Ugh little dogs

[Chieftain]

You just need to find the right roo to have a talk with that brave little pup....

 

[lurky]

Quote:

Well said

 

[annaraven]

Quote:
My kids and I, one Thanksgiving, came up with the perfect use for yappy ankle biters...

Trap shooting for the blind.

PULL
Yapyapyapyap BANG!

Seriously though, I would go with fencing to keep them separated and work on training the dog properly. I grew up with a pomeranian who was very well behaved. But my parents didn't tolerate bad behavior, (in me or the dog.) I grew up to believe that poorly behaved dogs are the result of bad owners. I feel really sorry for animals that aren't properly cared for, including dogs that don't get proper training.

 

[annaraven]

Quote:
Thanks for a great video!

 

[tammyd57]

I have a yappy little ankle biter who hates my chickens. I have 5 chickens who hate my dog. The chickens would gladly eat the dog since they each weigh at least twice what the dog does. The dog THINKS she is huge and could eat all 5 chickens. So, to keep all of them safe, they have to be kept completely separate at all times. I have a wood fence around 2 sides of my house for the dog and a chainlink fence around another side for the chickens. It works okay except where a small portion of wood fence is shared by both and there is a lot of nose pecking and beak biting in the half inch space between the boards. This has been getting worse so I will be fixing that by closing those gaps in that area. I don't think any amount of training will make the dog 'not notice' the chickens, so physical barriers are best in this situation. I don't want to teach her to ignore chickens anyways because there are loose chickens in the neighborhood that would come into my yard if my dog didn't chase them off. These loose chickens receive no care whatsoever from their owners and I don't want them in my yard, bringing parasites or diseases.
Having said all that, my point is that everyone's situation is different, and not training my dog to like my chickens is not irresponsible, there is a good reason for it.
The OP's Grandmother's dog needs a physical barrier from the chickens. It doesn't need to be made to disappear or get shot.
It was stated earlier that if it's Grandma's property, the chickens need to be penned, if it's the chicken owner's property then the dog needs penned. Maybe both. It doesn't need to cause a huge fight in the family if discussing the problem can fix it.
Just my opinion.

 

[Chickielady]

I agree.
It is Grandma's dog on Grandma's property...so the hens need to be fenced.
I am sure Grandma loves her dog, and to harm it would probably really upset her.

 

[Leasa79]

I own 4 dogs, Boston Bulldog, French Mastiff, St Bernard and chi/rat mix. I also own multiple free range chickens, an African Grey, a B/G Macaw, and a five foot free ranging iguana(indoors only, she has a leash for outside), and six children. I live in an area without a leash law, the towns people will not have one. I am on an acre, with 2/3 fenced for pool and dogs. My Grey, the smallest, will assault all animals, children and husband that breath his air. My Macaw rides on their backs for free transport. The ig has no problem slapping and chasing anything that decides he may be tastey. Our rooster regularly commits all forms of battery on anything with two legs, and runs from anything with four. 3 of my dogs never mind anything else in our house or property, 1(the Boston) is a chicken killer. My neighbors beagle, is a chicken killer, and a few other peoples as well. I knew going into this, what I owned, where I lived, and what I was facing. At the end of every day, I am responsible, I made the choice, and I need to do what is right for them. My dogs are fence, they are trained, and I also use electric collar on the Boston, to make sure he minds his manners around the birds. Our chickens, also smarter than most people, seemed to get the barking dogs, in the other yard, are not going to be their friend, and do not fly over the four foot fence to visit. The first year, we lost 3 chickens, 1 to our dog, 2 to neighbors, 3 years later, we have not lost one since. The chickens learned their safe areas, an the other animals learned not to touch or bother(the children are a bit harder, even after the rooster assaults). I do not, and will never, blame an animal for taking an opportunity. Animals live very simple lives, we force emotion and logic onto them. A dog is a dog, not a human. The noisey squeaky thing is fun, we have to teach them different. If we are not in charge of the dog, then take charge of your chickens. Fence them, and they will learn to ignore the dog, when they know they are safe behind the fence. At the same time, the dog will lose interest when he realizes he can't get in. We can blame everything and anything, everyday, but when push comes to shove, we made the choices for our animals, we hold the blame.
Liz