great pyrenese

[City farm]

I am looking for a dog now to keep outside on the farm. I want one that will rip a man's arm off if he came unannounced. Someone has been coming in my hen house during the day when I'm not here and stealing eggs. Last year I had someone steal a duck and about 12 of her newly hatched babies... It's sad.

Besides the dog set up a wildlife camera.. It would be fun to see the little bugger that is getting a free meal..

 

[City farm]

...

Get a dog from the shelter.... and train it well.

Sounds so simple. Can you explain how to do that?[/quote

Most no kill shelters give the dogs all types of test. One being small prey drive.. Hope this helps..

 

[City farm]

a lot of time spent with your dog and chickens.... most people forget they have 2 species to train.

A whole lot of people talk like you can just take any dog and train it to guard chickens. The way they talk they act like a stump could be trained to guard chickens. The problem is that nobody actually tells HOW to train a dog to guard chickens or how to get one that kills chickens to stop. Most dogs are not going to guard chickens or anything else except maybe their feed bowl. And the majority that kill chickens will never stop.

X2...

 

[centrarchid]

just a firm "leave it!" they're still on leash at that time.

Swamp hens/ pukeko/ ducklings killers...

[/QUOTE]
That critter looks like a North American coot although a little leggier than what we have. The behavior shown is very similar to relationship my chickens have with songbirds they can catch, especially fledgling indigo buntings.

 

[City farm]

A whole lot of people talk like you can just take any dog and train it to guard chickens. The way they talk they act like a stump could be trained to guard chickens. The problem is that nobody actually tells HOW to train a dog to guard chickens or how to get one that kills chickens to stop. Most dogs are not going to guard chickens or anything else except maybe their feed bowl. And the majority that kill chickens will never stop.

I am firmly in the "lot of people camp".  I, and others here that clearly know what they are doing, have repeatedly described how to train dogs with respect to poultry.  The efforts do not seem to have stuck because folks with much less ability with dogs have a lot more to say about dogs, thus swamping out good efforts of others concerning dogs. 

The majority of my dogs that have been used to protect poultry killed poultry during early stages but habit was broken. Those that did not have sufficient interest to kill chickens when young where more likely to defend feed bowl later in life.  Therefore I disagree with your last statement.

Well, huh? early stages, meaning puppy & only killing 1-2 chickens? I would never leave one of our dogs with our flock if they have killed 1-2 chickens..
How long do you think it takes to train a dog? I must say I am blessed to have not had to do that.. don't have time to train them..
We only rescue dogs 2 years +.We never know if the dog is good with them or not.. It is just a feeling I have about them.
Our flock is in a long run the length of our home.. They use to free range out front with 2 dogs & myself with a baseball bat near by..
we are re-doing our front yard so they go out back.. I have only had 2 loose dogs come threw.. The one owner saw me out there with the bat getting ready
for her to enter into our yard.. so the moment it got out to chase a feral cat it was in hot pursuit & ready to kill..
Most dog owners are not educated dog owners.

 

[City farm]

A whole lot of people talk like you can just take any dog and train it to guard chickens. The way they talk they act like a stump could be trained to guard chickens. The problem is that nobody actually tells HOW to train a dog to guard chickens or how to get one that kills chickens to stop. Most dogs are not going to guard chickens or anything else except maybe their feed bowl. And the majority that kill chickens will never stop.

I've described to many people how to train dogs to chickens but it's sort of like how everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die~no one wants to fully take the steps necessary to produce a dog that obeys.  It's not the dogs with the problem, the problem lies with "most people".  Some dogs are easier, so choosing among those types can make the job easier. Some are harder or are already spoiled by "most people", so it's more of a challenge...but it can be done. 

I have a sister who has a wall in her kitchen that looks like it belongs to an S&M mistress, of things to control her big dog(Newfoundland/Visla mix) on walks.  The dog has dragged her and her husband on numerous occasions to the point of physical injury~ankles sprained, shoulders with rotator cuff injuries, etc.  I've explained what to do over and over but they will not listen, so one day in about 5 seconds I showed them how easy it all was with just a leash looped around the neck to make that dog walk calmly beside you~smart dog...smarter than the owners.  Since then, just after that tiny demonstration, they no longer have a dog that pulls their arms out of the socket....and this after a tiny little lesson in "who's the boss".  This dog had been to a trainer on numerous occasions and had cost them thousands of dollars in training and medical bills.

They also have a Great Dane that is nice but leans on people to the point of knocking them over...they think it's cute.  It's not.  One time is all it took to correct the behavior when he leaned on me, with one simple move and now the dog knows better.  Smart dog, one correction, simple fix.  Leaning is claiming and dominating..it's not being affectionate and cute.  It's the people..not the dogs.   

It takes being forceful in your attitude...not angered because the dog just did something bad...but forceful and with intent to effect change.  Dogs are like children..they love boundaries and crave knowing where they are.  You've first got to earn their respect and trust and you do that by being consistent in all you want from them, then showing them what you want (not in a frustrated, angry way) and then expecting them to do it.  You don't let them get by with jumping on people, not coming when they are called, not sitting or lying down when told, getting on the furniture, getting in your way, barking all the time, etc., then expect they will listen to you when it really counts, around your chickens. 

Consistency and purpose, day in and day out. 

My advice?  Watch Cesar Milan until it hurts your eyes.....it's all in there. 

X2!! Bee you are hilarious.. So true when a dog walks the owner.. I feel sad for the dog.. What is so sad is I offer to help them "neighbors" for
free just so our neighborhood can have good dogs.. It makes it easier for all of us when a dog owner can control their dog..

 

[centrarchid]

Well, huh? early stages, meaning puppy & only killing 1-2 chickens? I would never leave one of our dogs with our flock if they have killed 1-2 chickens..
How long do you think it takes to train a dog? I must say I am blessed to have not had to do that.. don't have time to train them..
We only rescue dogs 2 years +.We never know if the dog is good with them or not.. It is just a feeling I have about them.
Our flock is in a long run the length of our home.. They use to free range out front with 2 dogs & myself with a baseball bat near by..
we are re-doing our front yard so they go out back.. I have only had 2 loose dogs come threw.. The one owner saw me out there with the bat getting ready
for her to enter into our yard.. so the moment it got out to chase a feral cat it was in hot pursuit & ready to kill..
Most dog owners are not educated dog owners.

There is considerable variation in how folks keep birds outdoors. Mine are out in a large field with patch of heavy cover and range of forage plant types. The birds, especially the young ones get a very large percentage of their daily needs met by foraging. The area they cover while can include anywhere from 2 to 6 acres out of an 18 acre piece of ground. The dogs during train-up can kill a couple birds out of more than a hundred but similar losses can result from a fox alone during one week without dogs keeping fox away. I loose a small number up front to prevent getting "nickled and dimed" to death later. This is particularly important when free-ranging starts with 5-week old juveniles that are also hawk bait without protection.


The dog training takes time but is still only a small portion of the dogs productive lifetime.

Sometimes the education of dog owners can start here where we can direct them to good sources of information. Treating such newbies as being "stupid" and beyond help is not productive.

 

[nzpouter]

Okay, I see you are in New Zealand. I didn't think I had heard of a swamp hen. That's wild! Do you guys eat those things? lol

nope.... a seagull will probably have more meat on them...

 

[Triple Willow]

nope.... a seagull will probably have more meat on them...

It looks like a pretty little bird, except for the little duck in its mouth. People here eat quail and other wild game birds. You ought to try one, might be tasty.

 

[centrarchid]

If like coots flavor will not be best.