Introducing Your Dog to your chickens ***UPDATE ON SUCCESS***

[TammyTX]

We have a 13/14 year old Shar Pei. With our first flock (when she was about a year old) she would chase the chickens. But by then she understood what NO! meant. After she was told no, she never bothered them again.

...but then again, my puppy is a genius!

 

[Sam The Yam]

It's good to have a smart dog and one that understands. I will keeping working with her.

Allie jumping the kitchen hurdle's

 

[Emzyyy]

Quote:
Our dog peed on a electric fence...he never did that again now he is scared of the thin wire fences.

 

[rufus]

It is my feeling that dogs and chickens do not mix well. There is always the natural instinct for the dog to do things they really shouldn't.

You might be able to train the dog to leave the chickens alone, but you can't break them from eating the chicken poop. Once your wife sees that, it is over for you and the dog.

Keep the dog out of the chicken yard.

Rufus

 

[Equus5O]

I'm not too worried about my dog. He's a Senior Citizen Shepherd/Collie mix. It's my mother's lunatic Jack Russell that's going to be a problem. She's seriously Obsessive-Compulsive. She chases my house cats, but hasn't tried to kill them. I think she wants to play with them. But I'm sure instinct will overwhelm her with the chickens.

 

[mamaKate]

Most of my dogs are OK with my birds. I took them out on leash and firmly told them to "Leave alone"! I do have one problem child. He's a Coonhound/Rottweiler who was dumped here about 6 years ago. He isn't naturally obedient and has taken alot of time to become at least civilized. My son walks him because (even with a special harness) when he sights prey it's REALLY hard to hold him. I haven't had chickens since he came and I knew it would be a struggle. I had no idea! He trembles and becomes so focused he can't hear or feel anything else. He'll be having his outside time in a chain link kennel with concrete edges and a top when the chickens are out.

 

[Sam The Yam]

You definitely have to be careful and each dog is different. I am glad to see mine behaving for the positive

 

[daisyhead]

Thank you for posting your update. It gives me hope that my dog can learn to live with our hens nicely. I think I need to give her more positive exposure to them instead of just constantly yelling at her.

 

[NotTheMomma]

What a wonderful ending!

If you had told me 5 months ago that a dog could be taught to leave them alone, I'd have laughed! Seriously, my beagle killed one of mine when it was about 6 weeks old. She has an incredible prey drive since we moved to the country last year. She would run up to the chicken's lot, sit, and stare at them. When one chicken came close enough to the chain link to check out the dog, BAM, she'd slam into the fence. I tried keeping her on a leash, and taking her in with me, telling her they belonged here, banning her from being near them, etc. And I did hit her with the chicken she killed. Did no good.

Anyway, one day I was fed up with it. After working for months, every single day, and no success, I was beginning to think it would never happen. I had her on the leash, she lunged at a chicken. By this time, the chickens are HUGE, and have wonderfully hard beaks.

So I turned the beagle onto her back, called my chickens over, and put a chicken on her belly. When the chicken proceeded to peck her, I wasn't fast enough to stop it. Since that day, she has NO interest except getting as far away as she can. She won't even go past the chickens to get back in the house. She is scared of chickens!!!

 

[Sam The Yam]

Quote:
That is too funny. I think that dogs need to have a little bit of their own medicine once in awhile to put them in their place and let them see that they are not the only ones that can pick (or peck) on others. Thanks for responding!