Training a dog after it's killed several more than once? Possible?

[BloominOrchid]

keep in mind the fence wont keep the chickens in...and the height that the invisi fence beams up

can be jumped over easily. its 4- 6 foot arc up.
So if you guys are willing, give it a try! Cant hurt to try right? Just keep a super close eye on him,...jik
If it doesnt work contact a rescue, and see if they can help. You could even offer to house him until a home is found. That will help the rescue alot

keep us posted!

 

[CrazyWestTexasFarmGirl]

I have some input.... IT CAN BE DONE... you have to convince them that they will DIE for touching the birds!
We have a hard headed heeler.... stock killer extrordonaire....
Chickens.... dead.... goats... dead.... Run cattle... yep. Escape artist that no run or lead or chain or fence could contain.... ATE through my back door to get out one day.
When he got out and slaughtered every chicken duck turkey and the goat we had and we caught him IN the coop eating one of the chickens... my hubby snapped... beat the living snot out of the dog and then decided he was just going to shoot him. Luckly dog was fast..... and desperate.... hubby ran out of shotgun shells trying to chase him down and shoot him. Dog got reprieve while I tried to find a home for him. Seems he got the message.... homes were scarce given his destructive background.. much discussion about just putting him down went on... after a couple years I tried again with chickens.... had dog chained outside (took two collars both snapped so if he slipped one it caught on the other... chickens walked right up to him and pecked him.. stole food OUT OF HIS MOUTH.... he snapped at them once in his dish and I yelled. Now this dog is our "chicken dog" he has free run of the yard... chicks under his feet. ducks nipping at him.... rooster flogs him... turkey gobbles in his face and he just ignores them... Hes the best dog in the world now (still jumps the fence though....)

My Aussie.... at age 2 got her first sight of a chicken and she pounced and started pulling feathers... I ran at her screaming and bowled her over onto her back (chicken still unde rher nose..... in her face screaming and pinning her down... tellign her MINE!!! MY CHICKENS! NO! Occasionally she reacts and runs after one instinctually now.... I do it again.. intercept and bowl her off her feet screaming at her... now she barely looks at them, though we never leave her alone with them......

Of course I trust these dogs to bowl them over like that... they have been trained since they were babies not to touch a person with their mouths... no licking... horseplay.... nothing... I trained them that way without ever striking them either.... every time they licked or nipped or tried to play bite as pupped I screamed and bowled them over and told them no bite and then walked away from them and ignored them completely. They learned that no licking or nipping was tolerated and they got atteniton and momma didnt turn into a screaming demon...

 

[KKatknap]

I say call Cesar Milan...I haven't seen him do a show on a chicken-killing-border collie, yet.

I'm actually only half-joking. His methods work very well. You could take the time to study them, but if he'd come out, more the better!

The invisible fence would probably work...only thing is, as has been posted, the chickens might not "get" where the barrier is.

Either way, I do wish you all the best. Good luck!

 

[BloominOrchid]

Quote:

I have it was a lab tho. Cesar is amazing, I have meet him a few times and the man is simply amazing!

 

[kimb]

I think invisible fence is a bad idea (in that it's doubtful to be that effective)... ...
If your dog is really that "chase chicken" orientated - he may get so wound up that he goes through the fence (and as we know once so far away, the fence stops zapping ) ... now not only has the dog caught a chicken, but he's learned that if he runs through the fence it only hurts for a second ... and sometimes that adrenaline is so high that they can't feel the shock anyway. But I do think it'd be great to exhaust all your efforts in making things work!

.... i guess it's worth a try - but i think you'd have a higher likelihood of success by teaching the dog that ignoring the chickens gets him a hamburger

... or even better gets him PLAY time & a treat ... ... I'd love to see what ceasar would do - or victoria (it's me or the dog) ...

Farm life is great !

... I hope you ALL get to enjoy it ...



@ Andy : please rehome your "dumb dog" ... ! x( ...

