Well, this thing was SUPPOSED to be protecting the chickens.. not the other way around :/

[chloezoebob101]

We bought a puppy, she is supposed to be protecting our chickens and goats.. but no, he has eaten 4 chicks so far, and nearly killed my dear Fluffy

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

I am so so sorry Chloe! A way to train your dog not to bother your chooks is to get a squirt gun and spray them with it when they start goofing off with the chickens.

 

[chloezoebob101]

I am so so sorry Chloe! A way to train your dog not to bother your chooks is to get a squirt gun and spray them with it when they start goofing off with the chickens.

I should try that!

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

I do it with my dog, she then runs off and eats what the chickens leave...

 

[bobbi-j]

Or, you could actually TRAIN your dog to leave the chickens alone by spending lots and lots of time with it, putting it on a leash, exposing it to the chickens and correcting the behavior immdiately, continuing to do so until the dog understands that the chickens are not something to play with. This, of course, is a paraphrase of how to do it, but there are many, many threads on BYC and other resources on the internet on how to do this effectively. By squirting it with a hose or squirtgun, you're teaching the dog to not get caught, instead of not mess with the chickens. Puppies and even adult dogs don't just automatically know to leave those running, flapping, squawking squeaky toys alone. They need consistent, dedicated training.

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

I also agree with Bobby-j, my dog run is right next to the chicken yard. I handle the chickens in front of the dogs to show them that they aren't to play with and they aren't a threat. I just use a former sheep-dog. Older dogs are more mellow (but not ancient 14-16 year old dogs are good for the job)

 

[chloezoebob101]

Or, you could actually TRAIN your dog to leave the chickens alone by spending lots and lots of time with it, putting it on a leash, exposing it to the chickens and correcting the behavior immdiately, continuing to do so until the dog understands that the chickens are not something to play with. This, of course, is a paraphrase of how to do it, but there are many, many threads on BYC and other resources on the internet on how to do this effectively. By squirting it with a hose or squirtgun, you're teaching the dog to not get caught, instead of not mess with the chickens. Puppies and even adult dogs don't just automatically know to leave those running, flapping, squawking squeaky toys alone. They need consistent, dedicated training.

We go out with it, and we play with the chickens, putting it in our hands (much to the chicks despair), the dog sees we like it, every time she shows interest in a chicken, we yell at her.. We put the chicks right up to her nose, and stuff like that.

 

[bobbi-j]

That's a start, but please do some research on dog training. Yelling at a dog is kind of like over-yelling at kids. Eventually, they become deaf to it. Holding the chicks up to the dog and praising her when she doesn't react in a threatening way is what I did with my dog, but like I said, he was 7 weeks old. The longer you wait to start training, the harder it is. Keep working with her, and until you feel you can trust her, keep them separated.

 

[chloezoebob101]

That's a start, but please do some research on dog training. Yelling at a dog is kind of like over-yelling at kids. Eventually, they become deaf to it. Holding the chicks up to the dog and praising her when she doesn't react in a threatening way is what I did with my dog, but like I said, he was 7 weeks old. The longer you wait to start training, the harder it is. Keep working with her, and until you feel you can trust her, keep them separated.

We researched, and researched, and researched. We have piles of books and I bet i have read each one twice. We are doing what they say

 

[Aumlet]

Not all dogs can be convinced to leave chickens alone. Some have a high pray drive; others are young and playful and don't understand that chickens are delicate playmates. Solution - don't let these dogs interact with chickens without close supervision.

When I was a kid, my babysitter had a young dog and a young rooster. The dog loved the rooster, didn't mean to harm it, but nonetheless killed it while trying to play.

I have 2 dogs. One can be trusted around my chickens, the other - NO WAY. He's a high prey drive hunting dog and there is no amount of training that will remove his instincts.