LGD Eating her charges

[Greendecember]

I'm really not sure how to correct it or if it correctable. I found Freckles with another dead guinea yesterday. I assume it was she who buried it in the pasture between the coop and the goat barn. She was got to protect the goats. She is excellent at that. We are not doing so good with the birds though. I saw her kill one guinea. I took away 1 guinea and 1 chicken I saw her dig up in the pasture at different times. I assume she put them there.

It is a double edged sword really. I have been leaving her out to roam at night and scare off what ever came and got the other guineas a few months back. No more headless birds. BONUS. She usually just keeps the stupid ones who won't coop up at night in the tree until I put her with the goats in the afternoon and let the rest of the flock out.

Assuming she is killing the bird and stashing it, is this something I can correct or once she got the taste it is too late. I REALLY want to hope she is just taking the carcass away from some other would be hunter and not the actual killer but I am sure I am being over optimistic. On the up side, It is only one bird at a time. I have seen her in the yard laying down with the guineas running around and her not bother them. So she isn't a "kill the flock for sport" kinda dog anyway.


Finding a balance between chasing off a hawk and NOT OUR guineas / chickens is going to be difficult isn't it?

PS I am NOT getting rid of the dog she is EXCELLENT with our goats. If she can't be retrained to be trusted with the birds she will just not be allowed near them.

 

[mulewagon]

We bought our puppy from a farm where his mother (a Pyrenees) watches goats. They told us that she chased anything that came into the pasture, including the geese off the lake! The chickens wander in sometimes - apparently she killed one, and they caught her with it, and beat her with the body. Said she hasn't touched them since.

I'm training my puppy by taking him into the chicken pen, on a choke collar, while I work. When he tries to chase the chickens, I give him a slight jerk. Then in the evenings I let them out to roam a few minutes before sundown, and make him sit next to me and not chase them. From what others have said, it can take a while to teach a puppy not to chase birds, so I'm being patient...

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

I've said this before, but not all LGDs are cut out to guard chickens. Or to even not chase them and kill them. Our male GP can be trusted around chickens, but our female cannot. Both are really good guardians for the goats, which is where they spend 100% of their time anyways.

 

[Greendecember]

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We got her when she was 9 months already she is a little over a year old now. I wish you the best in your training and I pry it works!

 

[Greendecember]

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This is very true I am afraid. I need someone to watch the flock but only having 5 acres I hoped she could do both. I KNOW our doberman can not be trusted with them so I never even let her get near them. Why set her up to fail right? Her job is to keep the house safe and she does that well

I just don't know if Freckles can't be redirected what to do for the birds

I don't think I can support another large dog. (Mainly vet bills and heart worm meds. Feed isn't really an issue) At the same time I can't afford to have predators eating our birds.

That balance between survival of the fittest and the natural order of thins vurses happy health LIVE birds is a tight rope act I tell ya!!!

 

[Carrie Lynn]

I don't believe it's ever right to beat a dog as a "lesson"...how sad.

 

[Greendecember]

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I didn't beat my dog. I just took her dead birds away.

EDIT : Oh other person's dog... Not talkin to me... ok...

 

[Carrie Lynn]

Greendecember No, not you! Sorry for any confusion.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

You night be able to break the habit with a shock collar, but you'd have to catch her in the act.

I think the best solution is keep her confined with the goats where she belongs, and let the chickens learn to stay out of the pastures

 

[woodmort]

I've said this a few times before but it bears repeating--there isn't a breed of dog that is 100% safe around birds. Sooner or later they will reach a point where the prey instinct takes over and they will kill one or many. I know, I know, your dog would never do that but those are famous last words for a lot of chicken/dog owners. I'm not antidog, just not naive, having learned the hard way to keep the chickens on one side of the fence and dogs on the other while watching the dog very carefully.