She screwed up this time...

[badwolf7914]

Well once again after many fusses, the basement door wasnt pushed shut. The chicken coop gate had come open and my dog went outside. She had knocked my brooding area over and some of my chickens were hiding in it, some were running fom her wet. She ran in the house when she saw me. i got my wet roo and hen back in the coop... my Mallard was laying limp but breathing. I took care of him and he seems fine with no injuries but startled and is in the house because the meaner rooster wants to peck at him while he's not quite up to moving fast so I got him back out of the coop. One hen showed back up. I found one dead all intact with teeth marks at the neck like it was chewed a bit to hard and the other 2 hens are still missing. Thank goodness it wasn't my good egg layers. Go figure, one layed an egg 30 minutes later. The dog has been spanked mildly and is chained by enough to let her stand and lie down as temporary punishment.

 

[sourland]

Sounds as if someone other than the dog deserves to be spanked.

 

[AinaWGSD]

Quote:
I agree. The dog didn't screw up, she was just following her instincts (natural, ingrained behavior) and doing as nature intended. Whoever didn't push the basement door shut and/or whoever didn't secure the gate to the run well enough is the one who screwed up. Spanking her and chaining her on a short chain might make you feel better right now, but it's not going to change the fact that the dog will still chase and kill chickens and ducks the next time someone forgets to shut the door or gate all the way. I'm assuming it was the husky that did it and not the poodle mix, in which case any punishment you dish out will be worth it to her for the fun of chasing and killing prey. She can't help herself, so it is up to you to prevent the opportunity. It's frustrating at times, but it is the price you pay for choosing to keep a high prey-drive dog and birds at the same time. Sometimes accidents happen and in spite of our best efforts (it sounds like you had two barriers between her and the chickens, which should normally give you enough time to catch her before she got to the birds if she got past the first one, but both failed in this instance).

 

[Ironmaiden]

I'm not an advocate for physical violence, but I have heard that if you hit the dog with the dead chicken, or tie the chicken around it's neck for a day the dog will not do it again. I must admit this sounds extreme and have never tried it myself...

 

[Mahonri]

Dog still needs to be trained. I have a Golden Retrieve that allows the chickens to walk over her.

Dog also should have been disciplined more IMHO.

Tie the dead bird around it's neck and leave it changed outside for a day or two.

 

[bobbi-j]

I think it might have been too late to discipline the dog AFTER you put the chickens back in the coop and took care of the duck. Dogs are not reasoning creatures like people are - by the time you dealt with her, she'd completely forgotten about what she had been doing outside. She wasn't sitting in the house thinking, "Boy, am I in trouble now, I got caught!" Her brain was on to whatever goes on in a dog's head. Probably resting up after her big adventure. Discipline needs to be immediate so they can make the connection - messing with the birds = being "lightly spanked" and tied up. Hopefully it won't ever happen again, but IF it does, deal with the dog right away so she gets it.

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
I agree. The dog didn't screw up, she was just following her instincts (natural, ingrained behavior) and doing as nature intended. Whoever didn't push the basement door shut and/or whoever didn't secure the gate to the run well enough is the one who screwed up. Spanking her and chaining her on a short chain might make you feel better right now, but it's not going to change the fact that the dog will still chase and kill chickens and ducks the next time someone forgets to shut the door or gate all the way. I'm assuming it was the husky that did it and not the poodle mix, in which case any punishment you dish out will be worth it to her for the fun of chasing and killing prey. She can't help herself, so it is up to you to prevent the opportunity. It's frustrating at times, but it is the price you pay for choosing to keep a high prey-drive dog and birds at the same time. Sometimes accidents happen and in spite of our best efforts (it sounds like you had two barriers between her and the chickens, which should normally give you enough time to catch her before she got to the birds if she got past the first one, but both failed in this instance).

Don't mean to sound harsh, but that's all true. Punishment is useless, what the dog needs is strong, consistent training. As does whoever didn't secure the doors/gates.

Sorry you lost one, that's a horrible experience.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

My 90 pound Pit Bull shakes like a Chihuahua for an hour when I just call her a "BAD dog" if I catch her doing something bad. She's shaking now...got out of her fence into the front yard

She still knows what she done was bad, so I'm not too sure of that too late to punish her comment. I know my dog responds even after an hour. She won't touch anything she got in trouble over for at least an hour...she hangs her head, walks away, and rolls over belly up as a show of submission.

I agree your dog should have had more training around the birds. Making them completely off limits to her may be enticing her to get at them even more. Dogs are like kids, they like to push the limits. Hope she doesn't do it again. Who knows what dogs think....

 

[Royd]

Quote:
Well, I can guarantee that a little swat, with," You're such a bad dog. Look what you've done." isn't going to get the job done. If you caught the dog in the act, or shortly, thereafter, that dog needs to think that it just looked into the face of death, and only by your mercy, is it still alive..It probably won't want to look at another chicken.

[/img]

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
Cindi, you know I love ya..... but "she won't touch anything she got in trouble over for at least an hour"? Only an hour? I prefer the school of thought that the dog either be permanently trained or not ever be allowed to transgress again.

Both of my dogs are kept 2 fences away from the birds. AND the birds are in a secure run. When the birds are free ranging, the dogs are in the house.