Help with my dog who wants to eat my chickens!

[Hobbits Mommie]

Yes, it's definitely bred in him & I will NEVER let him be anywhere near the chickens no matter how well behaved he could be. I just want him to stop barking & getting SO worked up when he sees one fly up to a roost or run up the chicken tunnel from across the yard. Maybe it's just not possible.

I have a 7 month old bulldog mix and this has recently become a huge issue for us as well. We bought a E Collar "otherwise known as a shock collar". It has different settings, first you start with beeps (that worked for a day), then it can vibrate (that worked for 5 days), and then different levels of shock. She was shocked 1 time on a medium setting and the vibrate options has worked ever since. It's absolutely controversial, but I live on acreage and need to have control over her wherever she might be for her safety, and everyone else.

 

[so lucky]

I have a beagle/spaniel mix and she goes crazy when she sees or smells any small prey. Once she got into a nest of bunnies and had three (dead) in her mouth at once before my husband was able to pull her away.
She is so excited about the chicks, we have to be extremely cautious to keep the door to the basement closed at all times, to keep the dog away from the chicks down there.
We tried to introduce her to them but that was a disaster, so we just thought we would keep them separate.
Dog is well trained in other areas, but her prey drive is so strong, it's like she is possessed when she smells a little critter.

 

[wild chick]

The prey drive in terriers is a huge hurdle. I agree with the training mentioned, the sit and relax, and that will certainly make her a better trained companion. The e-collar works wonders. We have a high prey drive dog and the first batch of chicks that arrived excited her like you are describing. We let her come out and watch us feed thinking in a day or two she would calm down, but no. Put on the e-collar (she had had it used on her before) and let her look at the tub full of chicks (leash on and under control) She started shaking and teeth chattering and took one unasked for step (she was on a sit command) and one zap from the e-collar was issued. Short version, she wouldn't even look at the coop for a month. The chicks grew into chickens and she hangs out in the yard with them. That was 3 years ago. Hens have raised 3 different hatches, all free range in the same acreage where the dog runs and plays. She is not afraid of the chickens, nor the collar. It just made the idea of killing them evaporate. This dog has killed several rats and a rabbit, so it didn't bother her prey drive for anything else. Since you have your chickens under complete lockout from your terrier, you don't have to do this, but your question was can you help her live with the chickens and see them day in and day out with a quiet acceptance. Yes, it most certainly can.

 

[Sueby]

Totally appreciate all the comments. It's good to know I'm not the only one & there is hope!

 

[Willowspirit]

Totally appreciate all the comments. It's good to know I'm not the only one & there is hope!

You are definitely not alone! My husband is now able to walk up the road past the chicken coops with our young dobe using pirategirls method. She has the highest prey drive of any dog we have.

 

[Sueby]

So I thought I'd give you an update - I came home for work one evening & Todd says 'well the dog's no longer interested in the chickens'. Oh boy. Apparently he was out there & sick of the dog barking at them so he sprayed him with the hose. Twice. Very much NOT the way I would have done it, but the dog no longer barks at the chickens!

He still definitely would kill them if he got to them, but we're working on sitting calmly & just watching them, or even ignoring them. He's doing pretty well over all unless I'm distracted and one tries to fly or runs down their tunnel, then he still gets excited. But he is a million times better & I think it won't be long until he's over them. Plus the chippy is back under the deck & that's way more exciting than the chickens anyway.

 

[lomine]

I don't have any training tips but I'll tell a story...

My mother's dog is a Yorkshire and has a high prey drive. He even caught a squirrel once. He was intent on catching one of my birds from the very moment he saw them. Whenever she came over she kept him on a leash (birds are free range so can go all over). She would try to keep him calm and would treat him when he sat down and paid attention to her. This was going pretty well and he was learning to stay calm. My dogs, on the other hand, are fine with the birds and always have been. This means my birds are not afraid of dogs.

So one day my mom had her dog right in with the flock. He was being good so my mom let him get close enough to sniff one. Well I guess he got too close. The hen did what hens do to tell their flock-mates to back off. The dog got a nice solid peck on the nose. Since that day he has had zero interest in the birds and gives them lots of space.

 

[Sueby]

Haha!! That's great!

 

[Fluffy_Feathers]

I doubt this would work but maybe you can put him on a leash and take him near the chickens maybe everyday or something. He might get used to them that way? Or maybe at least calm him down a little bit.

When we first got our chicks we had 1 dog at the time, and we would show him the chicks so he could see them. He only tried to bite one once, and it was more of a test nibble. We got him in trouble and he realized not to hurt them. We also put him with the chickens when they were older for him to walk around and sniff so he'd get used to them. He is a toy poodle, so not much drive there to kill them unlike your dog, but I think being around them helped my dog get used to them.

 

[Shadrach]

This doesn't help you at all but here, the old farm dog (Alsatian and something cross) taught the new dogs what to bother and what not to.