She's killing them!!!!

[HHandbasket]

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If she knows she is not supposed to attack the chickens and kills them anyway, you have three options:

1) Pen up your chickens in a predator-proof pen and never let them free range again.

2) Get rid of the chickens.

3) Get rid of the dogs.

Anything else you do (i.e., sequestering the dog, etc.) will never be more than a temporary fix at best. I know you don't want to get rid of your dog because your daughters love him, but why are people so afraid these days to allow their children to feel sadness and disappointment? Why are people so afraid to explain things to their children?? YOUR DOG IS KILLING YOUR OTHER ANIMALS... you need to think about how long it's gonna be, now that Poochieboy has had a taste of blood, before he kills something else. Or bites one of your precious 6-year-old twins in the face, as previously docile dogs have been known to turn on their human counterparts once they get the taste of blood... it's not an absolute, but it does happen and each parent has to ask themSELF if it's worth the risk of having a dog that has tatsed blood to be around their kids... if it was my kids, it wouldn't be worth the risk, but that's just me.

It's part of life. If you have a dog that kills your livestock, either the dog's gotta go or the livestock's gotta go. That's an unfortunate reality of this situation.

I wish you the best and hope you and your family can find a solution that works for everybody.

 

[SpeedysBigRed]

As to why, jealousy might be a factor: Do you, or your daughters, display excessive affection towards the chickens in the presence of the dog; perhaps even push the dog away when handling the birds? Jealousy, as it does with humans, can lead to vindictive actions within the animal and fowl kingdoms. If such is the case, show equal, if not more, affection for the dog when in the presence of both so that the dog - the predator - no longer feels threatened. Whatever you do, when both the dog and chickens are present, do not "punish" the dog for some infraction and then cuddle a chicken. To correct, use the strong command "NO!" with a stern look and a stiff finger pointed up close directly between the dog's eyes. Ignore the chicken. Walk off commanding the dog to follow. The dog will soon learn, though corrected, that it is at the tip of the pecking order - next to number 1 - and leave your lowly chickens alone. No, I'm not an animal psychologist, but have found the method to work, twice for me, with two different dogs in two different decades. It's worth a try before using more drastic methods.

 

[Britney]

You need to build a dog proof chicken pen or pen for the dog that the dog can't get out of. I know the feeling and what you are dealing with. Good luck. But someone has to get penned in this case.

 

[Nostalchic]

I've had many many dogs of many breeds - German Shephards among them - AND chickens, during my lifetime, and have never had one that couldn't be trained not to kill chickens. Young dogs are, of course, more likely to have some trouble resisting temptation, but it will most likely get better as she gets older. Consult a trainer, a shock collar may be a useful tool if used properly. I don't see any connection between your dog "tasting (chicken) blood" and turning on your children, for goodness sakes. However, all that said, it is risky to leave her out unsupervised with the chickens free ranging - I never would have done that with a young dog, myself. But invest a little more time and trouble, I think it will work out.

 

[woodmort]

I'm sorry for your loss but, frankly, you cannot trust most dogs around chickens (I know, I know, I know, your dog never bothers chickens!) All dogs have some prey instinct that can kick in with just the right triggers. My suggest is that you keep the two species isolated from one another by either restricting the dog or the chickens--if the dog sees an opening you're going to lose birds. It is that simply. It's up to you to figure out a way so you can keep both or get rid of one or the other.

 

[bobbi-j]

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Agreed! I also agree that separation might be your best option, although I would definitely work with the dog, too, to teach it not to play with the chickens. For me, personally, if I absolutely couldn't keep both dog and birds, I'd keep the dog. He's my pet, the chickens are livestock. I also would never take my kids' dog away because I wanted chickens. But, that's just me. I hope you can get it all worked out.

 

[pcomston]

Thanks guys!

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I haven't tried that, but it is now on my list to try ASAP!



It isn't that I WON'T get rid of her if I have to, I just want to try all of the avenues before I get rid of her only to later get a different dog and go down the same road again because I know this isn't the last dog we will ever own.
If I have to pen up either I can't have them at all. The dogs important for farm protection and need to be loose. By the same token, people buy our eggs because they come from free range hens. I can cage her for a while, but in the long run, it just isn't going to work.
I do have another German Shepard mix that went through a similar phase, and grew out of it and has since graduated to guarding our goats and chickens and regularly brings in raccoons, groundhogs and skunks . He hasn't killed a chicken in 3 years. I'm not really sure what "fixed' him but it might have helped that I did tie a chicken around his neck (which is gruesome but better than the alternative) and left it there for a long time. When I tried this with the younger dog, my husband refused to leave it on her for any amount of time because he thought it was cruel and pointless. If there is a next time, it will stay on for a while. If we had an aggressive rooster, I'd turn her in with him and his hens, but sadly, my favorite RIR rooster died from old age and our new rooster is rather docile. This is the method I used to get both of my dogs to stop chasing goats and sheep. (let them in with a hornless doe/ewe who has awesome maternal instincts and no more problems

)
I know that it is in her breed to "work", and often see her trying to herd the chickens. I have no fear that because she has killed a chicken that she will turn on my kids. We do very well to treat our dogs as dogs and our children know to respect them. Dogs that are treated and trained well usually do not turn on their owners unprovoked, regardless of what they "snack"on. I have bigger fears of injury when it comes to the broody hens.
Speedybigred's suggestion of jealousy is one that I'll pay more attention to and evaluate. It very well could be that she is envious of the affection the girls pay to them or that because they play with them, she feels that she is able to do so as well.

 

[Audbun]

I've had GSD's all my life. I'm with drumstik diva, try the electric collar. I trained my GSD not to chase deer with one. You can start on a low setting and make sure you understand the correct way to use it. It takes 100% attention and you need to try the warning noise first with a consistent command, then the buzz if she ignores you. As with most dog training, one of the most important things is you need to catch her thinking about (you can tell by her body language) it and stop her before she takes action. It only took two times with my dog. It is a fantastic tool when used correctly. Good luck!

 

[heatherindeskies]

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....but MY dog NEVER bothers chickens. I know, she is 15 and is slow getting around now, and half blind I think, but.....

 

[HHandbasket]

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Without creating further issue and without creating a HIPAA violation, you should tell that to the mothers of the kids' whose facial reconstrive plastic surgery reports I've worked on in the last few years. They give histories in these medical reports, and I'm paraphrasing here, but on more than one occasion I've heard stories to the tune of, "He was a good dog, never bothered anybody, then started eating our chickens (or cat, or goat, I've heard them all--pet birds, iguanas, you name it... ), and now he bit my boy's face off."

It may not always make the news but happens more often than you think. If my dog attacked one of my chickens, she sure would never be allowed around my grandson again.

It's the instinct and blood taste that causes a dog's instincts to kick in.... not the fact that it's "tasting (chicken) blood". Doesn't matter what kind of blood it is or what kind of animal it kills... once a canine starts killing and has that instinct/taste, it is very difficult to "train" it out of them... and most people these days with families, jobs, kids, microfarms, whatever, don't have time to retrain a dangerous dog that has killed their livestock.

Not saying the dog WILL turn on the kids... simply that as a mother, and knowing what I know because of what I do for a living, I would never, ever risk it myself. And like I said... that's just me.