DOG

[Judy]

Sounds to me like the problem here is that the co-op is operating on the assumption that chickens and dogs can live harmoniously together. They can, and mine do, but it took a lot of supervision, training of dogs, and no doubt luck, to get to this point. (And if the 10 month old pup kills a chicken tomorrow, I will not be shocked.) I'd say that a co-op like this is going to have losses of other animals as well, assuming they have them, or acquire them. If that is understood to be part of the price of no fencing, fine. If they expect to be able to put half a dozen species together without some eating or injuring others, or even just chickens and dogs, they are being unrealistic.

As for the dead chicken around the neck -- it seems to have worked for some, but is no sure-fire solution. There is no shortcut here. Choosing the right breed and training the dog will be needed in the long run.

 

[LA~Poulet]

I would give your dog a firm "NO" and reprimand any time he even glanced at a chicken, and reward for every time he didn't.

I'd like to commend you for actively seeking out how to train your dog best-I'm sure others will have better suggestions than me. Dogs can learn that chickens are our friends-just like they can be taught to tolerate a cat, or anything else. Good luck.

 

[TurtleFeathers]

i was told that tieing the dead chicken around the dogs neck helps.

Ya know, my husband and I just had a conversation about this very same subject just this evening, after I told him about a friend whose dog killed her own ducks yesterday.

He said when he was a kid on the farm, some of their young foxhounds killed a bunch of their chickens, and his uncle tied a dead chicken around each of their necks - and these dead chickens stayed in place til they ROTTED OFF - and he said those dogs never, EVER killed another chicken again.

I had never heard of this before, and I was shocked by it - not only is it completely gross, but I think its rather inhumane - but I was even more shocked to hear that my husband's sweet tempered uncle (who is 90 years old now and has always had a heart of gold since I've known him) would have ever even THOUGHT to do such a thing!

Not that I would ever even consider doing it (and not that you should either!), but my husband swears it works... I'm sure someone here on BYC can help you find a... well... lets just say, "less offensive," yet effective training method!​

 

[toredano]

Not to beat you up over this BUT.. you mentioned in 2 posts that you know about dog behavior more than others .Then you should have known what would /could happen. And I am sure you are a responsible dog owner I am not saying you are not.

Glad you stood up for the mistake that was made tho . Thats one thing alot of people wont do anymore.

Retraining a dog isnt easy but it can be done.
The old addage" once a dog smells or drinks blood they cant be helped" is a load of BS.
Dogs get retrained/ reconditoned everyday to leave stuff alone.