Geese and dogs

[PrairieFarmer]

Quote:
i've done something similar once:

i got my camera some fresh batterys, so i decided on a chicken photo shoot. i had the chickens and the pups outside (thats when i trusted them). Sydney, the blue heelers, greets me at the door. we walk together until i get half way to the barn. i hear the most blood curtling scream i've ever heard. i start to jog toward the barn, just when Nate, my banty standard mix flys outside onto another building right by the barn fallowed by Nikki, my aussie. i let her know shes never to do that again. i would have spanked her, but she made sure she had some distance from me. i yelled until my throught hurt. i then gave her the leash treatment; i put her on a leash everytime i went to the barn, until i got annoyed at chasing her down to put the leash on her. now both pups arn't alowed in the barn.

a few days ago, i had an idea. i cracked open the barn door just enough and put some wood over part of the opening. the hole was just big enought for my brahma hen to go through. just the other day, i find Sydney pushing the door open and going through

and just today i went in the barn to see the chickens. i left the door a bit open because its hard to pen and close the barn door from the inside. the chickens REALLY wanted outside, so my brahma hen steps outside. it only took 30 seconds before i heard nervous clucking followed by her speed walking inside. looks like Sydney rubbed off of Nikki, because Sydney was right outside.



i'm not looking for all this elaberate training things, when i told my dad i wanted a puppy, i wanted either a small herding dog (such as the corgi) or a large teddy bear dog like the mastif or St. bernard, but no, my dad wanted me to get a dog like a collie or border collie. i was ok with it until Nikki got into chasing chickens. now i almost don't want her. i never asked for a problem dog!

i've already lost a pullet to a dog before, i don't want that happening again!

I think you just need to realize they are in that "lilttle kid" stage and be willing to take time and patience to work with them. If you enforce the rules and boundaries in a couple months they will now what is expected and it won't be a problem. It was only a few months ago now that I had the latest problem with my puppy (he would have been about 5 months at the time) and now he is doing very well with the birds. I just watched him today "playing" with my turkeys. Hilarious. BTW, I also couldn't "catch" my puppy (he is SUPER quick) when he was being naughty. He would just run away from me yelling and act like "...whatever, you can't catch me! na-na-na." The day I finally got him, he was sitting on a duck chewing on her wing. I walked up to him very friendly like and he was all happy, wagging tail. So I was able get close enough to grab him and really give him a spanking. That made an impression let me tell you!
I do like what somebody posted on here with the saying "no" and walking between them and the bird. It really is about making them think you are the top dog.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
They know that they arn't allowed in the barn, and chase the chickens, i make sure they know it, but they don't listen

You may say they know it, But when you say they don't listen, You are admiting that they Don't Know it! Maybe they know that it is bad to get caught chasing chickens so they become sneakly about it. When they really know not to chase chickens, they won't chase them anytime if you are home or long gone!

 

[Cuttlefishherder]

If you have a bird that is willing to be near them, put a spot on your pups nose, hold the chicken and let them smell the bird, but make sure the chicken is looking at the pup so that she sees the spot and tries to peck it! Hopefully she lands a good hit and your dogs shouldn't go after the chickens any more, (may take a few tries to get the message through). We did this with our dog, she never looked at them again lol. This works on cats too with chicks that they might consider eating, we have 7 cats and our chicks can run around freely because the cats run away from them!!

 

[tinydancer87]

I've always found a big, fat, angry mama hen to be the best puppy training tool. With your supervision, or course

ETA: I have held puppies down (or locked them in) and let the hen repeatedly attack until the puppy is squalling and trying to get away. A couple times of that and they don't go anywhere near the chickens.

 

[daisyjack]

I train all my dogs the “leave it command” at a young age, I also never play chasing game or tug a war with my dogs. that being said I have 2 male ganders who’s pen surrounds my chicken coop. my dogs run away when they see the geese. They also have warned me when we has stray dogs are on the property and I live up the road from my farm. I think they are great warning alarms and a hissing goose might scare your pups away from the area

 

[Miss Lydia]

i've done something similar once:

i got my camera some fresh batterys, so i decided on a chicken photo shoot. i had the chickens and the pups outside (thats when i trusted them). Sydney, the blue heelers, greets me at the door. we walk together until i get half way to the barn. i hear the most blood curtling scream i've ever heard. i start to jog toward the barn, just when Nate, my banty standard mix flys outside onto another building right by the barn fallowed by Nikki, my aussie. i let her know shes never to do that again. i would have spanked her, but she made sure she had some distance from me. i yelled until my throught hurt. i then gave her the leash treatment; i put her on a leash everytime i went to the barn, until i got annoyed at chasing her down to put the leash on her. now both pups arn't alowed in the barn.

