Official BYC Poll: What Kind Of Relationship Do Your Dogs & Chickens Have?

[Outta Here]

My dog has a bit of a prey drive and likes to chaise things that move. She has calmed down with that since arriving at the farm over a year ago, but there are moments when she likes to chaise. She won't hurt the house cats, but she does like to chaise after any stray cats that make their way onto the farm (she has never hurt them).
She has a high curiosity in regards to the chickens, and I am very aware of it. We built a large run for the chickens because we were unsure of how she would react with them and I didn't want the risk knowing she has a bit of a prey drive.
That being said, I did have a very good moment with her and the chickens when one of them got out of the run right in front of her! My partner was also in the run with me, so I told him to stay where he could keep an eye on her, I told her to sit and to leave it as I walked out of the run. She remained laying down watching the chicken. She was shaking with excitement, she wanted to chaise it so bad! but all four paws and her belly remained on the ground. I was able to get the chicken back into the run without incident, and she has never done anything more than make a movement to startle them (get a reaction) from outside the run.
So far, so good. But I am not going to let the chickens out to create a situation I am aware may not end the way I would like it too.

"But I am not going to let the chickens out to create a situation I am aware may not end the way I would like it too."

Absolutely crucial, those words!!!!

 

[Sahraschweiss]

For the most part my dogs and house chicken get along. I can leave them unsupervised for extended periods of time without problem. The dogs will also hang with the outside flock, but not if there are chicks. Those are fuzzy self propelled tennis balls and must be chased. The prey drive is too high with the chicks.

 

[myawesomepullets]

My dog is a pretty small dog (14-15 lbs) so we’re not sure whether she could actually do more damage to a chicken than a chicken could do to her, but we don’t let her out with the chickens just in case. She is very interested (in a bad way) in chicks when we get them, so we definitely keep her away from them. If we hold her and we’re near to the chickens and the chickens are out, she’ll squirm and lick her lips so I think they make her nervous. When she accidentally gets out when they are out, she chases them but cannot catch them even though she is a super fast dog. (she runs faster than them, so that leads me to believe that she is hesitant, or trying to just play with them).

 

[Gizabelle]

Our sheltie is respectful of the chickens... she tried to politely investigate our old top hen when she was a puppy and was immediately put in her place. Now that she's older, she is our official family "hall monitor" and she sees them as part of the family (albeit somewhat 2nd class because they live outside) She will alert if something is amiss, but she gives them space.
Our old lady (lab/pit) is far beyond chasing anything and ignores them entirely.

 

[Kessel23]

My dog likes the birds. The geese chase her sometimes though.

 

[Eden83_haaretz]

Had a dog, wasn't very obedient when it came to chasing after animals; when he managed to get loose he did chase my chickens with the intent of killing them; he even swallowed two chicks whole before we could stop him. In the end he's gone and we both the girls, our rooster and my husband and I live much better without a dog.
I do have cats though and they don't bother the chickens, chicks or rooster; the birds are more curious about them than my cats are about the chickens.

 

[lauraschicks]

My dog has a bit of a prey drive and likes to chaise things that move. She has calmed down with that since arriving at the farm over a year ago, but there are moments when she likes to chaise. She won't hurt the house cats, but she does like to chaise after any stray cats that make their way onto the farm (she has never hurt them).
She has a high curiosity in regards to the chickens, and I am very aware of it. We built a large run for the chickens because we were unsure of how she would react with them and I didn't want the risk knowing she has a bit of a prey drive.
That being said, I did have a very good moment with her and the chickens when one of them got out of the run right in front of her! My partner was also in the run with me, so I told him to stay where he could keep an eye on her, I told her to sit and to leave it as I walked out of the run. She remained laying down watching the chicken. She was shaking with excitement, she wanted to chaise it so bad! but all four paws and her belly remained on the ground. I was able to get the chicken back into the run without incident, and she has never done anything more than make a movement to startle them (get a reaction) from outside the run.
So far, so good. But I am not going to let the chickens out to create a situation I am aware may not end the way I would like it too.

Exactly Ace. I don't know if he just wants to herd them, but I fear he'll be too excited to stop himself yet.

 

[lauraschicks]

Well, yes, knowledge of how to achieve the foundational obedience in the first place,...or we dog trainers would be out of work! But introduce your already-obedient dog over several weeks to the chicks in a controlled setting where he can't hurt them, gradually moving up to letting him sniff while they are in your protective hand. He should be calm, not excited (yum, prey dinner!) or staring fixedly at them (intent to attack). And true again, a professional would be able to teach you what his reaction to them is saying. You should already have a "leave it!" command already established (why my dog only barks at rattlesnakes, not engages). Use your leave it! command repeatedly and praise him for being settled and calm. The most crucial part is when you allow them to walk around in front of your dog. Use extreme caution! Have him tied or have someone else firmly holding his leash, use your body or a low barrier to block any rush. Allow the dog to see the chicks loose, but at a distance so he can't lunge. Train him again to "leave it!"
Before I was a dog trainer, I properly taught my dog to leave the chicks alone in their box with a screen lying on top. He could easily have moved the screen, but he didn't. But not knowing better, when they were big enough I let them out in front of him on the grass and went inside. Yup, he ate every one! Chicks running free are not chicks in the box! That's why your housebroken dog may piddle in someone else's house. We think we've trained them not to piddle under a roof. What they really understand is not to piddle under their roof! Likewise with the difference of chicks in confinement and chicks running free. So this part is almost like training all over...It takes a lot of time and patience in a controlled setting with very, very gradual steps....

Totally. We had all the chicks inside in a tank with a screen cover until we could safely put outside. All 3 dogs would look inside calmly and not try to beak in etc. But when everybody was put out in the pen/yard they were suddenly squeaky toys as far as Ace looked (the intent predator stare, lowering his shoulders, and stretching out his head...). He would stop when I told him too, but as I walked away would start running around the pen. So the electric netting fence was put up. He has touched that twice and now won't go anywhere close to them. Still not a fix, but gives time to work on it. The picture is before he touched it the first time. Now he won't go within 3 feet of it

 

[Driley62]

We have 3 dogs. My senior is xena at 11 years. She's a lab mix(I think with pit bull but not 100%...markings and build in her younger years deff pointed to it) she's been gentle her entire life. Even more so now, she watches the chickens from a distance but doesn't really bother with them. Once in a while she will walk up to them slowly and sniff them but she's a gentle pup. Our middle Alice, is a shih tzu mixed with pit bull(can't tell the pit mix til she's freshly shaven....other than that looks like an overgrown shih tzu). She has all sorts of energy and personality at 5 years old. She has nipped at tail feathers when they were chicks which she was reprimanded for immediately and she hasn't done anything since then. She does I believe try to heard them at times however. Alice is quickly learning that her energy has limits because of our youngest dog Willow whom is a pure bred black lab she's a sweet energetic girl who's less than a year old still. She chases them but doesn't hurt them. So I don't think our three would intentionally hurt them. But they are very intrigued by them.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

I have 3 dogs all over 12 years old. The younger one, a border collie x terrier mostly ignores them now but occasionally would “play pounce” at them trying to get them to chase her.

My German Shepherd x kelpie ignores them but when we first had them she climbed into the little prefab coop and stole the eggs.

Our beautiful Golden Retriever used to be driven away from her bone by them. Poor darling, getting bullied by chickens.