Feeling Very Guilty...Need Advice

[Vickischics]

UPDATE: 24 November 2020

Hi everyone. I wanted to provide a ~6 month update for Meatball (dog), the chickens, and how everyone is doing. And my oh my, what a difference time and effective training make!

Shortly after I wrote my original post, I invested in a SportDog e-collar and it has been a true lifesaver. Meatball responded so well to e-collar training with me and knows about 8 commands now (sit, stay, come, heel, lay down, place, shake, and emergency recall). It took about 4 weeks of multiple, short (less than 10min) daily training sessions with and without the e-collar for him to be able to learn all these things. He doesn’t need the e-collar on to respond to these commands too! I actually did all the training on my own after watching the videos that came with the collar and a few YouTube videos. He’s been socialized with a few family and friend’s dogs and he is great with other dogs, loves to play and be around everyone.

As for the chickens and Meatball, he has learned that the ladies are 100% off limits. He will never be a poultry guard dog but he is so much more well behaved now than before. We just recently got to the point where we can let him off leash (but still wearing the e-collar) and let him be outside the fence when the chickens are out free-ranging. He actually is more interested in chasing squirrels than the chickens! When I was doing his “intense” training, I would make him sit and stay right by the run/coop with the chickens inside while I would go collect eggs and clean the coop. I think doing that every day got him used to seeing/smelling the chickens. I would inch him closer to the run fencing every few days until he’s to the point now where he’s laying right up against the run fencing. I don’t think we will ever get to the point of letting him off leash with no e-collar with everyone free ranging but I’ll take what I have now!

Anyways, thanks for everyone’s encouragement! I’ll leave you with a photo that sums up Meatball’s progress

Congratulations! Training well done.
Good for you.
Training, Training, training.
Happier dog and a Happier Mama.
Good for you.

 

[mosander]

Thank you everyone for your overnight replies. I’ve felt a little better after reading them this morning. I’ll answer a few questions here and provide some clarification.

We have 0.5 acres of our 3 acre property fully fenced in that is connected to our house via the patio/front door. I have been doing leashed walks around our property and to our mailbox (about 1/2 mile from our house) 3 times a day, each time walking past the chicken coop/run. The dog has been staying in the fenced area off leash, but he’s always on a leash when outside the fence.

I could tie him to a tree or put him on a short run within the fence while I let the chickens free range, but the chickens love coming inside the fence to dig through our mulch beds and sleep/preen on the patio with me. They’ve been doing that for over 2 years now and I’ve tried to keep them outside then fence but they just fly over it. I don’t want to clip their wings.

The chickens have a 16x32ft fully enclosed, predator proof run and a 8x8ft attached coop so they have plenty of room. They just hate being in there when they see me outside, with or without the dog, because they are so used to being outside with me to roam all over the yard. I’m considering getting a not-totally predator proof tractor pen so they can still “free range” if the dog is outside.

I am definitely going to hire a trainer/behavioral specialist, but am concerned with spending $$$$$ to have no benefit at the end of it. I should have taken a chicken with me to the dog pound but again, it’s a pound not a humane rescue so our initial visit with the dog was brief. Hindsight is the best kind of sight and knowing what I know now, I would have done the initial visit differently.

I think the plan for us is to give it a few months, with keeping the dog inside if the chickens are out, along with training. If after doing all that we still haven’t made any progress, we will think about rehoming the dog.

Thanks for everyone’s responses. I’ve gotten little support from my family and friends so it’s been nice to have unbiased strangers weigh in on the situation.

 

[mosander]

I have 3 dogs and 60 chickens. The little poodle shows no real interest in chickens. The big 85 pound dog likes to make them flap and squawk but she will not hurt them. If I ask her to "get the chicken" - if it wont come back or go in the pen), she will chase them until they "submit". then I go pick up the chicken. The cattle dog was initially the problem. They tend to nip at the back end of whatever they are herding. Solution: attach a leash around your waist and to the dog. It must be short enough for a quick pull before she/he gets in trouble. Take them with you (train first in sit, stay, wait, down commands and practice). Make her lay down and let the chickens out. Stand on the leash if necessary. After a week or 2, your dog should be learning not to chase other family members (the chickens). She now goes with me every night to help. She finds any chickens that have not gone in the pen and will slowly walk behind them to herd them into the chicken house. Once she found an newly hatched guinea and was carrying it in her mouth. I said, what have you got? Proudly she brought me the baby guinea )slightly wet with spit). I put it under a broody chicken who raised it up. She never hurt it. She is very protective of the chickens now and I trust her completely.

 

[swimmy44]

Congratulations! Training well done.
Good for you.
Training, Training, training.
Happier dog and a Happier Mama.
Good for you.

Can't see the photo - but my email is hausrat911 at gmail if you want to forward one - also, which eCollar did you try? I have one but have felt unsure about using it - on my very reactive territorial dog (excessive barking at passers by AND all trash and delivery trucks and people) when he's in front of our house - he's fine with chickens haha, prefers squirrels! And he's very obedient with heeling off lead and most commands (other than "quiet").

 

[mosander]

I have 3 dogs and 60 chickens. The little poodle shows no real interest in chickens. The big 85 pound dog likes to make them flap and squawk but she will not hurt them. If I ask her to "get the chicken" - if it wont come back or go in the pen), she will chase them until they "submit". then I go pick up the chicken. The cattle dog was initially the problem. They tend to nip at the back end of whatever they are herding. Solution: attach a leash around your waist and to the dog. It must be short enough for a quick pull before she/he gets in trouble. Take them with you (train first in sit, stay, wait, down commands and practice). Make her lay down and let the chickens out. Stand on the leash if necessary. After a week or 2, your dog should be learning not to chase other family members (the chickens). She now goes with me every night to help. She finds any chickens that have not gone in the pen and will slowly walk behind them to herd them into the chicken house. Once she found an newly hatched guinea and was carrying it in her mouth. I said, what have you got? Proudly she brought me the baby guinea )slightly wet with spit). I put it under a broody chicken who raised it up. She never hurt it. She is very protective of the chickens now and I trust her completely.