Ugh, dog has got to go...

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Well 3 months ago I rescued a dog from a gassing shelter in GA and her transported here with a bunch of others to RI. She was brought right to my door and is a shepherd mix of some kind. Within 2 days she was at deaths door with coccidia, a double yeast infection in both ears, and severe kennel cough. She had to be admitted at the vets for pooping and sneezing blood, have IV fluids and medication and the whole nine yards.
When she was stable I took her home with 3 different medications.
I had spent $300.00 to get her here to RI and she had seen a vet and gotten a health certificate to come here. I didn't think she could possibly be THAT ill if she had seen a vet and gotten the health cert.
Boy was I wrong! When I walked out of the vet with her I laid out another $1400!

Now fast forward. She has been temperment tested and everything, she is great with my kids, my other two dogs, and my cats. She loves everyone.
My plans for her were to put her outside during the day on a long cable near my coop and meat bird run to ward off daytime foxes (which we sadly have alot of around here but none have found my birds yet) and to bring her inside the house at night...
Well apprently even with alot of training that I have tried with her she wants nothing more than to chase and eat my chickens/ducks/turkeys.
Last night while on her line to go night-time potty (I had not left her out all day obviously because I couldn't trust her but put her on the line for a few minutes to do her buisness while I did some PM chores) she went after my flock with such force that she broke her collar (and not on the clasp!!) and went careening around the chicken yard trying like crazy to catch them. She caught one of my Maran girls and ripped out a few of her tail feathers before my husband caught her in mid run and tackled her to the ground. Even sadder is how she's not the least bit agressive while going after them, her tails a waggin and she's not barking, or growling, her hackles aren't up, etc. It's just all a big game for her

Luckily my maran girl is okay. She was shocky last night but better this morning. Only some feathers are missing, she got very lucky!
Molly the dog on the other hand is looking for a new home ASAP on my local Craigslist and I already have a couple of bites, she's a great dog as long as you don't have any birds!
I feel horrible and just needed to vent.
Thanks for listening...

 

[hwerner]

I;m sorry to hear about your new dog. If you really wanted to try and keep her you could try the shock collar approach with her. We are at the moment going through the same thing with our daughters Saint Bernard pup. Pup is only about 20 weeks and very playful. She has mangaed to catch and kill 2 of my best hens. Afterwhich we purchased a shock collar training device, and she is fastly learning that the chickens bite. Just a thought, but like I said, If you wanted to try and keep her, it's never too late to try and train her and the shock collar works wonderfullly. Good luck.

 

[rooster0209]

I was always adament about the cruelty of shock collars.

I have had some problems with my lab/border collie cross. He likes to get behind new ppl (strangers to him) and nip them. Talked to the vet and she said "shock collar" Still I didnt want to use one.

He started chasing my guineas and ran 3 into the corn field and they never came back.

Ok, I will try the shock collar. Borrowed one from a friend. When he didnt listen and took off after the birds, I shocked him. He spun around immediately and stopped chasing them. Poor guy went and laid under the vehicle. He has never even gave them a second look since. I used the same method with the chickens when he tried to eat one. He will not look at them now.

I would suggest borrowing one or buying one. You can get a decent one for about $100. Your dog is doing what nature intended dogs to do. You can train this behavior

 

[lurky]

I too am anti-shock collar. Sometimes you just feel you have to try it

We tried it on our worst offender and it really does work.......But i decided i would rather hear her bark than have her live in fear of that zap happening again.

 

[rooster0209]

I don't like the fear it puts in my dog either. If I am going to work w/the chickens or let them out, then I put the collar on him, if he is outside. He instantly behaves. I have had to beep the warning sound to get his attention. I have yet to actually shock him since the first training exercise. He does not wear the collar all of time

 

[Zookeeper9000]

Shock collars work and they are fine if in the right hands and used properly.

I read on here where a ladies son asked her why not put one of those under ground fence things around the chicken yard and have the collar thing on the dog so the run is always safe. She got the underground fence to keep the dog out instead of in, bright kid she has there

 

[brandywine]

It is possible to use a quality electronic collar to break a dog of even strong vices like poultry predation *without* making the dog unnaturally fearful or "collar-wise."

This requires a *quality* collar of the kind professional trainers use (not a hundred dollar job from Petsmart) and professional-level timing and understanding of the dog and the tool.

So -- the best thing, if you want to break the vice without just lighting the dog up so he never comes out from under the porch again -- is to hire a qualified trainer who understands the tool and will use it appropriately (and not use it if it isn't appropriate for your dog or situation.)

FWIW, I always test electronic collars on myself before each use. It's not so bad. And our perceptions are not always the dog's perceptions. I've had dogs who literally could not feel a level that makes me jump, and dogs who worked beautifully on levels I could not feel even pressing the probes into my facial skin. When working a dog on any tool, I let the dog's reactions tell me whether I'm using it right *for him.*

To the OP -- the tie-out is likely a major factor in your dog's drive to get to the poultry. Any dog becomes frustrated and frenzied when restrained from going after a temptation that is just out of reach. You could not have set her up more effectively to want to chase and kill poultry if you had tried. (Know how we train police dogs to bite hard, with conviction, and joyfully with no fear? Restrain them on a back-tie and tease them is a big part of the process.) A tethered dog is much more dangerous than the same dog at liberty. A tethered dog just broken free is ruled entirely by adrenaline, and is no more susceptible to "reason" than is a bullet just fired.

Whether your financial and emotional commitment to this dog now extends to a *serious* retraining program under the supervision of a qualified professional, only you can answer. It may indeed be better to rehome her to a poultry-free environment. But this is not an insoluble training problem in 90% of the cases. It is also not an easy or quick fix.

 

[SpottedCrow]

I'm sorry that she just didn't work out... You did a good thing anyways...

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

There is no way I can afford to buy a shock collar right now. I honestly feel that I can't trust her around poultry and never would be able to 100% even if I trained her and she was solid and sound.
*shakes head* I've gone into major debt just to keep her alive. I can't put anymore into her, she'll make a good pet for someone who has kids, pets, but no poultry.
I have a family coming out to see her either tomorrow or the next day.
I'll let you know how it goes.
I'm not opposed to shock collars, just their price

My husband is really riding my case to find her a new home, like, yesterday which isn't helping.
We have put thousands into our flock and he's going nuts with the idea of a dog around that might kill even one of them. Last night was the straw that broke it. He told me flat out she has to go.

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Thanks Spottedcrow

At least she didn't get gassed right?
Even if it broke the bank lol