Heartbroken - need to rehome dogs

[Razadia]

I'm sorry to hear that you have to get rid of your dogs. We have a dog that is former chick killer. All our large breed dogs are chained up outside (I make it sound like a lot, but there are only two) and they are posted in the only two spots where someone could steal something. Cisco can put his paws on the coop door and still have slack in the chain. A chick got out once and he killed it. My dad beat the tar out of Cisco over it. Needless to say, Cisco turns his back when a chick gets out and he runs from them if they get too close to him.

I hate that it came down to that, but He's a good dog and dad really didn't want to get rid of him. Dad did the same to my Catahoula when he was a puppy and killed any birds that got in his chain reach. Blu protected the chickens up until he died from heart worms a year ago. Cisco was the most trust worthy of the two dogs we had left. BJ is an American/German Rott and he can't be trusted with anything but the side yard where he can't get in any trouble or hurt anyone. He hasn't bitten anyone, but we aren't taking any chances with him.

Of course, we have 4 small dogs that live in the house and my mom's Poodle/ dashund, (I don't know if I spelled that right) Jasper, like to momma the chicks, so we don't worry about him. Missy is too old to care about anything but food and sleep. Yo- Yo is a known Mexican biter (she's a chihuahua that bit a family friend that happens to be Mexican) and Lucky is a high strung dashund likes to bite at your hair. We have some strange dogs.

 

[teach1rusl]

No offense OP, but it sounds like the dogs get little attention anyway, and perhaps that's why they dig out, climb, and otherwise escape to wreak havok - boredom. So maybe it's best for the dogs to go elsewhere. You're right, most communities are overflowing with too many unwanted dogs and cats right now, so it will be hard to find a person who wants another one. They might have a chance of getting adopted at the animal shelter, but they also might be put down (not that I'm against euthanasia, because quality of life over quantity of life is more important to me). Or you could dedicate more time to walking and training the dogs - it's never too late to start working with/training a dog? It does seem like a "fixable" problem with enough diligence. Good luck with whatever you decide...

 

[schellie69]

I also have a chicken killing dog, when she is out she is supervised and the chickens are locked up. When the chickens are out she is locked up. We are using submissive and obedience training with her. It sounds like the dogs don't get enough exercise and are board. Have your tried a rescue for the lab. Have you thought about finding an obedience class to take with the dogs it might help to get some training. I hope you can find new homes for dogs but it won't be easy to find a home that wants to take to dogs with no training.

 

[LittleLady98]

Quote:
I'm SOOO sorry!!!

I had get rid of my dogs because they kept killing my cats. And the dog I got after them, I had to separate him from the chicken because I would catch him taking feathers from her back/tail and chasing her.

 

[PineappleMama]

I went crazy OCD when building our coop/run because I know our dogs are killers. Possums and rats mostly though last week a cat was stupid enough to not only come in our yard but after setting them off to run under the shed... meh. So, yeah... natural born killers hence the Fort Knox coop (in addition to protecting against the possums, raccoons, skunks, snakes and foxes in our area)...

If my dogs got our hens... or when they were chicks... and I knew there was no way at all I could possibly protect the birds from them... well I'd give up the birds. Our dogs have been members of our family for years, the birds are new and NOT inside share the bed cuddle up or play fetch kind of friends... but that's us. We don't NEED to raise chickens, we just wanted to... and we could totally live without them. The dogs not being around, as annoying as their yapping is some days, donno how we'd stand the quiet or lack of snuggles. Not to mention the notice when a stranger is at the door, rodent and possum control... nope don't think I could do it.

Sorry you're in this tough spot.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

If you feel it's best to rehome your dogs, don't be dismayed by all the ads on craigslist. Just do the nicest ad you can and hope for the best. Always ask a rehoming fee. You might even ask to go see where they will be living. A legitimate adopter will not mind you checking out their home. Another option is a breed rescue. You can search online and see if there is one in your area.

i don't have dogs, but have issues with one of my cats, a large male, wanting to pounce on my senior female cat. Of course, cats aren't very trainable, and nothing i did worked. So now i do cat shuffling every day. When the senior is out, he is closed in a room, and visa versa. It's a bit of a pain, but works.

If you can't find good homes for your dogs, hopefully you can avail yourself of the good suggestions by others here to make sure your dogs are secured and kept away from your chickens. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Nimby Chickens]

You either had the dogs first, or you brought home a dog knowing you had chickens.

Either way, you owe it to the dogs to make sure they don't die in a shelter, especially since your husband got a BIRD DOG and dumped it on you and your chickens. And now HE says they have to go? This does not compute - he definitely shares in the responsibility towards these animals.

Rehoming them yourself is great - ask a small adoption fee, like 20$ or something. Look into breed specific rescues if you have purebreds (that's how I got my Aussies!) But don't let them rot in an animal shelter.

If you want to get more dogs, I advise herding dogs trained from an early age. My Aussies are wonderful flock protectors.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Not to be snarky, but if you cannot protect the chicks and chickens from your own dogs, how are you ever going to protect them from other predators? I have two dogs that would do tons of damage to my flock if they were allowed near them. As it is, the dogs have a securely fenced backyard that is 30' from the coops. When the chickens are out ranging, they quickly learn to stay away from the fence. The dogs actual help protect my barking like crazy when anything predator like comes near. I have even seen my roosters react to the dogs barking at hawks. (It was clear the dogs saw it first and sounded the alarm. The rooster then made that freaky rooster danger sound and got the girls to safety.)
I incubate and brood chicks in the house. I made sure to make a dog and cat proof brooder. I have raised hundreds of chicks in the house safely. The dogs were initially intrigued. Now they are only interested in the food and poop the active chicks kick out of the brooder.

All of this to say, it is your job to construct dog proof fences and cages and coops to keep your birds safe. Your dogs are just doing what dogs do. You took on a responsibility to these dogs. It is wrong to almost certainly condemn them to death because you are unwilling to be the adult human and take steps to protect your livestock. If you cannot protect your birds from your own animals it is unlikely that they will survive the other myriad predators that are out there.

 

[lotzahenz]

On our farm, any animal that kills livestock is culled. No options.

 

[Mzyla]

You sure have a heart braking dilemma.
Maybe you should make a "Runner" ?
That is a steal line placed about 7 -8 feet high, possibly between the house and a tree?
Then chain the dog(s) to it. Put a Dog House near by and voila!
You keep your dogs and your chickens be safe (if they don’t go to the dogs radious them self.

Speedy and proven training is to "spank" the dog every time he do something wrong.
This has to be done immediately when he is caught in act.

Hope you find a solution that you and your family can live with.