My male dog won’t protect but will eat my chickens

[Duckstail]

Plus why pay

I will be looking to find a LGD trainer

Please please keep us updated on the progress. I'd like to see how this turns out considering no one talked but I said was good..

 

[chickens really]

Yes, key word is territorial and to him he thinks the Birds belong in the Run. Was he from trained parents?..Had he ever been around livestock?..
I have a Maremma and a Golden Retiever/ Aussie to protect my Flock. Anytime I introduce new Ducks I have to train my Dogs that the new Birds belong here.
Mine keep my yard free from all intruders..Lay with my Birds.

 

[Wee Timmy]

My male two year old German Shepherd mix was like that too. After about a week of training him, keeping him on a leash around the chickens and yelling “no” when we went after them, he started to calm down. Now he has successfully been their protector for over four years and he always stays near them. He even chases and barks at birds of prey after seeing a hawk attack the chickens last year. And he won’t let any other dogs near them. Sometimes he chases them and makes them fly for fun, but he’s never hurt them.

 

[Chickens 4Ever]

Yes, key word is territorial and to him he thinks the Birds belong in the Run. Was he from trained parents?..Had he ever been around livestock?..
I have a Maremma and a Golden Retiever/ Aussie to protect my Flock. Anytime I introduce new Ducks I have to train my Dogs that the new Birds belong here.
Mine keep my yard free from all intruders..Lay with my Birds.

Yes he born around poultry and livestock

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Way too many post for me to scroll thru on my tiny screen so I hope I'm not repeating a suggestion.
My collie was a chicken killer. It was a nightmare.
It took months and countless hours of interaction to rid the BAD HABIT he developed. What worked for me was a dog muzzle and calm communication. The muzzle is now associated as a form of punishment when he is messing up.
When he would lose his self control, I would say NO, and place the muzzle on him. Then when he wore it, he would just lay there looking at me. Mean while all the chickens were all around him. Talking to him teaching him the words bad-muzzle time. 30 mins and take it off. Slowly but surely during supervised interactions with K-9 & poultry mingling, he learned that he had a choice. A choice to have his mouth strapped shut or to ignore the temptation of harassing my flocks. To this day when guests come over and he becomes over excited and unruly, I say bad, muzzle time or even hold the muzzle in my hand w/o saying a word, and he will start acting like the little angle he looks like. Without the evil thoughts.
It takes countless hours to train a dog whom is already set in his ways. They are creatures of habit.

 

[Chickens 4Ever]

Way too many post for me to scroll thru on my tiny screen so I hope I'm not repeating a suggestion.
My collie was a chicken killer. It was a nightmare.
It took months and countless hours of interaction to rid the BAD HABIT he developed. What worked for me was a dog muzzle and calm communication. The muzzle is now associated as a form of punishment when he is messing up.
When he would lose his self control, I would say NO, and place the muzzle on him. Then when he wore it, he would just lay there looking at me. Mean while all the chickens were all around him. Talking to him teaching him the words bad-muzzle time. 30 mins and take it off. Slowly but surely during supervised interactions with K-9 & poultry mingling, he learned that he had a choice. A choice to have his mouth strapped shut or to ignore the temptation of harassing my flocks. To this day when guests come over and he becomes over excited and unruly, I say bad, muzzle time or even hold the muzzle in my hand w/o saying a word, and he will start acting like the little angle he looks like. Without the evil thoughts.
It takes countless hours to train a dog whom is already set in his ways. They are creatures of habit.

Do you think a shock collar could work also?

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Do you think a shock collar could work also?

I feel they are cruel and unusual punishment. Using pain for punishment vs jaw restriction. There might be tempting moments to over use the devise as well out of anger and frustration when a bird becomes victim. You have to catch a dog committing the violent act to make a shock effective.
I just don't like the idea of hurting my dogs. Just because they lose self control. The muzzles worked as well when I introduced a new dog as well. Their jaws are their weapons. Removing that factor with a muzzle I believe is more humane than electrocuting them.

 

[coach723]

Do you think a shock collar could work also?

Like everything else in dog training, a shock collar is a 'tool'. Used properly it can be effective, used improperly it can make things worse, in some cases much worse, just like any other tool. I would not recommend that you use one without training from someone experienced in it's use. Timing is everything with a shock collar, and poor timing can just wreck it as a technique. Some dogs respond well, some do not, and being able to judge that response is key. There are many other training choices that I would exhaust before resorting to that. Training methods that use positive reinforcement are much more effective and build trust and respect with the dog.

 

[Chickens 4Ever]

I use a shock collar(it vibrates only)on him at night because he hates the feel I guess. And he has only barked with it on if he feels something is a threat, like one night he kept barking at our front yard because he saw something. That’s why I think a shock collar would work on him

 

[coach723]

The issue with a shock collar and aggression (which the killing of your chickens is a form of) is that the collar can amplify that state of mind while they are in it. As I said, timing is everything.