My dogs killed 2 chicks today...

[Bizzybirdy]

A dog that bites needs to be GONE. If it were mine and bit a child I would have shot it there and then. Do you want your child or someone else's child disfigured??

I am trying to rehome my Great Pyrenees that has decided to kill my chickens...do not want her here any longer as nice as she is otherwise. Get rid of your other chicken killing dog, find it a new home...once they get the taste of chicken it is about impossible to get them to stop. I know some would disagree but this is my opinion. I just don't want any more grief.

 

[thatpotteryguy]

Quote:
Why do dog owners insist that domestic canus canus is descended from wolves (canus lupus)? Canus canus is much more closely related to jackals than wolves...coyotes are also more closely realted to domestic dogs than wolves are.

Not that it really matters all that much - it's very difficult to train a doemstic dog not to attack something like a chicken - they trigger a strong prey reflex. To train a dog to do otherwise require a great deal of time, continuous effort, and ongoing reinforcment of the training.

I've gotta agree with the majority of posters here - once the Schnauzer bit the 7-year-old, the best thing was a 5-penny euthanasia.

 

[1stepcloser]

I am really sorry about your loss. I had to learn the hard way about mixing pet dogs with chickens.

Now...about the turning on children part. Time to rehome the dog. Seriously. He is not seeing you/your kids as the alpha. Time for it to go to someone who can (and will) curb that behavior before someone gets hurt.

 

[raybo49]

YIKES, Save your family and everybody else a lot of grief and destroy that dog!!

 

[Foxhound lady]

First I want to say this a older dog can be trained to not aggravate birds. My dog is 9.5 saw his first chicken at 8.5 and hasnt bit at or killed one. Has he herded them into a corner yes, would I trust him unsupervised no. And he is a bird dog

His is still a dog and dogs do what dogs do.

Small flapping thing that moves and makes noise--chase it and catch it. It prey drive pure and simple.

As for a dog bitting a child either the dog needs better training and a more assertive owner or he needs to be euthanized. To much liablity.

 

[luvmychks51]

i have had too many of my babies killed by dogs and i was just as upset by it. My little bantam has survived 2 attacks by my sisters nasty chihuahua. she is ok now and lays almost every day. The only reason have have had no more problems is my sisters dogs are kept away from my chickens (she hates it that they don't have run of the farm - but tough) The only dog that I sort of trust with my hens is my Aussie. He actually watches them for me and will occasionally catch and hold one for me on command. He is gentle, and never hurts them, but I never really know if he's going to lose it one day when he's told to "hold one" for me. I know free roaming is best, but if you can't control the dogs you might want to build a long, wood and wire run and attach it to ur coop. it doesn't have to be tall - just long. the dogs won't be able to get to the hens and they can still scratch and be outside.
I only lock mine up at night, but my coop is like fort knox - nothing is getting in there. good luck.

 

[australorp_breeder]

I'm sorry for your loss. I know how it feels to have chicks pass away...

 

[BorderKelpie]

I wouldn't just automatically get rid of the dogs for killing chickens. My Shih tzu killed a couple several years ago. I have worked with him, I can now leave him in the yard unsupervised with older chicks (18 weeks+) with no issues. It took some work, but he is worth it. Now, the dog biting a kid, he needs a proper objective evaluation and a responsible decision made about his future. If it was a provoked or startle response, maybe, just maybe, he would be allowed to remain in my family. Unprovoked, well, let me rephrase that, an intolerant dog that doesn't give fair warning (ie: trying to leave, growling while being misused by a kid) is gone. I have euthanized one for biting my DD but reprimended myself over the other incident (different dog). The 'allowed' incident was my fault and the dog reacted out of pain and surprise, she also did not leave a mark on my DD, she must have realized what happened and controlled her bite somehow. Although, in this particular case, I don't see how she did that. She (the dog) 'apologised' by submissivly licking my DD and me and hid herself for quite a while. Do not take this the wrong way, I am NOT tolerant of violent behavior of dogs towards children at all. I was just able to realize that this was an unusual circumstance and that dog was devoted to those kids for the rest of her short 14 years on this earth.
Work with the dogs, keep them separated from the chickens and closely supervised around the kids. You can make it work.
I am sorry for your loss.
Best wishes.

