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

[Sam The Yam]

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Thank you for the response. It sounds like you have done very well in working to have a harmonious relationship with your animals. I hope that I can do the same.

 

[Sam The Yam]

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Thanks so much for the response. My dog sounds like Zoe right now in some ways. I think if I try to let her around them as much as possible and especially as she sees me feeding them and handling them, and as I discipline her properly she will realize that they are okay to have around. Hope you new run turns out great for you!

 

[Sam The Yam]

I've had my dog out by the chicks and have held onto her collar tight and as she has made any movement to get close to them in an agressive manner I have held her back and told her "NO", and then just talked to her calmly. I think she will eventually realize that they belong here and are not predators in her yard.

 

[jrleader99]

I was worried about this subject as well since I have a 1 and a half year old chocolate lab. She is great with our grown 12 year old cat and our two 10 month old kittens. Actually she loves to nuzzle and wrap her mouth around one of the kittens until he is soaking wet. She has done nothing to hurt any of those besides chase and lick.

When I brought home the chicks and ducklings, I was worried that she would follow her natural instinct of wanting to wrap her mouth around them. Well as soon as I brought them in the door, after kids were done with the initial fascination, I brought one chick down to her level and allowed her to sniff it. I also brought one of the ducklings down for her to do the same. I have continued to reintroduce them over and over. My wife thought that I was crazy but last night was a true test of her demeanor with them.

While I was changing the duckling's water, I let the free range. Our dog was out with me and the ducks started to wander too far away and she gently corraled them back.

Also I was in the chicken coop, just hanging with them, and our dog was in there with me. She was so gentle sniffing and checking them out. She even was sniffing the head roo and he pecked her a couple of times. She shook it off and went back for more.

She is such well mannered dog with the chicks, ducks and cats. I couldn't ask for more. Well I could ask that she stops the licking and jumping up but that is another topic for a different group.

Anyway there is hope to have dogs that love and nuture our birds.

 

[Pop]

Our Jack Russell was almost a year old before we tried chickens. Initially she was a little aggressive but I made an effort to comfort her while holding a baby chicken. She was inquisitive but I felt I could trust her after a few days and besides the chicks would be in their pen. Well so much for that idea. Came home one day to find her curled up with a well-licked baby beside her. Seems the little fellow had escaped and she was just keeping it company till I got home. I gave her a low tone counseling, tied the dead baby to her collar and let her wear it overnight. Next morning I removed it and took her out to the chicks. She allowed herself to sniff one but that's as far as she would go. No more chick problems 8 years later and I routinely take her into the pen with me.

 

[Sallyschickens]

We rescued a "bad" dog from death row through the help of a St. Bernard rescue. (I needed to add/edit that she is more than 1/2 Great Pier, but has the markings of a St. Bernard.)

She came with GIANT suitcases full of baggage due to her past. It has been a very rough road for us all. We almost gave up on her too because she acted like she hated us and only wanted to run away, was aggressive toward other animals and very unruley towards people. She drug us down onto the ground countless times. The worst dog in the world!! (At least Marley was loveable, Kate acted like we were the enemy.) I am only saying all of this because it will prove almost any dog can turn itself around, with time and dedication.

She is now the best dog in the world...10 months later. (She finally loves us back!) She guards our yard (and chickens) 24/7. Now she can even behave with the chickens out side of their run. The simple trick when it comes to our chickens, (and this is only for extreme cases, like Kate) that we used was a (child's)sling shot and one rock. It was either that or back to the pound, we tried everything else! We were so desperate, we even bought a shock collar, but it didn't shock right when you pushed the button, so it was cruel AND worthless.

Of course we have constantly been working with her on her "ground manners" and gave her unconditinal love etc. But when it came to the chickens, we needed something that would get her attention from a distance. I am sure if she got to the chickens, she would have killed them all. I only hit her once, that was all it took. When she needed a tune up, I only pulled the rubber bands back and let them go, no rock. The sound it made was all that it took to redirect her. Now, she is perfect. It took about one month of direct supervision. We said NO first before we made a move with the sling shot noise. Then just NO worked and now she doesn't bother them at all.

It worked. But I only recommend this for extreme cases. Hope this helps someone.

 

[pats4lsu]

I've got beagles. I took an adult rooster to each of my beagles. As they sniffed the rooster I scared to fire out of them and "charged" the dogs with the rooster. They all tucked tail and cowered down. They all live happily except when the beagle feel like chasing them. When I see that I just give a firm verbal scolding and correction.

 

[Sam The Yam]

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Thanks so much for your response. I have found that I have to watch her close, be firm, and talk to her gently about them and her and I think she is getting slightly better.

 

[Judy]

Hang in there. It took a few months to get the older dogs to the point that I felt I could trust them, and a few weeks for the puppies. Now all is well, dogs ignore chickens, and predator deaths among the chickens have stopped cold, no doubt from the dogs making the area "theirs." Fox, coon, possum, coyote, thumbing my nose at you....

 

[ChickenDogDuck]

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Our GSD has yet to pick one of the chickens up but when he herds them into the coop in the evening (his daily job), he will use his nose to urge the stubborn ones along.
We have another dog, Australian Shepherd, that has never shown any interest what-so-ever in the chickens.
Both grew up with chickens around.