Teach me how to free range with dogs, please

[PoppasGrill]

Our King pit is good with our chickens and turkeys , while we are there with him.

The other Tripod will always try to catch and kill.
We do not let them out in the chicken yard together.

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

As with most things in lfe, "your mileage may vary". No one can predict how another person's dogs will react to a situation - hell, not even the dog owner can predict how a dog will react in different situations, especially when there are 3 dogs involved! I think my best bet is to, as suggested, free range the dogs and chickens separately.... dogs all day, chicks for an hour or two closer to dark.

I was pleasantly surprised at the response we got last night when I tried letting the chicks out for the first time. After they got comfortable walking around I asked my husband to bring the boxer/rottie out on a short leash. I thought she would be barking and pulling frantically but instead she calmly observed from a distance. When he came closer, she again stayed calm, but when one of the chicks made a sudden flapping movement, of course the dog lunged for her. It's their instinct - they are dogs! And that was with the other two contained in the house so they couldn't even observe what was going on outside. There is no way I think I could ever be comfortable with 3 dogs free ranging with chickens since they feed off each other and all it takes is for one dog to misinterpret a move by another animal.

Perhaps in a few years when my dogs are old and lazy seniors this could change, but I appreciate the advice and will probably always keep the free-ranging separate. Or who knows.... maybe at some point I can let one dog at a time "mingle" with the chicks, but 3 at a time is asking for trouble, especially since there's only 1 of me to try and get the situation under control. Once it escalated, there would be inevitable injuries/deaths.

Thanks gang..... I will enjoy my "pets" separately. There's enough space and enough hours in the day for all of them.
Sue

 

[PoppasGrill]

As with most things in lfe, "your mileage may vary". No one can predict how another person's dogs will react to a situation - hell, not even the dog owner can predict how a dog will react in different situations, especially when there are 3 dogs involved! I think my best bet is to, as suggested, free range the dogs and chickens separately.... dogs all day, chicks for an hour or two closer to dark.

I was pleasantly surprised at the response we got last night when I tried letting the chicks out for the first time. After they got comfortable walking around I asked my husband to bring the boxer/rottie out on a short leash. I thought she would be barking and pulling frantically but instead she calmly observed from a distance. When he came closer, she again stayed calm, but when one of the chicks made a sudden flapping movement, of course the dog lunged for her. It's their instinct - they are dogs! And that was with the other two contained in the house so they couldn't even observe what was going on outside. There is no way I think I could ever be comfortable with 3 dogs free ranging with chickens since they feed off each other and all it takes is for one dog to misinterpret a move by another animal.

Perhaps in a few years when my dogs are old and lazy seniors this could change, but I appreciate the advice and will probably always keep the free-ranging separate. Or who knows.... maybe at some point I can let one dog at a time "mingle" with the chicks, but 3 at a time is asking for trouble, especially since there's only 1 of me to try and get the situation under control. Once it escalated, there would be inevitable injuries/deaths.

Thanks gang..... I will enjoy my "pets" separately. There's enough space and enough hours in the day for all of them.
Sue

Great choice, safest for everyone involved.

 

[Rebechenson75]

This very possibly might be a post I should put on a dog behavior forum but thought I'd try here first because I know some of you have both chickens and dogs and may have some tips.

Situation: I have a large fenced-in yard, and within that fenced in yard is a smaller fenced in section that contains the pet door, allowing the dogs to go in and out of the house at will. Normally the dogs have access to the entire yard but if there is a BBQ or some event happening in the large yard, we contain them in the smaller section for a while. They can watch, but can't join.

I have 3 dogs: 3 year old boxer/Rottie, 8 year old mutt (looks like a Corgi) and a 7 month old pitbull. Naturally they all have some prey drive and constantly try to catch squirrels and rabbits and birds in the yard but luckily never succeed. If I had only one dog the training process would be easier, but having three, they feed off of each other and will get a pack/prey thing going.

I was thinking of opening the door of the chicken run tonight about an hour before dark to see if the chicks want to explore while keeping the dogs contained in the small section They can watch but not chase, and I'm sure there will be frantic barking and jumping going on. But is this the best way to do it or will that only increase the dogs' desires to "get them" when I do let the dogs in the big yard?

I'm truly at a loss. Do I instead take one dog at a time into the coop and run area to introduce them to the chicks? I'm lost and really hesitant to try anything for hear of harming a chicken but I also hate the thought of my ladies never getting to free-range.

Thoughts? Opinions? Ideas?
Sue

I don't have any ideas because I have a similar situation and would love to see what happened. Mine ate both collie mixes.