog..
i have three small 4 pound chihuahuas

they dont go near the mature chickens but
a year ago four of my adult button quail got out and the dogs were outside..
i found all four of the little birds torn apart

half eaten one just killed for fun

but if an adult quail was killed they can easily do that to a chick or a new born just
going out for its first time.. so during hatching time or when i know there are still young
ones they stay away.. i make sure now i keep my eldest phoenix(doodle) rooster to keep guard..
funny to see when he does his job all three dogs run everywhere but it has to be done to keep
the chicks safe..

 

[cracked_egg]

I hate to say this but almost all dogs were bred to be hunters or retrievers or herders of some sort (plus the working breeds).... There are 7 groups rec. by AKC, sporting, non-sporting, herding, working, terrier, hound and toy... Many of the toy breeds were developed just as companions, and of course many of the non sporting had a purpose but are so far removed from it they're put in their own little dysfunctional group... Even the Poodle was bred to be a hunting dog, they're retrievers...

Some of the breeds mentioned here as non hunters (such as danes or pit bulls) are actually very strong in their hunting background... Pit Bulls were actually bred originally to be ratters on ships... After that they realized how good they are for pit fighting, hence the name, but the AKC equivalent is the American Stafordshire Terrier, which is basically the same breed and blood lines before they were accepted to akc, just now with a name change to make it easier to swallow, lol...

I think most dogs can be trained, we just aren't always willing or able to do what it takes to train them, but no dog should be trusted (actually no animal should be trusted). They just do what is in their nature to do, we just work hard to teach them to control their instincts...