Do you trust your dog around your chickens?

[suebee]

I 100% trust my 2 Golden Retrievers. They also protect my free ranging silkies. It's all in the training.

 

[tuesdays chicks]

Quote:
what a beautiful pic. I agree the dogs temperment and training. i don't worry about my chihuahua, but my mom has a yorkypoo which I wouldn't trust with the chicks.
saying that I had a greyhound that my rabbit ran circles around without any fear.

 

[CityChickenJon]

I have a ten year old lab, all she does is lick them. My girls are still a little young to be let out continually with my two dogs but I been getting them used to each other for quite some time know. It should make for an interesting summer.

 

[tammyd57]

I used to raise Pit Bulls about 20 years ago and all of them were great around the chickens, actually ignoring them completely. UNTIL one day my brother came over to help me on butchering day and threw a chicken head to the dogs. He did it before I could stop him. Two of the momma dogs got into a very vicious fight over it that I had to break up and then tie both dogs up. After that, the dogs did everything in their power to get to the chickens. One finally chewed through a 1/4" steel cable run and broke into the chicken house and massacred 1/2 of the flock, about 20 chickens. I never trusted them after that and got thicker cables for their runs so they couldn't get loose.
Now I have a Chihuahua that hates chickens. But the chickens hate her too. They NEVER come in contact with each other. But I won't train her to ignore them either. Neighbors have chickens that are loose and roam all over the place. They provide absolutely NO care for their birds and the only thing that keeps them out of my yard is my little dog. I don't want them on my property bringing diseases or parasites.

 

[annie3001]

yes i do!
we have a shetlie and getting a baby shetlie soon, she will learn about the chickens and grow up with them.

 

[AinaWGSD]

Bottom line, no. 1i trust my dogs 100% when I am there to supervise and have absolutely no concerns with them off leash around free-ranging chickens. But dogs are predators (ALL dogs) and chickens are prey. As great as my dogs are and as well trained as they are, it's just not worth the risk of leaving a predator unsupervised with prey. It's my job to protect my prey species pets from my dogs, so if my dogs were ever to kill a chicken it would be 100% my fault for giving them the chance in the first place. Would my dogs be ok unsupervised with my chickens in my own backyard? Probably, but it's really not a risk I'm willing to take.

 

[skeeter03]

I dont trust my dogs with my chickens at all lmao.
my one dog is a mutt mix - purty sure he is part coyote and that thing even though he is the sweetest well behaved dog around the kids and I , i wouldnt let him around my chickens - I have seen him do boht
just sit and watch and let a chicken run right over him and he didnt so much as flinch - but i have also seen him trying to dig into the chicken coop and "play" lol
my other dog - St.bernard rotti loves to chase the chickens she finds it the most fabulous game ever - she wouldn't intentionally hurt them but she is a BIG dog sooo.......
So i figure for my dogs i would rather be safe then sorry they are well separated my dogs have their run and the chickens have theirs.

 

[teach1rusl]

I have two golden retrievers that I do trust with my chickens unsupervised. My younger female took much longer for me to trust than my older male; for the longest time I was afraid that she would try to "play" with them like she does my cats. But she actually tends to avoid them (because she's been warned so many times) unless I've tossed out leftover treats for them. I trusted my male dog after the first few months, but my female just recently earned that trust, after about 7 months.
I allowed my dogs to see the chicks only over a baby gate at first (I would cup a chick and let them sniff), then in the room with the brooder (with me there of course). Later, when the chicks were moved out to the coop/run, I would sit inside the run with one dog at a time, hand on collar, requiring the dog to lay down, and let the chicks walk all around us. I'd used the command word "gentle!" back when they were still in the house, so that's the reminder I gave throughout my dogs' training. After a week of hand-on-the-collar training (and both did well), I moved on to leash training, still sitting inside the run with the dog, still requiring the dog to lay down while the chicks walked around us, still using "gentle!"
Next came walking around inside the run with the dog(s) on leash, chicks walking about, always using the command word. Finally came taking the dog(s) off the leash, walking around inside the run with them (one at a time always).
When I began letting the chickens out of their run, it was NEVER done unsupervised (at first). I was typically right there, not off doing something else. Anytime the dogs came anywhere near the chickens, I would give them the reminder command, and I would require the dogs to lay down. Later, I would go off a bit, watching from a distance, doing piddly things around the yard. Now, I fully trust both dogs with my girls, whether I'm outside with them or not. I've watched my chickens literally fly across the yard, and my female dog watches, but doesn't move. That was a big concern with her, that she would chase if/when they acted all chickeny and spastic. But she does well. And she is the first one to growl and run at hawks that swoop down in the field behind our property, or geese that land in the lake next door. That tells me she knows that my chickens are "our pack" birds, and not just any old birds.
Consistancy is important. And of course prey drive and what degree of "people pleaser" your dogs have will be a big part as well.
Part of our "off leash" training...

 

[Montana-Hens]

Yep with the adults....chicks can be another story. I think it comes down to training/conditioning and reinforcement how good a well behaved dog is. Our last dog passed away and I dread the learning cycle for a new one.

 

[Jeeper1540]

at first i didnt trust my dog around the chickens because once our rabbit got out and he tried to eat it, so i was worried about what we would do to the chickens the first time i let them free range. he was interested in them but i made him keep his distance. that was like a month ago. now hes proven himself and i have no worries leaving him and the chickens alone outside together. i think he would probably protect the chickens is a stray dog came in the yard