 

[mvktr2]

I'm a newb here & this is my first post. While it's been almost 2 decades since I've had anything to do with a chicken, I DO know dogs. I'll agree 98% (hey some people just need to get bit

)with others that a dog biting a human, especially children needs to be euthanized. But for educational purposes I'll offer a little insight as I fancy myself something of an amature dog-trainer. Btw my grandfather "euthanized" the boss rooster of his flock when it made the mistake of attacking me when I was about 4 years old (I don't remember but they say he tasted pretty good). These really shouldn't be hard decisions to make, dogs and chickens may be a part of the family but it's really cut & dry when it comes to children/humans/.

A HUGE problem with many many smaller dogs is their owners, the owner is often the animal's worst enemy (obviously this goes for all owners). A small dog is no different from a big dog except that they're easy to pick-up, breed traits aside. The worst thing an owner of a small dog can do is simply pick it up when it encounters other dogs, strangers, kids, etc. Quite simply many owners of small dogs rob them of proper socialization by plucking them out of learning situations for their entire lives starting as a puppy. Secondly & as important is that by picking up the dog the owner is re-enforcing the bad behavior, aggression, fear, that it's okay to be nervous/fearful, etc. This is just an observation, but I find small breed owners to be some of the least educated on how to train/socialize/control their animals because they don't see them as a threat... they couldn't hurt anything right?

The best friend anyone has in controlling a dog is food. Due to the pack nature of dogs where the dominate animal eats first. This means at meal time put the food down & make the dog wait to eat, it reinforces your dominance. If you have children let/make them feed the dogs and reinforce this waiting behavior. Also remove the food from the dog from time to time, once or twice a week, again establishing your dominance.

Always make sure the dog is last in the pecking order at everything. Make/let the kids give the dog(s) snacks after the dog minds them. Make the dog wait to go outside once you've opened the door, have kids do this to. Essentially you're constantly and consistently reinforcing the dogs status as lowest member of the pack. If this isn't done they'll forget their place, especially if you've got a natural 'alpha' dog on your hands, & they come in all sizes & all breeds. Sleeping arrangements are also important. Crateing help a lot, if you're not crating simply lock the dog out of the room where it can't sleep with you, or atleast kick it out of bed. These things are especially true when the dog is exibiting dominant behavior like not yeilding to your commands, taking your childs seat away from them on the couch, lots of little ques that tell you what a dog is thinking... and believe me they're always thinking!

It is worth mentioning this isn't necessary for all dogs, some are natural followers, others natural leaders... a lot like chickens and humans! FWIW based on VERY limited information that your Schnauzer is very much an alpha dog. My female Boxer is a SUPER alpha on steroids, but is no danger to anything human unless it's a bad person... then she's free to bite

(ran a burgular out of the house once)

Just the words from a Boxer owner & former foster owner of Boxer, American Pit Bull Terrier, and Rottie breeds. I also grew up going to work with my father at the humane society during my summers out of school which afforded me extensive experience dealing with and understanding troubled animals. I'm no expert, didn't stay at a holiday inn, but I am experienced.

Above all if you don't euthanize this animal & don't take steps to change the dog's behavior this will happen again!!!!!! No doubt, it will, think on that. If you don't think you're capable of taking steps toward behavior modification, be honest with yourself in this regard, then seek professional help from a dog trainer. Not just any dog trainer, make sure it's someone capable and willing to deal with your issues. Those are your 3 choices:
A) do nothing and let it happen again.
B) euthanize
C) change the dog's behavior
There are such things as mentally ill dogs, be honest with yourself when evaluating this animal. It's not simply cute and furry, it's a dog breed used in hunting, tracking, and ratting. Yes your fido was designed to bite & kill things! Small things large things no matter it was bred for biting characteristics and aggressivness with prey... a lot like Boxers, American Pitt Bull Terriers, Great Danes, etc. in that regard!

Schlante & make good decisions,
Phillip

 

[juliawitt]

I had a shih tzu for 16 years. Wow....I can't believe it killed a chicken. Mine was the most gentle, precious pile of fur you could ever imagine. I just am having a hard time wrapping my mind around that! Obviously yours was more energetic than mine was. I am wondering if the shih tzu was just there, following the schnauzer? Either way, the shih tzu needs some major retraining. The schnauzer....well, with out knowing circumstances, it is hard to advise but; if the child it bit was older and acting "rough" and the dog was protecting itself....I can understand the bite. If the dog was just aggressive..well, doggie would have to have a little trip to the vet. Either way, you face some hard decisions. My heart goes out to you! I am so sorry for you, your kids, your dogs and the loss of your chicken.