# Dog ate a chicken -- any hope for rehabilitation?



## PorkChopsMmm (Aug 16, 2010)

Some of you may remember me asking about our dog -- a female almost 2 yr old GSD/Husky mix. Good dog -- good with kids, good watch dog, only barks when something is amiss, stays around our house on our acreage, etc. We like that she keeps small critters away, eats field mice, voles, kills possums, etc. but her prey drive also applies to our chickens. That's the problem.

When we got the baby chicks, and kept them in the house, we would bring her in to see the chicks, smell them, etc. I would put one on the ground and watch her. If she got too interested or even looked at them then a stern "NO" would usually stop her. Once when she was inside a second chick hopped out of the box and she jumped on it and tried to eat it. I was able to grab it before it was too late and reprimanded her. We did this frequently.

Fast forward now and the chickens are outside in a coop with a run (it's on wheels, so I guess it is a tractor), and "free ranged" with portable netting surrounding the chicken tractor to forage in a limited area during the day. She has shown interest in them, such as staring at them through the mesh. When we see this we tell her "No", my etc. She instantly turns away and goes to a different area of the yard, not even looking at them. I work full-time and my wife homeschools the kids so we/she can't monitor the dog stalking the coop at all times. Due to how large our yard is we use a shock collar to reprimand from afar if we see her doing something wrong.

So... a) we introduced them to her when they were young, b) when we moved them outside during the day when they got bigger we watched her closely and reprimanded her often (we put them outside only during the day in the dog crate for a few weeks, so lots of time seeing them outside with us), and c) whenever we catch her too interested in the chicks she either gets a reprimand and/or a shock.

Well, I come home today and only find 5 chickens our of the six we had. Looks like the chicken was grabbed because it flew near the top of the portable netting and the dog was waiting for her. Feathers are in her hang out spot and out in the trees that border the yard where she also relaxes. I can't find the carcass or I would have tied it around her neck.

My questions are...
- What are your suggestions for correcting this?
- Do you think she can be trained not to go after the chickens? 

We really wanted the chickens to eat the grasses, weeds, bugs, etc. that are near our living spaces, but in a controlled way with the temporary netting (the dog has never jumped the netting) without making a non-movable hardened chicken run. It seems self defeating to get chickens in our situation and keep them locked in a coop and only giving them feed vs. free ranging them with all the natural food around.

Thanks in advance!


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## froebeli (Feb 14, 2012)

Could it have been a hawk?


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## Kasidy (Oct 20, 2002)

Your post brought back a lot of memories. Thirty years ago we got one of the best ranch dogs we ever had because my friend could not break her of killing chickens! She was an experienced dog owner and tried everything you mentioned over a 2 year period, but after losing too many hens she begged us to take the dog. We had goats, sheep, cattle, horses, cats and young kids----but no chickens. The dog was great with everything. She was a GSD/Chow cross and except for the chicken business she behaved like a perfect GSD. We, of course, blamed the chicken killing on the Chow genes!! I hope you find something that works, but cannot offer much hope from my friend's experience. Maybe you will have to find your dog a chickenless home!


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## Rock (Jan 5, 2009)

If you did not catch the dog with the chicken, how you gonna blame them?
Bill Koehler has a method of wiring the chicken with a fence charger standing on cardboard to insulate it from the ground. When the dog grabs it, they gets zapped right through the mouth because the dogs feet are on the ground, lesson learned schools out!


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## PorkChopsMmm (Aug 16, 2010)

I am fairly certain the dog did it -- the feathers were found in area where she rests. A hawk is a possibility but I don't think it would bring the chicken underneath some ferns near the house -- which is where the dog lays down. 

I moved the coop last night and the portable fencing around it. I am working from home today and keeping an eye on the dog -- I found her laying out by the chickens, head up and staring at them from a few feet away behind the fence. I gave her a shock and a firm "No"... something we have done many times before. She quickly runs away and does not bother them.

Short of putting her on a lead all day I don't know what to do.


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## JasoninMN (Feb 24, 2006)

I would tell the dog no first then if it doesn't obey the command reinforce it with the shock. When you shock the dog first its already forgot about the chickens before you say no. In its mind its basically been ambushed and its probably not going to make the connection as to why it got shocked. Randomly shocking a dog only increases anxiety and stress.


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## HayBabies (Feb 27, 2013)

Sometimes Dogs and Birds don't mix. Might have to choose one or the other.


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## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

JMHO, but she's part Husky and they're known as high prey dogs. It's not fair to her to "torture" her by leaving the chickens where she has access. I'd reccommend making sure the chicken run is absolutely dog proof. Maybe even use a portable electric fence to keep the dog away from where the coop/tractor is in the yard. Trying to change your dog's instincts will only frustrate you and the dog.


