Training/Teaching a dog about chickens

[Chickenfan4life]

http://www.basicmanners.net/

If you look at this person's website, you'll find her email address or phone number. Her name is Barbara Linden. She's the trainer who taught me everything I now know about dog training when I went to classes with a rescue dog, a pitbull who was dubbed "aggressive and untrainable" by trainers. She gives free advice on training over the phone or by email, just ask!

 

[jak2002003]

I have 2 dogs. The first on is a poodle mix breed and she grew up from a puppy with the chickens about. Sometimes, when the dog was laying on the porch, the chickens would be around her, and even the young 'playful' chicks would jump up on her back, or pick at her fur. I would have no worries leaving them all out together all day when I went to work.

Then one day I cam back home.....no dog came running to greet me as usual. I found her around the back of the house, having killed a chicken. She was busy chewing it up.

I put it down to a 'one off'. I never saw her kill it, maybe something else did and she was just eating it. She showed no signs of doing it again and was acting totally normally. A week later I was in the house, I heard my chicks going crazy, and saw some fly past the window in panic, chased by my dog. By the time I got outside she he got a chicken cornered under the pond filter, she was frantically digging it out. I went to stop her and she went to bite me! She was so excited and fixated on getting the chicken.

I put her in the house, and got the chicken, which had bites, blood, and its tail missing.

After that day my dog always wanted to kill the chickens. I have no idea what happened to change her to do that. I did lots of training, it was very frustrating, and I was so sad about how my sweet gently dog had changed.

However, after several months she is back to normal. She gets on fine again with the birds, and chickens are not afraid of her.

BUT now I would never leave her out with the free ranging chickens if I was not at home.

 

[KilnChick]

I have two dogs,One is a poodle and one is a jack russel mix. I have to tie them up all day and let them go when I put the chickens In there coop.There is pretty much not a way to train dogs to not to eat chickens.Its there instinct.Great pyrenees are great chicken dogs.They are a live stock guardian dog and protect chickens and goats.

I too have a poodle, Maycee Grae, and she loves the chickens. She goes in and out of the pens and checks boxes for eggs. She would sit them if I let her. She is very gentle and protective with them. I know that I could leave her alone with them and no harm would come. I do, every time I let her out to go and the chickens are free ranging. It is possible. And I'm constantly adding to the flock!

 

[KilnChick]

Maycee and her egg

 

[cutenmchick]

Great response!

 

[SilkiesForEver]

I have a German shepherd mix who is EXTREMELY protective of us. Including our chickens. He has NEVER offered to bite or lunge at them. When he was first introduced at 6 months old, he looked at me, which was kind of his way of asking "May I chase please?" I told him no and he just watched them. Now cats, well, that's a whole different matter.

We had another dog before him. She was a border collie australian shepherd mix. She killed about 3 of my chickens, I'm not too sure on the number. She would NEVER so much as look at them while I was around, but as soon as I went inside the house, she killed. I eventually just seperated her, and kept her seperate.

I believe it has a lot to do with the dog's personal temperament and desire to kill/chase.


About the collar issue. I am STRONGLY against shock collars and choke collars. It's not a matter of them being inhumane, I just disklike them. I think that when the dog thinks the chicken shocked them, they won't obey YOU when you tell them no. I want my dogs to obey ME. Not be afraid of my chickens. I want them to think of the chickens as MINE and their's to protect.

 

[trekie123]

Whatever chance you had before they killed one of the chickens I doubt there is any chance now they have tasted blood. The shock collar can be tried, the obedience can be tried but it will only take one of the chickens to be spooked if the dog comes near it and the dog will not be able to resist chasing it, its already shown it is in its nature.

 

[Chickenfan4life]

I have a German shepherd mix who is EXTREMELY protective of us. Including our chickens. He has NEVER offered to bite or lunge at them. When he was first introduced at 6 months old, he looked at me, which was kind of his way of asking "May I chase please?" I told him no and he just watched them. Now cats, well, that's a whole different matter.

We had another dog before him. She was a border collie australian shepherd mix. She killed about 3 of my chickens, I'm not too sure on the number. She would NEVER so much as look at them while I was around, but as soon as I went inside the house, she killed. I eventually just seperated her, and kept her seperate.

I believe it has a lot to do with the dog's personal temperament and desire to kill/chase.


About the collar issue. I am STRONGLY against shock collars and choke collars. It's not a matter of them being inhumane, I just disklike them. I think that when the dog thinks the chicken shocked them, they won't obey YOU when you tell them no. I want my dogs to obey ME. Not be afraid of my chickens. I want them to think of the chickens as MINE and their's to protect.

I have nothing against shock or choke collars, but I understand your standpoint on them and do not wish to dispute it. However, when I went to training classes with a professional trainer, she had us use prong collars on our dogs. Before we put a prong collar on the dog, we were told to put it on our own arm and give the collar a firm yank to make it tighten. It did, and it was completely painless. It is simply a surprising correction for a dog.

 

[SilkiesForEver]

Quote: I have no issue with correctly used prong collars. Those are fine, as long as you know your boundaries to using them.

I've known a few people who use prong collars without the gell caps at the ends, and have no regard for their dog's throat when they yank.
I use a half check collar on my dog sometimes, when he's worked up and we're going for a walk. Basically it's half nylon collar, half choke collar. It merely tightens slightly around his throat to give him a warning.

 

[Chickenfan4life]

Quote: I have no issue with correctly used prong collars. Those are fine, as long as you know your boundaries to using them.

I've known a few people who use prong collars without the gell caps at the ends, and have no regard for their dog's throat when they yank.
I use a half check collar on my dog sometimes, when he's worked up and we're going for a walk. Basically it's half nylon collar, half choke collar. It merely tightens slightly around his throat to give him a warning.

I know what you mean. And, yeah, I've seen those collars before. I just use a Gentle Leader headcollar on my dog because when she and I go for walks she wants to pull the leash, and I'm still working on a reliable "heel".