I have had it with my dog eating my chickens

[PortageGirl]

There's another thread where something like this is being discussed, and someone else said something about spaniels or retrievers not being good to have around chickens, but I SO have to disagree!!!! I've had great experience with such dogs, they are WORKING breeds! They were originally developed to WORK for us as aids in hunting etc, NOT be bloody killers! They are trainable and teachable, and if they cannot learn, they shouldn't have been bred! Here's what I replied there about that!!!

I dispute this. Spaniels and retrievers do not chase and hunt them. They hunt for their location as trained, they point and or flush them on command, then fetch them after they are dead. If a hunting dog chases and kills a bird, it is considered a breach of training. They are extremely trainable if they are of good hunting stock as opposed to flighty, overbred show ring types, which would be a problem in any breed, not just spaniels. (sorry if any of you all show dogs as I'm sure some do, if you have a well bred show ring type dog that is not flighty, I congratulate you, you have a good dog I'm sure. Please don't be offended. We all know that the actions of some irresponsible breeders do bad things to any breed)

As has been said frequently in this thread, it's all about temperament and training. Not specific breeds, but there are some decent generalizations, and some not so decent. That one about spaniels is one of the not so decent ones.

 

[oldbat]

I disagree that a dog cannot be trained to leave birds alone once it has killed a bird. If you're of the mind that a dog cannot be physically disciplined (read: have it's butt swatted HARD), then probably not. But:

When I got my Great Pyranees/Border Collie female, she was a year old and headed for the dump with the previous owner carrying a .22 rifle. She was not coming back. I agreed to take the dog because she was half Pyranees, and I needed something to keep fox and 'coon away from my chickens and turkeys. It was not the brightest thing I've ever done. It was soon apparent that she didn't have ANY KIND of training. When I called her, she'd look over her shoulder and keep on running. (And for those of you inclined to tell me that dogs need to be on leashes when outside......that's not the way you do it in the middle of Nowhere, Montana. You don't have the time to drag a dog around on a leash.....it pays attention when you call it, or you find one who will). She was rubbing on me whenever I was near her, her refusal to come when I called was not because she was afraid of me.

After some "tuff love" training, involving a couple of shots over her head with a 30.30, she suddenly knew exactly what I wanted and came to me whenever I called her name with no further problem in that area. And yes, the third shot would have taken her out. A dog that won't mind is no darned good to ANYBODY.

She next killed two of my SLW hens while I was at work in town. She had her nose forcibly rubbed on their dead bodies, one tied to her collar, and very quickly knew without a doubt that such behavior was not something to be repeated; also, her backside overhauled with my corn broom. For the next month, when I was at work, she was tied......which is a total taboo when you live alone in the middle of nowhere. A tied dog....or a horse locked in a corral.....is in big trouble if something happens to its caretaker that prevents them getting back in a timely manner.

To this day, this dog has not killed another bird. She has trained a rescue pup that my son found in Tulsa to also look out for the turkeys and chickens. Pest is lab/maybe doberman cross, and was maybe 2-1/2 months old when my son found her trying to get killed at a gas station in Tulsa. She has never offered to hurt a chicken or turkey after following Katie's lead, and is locked in the bird pasture whenever I have to leave. She sleeps on the front porch at night with the gate into the pasture open and has "discouraged" several predators.

On the "stay on your own place" subject: I lived on 35 acres in Montanta, surrounded by a huge cattle ranch on all sides. The land around the building site dropped off a sheer 75 foot bank into a mostly dry creekbed. A fox lived across the neighbor's barbed wire fence and had the habit of visiting. She and it had an agreement. When she was sitting up on the high ground and saw it trotting across "her" pasture, she'd bale off down the bank and chase him as hard as they both could run to the east fence. She'd stop at the fence. Once the fox was 50 feet or so into the neighbor's pasture, he'd stop, stand up much like a prairie dog, look back at her, and then drop back down on all four and head on to his den further east. She'd turn around and come on back home. She could have gotten through the barbed wire fence with no trouble, but it wasn't her place on the other side.

When I moved to OK, I brought her along. It was a mistake. All these people, all this traffic, the guy next door who plays with black powder rifles, and the heat and humidity have pretty much destroyed her usefulness. I'm trying very hard not to give up and put her down (She's really not having a good life.) before I get things straightened out here and get back to MT. When the rifles, or a thunderstorm, get in full mode, she can destroy a house in short order. If she's outside, she's gone.....digs under the fence. And I refuse to keep a dog tied 24/7.....for any reason.

Just don't say that a dog cannot be retrained once it has killed. You're going to have to give up the limp wristed "She/He's my baby" outlook and let them know just what exactly you will tolerate. Otherwise, forget it. It ain't gonna work.

Have a good day. Old Bat.

 

[cluckcluck42]

If you have a stable, sturdy fence that the dog can't just walk through, why not put deer netting on top? It's super cheap and will keep the chickens in. Or keep the dog tied. I would have done something about it the first time it happened.

 

[Orchid]

It is inhumane to keep a dog tied constantly.

Find a way to keep your chickens in where they belong...it's really that simple.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Quote:
Fence them in better. YOu're not going to be able to stop your dog, so stop your chickens.

 

[alaskachick]

My mom has a Yorkie pup. She was so excited about the idea of chickens because she could just picture that little Yorkie playing and having so much fun with the 10 new chickens. When we unloaded the chickens into their new pen, shet wanted to make sure little Sophie ( pup) was there and involved so that Sophie could begin the bonding process. Well Sophie ran into the pen and started attacking the hens. We had a hard time getting her to let loose of the chickens. So I have observed that the Pedator vs. Prey factor is fully intact. My mom relayed to us how disappointed she was as Sophie would not have any playmates. LOL AlaskaChick PS Sorry about your loss of chickens

 

[chickenlady08]

I had a Dachsund that killed one chicken in 2008 and injured a few others. Well 1 time is all it took for her to live somewhere other than where my chickens are. I have 3 other dogs now and had 2 of them then also. Black Lab Murphy and he is afraid of his own shadow so he won't even come in the back yard. We have a rescued Irish Setter Rusty and he is outside all the time. He is a good watch dog and barks if anything comes in the yard and has never bothered my chickens either. My 3rd dog is a Golden Retriever Abby that used to be my parents dog and she comes out with me morning to open the coops up and the evening to close them back in for the night. She will come into the coop with me and lay down and wait for me to gather the eggs and check on everyone.

I will not tolerate any animal of mine killing another animal of mine. Do it once and your gone (to a nice home) not killed.

 

[Morgan7782]

I have read over a few posts in this thread, and it seems to each their own when it comes to dogs and livestock. I just wanted to say one quick little thing...

If the animals cannot live in harmony (meaning kept from each other if that's what it takes) get rid of whoever came LAST. I have, and ALWAYS will judge anybody harshly who get's a dog as a pet, then gets chickens, goats, whatever. And then if the dog harms any of the other animals and they cannot or will not train the dog otherwise, get rid of the dang farm animals..

Whatever ANIMAL you opened your home to FIRST is, and should remain, the first choice pet. I think it is wrong, and stupid, to own a dog who CAME FIRST, and then acquire chickens and if anything happens get rid of the dog.

If I am unable to teach any of my animals to stay away from my chickens, OR if I am unable or unwilling to set up a totally protected pen, then I cannot own chickens at that time. Period.