My puppy is my peeps new predator!

[Rothy_058]

Interesting... We have a pair of bantams, two pullets and a flock of about 20 quail which currently includes two Polish 'Chamois' bantam chicks with 'frizzle' gene...they are on a par with the 3-week old quail they hang out with in terms of size so get on great with them and have been accepted by the quail as part of the flock.

Then there's our 3 Chihuahuas... the oldest one, at 4 yrs takes an interest in them from the outside of the pen but as soon as she comes face to face with them she sniffs them and backs off if they peck at her nose. The other two have little interest in the birds at all and show no signs of any 'predatory' behaviour. The pullets are comparable in terns of size and mass with the chihuahuas and have chased them off on a few occasions!

 

[Shezadandy]

What a drag. I honestly can't stand how dogs are treated like royalty. Literally getting away with murder.
I come from a dog loving family. I love my dogs. My dad, who is crazy for dogs, had to kill many growing up, including one of our own. It weighed on him, but it was the only way to deal with them. They would not stop attacking our goats, sheep, meat rabbits, and chickens. It truly bothers me that folks think that a dog's life is worth more than another critter's.
I've personally lost more birds to neighbor dogs than all other predators put together. They rip through fencing, tear at pens, and kill my birds. I honestly don't care if it's not their fault. Predators are predators to me.
Best of luck to the OP. I sure hope you find a method that works for you, your dog, AND your chooks.

Amen to that. Shortly after the neighbor issue (happened more than once, more than twice, more than three times) I was talking to a friend and mentioned that in our county if a dog chases livestock (includes chickens) or kills them - the remedy available is the dog gets put down. She's a dog lover and was horrified - the same thing - so what if it killed chickens it's a DOOOOGGGGGG. (no, I didn't report the dog- mostly because after the confrontation at the 4th incident when my breaking point done broke, they finally made sure I never saw the dog again) I stopped just short of asking my friend how she'd feel about that DOOOOOOGGGG if it killed one of HER animals … Same thing with people when a dog kills a cat. I like dogs as much as the next person- grew up with them- but as the saying goes, your dog on your property is a pet. Your dog on my property is a predator.

 

[HarpyHaven]

I've got a ten month old Bordercollie Aussie mix and she used to be super bad about hurting my birds. I lost a turkey and a meat bird to her. Frankly, I was told to beat her with the dead bird and it worked. It was horrifying on both sides, but she left those birds alone. Next was working on my chicks and adults. I kept her on leash for about a week and yanked on the leash when she'd try lunging for a bird. I'd grab her muzzle to make her look me in the eye and tell her, "Not yours." That command seems to be pretty powerful because only a month later and she hasn't tried going after any of the birds except a flapping rooster this morning. A sharp command and she left him alone. I really hope you have the same luck with your puppy!

 

[Kikiriki]

Good luck on your move, but I hope the new yard is fenced...you don’t want your problem to become the neighbors problem, too.
First, I suggest you watch some video of how adult dogs train puppies to behave. They are much more aggressive with even young pups than humans are.
I currently have a new Kangal pup who is the most challenging dog I have ever owned. I had to get REALLY over the top to make her understand that I am the boss, and what I say is the law. I have introduced her to my new flock of chicks, but always on a leash. They are now pullets out of the brooder and I take her down to the barn on a leash. I make her sit down with me and just be calm in the middle of the chickens. If she shows any sign of predator behavior, like hard focused visual tracking, bunching muscles, springing, ears perked up, I correct it and make her relax.
It is more difficult to train oneself to react correctly than the dog. The timing is critical. The correction has to be immediate and appropriate for the particular dog. The reward for appropriate behavior has to be immediate, too. I do not like food based rewards, especially when one is working on a food related issue, such as predator behavior is food and hunting based.
My older Kangal differentiates between the “chick chicks” and predator “bad birds” because I taught him the names. I showed him the chickens were mine...my chick chicks by holding them. I let him sniff their butts as I held a chicken safely and also so it wouldn’t scare the chickens. If he made any move with his mouth, he was corrected. He is perfect with the chickens, even though he, like your dog, was at first wanting to chase and pounce.
This is not an overnight fix. It takes time and dedication and effort.
But if you don’t see any improvement in a month, I will recommend that you rehome the dog to someone who does not keep any livestock.

