i never thought my own dog would fall into this category (UPDATED PG.8

[BellLisamo]

momma's chickens :

I just wanted to say I feel for you; our lab/chow rescue dog loves to chase the chickens, grab them by the necks, shake them and drop them at my feet. There are times I would love to post a dog for free ad but the truth is the dog's home is here and it is my job to keep my chickens protected. I do this with a fence and yes, my dog now wears a shock collar and I am not afraid to use it when it concerns the chickens.

We also have a golden lab that we got when he was 7 months old and was introduced to him the minute he was brought home and he is fine with them.

Good luck with your situation.

thanks for the support. how much do shock collars usually run?​

 

[rooster0209]

thanks for the support. how much do shock collars usually run?

Depends on how much you want to spend.

I bought mine on-line at Foster/Smith when it was on sale, about $75. I like the one that can have a 'warning' beep before you shock. Search on-line, walmart any place that sells pet supplies.

The big difference in them is distance and adding additional collars. Decide on what range (distance) you will need and purchase accordingly.​

 

[momma's chickens]

I think ours was $80 and I also would strongly encourage the purchasing one with the warning tone. It is a good warning but if the dog is in motion, they move fast and I don't hesitate to hit the shock button. I also want to STRESS that I use the lowest setting possible. My shock collar has the boost button on it so it is set at 3 which is low considering the level goes from 1 to 8. Then if one shock at 3 doesn't work I hit the boost and that makes it 6. I would much rather shock on 6 once then 3 or 4 multiple times. I don't use this for anything else except the chickens and chasing deer once. I think their are other training methods for just about everything else, but when it comes to killing I don't hesitate.

Good luck and once again you have my sympathy!

 

[fargosmom]

I'm really sorry you're in this predicament - dog training is really tough and lots of people have lots of different opinions on what works and what doesn't. Do try to keep in mind, if you try to train through this, that dogs live in the moment, and live for pleasure and gratification. If what they're doing in a given moment gives them pleasure it is reinforced as a desirable behavior - any negative response they receive must be prior to their moment of pleasure or the pleasure will win out. Punishment doesn't change the fact that your dog was having fun when it chased and caught a chicken; all he knows is that when next you saw him you punished him. He can't connect the two incidents. The shock collar will give you the advantage of getting in there with a correction before he has fun with a chicken, but only if you watch very closely for that exact moment. If he's already had his fun and then gets shocked it probably won't be an effective lesson. So it still comes down to being very observant and consistent in your training.

 

[momma's chickens]

Fargosmom, I totally agree with you, I shock while he is chasing. If I find him with a chicken already dead, then it is too late. I believe a dog has about a three second recall memory. I never let the dog I have problems with outside unless he is in his kennel or by my side.

 

[BellLisamo]

yeah i dont disapline for after the fact, but i we did catch his 2 times with a rooster in his mouth. sooooo we disaplined him for it. BUT he doesnt care!! he just got another one last night! (that wasnt my fault, the rooster actually got out of its pen. UGH!)

soooooo hes not learning. The shock collar, or warning tone collar would work best!

 

[fargosmom]

But that's exactly my point. If you catch him with the rooster in his mouth he's already had his moment of joy. It's the sheer delight of chasing and catching something that makes noise that is so pleasurable to any dog - it's what they need to guide their hunting abilities. You need to catch him BEFORE he catches the rooster - before he's had the big payoff, in other words. Otherwise all he's learning is you don't like to see him with a chicken in his mouth - which may lead to him learning to kill them and then hide or abandon the remains. What you want to discourage is the chase, or any interest at all for that matter. I had a parrot before I got chickens, and I also have greyhounds who have a really HUGE prey drive. It really can't be trained out of them. But I started out by correcting our first dog if he even LOOKED at the birdcage. He was not allowed to show any interest at all. He got so that he ignored the parrot completely, and on the one occasion where the parrot got loose and was walking around on the floor, he actually walked under and in front of this dog safely. I would never trust them unattended, but I'd laid the groundwork that birds are not interesting. Unfortunately your dog has already learned that they're fun to chase - you have to re-teach him that chasing is NOT fun. The catch is irrelevant. Good luck.

 

[BellLisamo]

Quote:
oooohhhhhhh i see what your saying. sigh. this dog is such a handful

 

[cyrixlord]

I made sure my dogs all took part in the raising of the baby chicks and have no issues. Some people think that keeping the dog away from the chickens is the option.. until they get loose or something happens where they actually meet up. The natural instinct is not overridden.

If you have the dogs watch you treat and raise the chicken and let them know in uncertain terms that this is a BABY and not food, they will eventually come around, even dogs that have eaten birds in the past. but this takes time and patience. My dogs dont even get to touch a chicken until the chick is 5 weeks old. but they can view and watch me engage with the chickens to know that these are special.

good luck!

 

[fargosmom]

Quote:
But don't lose heart. I have a feeling if you are able to get past this, this may be a GREAT dog. The stubborn ones are usually the smartest, and once you get them on the same page with you they can amaze you. Nothing that's worthwhile is easy. On the other hand if you have too much on your plate already don't feel bad about making him someone else's challenge. Just don't blame him for doing what a dog does naturally.