Dogs

[Dongoul]

I have 2 great family dogs, do many members have their dogs near their flock? I've read that they should be trained but my dogs won't hurt a fly

 

[Stiggy]

Yes I do, and where I lived previously we had 6 dogs that walked/ played and did dog things around our flock. often if there were holes to be dug then there were chickens there helping as well. personally my dog lives in harmony with the chickens unless they approach his bone, then he growls and they back off. they have an enclosed yard which they can come and go from as they please ( the gap is big enough for them, but not big enough for the dog to get in) and they share the rest of the yard with the dog who guards them from the occasional cat that comes in and never returns after being chased away.

if your dogs are good with them and can be trusted then they should be fine

 

[bobbi-j]

We've had dogs and chickens for years. The dog we had to put down last summer was a hunting dog, but never ever harmed my chickens. He thought he was the flock rooster when it came to protection and breaking up squabbles between the hens. (He left the breeding part to the real rooster!

) We now have a pup that seems to be doing OK with the adult birds, but I don't trust him yet with the babies. He's very interested in my 3 1/2 week old meat birds. There will be close supervision when they get let out of the run the first time. If your dogs have not been exposed to chickens before, I would not be too quick to assume that they will not harm them. They may not attack out of meanness, but they may want to play with the squawking, running flapping things that you brought home. I had a lab pup that "retrieved" my whole flock one time. Totally my fault. I had let them out of the pen, went to church, then ended up being gone longer than planned, and when I got home found a very proud puppy with 12 dead pullets on my doorstep. Lesson learned. Close supervision until I feel the dog is trustworthy. It all depends on your dogs, their personality (more than the breed, I think), your training and willingness to make sure they are good with your birds - whether that means training or supervision. Some will say NO dog can be trusted - I wholeheartedly disagree with that as we have had several that we trusted. Others will say ANY dog can be trained. Not too sure on that one, either. Every dog and every situation is different.

 

[Dongoul]

Thanks that's good to know

 

[Dongoul]

Wow sorry about your pullets. I will defintely supervise first few times, I have a Newfoundland and pug. I would prob be more concerned with my need especially since she doesn't realize her size.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I would second what bobbi-j said above. I have two dogs, a 10-year-old mix (maybe some Australian Cattle Dog and some Norwegian Elkhund) and 2 1/2 year old Anatolian Shepherd Dog. The ASD is an ancient livestock guardian breed, so his instincts should be to guard and protect the chickens, but when he was a puppy he required constant supervision around the chickens because the urge to chase was pretty strong too, expecially if the chickens were flapping around in a dirt bath. Up untill this summer, I always had the dogs teathered if the chickens were free ranging because if something startled or excited the chickens and they started running or flapping, the dog's prey drive seemed to kick in. At 2 1/2 I have good reason to feel confident that my ASD understands that the chickens are not to be harmed and can leave him out on chicken guarding duty unsupervised.

So, if I were you, I'd introduce your two family dogs to the chickens one at a time where your focus was on one dog and watching their body language to see if they exibited any prey behavior: hard focused stare, tail up, lip licking and/or hunting crouch or really excited behavior, that might not be aggressive but could still result in injury to a chicken. Correct any unwanted behavior before it escalates and your dog should get the idea that they need to leave the chickens alone. Once I felt relatively confident that the dog had the right attitude, I'd probably find an outdoor activity like working in the garden where I could observe the dog while the chickens are around and see what happens. Teathers of some type are helpfull to, because even if the dog lunges at a flapping chicken, chances are the chicken can get out of reach.