 

[Cluck-a-Doodle-Don't]

This reminds me of that video clip I keep seeing on social media of a little puppy pushing around and mouthing at little chicks and everyone thinks it's cute and adorable. I think it's abusive and should not be allowed. I'm sure you don't think it's cute since you reprimand him. In my opinion, at this point, there's no room to hem or haw. When you let the chickens out, you need to be out there with your dog leashed to your hand, being handled by you and under your full control. It needs to know that chickens are not play things, that they are your possessions and need to be respected and protected. He needs to feel what you feel around the chickens -- calm and love and fear of predation and urgency to protect, etc., so he can understand his role in the pack. He's not a child, he's a working dog and he needs to have his job and purpose outlined for him. There's room to love him and play with him, but you need to define his job from the get-go. You may not have intended for him to be a working dog but that's what he is. At the same time, he's part lab and a lab's job is to retrieve game, which foul is. But you need to raise the GS instinct to herd and protect. You have to be his pack leader because he's just a pup and can't be your leader. No offense intended.

 

[Maugwa]

I have a big Coon Hound. It's one thing to teach a dog who has been raised with rules and firm guidance than it is to teach one who has never been taught much at all. Scrappy, the Coon Hound has been learning the basics, come, sit, stay, heal, don't eat the shoe, etc. since he was tiny. He's been taught a lot of stuff for fun too, Bang, roll over, sit up, speak, shake, find a stick, etc. too. One thing he never learned, I failed to teach him -- good Coon Hounds are taught to tree just coons, but Scrappy doesn't discriminate, he trees coons, cats, squirrels, possums, he don't care, he's even been part of a pack and helped tree two Mountain Lions so far. He was about 5 years old before he ever saw a chicken. I brought a dozen chicks I had bought in and had them in a tote in my office. He came in to see what all the peeping was about, but I was ready. As soon as he saw them, he lunged for the tote, but got smacked in the nose with a rolled newspaper. Then he got cussed out and called names for a few mins with "the Voice". He wanted to slink off but I made him lay right there while I worked at my desk. The next day, after work, when I was in my office, Scrappy came in like he always does, but I couldn't even get him to look at chicks, they had become invisible. It took less than 5 mins to chicken train this dog, but he had had rules and who is the boss taught to him for years before that. Now those chicks are all grown up and follow him around, I've even seen them roost on him. They are not really invisible any more, if I toss the dog a treat, he catches most in the air, but if chickens are after the same treat, he lets them have it if it hits the ground, and looks to me for the next. I even saw a RIR rooster attack him at least a dozen times, and the dog, who could of whipped that rooster in a heartbeat, would just get out of the way. I always figured, if he killed that rooster some day, I'd not say much. But he never did, I finally put the rooster in the freezer myself.

 

[JAFig]

I also have a dog I do not trust with my chickens. Very exciting for her. I use TONS of positive reinforcement string overdue training, but add string negatives when in the back yard near the coops. A squirt bottle of water is my best aid. I do not let her stalk them or stare at them, even when in the coop. She gets one command to cease and desist, followed by one immediate squirt if she doesn't stop immediately. She's pretty good now when they are cooped and I don't accompany her into the back yard.

Free range hens=different story. I still orchestrate on leash sessions where I let the hens out of the coop, and my dog is on a loose long lead, squirt bottle hidden. I get her focused on me with "watch me" command, reinforced with a treat when she complies. Then I open the coop door and continue with "watch me+treats" when the hens exit past her. It takes a lot of self control, and a LOT of repetition, but she focuses on my more often than not, now.

Oddly, for a while I could let my bantams out and they could walk all around my dog, under her, even peck at her, all while she was off-leash and by my side. Only the big girls excited my dog. So much progress. Then one day something startled a bantam and my pup (18 months now) learned that bantams can fly, and she was set back several months. Don't know if I can EVER trust her like I did my other dogs, which were chick nurse-maids! But we keep trying! Good luck.

I also put chicks on her back when she's laying down and being fed treats by my husband.

 

[Chickengene]

My dog is so arrogant, I can trust him explicitly around the chickens.
Now that my younger birds are getting bigger and I have one hen raising a brood, it is the chickens I have to keep an eye on.
When he is going about minding his own business, but passes nearby, many times one of the birds want to test him.

 

[featherhead007]

My ultimate reply, dogs and cats are good pets, but chickens and ducks are so much more productive. And don't have issues like the domestic animals. What ever people!! I'm keeping chickens, and canards .

 

[LadyGunnar]

My mastiff killed my favorite hen. He was 4 months old and my son left the gate open. He was rolled on his back and I held another hen on him. He got yelled at if he looked at her. He quickly learned that they are not to messed with. He will wait outside the gate and sit now. He can be out with them and be fine.

We had to rehome out bulldog. She lost her mind as far as the chickens went. She killed 3 after digging under the gate. I am still not sure how she fit in that hole. We fixed the fence and she would walk around the coop growling at the chickens. She was not a good fit and either she or the chickens had to go. I found her a good home and she is happy there. Good luck.