How to get family dog not to eat the chicks.

[SimplyForties]

I would think the best you could hope for is supervised cohabitation. I would never leave my dog and my chickens alone together!

 

[sweetie54]

i used to just tell my dog noooooooo and give him a little spanking!!! lol

 

[buglit]

I am a certified dog trainer. Although it is possible to train a dog not to mess with your chickens, like other posters have said, I would not trust a lab ( or most other dogs) with a chick. Your lab, although a wonderful breed, has been bred as a water dog/hunter/bird catcher. Although he may be wonderful, it only takes one time ......

 

[Davaroo]

Contrary to popular belief, electricity and wire are the chicken keepers best friend.

 

[gwennym]

My mom has a 9 yr old Dalmation, as well as 2 other dogs -- the Dalmation CANNOT be trusted, as he's killed quite a few of mom's baby chicks/ducks/geese. He thinks they're squeaky-toys. She's tried everything to stop him --- now she "Toby-proofs" the chicken brooder.

Gwen

 

[Karrie13]

I have a miniature schnauzer that would kill chicks in a heartbeat. In fact he killed 7 a couple weeks ago when they were just 1 week old. Since then I have been working with him and my Rotti that the chicks are nothing they need to worry about. Anytime I see them even looking at the chicks I scold them and tell them NO. I would NEVER trust either of them alone with the chicks. Of course when the chicks move outside they have more threats. My neighbor’s dogs who he doesn’t keep kenneled, a border collie and a lab.

 

[Hatrick]

Thanks for all the advice!

Seeing as that the point of a "backyard" flock is to co-habitate with all family members, seperating them is not an option. She listens quite well and hasn't eaten any of our children yet.

So I think we'll go with constant supervision and have them together as much as possible so she's bored with the fact that they're around. Or maybe I'll feed her treats when she leaves them alone. Then she'll associate the "girls" with "treats"! Oh and electric fence? I don't think so.

I'm thinking that might be a good idea for our squirrel problem though...hmmm.

 

[Beekissed]

I have a lab/BC mix and I trained him with the "my chicken" method also. A dominant voice and posturing is a good start for a smart dog. I use the roll and shake of the scruff ala Cesar Milan method and a strong, "MY CHICKEN" for this pup. No dog could have a stronger prey drive than this dog, with several kills to his credit of coon, groundhog, songbirds, moles, mice, etc.

I free range chickens and chicks of all ages, at all times, without one incident from this pup in the past two years.

It CAN be done. With a smart dog and an alpha dog owner, it can be done. I've had no incidents whatsoever with this dog or my older lab/GP mix....who I didn't have to train at all. She just naturally leaves anything that belongs to me alone....be it cats, chickens, cows, etc.

For every story about someone's pet dog eating their chickens, there is a hundred other stories that you do not hear about someone's dog NOT killing their chickens. The reason you do not hear them is because there would be no reason to post it each and every time, every day, every moment that this happens. And there is really no drama connected with a dog doing his job of protecting his owner's property, so no one would be really interested in this type of thread.

Every dog I've ever had was either a lab or lab mix and each and every one has never killed, maimed or even come close to putting his/her mouth on a chick, chicken, kitten, bunny, etc. Its not luck, its intelligence and expectations of both pet and owner. A working partnership between these two creatures is not luck....its been documented down through the ages and has been a good thing.

Try it, constantly monitor the results of your training, measure effectiveness and then, when its been achieved, sit back and relax....enjoy both your animals living together!

 

[cafarmgirl]

Ok, I know most people will think this is crazy, and looking back I think it is too! But the first time I had chickens years ago I also had a Queensland Heeler and a lab/shep. mix. My chickens, when they were old enough, were free range during the day. The dogs got completely used to them and the chickens, of their own choice, moved into the dog pen and shared their dog houses with them! I kid you not. When I would leave during the day to run errands etc. the chickens went into the dog pen with these two dogs. It was the craziest thing to see them in there all together. I never, ever lost a chicken to one of them, not even a feather. They ignored them completely. That said, the dog I have now would eat them all in a heart beat. It all depends on your dogs temperment and training.

 

[Sock Puppet]

A squirt bottle is my best friend and my dogs worst enemy

when I started working with her.

Now all I have to do is show it to her and she goes running. Now Im to the point, all I have to do is say NO and she looks away or walks away.

She is never unsupervised around them if they are out. What annoys her the most is when they jump up on her back and roost there. the look on her face is priceless.