Training A Chicken Killing Dog

[baymule]

@milkmansdaughter asked what I did to retrain my Great Pyrenees to stop killing chickens. It was not an over night thing. It took two years. Paris was free. She was left alone on 3 acres all day with free range chickens while her owners were away at work. They came home to dead, slobbered, chickens. I don't know what they did to her, but they must have punished her terribly. When she thought I wasn't looking, she charged the coop, snarling at the chickens. Whatever her former owners did to her, she blamed the chickens. She hated them.

This is her thread on BYH.

https://www.backyardherds.com/threa...heep-goats-or-chase-bears-hawk-post-26.23771/

Paris patrolled her yard, we lived in town on a city lot at that time. She kept all the boogers away, such as falling acorns, people who dared to walk down the street, people across the street at the tire store, the neighbors who walked around in their own yard, falling acorns, neighborhood dogs, cats, did I mention falling acorns?

By the location of the chicken coop, the chickens were protected because they were in HER yard. Even though we lived in town, there were possums and raccoons and Paris made sure they stayed away. Gradually she stopped charging the coop. She slowly became more accepting of the hens. I tried several times to take her in the coop with me, but she was scared and wanted out.

I got some chicks and when they were old enough to go outside, I put them in the run with a shelter. I would sit in the doorway watching the chicks. Paris came to me for attention and I praised her. Over the weeks, she learned that chick crumbles were delicious. I let her eat all she wanted-she utterly ignored the chicks. Slowly she learned that the chicks were MINE and that she should not hurt them. Every day she and I sat in the run with the chicks while she ate the feed. I had a crippled rooster in the batch that was easy to catch. So, making him the sacrificial chicken, I let him loose in the yard for a short time while I was in the yard with Paris. She sniffed him all over but did not hurt him. I praised her, petted her and let her know I was pleased.

It took so long to teach her not to hate the chickens because she was so screwed up when I got her. I never hit her. I spoke kindly to her, lots of baby talk, lots of love and attention. When she did wrong, I scolded and it pierced her like an arrow. It took time to get to that point. It took time for her to trust us, it took time for her to love us and it took time for a disapproving tone of voice to crush her.

I let the crippled rooster out during the day when I could be outside with her. Then I let him out and went inside, but watched through the window. I left him out for longer and longer periods of time. Finally the day came when my husband and I sat outside and let the hens out of the coop. Paris and our other dog Parker, ran and played all over the yard and never even tried to chase the chickens. Victory!

For a long time, I only let the chickens out when we were home, but finally left the house, leaving them out. Paris took care of them. Paris became a fine chicken guard.

She had killed chickens because she was left unsupervised with the ultimate squeaky toys running around. She was raised wrong, she was punished wrong, she was taught wrong. These dogs may start out perfect as puppies, but many hit 9-12 months, their "teenager" part of their life and just like their human counterpart, they get an attack of stupid. They need correction, guidance, supervised time and teaching. They do not need a beating. They sure don't need a dead chicken tied around their neck.

We moved 3 years ago to 8 acres and we got sheep. Paris had never seen sheep and only wanted to attack them. We started all over..... LOL

This is a thread for anyone who has or had a chicken killing dog to talk about how to retrain or tell us what they did to retrain their dog.

 

[milkmansdaughter]

This is Max. We got Max free this last week because he kept chasing, playing with, and killing the last owners' chickens. Max is an 80? pound, 7 month old, GP/Lab mix.

We got Max last Saturday, and as soon as we got him home, we took him for a walk around the perimeter of our property. I took him on a leash to the chickens and told him they were MY CHICKENS. The next morning, I took him with me on a short leash to the coop when I let the chickens out for the day. I corrected him each time he started toward a chicken. I took a chicken and made Max sit. I put the chicken on Max's neck. He dropped to the ground and rolled on his back, and I put the chicken right in his chest. I kept telling him MY CHICKEN, MAX! I let the chicken go, and Max wouldn't go near her. I've let the chickens free range all week, and Max has been off the leash almost all week, and has not touched or chased even one chicken. I've seen him go through the flock, looking for a way through that won't disturb them. I've seen him go around. I've seen him follow them (usually eating their poop), but he has not tried to get any of them. I'm so proud of him!
I've worked on sit all week, and he's been good. If we're outside, he does great off the leash. We've got a lot of work to do with him barking when he's on a tie out line, especially out of our sight, but almost no barking or trouble when he is off the leash, and we are around. On the tie out with us not in sight is a different matter. that's when he gets in the most trouble. He's still really young, and quite goofy, so I'm really excited about how quickly he's learning.
He ignores fire trucks, and other neighbors dogs, but loves to chase squirrels and the cat.

 

[baymule]

Our property is fully fenced with a 16' gate at the front-offset truck and trailer length. There are too many strays, coyotes and wandering other people's dogs. Our next neighbor on the corner has a French bulldog that he adores and he lets Pepe out when he gets home. Pepe makes a beeline for our place. Were the gate to be open, Pepe would be here, chasing chickens, sheep and getting mauled by our dogs. As it is, Pepe and Trip play, each on their respective sides of the fence. They both run like mad up and down the fence barking and having a doggie good time. Trip looks forward to it every day and I've even seen him up at the front waiting on neighbor to get home so Pepe can come out to play.

