My inlaws puppy killed a chick today, I need to vent!

[Haunted55]

Thank you all very much for your support, it makes me feel better. I also appreciate all of the suggestions and advise for improvement! BYC is a proactive community! I have not had a chance to check on my post because I spent the weekend putting up 100yds of five foot high chain link fence around the coop. Well, my husband did most of it, I held the posts while he pounded them in, held whatever he needed me to, pulled fence tight, replaced and recharged power tool batteries as needed and kept his coffee hot

The kids were in charge of the caps and such and running for bandaids (for me). The chickens are now safe! I noticed all the suggestions in favor of this solution, my favorite being the good fences make good neighbors' one. They also make for peace in families with boundary issues! And, I have to say, the suggestion of putting the shock collar on my inlaws was given consideration

I think much of the negative response I recieved was misplaced anger out of embarassment and shame in causing the kids sadness. Not that I condone them taking it out on me, but I can take it, and it seems to have been replaced with a desire to make sure it never happens again.
We all love the dog, that was part of why the kids were upset, a beloved pet killed another beloved pet. My husband spent some time with FIL and the puppy. FIL is not using the collar himself, and he is working with the puppy to teach him basic obedience and is being consistant. DH thinks he is doing good, the puppy is responding well to him. I think the problem is with MIL. The puppy doesn't listen to her, she's frustrated, doesn't want to be bothered, and would rather just shut him in the house with her. Being a puppy he wants someone to play with and interact with him, so when she lets him out, he goes to house where there are dogs, kids, chickens and other adults who interact with him in a positive way. We are just going to have to treat him like he is one of our dogs, and, as someone mentioned, since we have no control over when he is coming over and there is not enough consistency, we are going to take him for walks with our dogs, invite him over to play, and teach him not to chase chickens!

I am so glad to hear that you got the fencing done!! Pain to do but in the end well worth it! I'm also glad to hear the in-laws are at least trying to control the dog. With the walks with yours and re-enforcement at his house, I'd say it might all just work out well in the end.

I will have to say that I do agree with gg706. An electric fence is an awesome deterent from most problems with animals. Don't know where in Maine you are, but if it's rural like me, there are a lot of other nasties out there who would love a chicken dinner. I have gone to electric fencing around all of my bird's outside pens. I also cover the tops as well. I just had a huge Redtail here the other day after my ducks and I was right there!

Good luck and I hope everything works out well for you!

 

[haemony]

If I were you I'd get an electric fence. Well, if I were you I'd move elsewhere because I was you and that is what I did but...if that is not an option get an electric fence. Shock therapy for canines...and relatives. Keeps other predators away as a bonus.

Living next door to relatives is not easy. I had a lovely beach cottage that I sold for that exact reason. Thought it would be nice to be surrounded by family and was in for a rude awakening. Keep for friends close and your enemies closer and your relatives at least a few miles away.

 

[1muttsfan]

It sounds like you have found a way to move on, with precautions - glad to see it, harmony can be very hard to achieve in such trying circumstances. Family are a blessing, but you do have to take the bad with the good!

 

[Mac14]

Now following this thread!

 

[VioletBlueIvy]

A few miles wouldn't be enough They are essentially our only neighbors though, so I am grateful for that. I have been letting my chickens free range for 5 years with only one fox attack, and a couple hawk attacks. The hawk wasnt able to carry off the two hens it went for, and they were fine. The third time if took a bantam silkie. I did lose a cat to coyotes a few years ago. Having the fox get 4 of my birds and them the puppy problem has been a real letdown. The chickens love to roam the woods and brush around our house, especially in the summer. I guess I can still let them out though when I am out, and I have confidence that we can teach the puppy not to bother the chickens. He has been over a couple times. He ran all around the fence, but couldnt get in, and then saw a rooster that had flown out of the rooster pen, a chase ensued and he chased it through the woods and back until we caught him. He does love to chase them. He will come to me when called now, not when he was chasing the roo though. We will be working on that this weekend. I am going to put him on a long line and teach him 'Leave it' and see how that goes. My plan is to put a treat on the ground and walk by it, and tell bim to leave it, and get his attention back on me, still saying leave it, and give him another treat + praise. Repeat. Then eventually we will try it with drawing his attention away from the chickens in the fence. If that goes well, we will try it with one of the roo's that likes to roam. He seems to have the aptitude, but he has already learned how much fun it was to chase. I think we will buy him a special toy too, as a good diversion.
I have trained my dogs, a GSD and a Beagle, and they are both great dogs, my GSD even goes after a chicken on command. He learned it from me, because I had a million randy young roo's and they were constly jumping on my hens and pullets, I would run over and grab them when they did it. He loved it, and started watching me so he could join in, it was easy to take the next step and attach a command to it. Now I can tell him to, often he does it on his own. He is lime one of the head roo's, the young ones behave just because he is there in the yard lol. He will even break up squabbles between the roosters and hens. He is very gentle about it too. He is my peacekeeper I am not a dog trainer though so does anyone have any tips on the most effective way to teach leave it to a Mastiff Puppy?

 

[Haunted55]

A few miles wouldn't be enough

They are essentially our only neighbors though, so I am grateful for that. I have been letting my chickens free range for 5 years with only one fox attack, and a couple hawk attacks. The hawk wasnt able to carry off the two hens it went for, and they were fine. The third time if took a bantam silkie. I did lose a cat to coyotes a few years ago. Having the fox get 4 of my birds and them the puppy problem has been a real letdown. The chickens love to roam the woods and brush around our house, especially in the summer. I guess I can still let them out though when I am out, and I have confidence that we can teach the puppy not to bother the chickens. He has been over a couple times. He ran all around the fence, but couldnt get in, and then saw a rooster that had flown out of the rooster pen, a chase ensued and he chased it through the woods and back until we caught him. He does love to chase them. He will come to me when called now, not when he was chasing the roo though. We will be working on that this weekend. I am going to put him on a long line and teach him 'Leave it' and see how that goes. My plan is to put a treat on the ground and walk by it, and tell bim to leave it, and get his attention back on me, still saying leave it, and give him another treat + praise. Repeat. Then eventually we will try it with drawing his attention away from the chickens in the fence. If that goes well, we will try it with one of the roo's that likes to roam. He seems to have the aptitude, but he has already learned how much fun it was to chase. I think we will buy him a special toy too, as a good diversion.
I have trained my dogs, a GSD and a Beagle, and they are both great dogs, my GSD even goes after a chicken on command. He learned it from me, because I had a million randy young roo's and they were constly jumping on my hens and pullets, I would run over and grab them when they did it. He loved it, and started watching me so he could join in, it was easy to take the next step and attach a command to it. Now I can tell him to, often he does it on his own. He is lime one of the head roo's, the young ones behave just because he is there in the yard lol. He will even break up squabbles between the roosters and hens. He is very gentle about it too. He is my peacekeeper

I am not a dog trainer though so does anyone have any tips on the most effective way to teach leave it to a Mastiff Puppy?

Just a thought....when I was young we had a dog that loved to chase cars. Nothing we did would stop the dog, not praise, not disipline, nadda. Finally my mom tied a stick to the dogs collar with a piece of rope. The stick would hang down to just onto the legs in front so that if the dog took off running, the stick would start slapping at the dogs legs. No more chasing cars and it didn't hurt the dog. Just gave the dog a reminder that what he was doing was unacceptable. You might be able to incorporate something like this in your training.