My dachshund

[eminator]

I agree with the other dog owners who said that it is in their nature. Dachshunds were bred to hunt small game, and to your dog, chickens and chinchillas are small game. I have a pug/terrier mix (blaming the terrier here) that can't be around the chickens for the same reason.

Your dog is not being bad, it is doing what instinct tells it to. Just like I have to be careful and keep my pug/terrier (Perrier?) away from my chickens, you will have to keep the doxie away from small critters.

 

[waibel zoo]

I was thinking of a remote shock collar to aid in the training. A lot of times I see her through the window circling the coop and scratching. My chickens are kept in the coop. The chinchillas were in their cage. She reached throught the bars with that needle snout to grab the baby. Everyone knows she loves the hunt. She has no intention of eating them, she just likes to chase them down. I know she is a hunting dog. I got her as a puppy with the hope she would not hurt our other animals because she was raised with them.

I don't think my daughter was nearly as upset as I am. I made my dachshund sleep in the garage. I could not stand the sight of here last night. When I let her in this morning she immediately ran about the house sniffing for her kill.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

No sense being mad at the dog for doing exactly what it was bred to do. Dachshunds are hunters. You cannot stop that instinct. All you can do is keep the dog away from small prey.

I have two ferrets. I also have two boxer mixes who like to play rough. Their instinct is to pounce on things with their paws. That kind of play would kill the tiny little ferrets. My job is to keep them apart. Doors, baby gates, cages with extra wire on them. It all looks crazy, but it works. Have areas in the house that are off limits to him (using baby gates and closed doors). Have areas of the yard that are off limits to him (with hot wire, etc.). Just keep it in his space and the other pets in their space.

It is disconcerting, but our pets are animals and follow a different code of acceptable behavior than we do. When my barn cats hunt and kill a baby bunny it really bothers me, but they are just doing what cats do. When your dog kills a smaller animal it is sad and upsetting, but he is just doing what that breed of dog has done for centuries. Let it go. Protect the other pets in your world. Ensure that he can't get to them. Love on your dog because he likely has no idea why you are upset and punishing him. He's a dog doing what dogs do. Maybe get him some of the toys that have a place to hide treats. That way he can "hunt" and be rewarded for appropriate behaviour.

I'm sorry about the baby and for your daughter. Hugs to you both.

 

[OlliOlliOlli]

My dachshund is no longer with my family.

He killed DuckDuck, he killed the sisters of my RI Red and Black Australorp, and he was jealous of my Pitbull, and all 4 of my dogs wanted nothing to do with him and shunned him.

No amount of discipline made him change. He was still trashing our home 2 years later, and killing my sweeties was just too much to bear.

I put him on Craig's List, interviewed a couple families, and he is rehomed in a one-dog home with a SAHM and 3 children who adore him.

I will never get a dachshund again, now that I know from other owners that this is their true nature.

 

[BirdBrained]

I too have a dachshund that loves to hunt,when we have her in the house she lives with the cats no problem,but when we put out her instinctive hunting skills kick in.Her nose goes straight to the ground and she begins to track the cats and will chase them until she trees them.She cant be called off the trail and hunts constantly,even to the point of being skinny from so much running.We had to get rid of all the cats except 2 (these 2 will not run from her),but i have noticed her around my coop with her nose down from time to time and i'm quick to scold her for it.I wish i had the answer for you but i dont,I can relate to the situation though.My heart goes out to you and I pray that God be a comforter to you and your family.

 

[charlielynnsingletary]

i too have a dachshund and a pitbull. our dachshund we got about 3 weeks ago and he is already 3 years old. anyway he his very aggressive towards our pit. which sometimes is very funny because there is a 60 pound difference. but back on subject he has yet to aggressive towards our chickens maybe its because he really doesn't go near where the coop is . you have to make the best decision for your family. if you choose to give the pet away hopefully you will be able to find another good family.
sorry for your lost.

 

[lorieMN]

again the dog is just being a dog,,they dont love and care and think like humans,,they react on instinct..even a highly trained dog will lose control once in a while..its our job to keep the other animals protected against them..an easy fix on the coop would be to run an electric fence around the outside bottom and let her discipline herself everytime she touches it..and if you dont have allready you may want to put something better then chicken wire on the outside of the run..if thats all you have,anything can get the chickens..as for the chins..it is sad,but again perfectly normal,and you need to put the cage up where she cannot reach it,or reinfoce the cage with something she cannot fit her nose in.The problem with dogs is so many people think they (the dogs) think like humans and then dont understand when something goes wrong..to prevent killings people need to think like a dog and prevent it from happening.

 

[rooster0209]

Dachshund means "badger hound" in German. The reason they bark while chasing prey, is because they were bred to hunt & burrow in tunnels. The barking while chasing allows the hunter to track the doxie's where abouts. They are ferocious hunters, even the small ones. A chinchilla is natural prey to a doxie. The best you can do is put your chinchilla cage on top of something, out of the doxie's reach. An old spare coffee table would be good.

Doxie's can be trained, they are very smart and also very stubborn. Stay on the training with the chickens, you dog will learn to leave them alone. It will take time and consistency. In the meantime, take measures to prevent further dog/chicken interaction

My two doxies don't bother my chickens ore guineas very much. The 14yr old ignores them completely. The 8yr old likes to wait till they get in a group and make them fly off. In their younger years, I would never trust them with a small furry or feather animal. Pooh (14) has killed a baby rabbit, baby bird and lots of mice...right in front of me. She barks until I go see what she has, then she kills it.

The other day I was in the coop and dogs were in the yard. I heard Shelby (8) barking and I noticed a few guineas near her. Then a few seconds later, I heard her yelping. I ran and looked out, she had her tail between her legs, her head down and she was headed to the house. Two guineas were right behind her.

 

[JewellFarm]

I am so sorry for your losses. My heart goes out to you. It's so sad when you are so torn and just don't know what to do. I wish you the best.

 

[waibel zoo]

Quote:
The cage is already on top of a coffee table like piece of furniture. She had to jump up just right to grab the chin. The pan on th bottom is 4-5 inches tall as well. So really I am at a loss at how it happened in the first place. I took some other advice and put up a baby gate to my daughters room. That way there will be no more interaction with the chins. I am hoping the shock collar will break her interest in the chickens. I can't put up a hot fence for a few reasons: one, it's my kid's yard too. I have young children. And the chickens live in a chicken tractor.