My German Shephard ate 2 chickens!

[Olive Hill]

Yes, there are people who have been successful with training dogs not to go after chickens even after those dogs have done so in the past. No, that does not mean you will be one of them. Some dogs can be trained out of it, some dogs have too high a prey drive.

You made a commitment to the dog, you later decided to get into chicken keeping. You can't punish the dog because you brought home something incompatible with the current familial structure. That dog would probably give it's life for you, yet you're considering giving up on it because it did was comes natural to it to do -- pursue prey that is in it's territory.

You have to do what's best for you, but I will just never understand how people justify doing what you're considering in this situation.

It sounds to me like the chickens being out 1/2 time and the dog out 1/2 time is a reasonable compromise that fulfills all your commitments at the same time. If you want the chickens to free range and them not free ranging was a deal breaker you should have thought about this situation -- one that was highly likely -- prior to bringing them home.

 

[Charlene]

Sorry about your chicks, I just lost mine to a mystery predator. I did a search the other night through all the archives and it seemed to me that in general, hunting dogs can't be trusted while sometimes herding dogs can. But obviously they are individuals so there are no guarantees. A neighbors has a dog that protects his mini-goats, it's a big white fluffy dog, sorta looks like a white golden retriever but it's not. They are especially bred to keep animals safe. You could try one like that. Or of course half and half freedom is a pretty darn good deal for both chickens and dogs.

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

Quote:
Yes had much success with changing dogs, it can be done, be sure your in the leadership position and then make sure the dog is clear the chickens are off limits. Do not leave them unsupervised. But yes all dogs can learn to leave chickens alone. Some will never be so good as even to be off leash but I totally disagree with the notion that if they have tasted something they will always kill. It's never been my experience.

You should start with great control of the dog in all basic obedience and be sure he respects you, and is well bonded to you. Then reintroduce the dog to the chickens in total control of the situation and be sure the dog sees you treating the chickens very nice, that you care for them. If the dog shows any interest at all tell them LEAVE IT and if he moves toward them NO firmly. Spend time back and forth with the chickens and the dog till the dog is bored or ignoring the birds and then leave, spend special time with the dog. Keep it up.

Generally do not allow any dog, even one you think is fine alone with new or young birds, they are much more flappy and interesting than older birds, move quick and peep rather than cluck, seems to get the prey drive more active than older birds.

Hope that helps.

 

[BirdMom]

I agree with adoptedbyachicken. It is possible to train them to leave them alone, though a few dogs just won't get it. A German Shepherd is a smart dog, and should do well with training, even if he has eaten one chicken. Especially if he is pretty well bonded to you.

Several people have been successful in teaching their dogs to leave the chickens alone even after they have killed several.

I understand your heartache. Give it a couple of days, a week, you'll feel different and be able to better make a decision on what will be best for you. Keeping the dog and chickens apart is probably best, at least for now, and with training, they could end up being best friends.

Our dogs, two blue heelers, so far have left the chickens, guineas, and ducks alone. The birds have been here longer than we've had the dogs, so the dogs have been around the birds (on the other side of the fence!) since the dogs were five week old puppies, so they're used to the birds. But we still don't allow them to be alone together. Sometimes the birds will wander near the dogs when we let them free-range, but the dogs are on chains at that time and we're there to make sure the dogs leave the birds alone. One of the dogs ignores the birds completely, the other one just wants to herd them.

We do always supervise their interactions, but a couple of times one or the other dog has got loose when the birds were out, and they haven't attacked the birds at all. We actually thought last week that one of the dogs might have eaten one of our silkies as she was inadvertently left out overnight, but we never considered getting rid of him, (just blamed ourselves for missing one on lockup!) and within a couple hours of us letting the other birds out, the lost one made her way back from wherever she mysteriously disappeared to!

Constant training when they're together, and I think your dog and your birds will learn to co-exist peacefully.

Sorry about the loss of your two chickens. That's never ever fun to lose them!

 

[ajablu]

