*UPDATE* Dog Got A Chick

[Kerr]

too bad we didn't live closer candy37
I would have brought him over
He loves to go for car rides

...but thats a different story

 

[chickflick]

Krisrose had problems with her dog going after the chickens. She had the chickens out and she had Corky sit at her side and any time Corky would even look at the chickens, she would tell him NO! It took awhile, and now he's doing pretty good. Also, the Dog Whisperer would have the dog lay on it's side and put the chicken on top of the dog.... to tell the dog that the chicken was part of the pack. It takes persistance. A very watchful eye. But, I believe if you work with the dog he'll learn. He may not ever be totally trusted to be alone with the chickens, but I think there's hope. I'm so lucky that my dogs don't give a hoot that I have chickens.
Just keep with it. Work with the dog every day for a few weeks, and I think you'll be rewarded. Good Luck!

 

[LindaN]

I have 2 neutered female dogs and am in the process of acclimating them to the chickens and vice versa. It's not easy, especially if you have a breed that traditionally hunts.

Both of my dogs are mutts adopted from the city shelter. The larger one that I *think* is a mix of german shepherd dog/lab/pit bull was the one I thought would be the biggest problem. She has a very well developed prey drive and has killed sparrows, garter snakes, and mice. She also lives to catch squirrels, and even regularly jumps into one of the trees to get at them. However, she caught on very quickly that the chickens were NOT to be messed with. I can have her on a very loose leash while the chickens are in the yard, and she doesn't bother them at all. (Now, the fact that she wants to roll in their droppings is another issue!)

The other dog is a fox terrier/beagle mix. She is usually our "best" dog because she is quick to obey commands. But she just can't seem to control herself around the chickens. She lunges at them, barks at them, tries to get her mouth on them, and sits watching them whining the entire time. I may as well be just trying to teach her basic obedience while she is around the chickens, as she completely ignores my commands. Treats? Not interested; she just wants the chickens. I can't trust her anywhere near the chickens now, and perhaps never.

Luckily, I can block off half the yard so the chickens stay one side and the dogs on the other. It's not ideal, but I plan to continue working with them and hopefully all will coexist fairly peacefully one day.

 

[Chickending]

Candy 37, a good thing to try is a shock/hunting training collar. I have one I used for training my dog, pit/boxer mix when he was young and had no trouble acclimating him to chickens but the next door neighbor's dog who is a yellow lab and more of a "bird" dog, I put my collar on her over the last few weeks, as I want her to be better with the chickens as she thinks our family belongs to her too. Quite a nice and adorable dog. So I put the collar on her and let her near the chickens. Anytime she exhibited aggression or interest in the chickens I would give her a light hit to avert her attention. Its been working great. Hunters use this tool for training hunting dogs all the time and for a high drive animal the jolt is the best thing to avert unwanted behaviors. Good training is the best course of action. Watching her closely and anytime she exhibits unwanted interest in the chicks you give her the signal whether voice or otherwise that this is not allowable behavior.

I have used this tool with my dog and he is great with the chickens. Ultimately never trust a dog completely as you never know what might trigger an attack. Always be aware of your dog when he/she is around chickens.

 

[candy37]

Chickending, you said you used the shock collar on your dog when it was younger. My dog is almost 9 yrs old and has a bad heart. (Vet says her heart is weak). She's never had a shock collar or anything other than a normal collar. I wonder if putting a shock collar on her now would have a damaging effect?

I didn't put the chicks out today, but I did move their pen. Mona, (the dog) was very interested in the pen. Everytime she came towards it while I was dragging it across the yard I'd give her a stern "no, go lay down", which she'd obey for a few minutes. Once I got the pen settled in a new spot, she wanted to go at it again. I sat outside for an hour repeating the "no, go lay down" before she finally gave up and stayed laying down. I watched through the window when I went into the house and she didn't go to the pen, but wondered off to her favorite area beside the barn. I'm wondering should I continue this way until she doesn't have any interest in the pen and then let the chicks into it for play time?