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

We used to have what we call "chicken time"...usually in the late afternoon. The dogs would be put in the house (or garage) and the chickens let out to free range. At dusk they would head to the chicken pen/coop to roost for the night. 

I think something like this would work much better than trying to break the dog from doing what comes natural to it.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Sounds like a typical husky. This is a problem with a mixed breed dog. The mix may make a perfectly fine pet, but for a specific job- not so much. One breed to bond and guard the flock, the other breed to kill them. The husky won out on that one. And they are independent thinkers, not as interested in pleasing you as many other breeds. I would rehome him to a family that does not have small livestock, but perhaps has a problem with voles or mice.


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## PorkChopsMmm (Aug 16, 2010)

_test -- I have written a post twice and I keep getting an error saying my post is too short.

_OK, I've written this twice and lost the post twice with an error about it being too short (?) so I'll try again. 

Thanks for all of the advice. Lots to think about.

She almost redeemed herself this weekend by eating mice we found running around a shed. But, we woke up this morning and she was carrying a chicken in her mouth, another dead on the ground, and just the head of another. The one in her mouth survived but so far we know 2 are dead and 2 are missing. Our kids forgot to close up the chicken coop -- our fault because it is our job to check that they did their chores. The dog broke one of the portable fence posts in half and must have grabbed them from the open run. The dog is on a lead now with the dead chicken tied around her neck (read that on here... not sure if it will have an affect).

I guess our options are to always secure the dog before letting the chickens out or re-homing the dog. Putting the dog on a lead would work but I wonder if a) it wouldn't be good for her to be on a lead for so long during the day and b) we would like her to be out with the kids while they are playing/exploring. Being on a lead won't allow that. I guess the kids could hook her up on her lead or take her off whenever they want to play but that may be putting too much responsibility into little kids.


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

@kasidy; I have owned chows my whole life and found them to be waaay too lazy to actually stalk, chase and kill something, lol. My CJ caught a baby possum once, but pretty sure it was already dead when he got it. Cricket has every good intention of chasing the cat but is instantly distracted by her litterbox, food...lol!  Now CJ also got loose in the cow pasture several times and managed to herd about 30 head of cattle, by himself, back and forth across the pasture several times before I got him. He tried that another time and a mini donkey they kept with the cattle got angry and sat on him, lol. I did some research and was amazed to find that herding was part of the chow's eclectic background!

I recall Duke and the lovebird. Now you all know Duke was simply the best GSD ever to have set paw on this earth. Noble, loyal, calm, never bit or snapped at any critter we had here though he did love a rousing game of "chase the cat down the hallway" as much as the next dog. The lovebird would land on his head, and Duke would stare at me with those deep liquid eyes and just sigh. Every now and then, though, the bird would be flying around and go from the back of a chair, for instance, to the dining room gate. She would fly right over where Duke was lying, and nearly every time he would nip/grab at her, trying to snatch her out of the air. He was never able to grab her, though, and afterwards he would look at me with this horrifed ashamed look on his face (yes, you all know the look I am talking about). EVERY TIME she flew past his nose. Yet she would be able to perch any where near him, on him, around him and he never bothered her. For Duke, it was the flash/motion that triggered his instinct beyond what he understood to be correct behavior. It was instinct; had he actually caught her I could not have been angry with him, it was more than he could fight. Training a dog such as a GSD to NOT chase is, as I am finding, a very difficult chore in some cases as chasing is in his genes. In his little pea brain, chasing and killing a mouse is not too much different than chasing and killing a chicken, a stray cat, etc. 

So the question would be...can you try something like a shock collar? If he so much as LOOKS at a chicken the wrong way, hide behind a tree and ZAP. Maybe an electric barrier of some kind that if he chases a chicken beyond that, ZAP. I do not have chicken issues, but both the chow and Brandy are really interested in the goats . I will be following this post closely. The biggest question to answer from your OP: how on earth do you stop a dog from following instinct, especially if you are not around?


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## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

beccachow said:


> . The biggest question to answer from your OP: how on earth do you stop a dog from following instinct, especially if you are not around?


You just have to supervise the dog 100% of the time. Keep the chickens in a different area.


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

Either re-home the dog or the chickens. Tying a dead chicken around his neck until it is rotted and falls off will do absolutely nothing to diminish the prey drive, and might just exacerbate it.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Sorry, but rehome the dog. He simply isn't suited to your home right now. Do it before you hate him.


