April 28, 2011
My dog killed one of our chickens today. Is it likely that we will be able to teach him to respect the chickens again? What do you think we should do?
Full Question:
We have a lot of chickens that are allowed to roam freely on our acreage. We got a dog last fall, and he is now about 8 months old. He is neutered, 1/4 miniature pinscher 3/4 jack russel. We had the original batch of chickens before we had the dog, and he treats them with respect, especially because the rooster chases him.We have a newer batch of half grown chickens that are more skittish. Unfortunately, he killed one of the small chickens today. We scolded him sharply, but I'm not sure we made any impression on him because he is very determined. When we let him off the tether, he went right back to the area where the dead chicken had been. Incidentally, we have not kept the dog tethered, but my wife told the kids to tie him because she was mad.
Here's the question. Is it likely that we will be able to teach him to respect the chickens again? Do you suppose that when the new batch grows to full size he will leave them alone, now that he has learned that they taste good? My wife says we should keep him on a tether when we are not there to keep him in line, but I don't see any point in keeping a dog that we can't trust. I say either he learns not to kill the livestock or he goes.
What do you think we should do?
Robert
Cindy's Answer:
Dogs don't understand our rules, we need to teach them. I agree with your wife. When you can't supervise your dog he should be in a secure kennel or on a tether. This doesn't mean your dog will always need to be kenneled or tethered but you need to teach him the rules and then make sure he isn't "helping himself" to chicken when you aren't around to watch.
Dogs have prey drive, they chase and sometimes kill small animals. You have a terrier, and that is what they were designed to do. I know many people with terriers who can NEVER trust them unsupervised with any small animal, cat or bird. A lot of it will depend on the dog and how consistent you can be with the training.
We have free range poultry here, and my dogs learn at a very young age to ignore them by use of a leash, long line and eventually an electric collar. I am not so naive to think that if I was not outside with them and the guineas went scooting by they may not be tempted. My dogs (like yours) have a very strong prey instinct. You can teach the dog that chickens are a big NO, and that if he even looks at them he's going to get a correction. I hate to do that to dogs but sometimes it needs to be done for everyone's safety.
I'd recommend Basic Dog Obedience and Electric collar Training for the Pet Owner.
Here is a question & answer section on the electric collar.
I hope this helps.
Cindy
Dogs have prey drive, they chase and sometimes kill small animals. You have a terrier, and that is what they were designed to do. I know many people with terriers who can NEVER trust them unsupervised with any small animal, cat or bird. A lot of it will depend on the dog and how consistent you can be with the training.
We have free range poultry here, and my dogs learn at a very young age to ignore them by use of a leash, long line and eventually an electric collar. I am not so naive to think that if I was not outside with them and the guineas went scooting by they may not be tempted. My dogs (like yours) have a very strong prey instinct. You can teach the dog that chickens are a big NO, and that if he even looks at them he's going to get a correction. I hate to do that to dogs but sometimes it needs to be done for everyone's safety.
I'd recommend Basic Dog Obedience and Electric collar Training for the Pet Owner.
Here is a question & answer section on the electric collar.
I hope this helps.
Cindy
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