 

[GAhen]

I have a dog, Baily that has the run of my property...EXCEPT when my chickens are out free-ranging......then she is up in the barn or fence.
It doesn't hurt her to stay up for a few hours.....then when she gets out and the chickens are safely in their coop ....she loves to track the chickens all around the yard.

 

[GAhen]

Quote:
My Bailey ignores the chickens in the coop.......it is only when they are out that she shows an interest.......I would not trust her. I am sure she is a good girl, it is just her nature to chase critters and chickens are critters to her.

 

[Chickending]

I guess I would ask your vet if it would harm her heart problems. I used it for training my dog and for various other dogs I have had over the years. The neighbors dog is 7-8 yrs old and mine is 6 and I still will use it for training if some behavior starts to come out I do not like. I dont think the collar is restricted to any age group. You can train any dog at any age they are always trainable. The collar is used for strong willed cases, I have the pit/boxer and he can be very hard headed. I have used it to train hunting dogs of all ages. But what it really comes down to is establishing who is the boss. When I introduced my chicks to my dog I clearly established they were mine and after careful imprinting of that fact over the months, he is great with the chickens. To the point of surprise for me as he does have a serious prey drive and bunnies and squirrels, mice, and any other rodent on the property are fair game in his eyes. He will go and do chores with me. Lays in the chicken pen and they all gather around him and follow him all over. Its really facinating. He also protects them to the point of keeping the neighbor dog away from the fence and if she tries to chase them he growls and chases her away. He also consistently marks his territory around the run for what I think is the coyotes, which we have in abundance around our farm but I have never seen sign of them near our yard. I think he thinks he is part of the flock although now he is taking to eating their feed, why a dog likes chicken feed I do not know but I find him eating along with the chickens everyday, right next to each other like its no big deal.

Ask your vet if it could harm your dog. I have tested the jolt on myself before I ever used it on a dog. Its really not much more or different than touching an electric fence. I use the vibrate mode more often which just gives them a buzz and gets their attention. The major purpose of it is to get their attention and at the same time you give them to "off limits" cue. For me its a simple "uh-uh" and he knows when I say that word that he stops his behavior. It hasnt been easy to do and I have to be consistent with him. The key is picking a short phrase not a sentance to correct them. dogs live in the present, not past, you have about a 5 second window to correct a behavior or they have no idea what they are being punished for.

If I can be of any help let me know. I am well versed in dog training. Have successfully trained ALOT of dogs, by no means an expert.

Good luck though. Once they have killed a chicken, its hard to break them of it without some serious correction and consistency.

 

[chickflick]

Instead of shocking the poor ol dog that has a bad heart, wouldn't it be better maybe to get a squirt gun and shoot her with that every time she showed an interest in the chickens?? You can use any thing to distract her....a loud bell, a horn...any thing but an electrical shock! It wouldn't be bad if it was a young dog, but we're talking about an older dog here, that's got a weak heart. Mona is they're pet and deserves a break. There's seveal things you can do, just be persistant!!! Watch her closely when you have them out together. She has to be exposed in order to learn that they are not hers to play with... Keep her on a leash and work with her..... so many options. Pick something and stick to it. Sounds like she gets the message quickly, so don't think it'll be that hard to train her. Good Luck!!

 

[candy37]

Oh, I never thought about a water gun! She hates those. Anytime she sees one she runs for cover! She hates them but it won't actually do her any harm so it may be a perfect solution.

I called the vet and she said no to the shock collar. The vet says she has no idea how Mona is even still alive. Literally her heart could burst at any time. But she loves to run and play and is happy so we do what we can for her and let her live a happy life.

I agree that we need to pick something and just stick with it. I know it will just take time and consistancy for her to understand that the chicks are not to be eaten.

Thanks to everyone for all the help. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.