What do I do?

[ChickChickChicky]

I thought I had my very VERY prey-driven mutt desensitized to the chickens. Every day I would hold a chicken in my lap with him next to me, instructing him to "be nice", petting both of them, praising him up for being calm around them. I was really proud of my dog training abilities when he would stand calmly next to me whilst I sat down holding a chicken. In fact, he would even gently lick their feathers and legs. MAN was I proud of myself.... until he licked a leg, licked a wing, then VERY calmly and delliberately turned his head sideways, jaws agape and headed straight for the chicken's neck.... BAD dog!!!!! Nope, I'm quite sure I'll never completely trust him around chickens.

 

[Wisher1000]

That dog was trained to "be nice" while it ate the chicken! LOL! Gotta love dogs for their willingness to try to please, even if they don't fully understand!

 

[emptynesterMom]

My 6yr old doberman was always way too interested in my chickens and I would never trust her around them. Last spring I decided to expand my flock to include turkeys. My dog always went with my to feed, water, clean brooders, or just hang out with the birds. Well, I guess the turkeys sort of imprinted on her as well as me. When they were fully feathered and the weather was warm, I turned them out to free range with the chickens. One day after turning the birds out, the dog ran past me towards the house. The flock of turkeys took off after her, flying, running, beeping, and gobbling. She turned around to look back at me and saw what was coming after her -

- She took off like a bat out of .... . I thought I was gonna hurt myself laughing. She hasn't chased a bird since. I didn't plan it but it sure did the trick.

 

[bobbi-j]

Quote:

 

[RedDrgn]

I'm sorry.

Good time for some family learning, though and here are a few key points:

1. Unless the dog is used to chickens, never mix it with chickens. ALWAYS make sure the chickens are secured before the dog is set loose, and visa versa. Chickens are like the world's greatest plaything for a dog that wasn't raised/trained to be around them. A lot of the time, when a dog kills a chicken, it wasn't doing it for food. It was doing it because it thought the feathered flapping thing was a riot to chase and grab. It's just how dogs tend to be wired, and chickens do pitch a heck of a fit when harassed. You may be able to train your spouse's dog to not harm chickens, but depending on breed/age, you very well may not.

2. In order to prevent an accidental recurrence, consider constructing a secure run that you can let the chickens roam in and that will keep the dog (and other predators) out.

 

[magnolia-1971]

It is close to imposible to stop an animal from following their instincts.

Sorry to hear this happened. Is your daughter ok? That must have been really hard on her. I'm sure I'd have nightmeres for a long time after finding that. I bet the boy feels bad also. We have a lab, but he is a little unusual. He got a little peck in the face once and now he runs from the chickens.

90 pound lab running from the chickens. They would chase him also. It was really funny

 

[Kickin' Chickin']

Just thought I would throw my two cents in : I have a very prey driven lab/pit mix.Loves killing,not eating just killing, small animals such as mice,rabbits,moles,squirrels,cats etc. I would hold her on a leash and let the chicken run around her all the while telling her no very sharply and baring my teeth at her to let her know that as pack leader that chicken is mine and not hers.Only after the second year of doing this am I able to trust her with them(she was 4 when I started keeping chickens). She enjoys running through them to make them scatter and keeps a close eye on them when they're all outside but can't have bones outside because curious chicken = bald chicken. Now bear in mind it took a long time and if I told her to "get" the chicken she still would.

 

[Cowgirl75446]

Once the dog does it, it is almost impossible to break them from it, especially if it is an adult dog.

 

[citychickx6]

I confess I did not read every post.
I too have dogs and chickens.
Mine would kill them in a heartbeat if given half a chance.
Our solution was to keep the hens in a SECURE run and the dogs in another SECURE run. I even had to put a hot wire on the dog run to keep them in. Now the hot is not on but the wire makes them think it is.
My dogs are about 100 pounds each so no way could I stop them if I had to.

I vote secure runs for all.

 

[chickenhead1]

Quote:
X3 for sure. To the dog, its a game of chase and catch. the chickens and dog can co-exist, but the dog needs to be trained for it to succeed