pet dog killed chickens

[henhouselove]

hello
Our pet boxer dog who is 9 months old got two of our chickens yesterday. He did not bite or hurt them, just played until they died.

I made sure everything was secure. But some how, in some Houdini way, he got INTO the coop tonight and killed two more. Same way-just played with to absolute death.


I know what I need to do to protect the chickens now.


BUT my main question is....what does this tell me about my dog?! Is it instinctive to do this to chickens?
Does this mean he has an aggression underlying somewhere? He is my kid’s (age 5&8) best friend, cuddled and sleeping partner ever night. Sweetest guy ever we thought.

What are your thought on a family pet killing chickens?

Thank you
-one worried mommy

 

[pennyJo1960]

I am so sorry this has happened yes it is their nature and he is not a bad dog you will have to go out with the dog as we do with most of ours I thank my lucky stars I have not lost one yet... it is a threat many of us live with .. again it is not the dogs fault

 

[junebuggena]

Your dog is simply being a dog. It's natural instinct for a dog to chase prey animals. It's also very normal for a dog to play with his kill.

 

[Johnny&Blue]

I am no expert though I would say it is a natural instinct. I have an electric fence and Blue has learned.now he just runs around it and will bark. I have mine inside a 60 x 40 fence

 

[SOHC-FTW]

Hes 9 months old you have plenty of time to mold him into what you would like, the dog is being a dog. Now what he is taught or not is up to you.

 

[henhouselove]

This is is one chicken.
I didn’t realize she was injured. Is it able to be healed? Or should we put her down?

 

[sawilliams]

For 1 chickens are fluffy balls that move on thier own. If that's not the best type of dog toy in the world I don't know what would be. 2 he is probably jumping the fence. Or old neighbots couldn't figure out for months how thiers kept getting out. Yeah he could jump a 6ft fence in a single bound. 3 you can still train him but your going to have to put a lot of work into it, and time. Your dog may never be able to be outside unsupervised, but maybe some day he can. Expect at his age and breed it could take a few years at least until maturity starts to set in at the very least

 

[21hens-incharge]

I would give her a chance to heal. Use some neosporin without pain killer to treat the wound after cleaning it with hydrogen peroxide. Rinse after using the peroxide then pat dry gently and apply the neo.

Your pup was doing puppy things. I am sorry for your losses.

My own dogs can never be trusted with my birds. Their prey drive is very strong. My birds are kept safe with hot wire.

The dogs have a gigantic kennel lined with hot wire to prevent them climbing out. They could jump that fence but have never tried.

You will have a lot of training to do with your still very young puppy.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Dogs have varying levels of prey drive, doesn't mean the dog is a danger to humans or all other animals. I have one dog with a very high prey drive that would absolutely kill the chickens, but is very good with people.

I imagine you have a plan to beef up security on your coop/run. That, along with training should go a long way in making sure this doesn't happen again.

 

[TalkALittle]

What does it tell you about your dog?

It tells you your dog has some prey drive and needs some training if you want to prevent it from happening again.

It DOES NOT mean your dog is a danger to your kids or other dogs. Predatory behavior is not the same as aggression. And aggression toward one species does not guarantee aggression to another. (Your dog may very well be a danger to your kids and other dogs, but not for the same reasons that it killed the chickens.)

Is it a danger to other livestock? Maybe. Cats? Probably. Small animals? Very likely. But he's still young and if you provide proper management and training now it's very likely that you can have a dog that's safe around your birds.