Several days ago, a neighbor a couple of miles away called, telling how he came home to his 2 dogs covered in blood. He searched and found a dog laying in his shop, unable to get up. He described the dog to us and we knew whose dog it was. Upshot of it, Neighbor #1 had a buried electric fence. His dogs stay in it, but any other dog or any other animal can walk over it onto the property. Neighbor #2 rushed over, his dog was so weak from blood loss that he could barely give his tail a few wags when he saw his Daddy. We loaded the dog in his truck and off to the vet he went. His dog is old, was chewed up badly and last we heard he was still at the vet on IV, and just starting to eat and drink. Neighbor had been driving around looking for his dog and was relieved to find him, even if he was chewed up.

Some people have the buried electric fence, personally, I want a strong wire fence that will keep even the chickens on their side of the fence. Our fence is 2"x4"x48" woven wire. We fenced the whole 8 acres in it and cross fences too. While you might not want to fence the whole property, you might fence everything but the driveway and front yard. Give Max the rest. Our Trip jumps the fence. He only jumped OUT one time and that was to go play with Pepe. We had a Come-To-Jesus meeting every day for several weeks where we walked the property line fence with me shaking the fence between every T-post and scolding Trip. He hung his head, squinted his eyes and grinned. It was funny, but Trip didn't think so. LOL

That is excellent training that you are doing with Max. He is a young dog, it will take time. He will be a puppy until he is past 2 years old, then he will settle down quite a bit. He sounds brilliant smart and needs to stay busy. It is good that he has toys to play with.

 

[Chic Rustler]

my pitbull used to kill the crap out of chickens. I spanked her and told her no. Now our only problem is she likes to steal their food when they free range. Pit bulls (in my experience) are usually more in tune with their owners if you talk to them like a person.


My great Pyrenees never showed any aggression toward them. He's just a good dog....but he doesn't listen for crap.

 

[milkmansdaughter]

Thanks, @Beekissed! He is pretty, isn't he? And so much growing yet to do! And I absolutely see God's hand in us getting this dog. I've been looking for a good teachable dog ever since Solo died last summer.

Max is good on sit. NOT good on coming when called. And yet, when we are out working, he is almost always close. I'll look around and say, "where is the dog?" and he'll show up within a minute or so. Hes never far away.

I have to admit though that I get going on a project and I forget he's there. I forget to praise him when he does show up right away.
I don't trust him to stay in our own yard yet when we are not outside, as he's already checked out the neighbors yards on both sides. So he gets tied up then on a long cable, and that's when he gets in trouble. If I have him close enough for him to come up on the deck, he gets into stuff, barks, chews something up, or gets up on the furniture. If he's further away, he gets into stuff, barks, chews something up, or digs... He's got a cow's dried ear, a rawhide bone, an old rope toy, a big hambone, and an old rib bone to chew on, and he'll find something else every time. I really honestly do not want our entire property fenced in.
Has anyone here had luck with invisible fences?

 

[NH Homesteader]

My uncle had a dog that figured out you just have to take the hit and then you're free. Think it depends on the dog. My problem with it is it doesn't keep other things out.

 

[tortoise]

My dog would LOVE a dead chicken tied around his neck. especially on his left side, he really like to roll his left side on dead rotting things is that really something people do to try to punish a dog? sounds like a reward to me!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

is that really something people do to try to punish a dog? sounds like a reward to me!

Right!

This is a thread for anyone who has or had a chicken killing dog to talk about how to retrain or tell us what they did to retrain their dog.

Ya done good, Bay!

I've had GP's go through that stage. Even my best LGD ever - Maddie - demolished a chicken or two in her youth. Cowboy used to like to pick them up and carry them around by a wing - maybe that was his misguided way of 'protecting' them. He never hurt one and when I'd yell at him to drop it he'd look at me like "whaaaaaat?"

IF you've owned the dog from puppyhood and have the time to spend with it around chickens it will likely only be a nuisance behavior for a few months. It's well worth spending that time with them to have a dog you can trust for the rest of its life.

Rehabilitating a confirmed chicken killer is another story. Refer to Bay's posting!

 

[milkmansdaughter]

Thanks @baymule!

 

[Beekissed]

I love the beauty of this dog's coloring!!! I also love his body and head style...he's just a gorgeous dog, MMD.

I also love hearing how well he's doing so far...those are good responses to what you've tried with the chicken. The correct responses, IME.

How's he doing with coming to you now?

I will be watching this thread with much interest and anticipation as to how Max turns out for you and I'm so hoping and praying for a wonderful outcome. Free, beautiful, good breed mix to work with, intelligent, sweet and you need him...I think God has a hand in Max's coming into your life, so I expect good things there.