... if you don't like your animals, or the responsibility of having them, do THEM a favor and find them a loving home ! no animal deserves a poor lifestyle because of your poor skills ... thats totally unfair to the dog! ...I LOVE ALL my animals and do everything thing I can to provide for ALL of them a happy and healthy (physically & mentally) life! ... no animal deserves to feel unloved or to be treated poorly ... regardless of whatever natural instincts took over that you don't approve of!

 

[bobbi-j]

Quote:
That's better than my MIL's solution - to tie the WHOLE CHICKEN around the dog's neck for a few days.

 

[kimb]

Quote:
That's better than my MIL's solution - to tie the WHOLE CHICKEN around the dog's neck for a few days.

my mom did that with our GSD & lab growing up (tie the whole chicken) ... just totally nonchalantly tied the dead chicken to their collar and let it hang there for the day ... ( she didn't let it rot - gross!! ) just the duration of the day - was enough ... that actually worked ... and i think it's much more humane than beating a dog ... i think the ideas is that they get so annoyed that the dang thing is still hanging there after x amount of time -- they just aren't interested in it anymore - after all it's no fun when it's dead and stuck to you. . .

 

[chickenlittle1980]

e collar I use dogtra brand you really really need to find someone who can teach you when and how to use it! and before I get tar and feathered for useing "shock collers" my borrer collie pointer mix would be dead if it was not for them. and before anything is said.... he has obedence titles and a few high in trials. Smart boy just kind of dumb in a few ways...

 

[Gypsy07]

Collies are the most intelligent of all the breeds, so they need a lot of mental stimulation. They also have a ton of stamina and need a lot of physical exercise too. Not just exercise of the type 'well they're free to run around the yard all day' but walking/running with YOU where you're totally in charge of the exercise. Most farm dogs I know are bored half to death and frantic for stimulation and it always seems to manifest itself as undesirable aggression, whether towards people, other dogs or the farm animals they're supposed to be looking after. I totally agree with the people who have said this dog needs a job. Goat herding, agility training or running behind someone on a bicycle for a couple of hours a day might sort it out, along with some chicken awareness training.

IMO usually with dogs it's extreme nosiness and excitement that's the problem. By shouting and dragging them away from whatever it is that they're interested in you're kinda reinforcing their idea that they haven't seen enough yet and they'll keep on busting a gut to get at it again. You have to figure out how to put the idea in their heads that chickens are boring as hell and no big deal and they'll get more fun out of playing frisbee instead...

My dog (collie/lab mix) was interested in our chickens at first and equally nervous of them too. I made sure we all hung out together for ages. Any time he showed even a hint of predatory body language around them I gave him a poke in the neck and a Cesar Pssst and made him sit quietly while the chooks pottered around him. After a while I think he was so darn bored he couldn't wait to get away from them!

 

[huckleberryfarm]

Toby (the dog in question) is actually a great dog. I shave him every few months and he just lies there. Shave his face, private area... nothing. He's a super easy going dog. I just think his breed like to herd/chase things. He didn't eat any of the chickens he killed. Just chased them down and killed them. When we first had our invisible fence in our previous neighborhood, he ran through it a few times chasing a squirrel/chipmunk/dog... whatever came by. We adjusted the fence and for the last three years, he never went through it. My lab never goes after the chickens. He just walks up, sniffs them, and goes on his way. We have our goats and donkeys in a pasture and he just goes up to the fence every now and then and barks a few times. My head goat butted the fence at him and that solved that. Chickens are obviously much more defenseless.

I guess we'll try the invisible fence, although I will mention to my determined husband that the chickens may go out of it. Maybe it will deter Toby enough to lose interest if he sees them most of the time without chasing them. He's a good dog and always has been. My children are completely loving having chickens and so am I. If Toby ends up being rehomed, I'm sure I can find him a home with someone we know. He's never even nipped at a person. That's what was so shocking to me. We even have cats and he has left them alone. He's trainable. Guess we need to figure out what works with him.

Thanks again, everyone!