just when i thought i was safe

[NotTheMomma]

I'm very sorry for your loss, and mourn with you. HUGS!

As for rehoming, I didn't read all the responses so not sure of his age. It IS possible to train them. I have a year old mini daschund and she did kill a quail early on. Totally MY fault! I was changing them into a different cage, one found a tiny opening and flew out, and she was just right there when it happened, and grabbed it.

Anyway, I've worked with her, LOTS. She no longer has an interest in them, or the chickens. It took DAILY exposure to them, and many times during the day. I used positive reinforcement, as in lots of praise when she was ignoring them. As well as redirecting her when she was looking at them, or showing any interest in them. She is also deaf. She has a very high prey drive. Instead of letting her prey on what I didn't want her to have, I let her prey on what she could have. Her toys! She loves to play fetch, so I wore her out playing fetch. Let her run, and run, and run some more. She now goes out with me to feed, and water, and my chickens are free ranging in the yard, she walks among the flock without a care. Oh, I also held her down on her back one day when she was determined to chase the hens. I then called the girls over,and two of them pecked her. Sounds cruel I'm sure, but since she was in a submissive state, and the hens were over her, it somehow mentally clicked that they are higher up than she is. If one of them even looks her way now, she tucks her tail and runs! She is NOT allowed with them unless under direct supervision though.

Now, all that to say that IMO there are SOME dogs that this doesn't work with. My beagle is 8-9 yrs old, again with a high prey drive. So far I've NOT gotten her to a trustful state. As in I can trust her while I'm out there. She's better than she was, but I won't let her out unless I have her on the leash. She has stopped stalking them, and running up to their run. Improvement, but not where I want her frame of mind yet.

Best of luck to you and your family. There's a dog trainer on the forum that really helped me with the deaf daschund. I'll respond with her name is you want to try it.

Again, HUGS!

 

[redhen]

Your not the "real" jesse james are ya?

 

[johnwilly1962]

First, sorry about your loss, keep trying. But wow, I guess I got lucky with my three dogs. Two of them could care less about them, if the chickens come near them they get up and go to another spot. My third, a chow/shepard mix loves herding them around. If they get 15 feet away from me, she herds them back in my general direction. She is always licking their butts, hoping for that sweet morsel that miraculously always comes out. No "kissing" from her after a day of chicken herding.

 

[NotTheMomma]

Quote:
Awwww!

All of my dogs were shown the chicks from the first day we had them. They were allowed in the room WHILE we were in there, but not when we weren't. Unfortunately it didn't sink in to any of them that they belong here. All three, a mini daschund, a beagle, and a basset hound mix, wanted to eat my babies. The basset being very jealous of any attention spent towards the birds, and not him. My oldest chicks are 18 weeks now. He is ok as long as none come near me. Dunno if still jealously, or he is protection mode. At any rate, I KNOW he'll kill one if given a chance. The beagle, I just wrote about above, as well as the mini. The mini being the youngest, and with the most energy.

I see yours is an older lab. Pretty smart dogs! Maybe that has somethign to do with it as well. I know that sometimes the older dogs settle down, and accept things better than a younger, hyper dog. Of course there are older dogs that are set in their ways, and more difficult to train as well. In my experience, an older lab wants to please, and positive reinforcement works. Totally trained two of my parent's older labs to stop killing cats. They have a cat of their own now that they protect.

Awww, darn it! I lost my train of though! Ughhh! Hate when that happens.

Gotta get dressed and off to a new tack shop that just opened! WOOHOO!

 

[cmom]

So sorry about your loss.

Many months ago. I went to the hospital to pick up my DH. I was gone 3 hours. Before I left all of my birds were ok and I gave them some treats. When I got home I found one dead next to the fence where I observed dog like track around the body and a hole under the fence. Now I have an electric fence around my coop, run and the birds yard.

 

[jjthink]

Kind, optimistic people say to keep trying but Jesse, without extreme measures put in place first, I fear the result will be the same. I seem to recall 3 incidences recently with this dog that resulted in dead birds (if I'm remembering incorrectly, my apologies). Take care of the dog if you love him and a great alternate home is not at hand but please, unless you develop the Fort Knox of all Fort Knox's for future birds, do not subject any more innocent birds to this dog. Sometimes predators and prey simply do not mix despite our best efforts and wishes for mannerly behavior.

You were disappointed that some folks were not providing the empathy you were hoping for. I'm sure it's not that they think you are a bad person - indeed, I'm sure you have the best of intentions - but my guess is they are thinking enough is enough. It's the birds who need the sympathy here. Death by dog attack is brutal, terrifying and even once is one time too many. I've witnessed what birds go through during a dog attack and it's horrifying for them - have had to nurse birds back to health around the clock, as much for the terror as for the injuries (irresponsible neighbors who let their dogs run loose, causing my poor birds to have to be locked up most of the time now). It's just not fair to the birds to experiment on any more of them, no matter how well intended the effort.

Birds cannot speak on their own behalf, but are helplessly assigned the fate we dole out for them. While it's possible that with arduous effort your dog could be trained to not harm a feather on any bird's head, is it worth any more possibly dying enroute to that hoped for nirvana? I'd get my eggs at the farmers market from here forward. And fence in the dog if you haven't already so that it can't harm anybody's birds or other pets. You mean well, but the dog has other ideas. And it's determined. And skillful.
JJ

 

[Guinea Goonie]

When you witness a dog killing chickens, you will never forget the horror and fright the birds go through.

They know they are going to be killed and that the dog is relentless.

Keep in mind that bird are not without emotions and a thinking process that allows them to know the end is comming for them.

Most people just assume a bird is without thought and emotion.

Sorry if you feel I am flamming you, I am not. I own a Corgi dog that can walk through my flock with out a second though from the birds.

They know she is harmless, but have ANY other dog come near them and they run.

Dogs are ruthless, determined killers and they will kill anything they can kill until everythng they can kill is killed.