My Puppy Killed a Chicken...

Dogs are preditors, chickens are prey-nature at work. The best solution by far is to keep them seperated. Fences are good for this.

it works because a dog will think ok if i kill a hen.ill have to wear the stinking thing around my neck till my master takes it off.

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Not everyone will get that but I do and I appreciate your humor.


bbRedMom: There are so many variables that will determine if a dog is going to kill chickens. Breed, age, conditions it was raised, training and instinct. I would work with the dog awhile and see if you can carefully and slowly introduce the dog to chickens. I repeat, carefully and remember you may be taking a risk.

You dog may become used to them and totally ignore them and then again may never accept the fact that they can't "eat" them.

Good luck with it but I wouldn't give up yet.

Jacie

Kstaven is right, thats how you will be able to teach your dogs how not to chase and kill. I have a 5 month old Bullmastiff X Pitty, not a great mix, but I caught her mauling a call duck one day, after repeatly scolding her and shaking her (by the scruff) for chasing them. I lost it on her, I admit, and grabbed her by the throat and was choking her. I held her down until she stopped freaking out, I was choking her, she wasn't able to breath. We had been having problems with her from the day we got her, she wouldn't submit to anyone and figured she was boss. Well after that incident, we have had no problems at all. She wouldn't think of chasing a chicken. When they are eating her food she will run to the end of her chain as far as she can away from them and bark from there. She learned that I was boss and the chickens and ducks are off limits.

You can look up pack theory stuff on the internet, and being you have more then one dog it would be a good idea for you to look into it. I know I was too hard on my dog, I don't need people telling me that, but it finally worked in her case. I just can't have animals that are killing my others. You need to become boss and they will all listen to you and learn what you will and will not allow them to do. Good luck.

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No, you did right by your dog, you showed your dog who IS BOSS, like you said, she is a better dog because of it.

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Ok I know they say not to beat a dog with the birds that they killed but my two puppies did the same thing so we took the birds and did just that. They have not touched them since and it has been a couple of years so I have to agree with kim on that. I even have left them alone with the chickens free ranging and they do not bother them. However there are other ways and it may not work the same for your puppy

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Ok I know they say not to beat a dog with the birds that they killed but my two puppies did the same thing so we took the birds and did just that. They have not touched them since and it has been a couple of years so I have to agree with kim on that. I even have left them alone with the chickens free ranging and they do not bother them. However there are other ways and it may not work the same for your puppy

I leave mine outside with my freerangers all the time. I can honestly say I trust my dogs with them, not saying I wouldn't be completely shocked if I go out and find they've made 'sport' of one, but I can pretty much trust them. Most of the time two of the dogs(one is an ex-chickenplucker) follow the chickens around calmly, like they too are part of the flock..LOL.. It's so cute..

If you choose to try the spanking method, just make sure it is with something flexible. My tool of choice, is a soft leather belt. You don't want to cause the dog harm(harm=damage) and you don't want to hurt yourself(spanking with hands). Spanking with the dead bird is good because your not going to harm your dog with a fragile poultry body(unless it's a freak accident) and your using the bird as the negative factor. Do not use something hard, extremely painful, or something you are going to commonly have(beating with a newspaper or flyswatter), you don't want your dog to think it's in trouble when your wanting to read this month's Backyard Chicken.

-Kim

Personally, I whacked my dog with the dead chicken, but she had an egg inside and it broke all over the dog (scared me, I wondered what I did to him!). When I went towards the hose to clean him up, he dug in his feet when I got close. Went and looked in the weeds, sure enough, another dead bird. He has never killed another chicken, that was about 10 years ago. That being said, we had this discussion on another forum, and this is the advice of a guy who trains dogs:

When it comes to your dog, you can teach him anything as long as you are truly regarded by him as the pack leader, and this would include to not, or to quit, killing chickens.

Contain a chicken so that it can be approached closely with the dog. Take the dog gently and quietly toward the chicken. Curiosity is acceptable, but *any* aggressive move is not.

Absolutely on the very first aggressive move toward the chicken, quickly grab the dog and flip him on his back. Hold him there if he struggles at all. Be aggressive about it yourself if you have to; hold him by the neck and *insist* that he lay still. He is still near the chicken, hopefully can still see it. When he calms, he has submitted to you. A dog on his back is submissive, always.

Now, with a relaxed dog, let him up, and permit him once again to consider the chicken. Talk to him, coo him, let him know as long as he behaves, this is an okay thing. But again, on *any* agressive move, flip him on his back again with a scolding voice. Do this as many times as it takes to get him calm and relaxed and in a totally different frame of mind with the chicken.

Move him away from the chicken, and go play somewhere else. In a little while return him to the chicken, and see if he doesn''t have a totally different perspective with it.

If the dog has killed chickens before, this procedure should be done many times until you feel comfortable that he is relaxed upon approach to a chicken.

Flipping a dog on his back is a key element to any training where one has to assert dominance and convince the dog that you are the dominant one. Not *all* training issues have to do with being on his back, of course. But this is the *very first* thing any dog should learn: you can put him on his back any time you wish, and he must permit it. This includes in your arms. Train him to this first. Get him relaxed being up in the air upside down in your arms. INSIST that he stay there calmly until YOU say he can right himself again. If you do this, it will *amaze* you how easily it is to train the dog to anything you want him to do.

Not to mention, your vet will thank you over and over when you have to take him in for care!

My wife would like to know how to get our Great Dane on her back!! (in her arms especially!)LOL

They can be rolled on the floor. No different than flipping a calf, or a heifer. Dog trainer up here that weighs 90 lbs. soaking wet that I have watched do it.

But it is a funny sight.