We Have dogs and chickens. We did lose a few chcikens to dogs until we learned how to keep both in harmony.
We love our chickens and I did cry my eyes out over the loss but was not angry with the dogs. I was angry with myself. I made the decision to keep both a predator and a prey animal. I can not blame the dog for doing what is natural for it. If you choose to live with both the responsibility to keep the prey safe from the predators is yours. My dogs ride with me in the car, go for walks , and hikes with me. They go any places they are welcome with me. My dogs are well trained and are welcome in several businesses in our area.
My dogs sleep with me at night, I know if there are stranges noises at night they will bark to sound the alarm. One night when I was sick and not sleeping well for a while I fell into a deep sleep and started to have an asthma attack while I was sleeping. I usually wake up before I get bad but must have been really tired. My dog Jessie woke me up by scratching at my face and barking. I quickly grabbed my inhaler. I was happy that she woke me up before things got any worse. She makes me laugh when I am feeling sick and is there to cuddle with me when I need some company. She, along with my other dogs are always there when I need them and are great friends.
They helped me get through some very bad times with my health. Yes, Jessie did kill a few young chickens years ago. I would never dream of getting rid of such a devoted friend. I blamed only myself and worked to learn how to keep my much loved chickens safe . I have trained the dogs to leave them alone if they start to look as if they might want to mouth on them. Now they are fine with all the birds as long as someone is with them. I know better than to temp them by leaving them alone with them. They will eat treats with the birds without hurting them if the treats are something they can eat as well. They lay outside in the grass with hens laying next to them and are fine, but they are not alone with them anymore. I think maybe you could work on the "Leave them" command .
I knew someone who trained the dogs to leave them and then used an E- collar to remind them if they looked as if they were going to disobey. After a few times they never needed the collar again but they need to be used very carefully and only when the dog already knows the command. I don't use them for my dogs but it worked for the lady I knew and she had no further problems. I guess as a last straw it can save the dogs home if it is a hard headed dog. One thing I found out when I got sick 7 years ago was some human friends left me when I was too sick to be any fun, but sure could have used a friend, and my dogs never did. Please do not get rid of the dog without trying to work out the problem.
I feel so sad when I read the My dog killed a chicken posts and I want to get rid of it. They can co-exist . I know at first people may be talking from grief and the pain of the loss is still great. That's why it is good to post for some support and suggestions if this happens rather than get rid of the dog in a hurry.
My chicken were raised around dogs so they will also walk right up to any dog without fear. Maybe if it comes to it you could put the chickens in the run while the dog gets some outside time and then put the dog in the house or in a kennel run while the chickens free range. Please don't think I was being rude in any way. I have found many people don't realize that a dog is a predator and then get angry when it does what is natural or feel hurt and betrayed that their dog killed a bird. That is why I wanted you to know it can work out well with some time and effort. I also wanted to say I am really sorry for your loss. My daughters and I have cried many times when we lost chickens that we loved.

 

[truegrit farm]

So sorry to hear about your GSD and the chicks

I don't think the "taste" for chicken would be the reason for him to kill again more the prey drive with a shepherd. Reason I say this is I have a GSD, 2 welsh corgis and a JRT cross and I feed all raw food (have for over 10 years) and it mostly consists of raw chicken parts. All of my dogs are just fine with the chickens. Of course I knock on wood when I say that but have had all of them out loose when the hens are free ranging for almost 2 years and not had a problem.

I totally agree that the German Shepherds are just about the easiest dogs to train .........they love to please their owners. I would think some good training would help but again since he's done it once I would want to always supervise.

Good luck and I hope you keep your dog and your chicks stay safe.

 

[truegrit farm]

Also, wanted to mention ( should try to get a photo of this one day) that we also feed alot of large raw beef bones to our dogs and my shepherd will have his bone out in the yard chewing on it and the hens will gather around him trying to grab a bite. He will snarl at them but mostly just chews away and ignores them. It's really funny

 

[Evermore Ranch]

When we first got chickens we had a few stray to the dogs but over time and lots of training they were all able to be together without my worry. Now we are training two shepherd pups (lost a chick to them today even). but i have hope we can be successful with these as we were our others. Don't give up it can be done!!!

 

[Raindog]

For whatever its worth I have a couple of suggestions. If the dog is young and eager to please you, you might be able to break it. I have a lab mix, when she was a pup she killed chickens two different times. The first time I scolded her heavely and hoped she wouldn't do it again. The second time I spanked (not beat) her with one of the dead chickens while scolding her heavily. I continued this until she didn't even want to look at the chicken. She is now 13 years old and co-existed with chickens over most of those years without any problems. She and the chickens can both be rummaging through the compost without acknowledging their presence!
The second possible solution is a bit more agressive. I have a lab wolf mix. He also has killed chickens. I don't try to punish him for the ones that walk under his electric fence and invade his territory, after all the wolf is strong in him. But on the other hand I took him out into the yard where my chickens free range with an electric collar on him. The first time he went after a chicken I said his name and no while giving him a zap at the same time. It only took once. I can go out with him in the yard and if the birds get to active around him, he goes straight to the porch and won't budge until I come and get him.
I hope my experiences help give you a solution or idea of how you might be able to solve your problem.

 

[dntd]

Would you leave your dog alone with a baby? Just like a baby dogs can't be trusted with chickens, goats and such yes but chickens are too tasty and fragile to leave dogs alone with.