a few days ago, i had an idea. i cracked open the barn door just enough and put some wood over part of the opening. the hole was just big enought for my brahma hen to go through. just the other day, i find Sydney pushing the door open and going through

and just today i went in the barn to see the chickens. i left the door a bit open because its hard to pen and close the barn door from the inside. the chickens REALLY wanted outside, so my brahma hen steps outside. it only took 30 seconds before i heard nervous clucking followed by her speed walking inside. looks like Sydney rubbed off of Nikki, because Sydney was right outside.



i'm not looking for all this elaberate training things, when i told my dad i wanted a puppy, i wanted either a small herding dog (such as the corgi) or a large teddy bear dog like the mastif or St. bernard, but no, my dad wanted me to get a dog like a collie or border collie. i was ok with it until Nikki got into chasing chickens. now i almost don't want her. i never asked for a problem dog!

i've already lost a pullet to a dog before, i don't want that happening again!

I like Duckles method, Milan knows his stuff and I think that training would work wonders. but it has to be taught every day multiple times.

 

[lauriemike]

I have an Aussie and a Border Collie/Husky mix. When I first got the chickens a few years ago, they were both 4. They have always been very interested in chicks, and when I let the first batch of chicks out' for their first run in the grass, I left them alone for a moment. When I returned, I found a chick that had been nosed - it had a tiny tear in its skin and it was swollen - they just nosed it hard. I grabbed the first dog I could get (the Aussie) and dragged her across the driveway and showed her the chick and told her it was not hers to mess with. Never had a problem since, until my newest rooster got big last summer. Now the Aussie and the roo (a Black Orpington) spar if they get too close.

The chickens see the dogs as part of me. When we go out to feed, the dogs are usually in the lead due to rabbits under the barn that they want to investigate. The chickens run out to greet all of us, and then they will follow the dogs. Sadly, because they were used to dogs, when the neighbor's dog came over all the tame ones were killed. Now they no longer free range, and I am planning to get a couple geese to help warn us. My big roo, Jack, now alerts to the dogs' presence. They don't run away or freak out about the dogs but they do consider them worth watching now.

The training of the young pups takes a bit longer as they lack impulse control. It will be worth the time, though. Once they are trained they can be an asset. My dogs let me know when there's a problem with the chickens. Once a hawk struck and missed, and the dogs let me know it was out there. When I opened the door, they shot out and chased the hawk across our front field until it left the property. The border collie/husky considers the chickens her job. The one thing I wish they would do is help me herd the chickens when they get out, but that early training has stuck. When I need help with wayward chickens, I park the dogs in a sit/stay and work with them that way. It often works quite well.

Typing with a two-week old chick on my chest is not working well. It thinks my typing fingers are pecking and keeps running over to the keyboard of the laptop and pecking along with me. Too light to press the keys, but big enough to get in the way.

 

[Littleloopy]

I had 7 chickens and two dogs. They never used to get on but fine now. We started witth Letting them in the cage when the chickens were in the coop so they could get familiar to the smells. Then dogs on lead to walk past so the chickens could get to know them. Its usually when they flap about they set dogs off as they are intregued and then scare the chockens more and its a vicious circle. I now have teo goslings of 6 weeks and the dogs love them. They sit on them and not a flinch. It takes a long time and is very tedious but u just have to train the dogs to treat them like other dogs And be friendly.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I had 7 chickens and two dogs. They never used to get on but fine now. We started witth Letting them in the cage when the chickens were in the coop so they could get familiar to the smells. Then dogs on lead to walk past so the chickens could get to know them. Its usually when they flap about they set dogs off as they are intregued and then scare the chockens more and its a vicious circle. I now have teo goslings of 6 weeks and the dogs love them. They sit on them and not a flinch. It takes a long time and is very tedious but u just have to train the dogs to treat them like other dogs And be friendly.

 

[Searsmom]

Dogs that chase and kill other animals are liable to end up dead themselves at the hands of a not so understanding neighbor, if they were to escape the yard. I would be that neighbor if it happened to my birds as I am sure you may be as well.

Absolutely. I've had too many lost birds to folks who don't follow the leash law. I've used a BB gun to scare them but they come back. It is legal to shoot a dog here that is harassing your livestock - chickens included. The next ones I find will get the SSS treatment. Shoot Shovel and Shut up.

Better to get stern with the dogs for a little while than have them disappear.