My dog is getting my chickens

[sourland]

Train your dog or restrain your dog or chickens.

P.S. Kicking is generally not an accepted training procedure.

 

[Cpprpnny19]

Puppy should be on a leash at all times and
time to start the training on the pup!

Chickens may need a fenced area for their protection.....



Lynne

 

[cafarmgirl]

Quote:
That's it, in a nutshell.

No young dog/pup, regardless of breed, should simply be turned out with access to chickens. Or any other animal it can take down. Mentally this dog will be a pup for at least two years. A lot of training will need to be going on during this time and in the meantime your chickens need a place where they will be safe from the dog. And/or the dog needs a secure kennel where he can be when you can't directly supervise him.

Since the pup has now experienced the fun of attacking the chickens he will require extra diligence and training on your part for him to learn that they are to be left alone no matter how fun it is. The truth is, some dogs will learn to be ok with chickens, some never will. Only time will tell. In the meantime your chickens need some help from you to keep them safe.

 

[ChicKat]

My advice is take a look at this link:

http://canterlc.com/StopChickenKillerDogs/site/pages/home/



Our Australian Cattle Dogs (aka Blue Heelers) are fine with the hens. You can see a photo on my BYC page.

 

[ladyride]

Quote:

(Sorry, couldn't help myself. It just struck me as funny...

)

It is funny no matter how you look at it but something I had to consider before getting chickens you can train dogs but it is really hard to train a chicken to leave the dog alone.

 

[lunaheather1]

Well this might sound strange or gross but...... My grandpa did it with his dogs and after that they never so much as wanted anything to do with a chicken again.... If he does so happen to get ahold of a chicken again and kill it..... immidiatley take a piece of string and tie that dead chicken to his neck! leave it on for a few good days. Yes I know it sounds gross and it will stink super bad but that is the point. The dog seems to realize that what he did was a really bad idea and will be miserable with this stinking nasty chicken on him! Worked with two different dogs! Dogs wanted nothing to do with the chickens after that.

 

[Cockadoodledon't]

Thank goodness the dog didnt kill a polecat!!!

Quote:

 

[dainerra]

Quote:
this is not only really gross and VERY cruel, but it doesn't really work. I mean, taking the dog into the chicken pen and beating him with a 2x4 would work to keep him away from the area as well, doesn't mean it's a way to TRAIN your dog.

A little work and some common sense will go a long way

 

[ChicKat]

Quote:
this is not only really gross and VERY cruel, but it doesn't really work. I mean, taking the dog into the chicken pen and beating him with a 2x4 would work to keep him away from the area as well, doesn't mean it's a way to TRAIN your dog.

A little work and some common sense will go a long way

X2 - Cruelty should be completely eliminated!

 

[dainerra]

Those type of "methods" all stem from a frustrated owner who, as a last resort, snaps and punishes the dog in the only way they can think of at the moment.

rub their nose in pee - we don't rub our kids noses in pee and we learn to potty train them, right? Same idea, take them out to potty and WATCH them to make sure they don't have an accident. If someone came up to you and casually mentioned that they potty-trained their toddler by rubbing their nose in pee you'd be shocked and probably call the cops. (No, dogs don't equal kids, but a lot of the training concepts are similar!) I mean, it would possibly work. Or, maybe like with dogs, the toddler would learn to avoid you and hide the fact that they have to go potty, making the job HARDER.

tie a chicken around their neck - again a frustration response. Dangerous? Ya think?? You take a rope, tie a large dangling bird around the dog's neck and leave them out wandering around. Obviously if it is feasible to let the dog wander around with a decaying animal tied to his body you don't plan on spending a lot of time with him. This lets the owner feel like they are "training" the dog to avoid the chickens without having to actually interact with the dog. Besides the risk of hanging, there is the fact that you have an animal wearing a maggoty carcass, can you say DISEASE??

Sorry, just a pet peeve of mine. Is it easy to train a dog to ignore chickens? No, it takes time and a bit of effort. Is it 100% reliable? Not if what you are going to do is just leave the dog unattended with the birds 24/7 then maybe not. Dogs are living breathing thinking animals, so nothing will ever be 100%.