ZIP TIES! What kind do you use?

[Folly's place]

Very self-right dogs like yours are difficult to manage; if he thinks the birds are yummy chew toys, just plan to keep good fencing between them. Return to obedience training, and maybe a shock collar will help, although it must be used very carefully. The ABs I've met were tough individuals who would have loved those chickens!
Mary

 

[Seaecho]

You aren't kidding about ABs being tough! This is the toughest dog I've ever known, let alone owned, even with all my years of experience with aggressive dogs. I know what he's capable of, and it's daunting to even think about. He's been thoroughly obedience trained, with occasional refresher courses (I also used to teach obedience classes) but when he's after something, NOTHING will stop him. I hit him repeatedly as hard as I could with a length of hose with a wooden dowel inside it, and everything else painful I could think of when he was latched onto the other dog, and it didn't even faze him. He had welts all over his body, including the bridge of his nose afterward. He started this behavior at only 8 months of age! I immediately got him neutered--no difference in behavior. He could be literally DEAD and still hanging on! So I do have good reason to fear for my chickens.

 

[Folly's place]

Pain makes attack dogs attack harder! They seem to 'blame' the other guy, and intensify their forward momentum. As you found out! Fortunately he didn't decide to take you out too...
Good fencing, especially electric, with a good strong charger.
Mary

 

[Hokum Coco]

zip ties!

I just replace mine as needed. They last two to three seasons here in Canada, They never break all at once and cause any havoc. With practice you will find them simple to install and they should provide you with little to no heartache if you check your structure vigilantly.

 

[aart]

I just replace mine as needed. They last two to three seasons here in Canada, They never break all at once and cause any havoc. With practice you will find them simple to install and they should provide you with little to no heartache if you check your structure vigilantly.

Agrees, they hold up pretty good.
J-clips, I don't care for, too hard to get back off if when necessary.
Same goes for hog rings.
If using either of those, make sure to get the good pliers, much more effective.

 

[tigger19687]

You better make sure it is STAKED into the Ground Very well.
And keep the chickens away from the dog, FAR AWAY. Out if sight of the dog.
If this dog is that aggressive it is not going to change and dangling chickens in front if it is bad.

I must have missed a different thread about this dog, but if you did your homework on this breed, then why are you taking in an Aggressive older dog when you have prey running around to tempt him?
Sorry that sounds harsh, I worked for Vets and Animal Shelters for years. I have taken in more animals then I care to admit to but I would never bring an aggressive animal to a place with other animals. BTW, neutering does not cure a dog aggressive dog.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Have you seen the hog rings and pliers? They work great on cattle panels for hoop coops!

 

[Seaecho]

Tigger, if you read all of my posts, you would know that I worked as a vet tech for 12 years. I have also fostered a LOT of animals I brought home from work. I've even volunteered for a horse rescue for a couple of years. I'm well aware that castrating will not eradicate aggressiveness in all cases--but in many cases, it DOES. So I was doing everything I could to at least try to reduce his aggressiveness.

I did plenty of homework on this breed, but even though I've dealt with many very aggressive dogs over the years, this one, as I said, is by far the worst I've ever seen.

Taking in an older aggressive dog? No. I've had this dog since he was 8 weeks old, spent thousands of dollars to save him when he had Parvo, and never had chickens before. I've wanted chickens for at least twenty years now, but never got any because I've always had dogs. This is why I'm seeking help on this forum. I want to keep them safe from the dog when I do get them! I have no way to keep the dog out of sight of the chickens. We live on 2 1/3 acres, fully fenced. The dog runs free within the fence, and keeps undesirables away effectively. He's completely changed. I don't know what happened, but he hasn't attacked anything in years. But like I said, because of what has happened in the past, I want to be sure the chickens will be secure.

And yes, we are planning on staking the heck out of the run, making it go through the hardware cloth and using a hardware cloth skirt all the way around.

I've heard about hog rings, Capricorn. The guy who wanted to charge us $1000-1400 to build a run mentioned them. We couldn't afford that, and on top of that, we are getting up in age and have no building skills, which is why I keep asking so many questions on this forum.

 

[Folly's place]

Were you going to depend on only hardware cloth? I added 2"x4" woven wire to the lower 4' of my run, just for those big dogs that might turn up. Mary

 

[aart]

Hot wire might be a very good thing to have around your birds.
Have you tried a hot collar on this dog?
I suppose if beating him with wooden dowel doesn't work,
electric shock might not either.