Is introducing my dog to my chickens ever a good idea?

[centrarchid]

Technique I use to train dogs not to harm chickens that have a history of chicken killing / chasing. See cheesy image below for reference.

Place calm natured full adult rooster in a 4' x 5' x 4' tall pen made of 2 x 4 wire fencing and 2 x 4 treated lumber serving as frame in bottom. Place straw bales on three sides of pen. Place roost, feeder and waterers as needed for rooster. Rooster will live in this for days or weeks. Setup a chair near open side of pen. Take dog on vigorous walk, feed dog, then take dog and sit near pen with book. Occasional feed rooster to bring it side of pen with you and dog. Reprimand dog for inappropriate behavior as it occurs but be calm and keep rooster calm. You want dog to relax around rooster and even loose interest in it. Allow dog to walk away and even return on its own. Repeat on subsequent days as needed. Get dog to play with something else like a ball but not chicken. Dog sleeping near pen is a good thing. Patience! If dog appears calm, then ask and subsequent procedures will be described.




I use a German Short-Haired Pointer (used as bird dog in US) to protect my free-ranging flocks during production season so bird dog means nothing beyond how dog is registered by AKC or UKC.

 

[CatUT]

I've got a Husky/German Shepard dog. However she is amazingly well behaved towards the other animals in our house. When the parakeets get loose, she is interested but doesn't chase after them. She sniffs at the hamster in the hamster ball but doesn't bother him. We started introducing the chickens to her the day we broght them home. I wanted to know what her reaction would be. I was very luckly. She jsut sniffed at them a bit and tried to lick them. She is courious about them, but doesn't chase them. They follow her around the yard sometimes as she will crack wallnuts and they like to eat them. They try and steal them from her. She has taken to cracking one for them and then cracking one for herself. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when the time comes to get another dog.

 

[Duemig10]

I have a beagle and a french mastiff both of my dogs stay out in the yard with the chickens and they do not even bother them. My beagle even likes to have treats with the chickens. Everyone gets along great.

 

[florida lee]

I did not train my dogs to be flock dogs until the Great Danes were 6 years old the German Shorthair Pointer was 10 yrs. the Shorthair Pointer was and is a great hunting dog. But knows the difference between dthe wild birds we hunt and our "yard" birds.

My Black Dane alerted me this morning to the new "chicks" hatched in the brooder. He kept running to the brooder looking in, then return to me and then off to the brooder again for another look .

 

[Coop de Grille]

I have two dogs, one female that is relentless and has tried to eat my chickens before. The second one is a male, thinks they are squeeky toys and he wants to kill the squeeker like he does with his toys. If the female is around, the male will stalk them with her. BUT, I can bring him into the pen and he immediately respects their space and them. He will lay down and let them walk past him, peck his feet and tails and does nothing to them. But if he is on the OUTSIDE of the pen, he will stalk them.

He doesn't look thrilled, but he loves to hang out inside the pen.








My female dog has pushed past me once and got in the pen. I had to pull one of my Buff Orpingtons out of her mouth. I have no doubt that she will kill them if given the chance.

 

[JustDawn]

I have a very well behaved boxer. She chases everything (bunnies, chipmunks, squirrels, birds, etc) except our chickens. I told her to leave them and she does. She will actually drink from the same bowl as the chickens (when they drink from her bowl on the porch) and play with them. It's very cute!

Like others said... it depends on how well you can train your dog, as well as the dog.

Good Luck!











LOL - Mogul waiting to go outside to play!

 

[Moonkit]

yep. I have a cocker, too. He has actually caught birds in flight..... and brought them to me! YUCK!

"But, Mama.. I'm bringing you a present! Aren't you proud of me?"

Lol.. I also introduced my dogs to the chicks when we brought them home. They were allowed to look in the brooder and sniff a chick being held in our hands. Any undesired behavior (like my border collie's "stalking predator" look) was quickly reprimanded. Our sheltie quickly lost interest in the 'annoying chirping things', while our border collie became protective. Any time the chicks chirped loudly she ran to the brooder, whined and then went to get us. Usually it was always something like they'd filled the water with shavings and couldn't drink or something like that. During their first outings into the great outdoors, the border collie was put in her training collar (a martingale) and leash. Once again, she was allowed to lay down and sniff in the chicks direction, but we didn't allow her to run free. Our sheltie showed a brief interest in sniffing them before wandering off again.

Once our border collie remained calm around them, she was allowed off leash during the chick outings. She would follow them and sometimes lose interest in favor of running off to sniff things, but always walked carefully around them, avoiding stepping on "mama's babies". As the chicks grew, she came to see them as a method to get food since we'd bring the chicks treats.. fruits, corn, veggies, leftovers, etc... The funniest thing was to see her steal an ear of corn and then have the chickens begin following her around the yard to get a piece. She barks at and chases off any birds that come near our yard (including hawks and owls that have visited.). We can trust her unsupervised with the chickens in the yard.. except that she is obsessed with eating their poop

.

The only time we've seen her offer a tooth towards the chickens was when our polish was particular persistant in wanting some of the ear of corn she had... but even then, it was as if the chicken was another dog. Our border collie growled and snapped in her direction, not actually trying to land the bite, and left it at that. The chicken wasn't intimidated and kept trying.

"If you get bit, I'm not having any sympathy for you." This was a dog that, according to our trainer, had one of the worst cases of dog vs dog aggression she'd ever seen. After a year and a half of training, we can trust her off leash at a dog park and alone in the yard with the chickens.

Most dogs can be safely introduced and trained to leave chickens alone, but it takes consistency and taking it in steps. Reward the desired behavior, reprimand the undesired. The only concern our chickens have about the dogs is getting stepped on by our border collie when she's chasing her ball (she doesn't always watch where she's going.).

 

[RaeRae2]

I have 3 big dogs, and none of them harm chickens. A Beagle/Walker hound, a Weimaraner, and a Pit Bull. They have no trouble with cats or chickens. I do the Cesar method of rolling them on their back and pinning them to the ground. I know it's not popular, but you can do that once, or you can do years or clicker training. Your choice. The Cesar method WORKS. The Pit was a stray that showed up here. He attacked my old barn kitty in the first few days he was here, and without a moment of hesitation I threw him on his back and pinned him to the floor by his throat. I wanted him to know without ANY doubt that ANY aggression toward a cat WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. PERIOD. I scared the ever loving crap out of that dog and to this day - 3 years later, he will lay in the barn aisle and let cats walk all over him, rub on his chin, they purr and flop down between his legs. Because he is a Pit, and to be fair, these dogs were bred for pit fighting of small animals and other dogs, for generations, he is crated when I am not home. But I really don't think he would do anything, even if I were not around. He is a big gentle, sweet teddy bear who loves everybody and everything. BUT, when you set up a food chain on your property, it is reasonable to take certain precautions, just to set the dog up for success.

The Weim, technically is a bird dog, but she has ZERO hunting ambition. She is a princess who can't stand to get her toes wet, and would be horrified if she got a feather in her mouth. Not to mention she is nearly blind so she can't see stuff to run at it. She is a young dog, but has never been able to see.

The hound is just a 3-legged old man who wanders around at turtle speed. But even when he was young and had all his limbs functioning, he never went after a chicken, or cat.

 

[mstricer]

You can start training her inside the house first, when she is fixated on the chickens, give her a correction, for it, a touch to bring her brain to you. You have to be constant though. I won't let her out around them, yet.

 

[MollyBlane1]

These pictures of dogs with their chickens are way too cute and sweet...I want my dog to be this sweet!