*UPDATE* Dog Got A Chick

[EmsoffLambs]

Boy does this post ring a bell! I have three dogs and have been free ranging my chickens, guineas, and turkeys for several months now with no problems what-so-ever. After a brief introductions with a firm "NO" for even looking at the birds, all was fine.

Until two days ago...I cought our oldest dog snacking on a guinea. She got a very firm lecture and the doghouse for a couple days. Guess it didn't work. Today I saved a chicken from her.

I know Candy said the shock collar is not an option for her dog due to a heart condition. But I'm getting one for my dogs. The thing about it is they don't associate the punishment with you (as long as you don't say anything when you zap them). My old gal is an angel when I'm outside with her, and most of the rest of the time too. With a shock collar, I can correct her from the house. She will associate the shock with the act of chasing the birds, not with me scolding her.

Personally, I'd give up with Mona for at least a long while. Once she's killed that much, I will take a VERY long time to get her to quit, if ever. You are just not going to be able to let Mona and the chickens mingle.

 

[lurky]

Candy......You are making the effort and thats all you can do. I wanted to tell you this: A little while back a person on my street got a new German Shepherd. It was full size, but young. Her chickens free range and her dog was happy about the free meal. I have NO IDEA how she did it, but they all (minus the one he ate) got through it. The dog is loose and the rest of the chickens roam free everyday. It can be done, Good Luck to you!

 

[KellyandKatie]

I really like this forum for chicky advice, but, please call a professional dog trainer and talk with her about your situation.
Your dog has a behavior that is not only natural, but now is very very rewarding. Those chicks were fun to chase, and fun to kill and eat. Your training needs to back all that up. You really need a professional to help.
I have no idea what tying a dead chicken around their neck would teach a dog. No idea what so ever-- but I have heard that kind of quacky advice before too. old wives tale?
the water bottle idea... that advice was based on a good concept, but the point missed. The idea behind that is that the behavior is being sticken from some unknown all powerful doggy god. Dogs should not know where the negative water is coming from, the idea is that you get them when they are thinking- just thinking about this behavior, if you are sitting with them watching them stare at them, and then they see you hit them with water... your dog learned that her parents sometimes squirt her with water. You have to catch her not thinking about the chicks, and not squirt her first, then when she just ticks over to prey drive an unknowing force negativly reinforces that thought. Not you, if it is you, then when you are not there she will eat your chicks
but I am not a fan of this type of training, but I am familiar with the idea behind it.
lots of negative reinforcement suggestions for you, but that is not going to change a behavior, it will just overprint a neg behavior on top of the other
If you want to use a shock collar against the advice of your vet, contact a professional trainer to learn how to use it properly, if you are not giving the neg reinforcement at the right time, it is just reinforcing inconsistancy -- and the more inconsistant the training is, the harder it is to learn a behavior
Invisible fencing will not stop any dog on a prey responce- period, the negative responce is a milisecond jult and the reward is sooo yummy (or it might be the chase)
The best thing you can do is learn how a prey drive works, learn how to read your dogs behaviors
the idea that we are using is that it is rewarding to be calm and nice around the chickens, and that the chickens are my chickens and I love them and that they are under the protection of MY pack. Our dogs recieve all their rewards ( food, affection, ect etc ) in the company of their fellow chicks and visa versa
(Now our cat... that is another story)
It sounds like you are on board to get a doggy proof home for your chicks, that sounds like a nice idea
good luck! Your dog and your chickens are lucky to have you taking so much time into their care, and trying to come up with something that will work for all of them. good for you

 

[sledzeppelin]

We just moved to a new place and inherited 9 free range chickens. We have a border collie mix (herder - not killer), and a german shorthair pointer (bird dog). We let the border collie out with the chickens and he was fine. My wife tried it with the GPS, and she immediately cornered and started ripping feathers out of our slower, more tame bantam rooster. At that point we obviously decided to not let the GSP out with the chickens anymore, but the BC was out all the time with supervision and doing fine.

One day we were going to be gone, so I locked the dogs in a very secure, or so I thought, horse stall. When I got back, I saw the dogs running around the yard. I put them away and then went looking for the chickens. I found 3 dead ones right away, and an injured one hiding in the wood pile (had to put her down the next day - couldn't walk, very bloody). All very upsetting. I expect to lose some to predators from time to time, but that many at once, and my own dogs doing it was pretty hard to take.

Of course I assumed it was my GSP that did it, since she had tried to before and the BC never had. I let my BC out off leash the next day, under VERY close supervision, and he was fine, though in retrospect, I realized I don't think he ever saw any of the birds. The next day my wife did the same thing. An unlucky hen walked out from behind the barn, and he took off. She yelled and yelled, but he ignored her. It was too late by the time she got to him.

I guess what happened is my GSP started the killing, the BC joined in, and now he knows that chickens taste good. As far as I'm concerned, it's all over. All the training in the world won't break that habit. Even if I get him to the point where he'll sit still and ignore the chickens, I'll never trust him.

We've decided that we'll have to make our chickens semi-free-range rather than giving them the run of the yard every day. I miss watching them roam, but it's better than dead chickens and hyper dogs. We let them out some days, and sometimes just in the evening, and only let the dogs out when the chickens are safely tucked away.

I guess the moral is, and this is only my newbie speculation, train them as well as you can and hope for the best, but once they get a taste, I doubt there's much that can be done to stop it.

 

[millefleur]

If you dog is as smart as you say she is, she could be trained to not hurt the chickens, but you will need to be focused and firm about it.

Keep her on a lead when you are with her and the chicks. Give her a strict command every time she looks interested at the chicks to leave them alone (I use QUIT instead of NO with my dog). Praise her when she is not looking at them. Bring a chick into the house to work with with her. Always keep her on a lead, and under control, until she is completely trustworthy. The idea is to train her to protect the chickens, for her to feel like they are hers, as she does her family and would puppies.

Now, I have a terrier that I know would chase my chickens, as he is an irrepressible imp and would take any punishment in order to have fun. He and the chickens have separate, very spacious yards.