Dogs try to play and herd the chickens.

[TheJadeChicken]

So most people have problems with dogs. Well, my dogs are not cold blooded killers. My Great Pyrenees walks around and is a great guard dog. But when the chickens start freaking out, he tries to play with them. I saw that he had killed my D'Uccle Rooster, but he didn't have any wounds one him. I also noticed that he was cleaning the chicken by licking him. It was very strange. I am wondering how would I go about teaching him to not "play" with them? He keeps the Coyotes and other animals away.

I also have a Chi-weenie, Chihuahua, and Dachshund that seem to play tug o' war with the chickens. But when we try to catch them to put them in the pen. The dogs seems to follow our example and chase them. But the Chihuahua and Chi-Weenie seem to herd them toward us to be easier to catch. Is there anyway to get them to put that instinct to good use? Or teaching them to leave them alone? Nevermind on this.

Tips? Thoughts?

Thank You!

P.S. I am tempted to put pink on them and let my Roo have them. He either likes pink or hates pink. xD

 

[dainerra]

contain and manage. dog doesn't go out the door unless it is on a leash.
if you have a problem with the dog slipping out, then baby gates to make sure the dog doesn't have access to the door (or crate the dog or shut it in another room when the door is going to be open).

at this point, the dog might not be able to be trusted, ever. in that case, you are just going to have to contain and manage the situation.
Even one time of getting to chase the chickens is going to be a huge setback in the training. So make sure that everyone in the house is on the same page in making sure to contain the dog.

 

[centrarchid]

Your Great Pyrenees has yet to settle into role with poultry by becoming board with them. More exposure with alternative releases when dog is excited needed.


Avoid herding chickens. They are not a herd operating species as social groups are smaller and more dynamic. Rather invest effort in training chickens to go where you want by using food as an enticement.

 

[TheJadeChicken]

@ centrarchid
Thank you for your response. "Your Great Pyrenees has yet to settle into role with poultry by becoming board with them. More exposure with alternative releases when dog is excited needed." I don't get what this mean or maybe I am not getting what it means. Care to explain more?

I do use food to get them to go were I want. They also follow me everywhere.. But some of my chickens aren't the smartest and run into the fence. Completely avoiding the door to the coop/pen. I am thinking of getting a net to catch the run away with.

 

[luvmychixandducks]

We had a German Shepherd who liked to play with my neighbors chickens.. The dog would bark at her door and neighbor would let them out for playtime.
Only once did he play at all rough, and a word from the neighbor to the dog was all it took to bring playtime back to acceptable conduct. And never an issue again.
When playtime was over, the dog would be told to put them away- he would herd them back into the pen and wait for them to be locked down- then he would come back home.
This same neighbor had a husky /malemute who was hard to catch - she hated to come in from outside- so for a reward of a cookie, my shepherd would catch the husky and hold her down until she could be leashed.
After a while, as soon as the dog saw her catcher coming she would give up and lay down and wait for the leash.
Whenever their dog got loose, instead of chasing, the neighbors children would knock on my door to "borrow" my dog to catch the wayward husky.
It's been almost thirty years since we lost him- and the neighbor still says he was the best dog she ever saw- including her own.

 

[centrarchid]

Thank you for your response. "Your Great Pyrenees has yet to settle into role with poultry by becoming board with them. More exposure with alternative releases when dog is excited needed." I don't get what this mean or maybe I am not getting what it means. Care to explain more?

When dog is riled up by something such as a predator it cannot get to, then it can sometimes attack its charges as a mechanism to release aggression. Any kind of stimulus and it need not be a predator can cause such.

You after dog to settle down and be less likely to get riled by weak stimulus.

 

[TheJadeChicken]

Okay. Okay. Hmmmm. I have tried playing with him and stuff, but he doesn't take to it well. He has plays with our Great Dane. He loves children, but not so much for adults. I think he had a bad beginning in life.

He occasionally gets out and runs about "his" territory.

 

[TheJadeChicken]

Well, he got my 2 baby D'Uccles. He didn't kill them. He tried to carry them back to their pen.
I noticed he only starts chasing, when my chiweenie starts chasing them.

 

[Contrary]

How old is your pyr? We use pyrs on our pastured poultry operation with great success.

 

[TheJadeChicken]

How old is your pyr? We use pyrs on our pastured poultry operation with great success.

About 2 now.