One of our dogs killed 4 of our chickens today...

[blucoondawg]

Dog training requires a lot of time a dedication from the dog owner, you have to keep the dog under control at all times and give the same commands repeatedly so he has the ability to learn their meanings, this requires you to be out with the dog constantly, if you slip up and just start letting the dog off to do as he likes once in awhile without your being there to reinforce the behaviors he will quickly regress. I have found that proper use of a shock collar will speed up the training process exponentially, I say proper use because these collars can easily be misused. On thing that is beneficial with the shock collar is you don't have to be out by the dog you can nail them from anywhere within the collars working distance if need be, with my chickens when I first let them out my dog instantly went for the side of the run, I knew she would, I stayed in the house watching through the window, when she got to the fence near a chicken I zapped her one time, I didn't scream and holler like a idiot or hold the button down and shock her into oblivion, just one zap and the fact that she didn't know I was there watching nor did I yell made her believe the the chickens inflicted that shock, not me, after that she wouldn't go near the run, when the chickens came outside she was so afraid she ran for the house, lol.

 

[pinusresinosa]

That's another route... if you're lucky enough to have a rooster that will punch out a dog bad enough to teach it a lesson, or in that instance with the shock collar and hiding. The idea would certainly work, hopefully permanently. A lot of dogs might get so enticed they power through that eventually though- especially if they've chased, killed, and eaten birds in the past. It's like a human drug addict.

 

[pinusresinosa]

I think you're better off guaranteeing that your dog won't harm your birds by teaching your dog that they are off limits simply because you friggen said so, LOL!

 

[blucoondawg]

the sentiment that once a dog kills a chicken it will continue doing so is a old wives tale and completely untrue, most all dogs are very trainable some just take longer than others, they may not always become completely trustworthy to be left alone with the chickens but killing a couple chickens doesn't translate into a bloodthirsty killing machine of a dog. Continual reinforcement either with leash and verbal command or shock collar will eventually teach even the most hard headed dog that it shouldn't be chasing chickens. Even though my dog learned fast with the collar I still put it on her just in case and when she even begins to look at a chicken she will get a warning beep, if I miss the signs and she looks as if she is about to act on a chicken she gets a mild shock, it has gotten to the point that she rarely if ever needs a reminder now but she still wears the collar just in case.

 

[pinusresinosa]

We doggysat my parent's dog for a week last year. This is an upland bird hunting breed, a spaniel. He listens well enough for them, but he hated staying here because I was extremely adamant that he leave my ducks alone, I was on him like glue. That dog will have the right body language and mindfulness, then in a literal snap be a totally different dog. The one single time she snapped out of reason and went for my ducks, that was it for me. That dog was also on a leash every time he was outside the entire time he stayed here.

He also didn't like that I didn't give him treats constantly, LOL!

 

[blucoondawg]

being on the leash is part of the training, had you kept that dog longer and continually reinforced that he is not to touch your birds he would have learned, those are very smart dogs, I have a german wirehaired pointer which is bird and small animal crazy, she too is learning

 

[Teppler]

I have owned dogs in the past and would not trade one of my chickens for any dog so the though of keeping a dog capable of not only killing my chickens but also capable of doing bodily harm to anyone caught in there presence is shy of criminal. I know some of you take this as an insult but I have read to many accounts of innocent persons and kids harmed and even killed by so called family pets, some breeds seem worse than others but I don't trust any dog bigger than a weiner dog and don't want my grand kids or any one else to be anywhere close to them.
I say get rid of the dog before it kills more pets or even harm some innocent adult or child. Then get more chickens....Just my opinion!

 

[Hollywoodandme]

I'm sorry to hear about your chickens, a couple of years ago our Boxer dog Millie used to go crazy chasing the chickens around the garden and unfortunately sent one hen in to shock after wanting to play with them and basically treating the chickens like she would playing with dogs. Now she does not even bat an eye lid at the chickens even when they mess around in front of her. It's sounds to me as though your dog latched in to his prey instinct and you need to teach him that chickens are not prey, they are to be respected preferably with distance. With our dog we started by entering our chicken pen with the dog on the lead tightly, we spent about half an hour in there everyday allowing her to be around the chickens, at first she was very excited and lunging everywhere but, with corrections, we managed to get her in to a calm, submissive state. Eventually after about a month of repeating this she learnt to associate the chickens with being calm and submissive. We would not take her out of the pen until she entered this state of relaxation. Now, a couple of years later she has baby chicks climbing all over her and has never reverted to her old ways. I hope this helps with your dog remember to keep your dog on a tight leash while in the pen I wish you the best

 

[LauraSac]

I'm sorry to hear about your chickens, a couple of years ago our Boxer dog Millie used to go crazy chasing the chickens around the garden and unfortunately sent one hen in to shock after wanting to play with them and basically treating the chickens like she would playing with dogs. Now she does not even bat an eye lid at the chickens even when they mess around in front of her. It's sounds to me as though your dog latched in to his prey instinct and you need to teach him that chickens are not prey, they are to be respected preferably with distance. With our dog we started by entering our chicken pen with the dog on the lead tightly, we spent about half an hour in there everyday allowing her to be around the chickens, at first she was very excited and lunging everywhere but, with corrections, we managed to get her in to a calm, submissive state. Eventually after about a month of repeating this she learnt to associate the chickens with being calm and submissive. We would not take her out of the pen until she entered this state of relaxation. Now, a couple of years later she has baby chicks climbing all over her and has never reverted to her old ways. I hope this helps with your dog

remember to keep your dog on a tight leash while in the pen

I wish you the best

Desensitization is a great technique. We've used that with 2 of our dogs with leash reactivity (one was excitable, the other fearful). No matter your training choice, consistency is the key. Too many people "train" their dogs a couple times and expect them to get it. Sometimes, they do (with tricks like touch or shake) but when it's behavior you're changing, it can take a while and a lot of repetition.

 

[Snowychick]

This is a great subject. Are there any dog trainers out there that can give us any suggestions? I have a chocolate lab that will be 2 years old in April. He will chase the wind when it blows as well as try to go up trees after birds and squirrels. We let him near our 14 (3 and 4 week old chicks and our 8 ducklings) on a daily basis COMPLETELY under my guarded supervision while they are in my hand. We have a wading pool for the ducks in the house (yes they are spoiled) and he will watch them closely and lick his lips. He is told no repeatedly so that he gets the point that they are not his. I will never trust him outside alone with them. He listens well inside but once he goes outside he turns on his selective hearing and turns dumb as a brick. I would like some pointers on how to deter him once they are out in the pen.

baahahah my choc lab is EXACTLY the same and she has just turned 1. I used to just separate her everytime she chased the chickens and wouldn't listen. It was boring for her and she soon got the point .