Dog troubles

[Kane]

My dog likes to bark at my chickens. They have gotten used to it. they have gotten so bold around him that they will stick their heads out to peck at the grass. im afraid he will get them! any tips??

 

[chikenscratch]

I am battling this with my dog as well.

I have her on a leash and introduce her into the vacinity of the chickens (in the coop/run). As soon as she starts shaking, whining, or barking. We stop, I turn her around so that her back end is toward the chickens. She must stay there until she is laying down quietly no tail wagging. Then we move a little closer, until the unwanted behavior begins again. I do this a few times and end on a good note. Do not expect the behavior to disappear immediately.

Try again another time and you will notice that as the dog understands your expectations, the scale of the unwanted behavior will be less and less.

If you get to a point where you can have the chickens inside the coop (protected from the dog) and the dog with the leash on but no one holding it. Allow the dog to sniff and smell around. If the dog begins to scratch at the coop/run, immediately stand between the coop and the dog with the dog furthest from the coop. This establishes that you own the coop area and everything in it. You may need to step toward the dog forcing the dog backwards to do this. Keep this up until you can end on a good note.

Remember that you must establish ownership of the coop and the chickens, but do not ever trust the dog with the chickens alone if your dog shows aggressive behavior toward the chickens.

I hope this helps.

I have recently gotten to the point where my dog can be in the yard (chickens protected in the run) and think of something besides her fixation on the chickens and how to get into the coop. She understand now (finally) that I own the coop/chickens and her rank is below them. But I do not trust her a bit

 

[nzpouter]

My dog likes to bark at my  chickens. They have gotten used to it. they have gotten so bold around him that they will stick their heads out to peck at the grass. im afraid he will get them! any tips??

yep... train the dog. Walk him on leash among the chickens, corrections when he shows the wrong intentions.