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## Gritty (Nov 26, 2012)

We have a northern breed dog that was a confirmed chicken killer before she came into our family. When we got chickens, we had to watch her extremely closely. The day came when she killed one and we tied it around her neck for about five days. Absolutely disgusting. She thought so, too. Now anytime she sees a chicken she gets a slightly nauseated look on her face and immediately turns away. I wish you the best of luck!


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## Rock (Jan 5, 2009)

I told ya what to do, ever see a dog get shocked in the mouth?
Go lick a hot wire on a fence and you will see exactly why the dog will never grab another chicken.


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## PorkChopsMmm (Aug 16, 2010)

We created a post on Craigslist looking to re-home her. Thanks for the help everyone.

Rock -- good point, but I wonder if she would just learn to avoid the fence and not the chickens.


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## BarbadosSheep (Jun 27, 2011)

seems a shame to rehome the dog. Now you will have an increase of other things that will harm the chickens. FYI....tying a dead chicken around a dogs neck does not work. First, they will not associate the smell of the rotting corpse with their bad behavior at all. And second....dogs LOVE to roll in dead things so the smell won't bother him a bit. Id consider an electronet pen for the chickens. You can move it around and the chickens will be be safe from your dog.


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## Rock (Jan 5, 2009)

PorkChopsMmm said:


> We created a post on Craigslist looking to re-home her. Thanks for the help everyone.
> 
> Rock -- good point, but I wonder if she would just learn to avoid the fence and not the chickens.


You stake the chicken to the ground with a wooden stake, thru a piece of cardboard.
The cardboard isolates them from the ground.
You hook the fence charger to the bird (it dont get shocked) the dog completes the circuit when it grabs the bird with its wet mouth and feet on the earth.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

I just want to say that my GSD mix used to get our chicks and our chickens. He knew it was wrong but when the chickens were in high grass he could not resist. Until I put the shock collar on him for some training. Have not lost a chicken since. I so sorry if you have to re-home your dog. He sounds like a good dog in every way but this


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

Five or six chickens aren't going to get rid of too many ticks so unless you want to keep them cooped up for eggs I wouldn't stress it. Sounds to me like the dog is more valuable to you than the chickens. We had up to 15 chickens that free ranged during the day. I didn't notice any reduction in ticks but I did notice that they messed up my flower beds and killed my pretty perennials.


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## PorkChopsMmm (Aug 16, 2010)

Thanks everyone. Someone who has a 6 acre farm and some kids, but no chickens, is coming by tomorrow night to meet her.

We are going with the "Permies" approach to chicken free ranging -- they are in a portable coop/run with portable fencing. It was working well, the chickens were eating tons of bugs from their designated area, etc.


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## JasoninMN (Feb 24, 2006)

If this dog can kill your chickens why won't any other stray or loose dog that comes along not be able to kill them? I'm not going to tell you what to do with the dog but I wouldn't make the assumption your chickens will be safe now behind the fence since the dog is gone.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Great point Jason!


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## unregistered168043 (Sep 9, 2011)

My girlfriends dog killed one of our chickens when he first got here. He got reprimanded. Whenever he would stalk a chicken or go after a chicken or even look at one the wrong way, he got corrected. Now he never even looks at them, they can crawl all over him and he wont eat one.

My chickens are free range, no fence. Sure I loose one now and then, usually in the summer, but over-all its worth the trade off.


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## PorkChopsMmm (Aug 16, 2010)

Good point, we will be looking for another dog soon. I know it may seem hard to get rid of the dog to only get another, but I truly think she can't be corrected from going after the chickens. 

So we have been reprimanding her verbally, shock, etc. when going near the chickens. I let her off of her lead last night and was maybe 20 feet away and turned my back -- she instantly started to try and get under the chicken fence. We only have one left and she was securely locked in the coop so it wasn't movement or the chicken running away that set her off.

It is either this dog or chickens/other smaller livestock -- we chose the other animals.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

We had a foster dog who killed things. Another independent northern breed (puppy mill shiba inu). Otherwise a good dog. She killed the four chickens my friend gave me, even when tied up, because the chickens were stupid. I just waited until she was rehomed before buying more. Not many people have chickens, so it wasn't really an issue.


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## PorkChopsMmm (Aug 16, 2010)

She was re-homed last night to a nice family with 6 acres, an in-ground "invisible fence", and 3 kids to look after (and no chickens). I think she will really enjoy it -- she took to their 4 year old daughter right away.

Now to relax for a little while and passively look for another breed that might fit our needs better. Any suggestions are welcome -- something medium sized, good with kids, and with a low prey drive.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

I am so glad you found her such a nice home!


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