Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[littlegem]

Has anyone got any suggestions on the best way to get my Boxer dog Alfie used to the chickens. I can keep them apart but had this idylic view of them living happily together and Alfie protecting the girls from foxes when they are free ranging. At the moment he seems to just want to chase them although he is such a big soft baby if he caught up with them he would probably be more scared of them but I don't want to take the chance. At the moment the girls come up to him at the fence and even when he barks at them they just ignore him but we took him down to meet them on the lead when they were free ranging and they were not too impressed and he got over excited. Have any of your got dogs that are ok with the chooks when they are free ranging Charlie_uk what are your boxers like with your chooks

[littlegem]

God I have just read laumurf's post about the dog attach now I am even more worried. Although I suppose it does depend on the breed........Hope her chickens are ok

[Laura&Sean]

Our great dane Clyde wasn't great at first but with a few weeks of on lead introductions and socialisation with the girlies while they free ranged he really couldn't be better now.

They all live in harmony and share snacks (usually poor clydes dinner)

the girls like nothing more than a tasty bit of clyde flob to eat I have no need to worry when they are all alone in the garden together, its separated in two anyway to stop Clyde destroying the grass so girls range there but more than often flap over the fence to check out clydes food bowl and to destroy my plants, poo on my patio, make dust baths everywhere and peck at the conservatory for more snacks

Good luck with Alfie and the hens.

[Seagazer]

It took me a long time with Cookie to trust her with the chickens. I kept her on the lead for ages whilst the girls were out. I kept getting her to lay down and to look at me, would give her a treat if she obeyed. After a while I would let go of the lead and most often she would just carry on sitting or laying next to me. Then I let her out without a lead and she has been fine. She follows them around to hoover up the chicken poo

 

I do have to be careful if the chickens get excited about something because then this starts to make her excited. Then I call her to me and its okay.

 

Good luck, just take it nice and steady.

[chooklady]

I always thought my dog would be OK with the chooks because he has never chased birds, but has always been quite indifferent with birds in the garden and when out walking.

 

We introduced him on the lead but after only a few days he was fine, They free range together. Spencer certainly helps keep foxes away I'm sure, because I know they are around, I've heard them.

 

 

[aliwobble]

We have an English setter, Sadie, who (true to type) is obsessed by birds and chasing after them. I was worried about how she would react to the chickens so we took the introductions slowly. We kept her on the lead at first while they free-ranged and didn't let her near them unsupervised. It wasn't long though before Sadie learnt that chickens are good at standing up for themselves!

 

Now I have no worries about them being in the garden together - Sadie has resigned herself to being firmly in last place in the pet-pecking order (behind the chickens and the cats!). Mostly Sadie just ignores them, although she will occasionally 'herd' them around the lawn.

 

I would say take things slowly, offer lots of praise and treats for good behaviour and they should be able to live happily together.

 

Good luck!

[aaronmusgrove123]

my dogs where all fine streight away we didnt have to introduce them or anything we have 1 golden lab and 3 long haired chihuahua's all are very obedient i just leave them all out when the chickens are free ranging to protect them from cats

[Emma Tarpey]

Our Dog Alfie (Border Terrier) is great with them ok he got a bit growly around food but a quick sqwirt of the hoose later and tadaa no problem

 

If anything the chickens bully him they peck at his and chase him round the garden they definately rule the roost he won't even walk past them

 

Why not try keeping your Alfie on a lead around them and give him a quick check when he bounds out towards them. If this dosen't work why not invest in a water mister and (one of them bottles that squirt water orry can't rememvber the name) and try again on the lead a squirt him every time her goes near.

 

Sorry this as gone on a bit hope it helps though

[littlegem]

Thanks everyone.............will persevere and take it slowly. The girls are getting braver by the minute so I think that soon I will be protecting Alfie

[Nats]

Ive had my chickens for one week and the two Westie's I also have are an absolute nightmare! The boy gets bored and isn't too bad - I'm sure he'll be able to live in perfect harmony with the girls soon! The girl Westie though - she is non stop crying this side of the fence. They have both been introduced on leads and are much better when they can get close. The girl dog seemed quite a lot more relaxed and was responding to treats for good behaviour so I let her off. As soon as a chicken moved quickly the instinct to chase kicked in and there was definitely no recall. Fortunately I caught her; the chicken just ran and I thought she'd fly up and away?!

 

I will also keep at it but feel it may take longer than I thought! The dogs have shown no interest in chickens before and have successfully walked past them before along with ducks and swans. I suppose it's the fact the chickens are in the garden?

 

I had the lovely idea they'd all mooch around together but now feel this may not happen this side of Christmas?!!

[Charlie_uk]

To start with my boxers were typical boxers, kept bouncing up to the run and eglu, much to the horror of the chickens inside! However a few short NOs! and then to start with we let the chickens out to free range on their own, and then gradually let the boys into the garden, first of all standing in the kitchen door way, then onto the patio, and then onto the grass.

Once our choocks were tame enough to pick up we let the dogs sniff them in our arms (making sure they were completly calm and with another member of the family next to the dog, just in case) and plenty of praise for them when they ignored the chickens.

 

Now the dogs sit in one part of the garden and the chickens happily free range around them. Obviously we would never let the chickens out to free range with the dogs unsupervised, you just never know.

 

Hope that helps

 

Charlie x

[Shirl]

I have 6 dogs and we just kept them apart as much as possible for a while. Now a year or so on I can trust them with the chickens whilst I'm there but I wouldn't trust them if the chickens started to flap/run because instinct can take over and they are a proper pack of dogs.

[Snowy]

Ive had my chickens for one week and the two Westie's I also have are an absolute nightmare! The boy gets bored and isn't too bad - I'm sure he'll be able to live in perfect harmony with the girls soon! The girl Westie though - she is non stop crying this side of the fence. They have both been introduced on leads and are much better when they can get close. The girl dog seemed quite a lot more relaxed and was responding to treats for good behaviour so I let her off. As soon as a chicken moved quickly the instinct to chase kicked in and there was definitely no recall. Fortunately I caught her; the chicken just ran and I thought she'd fly up and away?!

 

I will also keep at it but feel it may take longer than I thought! The dogs have shown no interest in chickens before and have successfully walked past them before along with ducks and swans. I suppose it's the fact the chickens are in the garden?

 

I had the lovely idea they'd all mooch around together but now feel this may not happen this side of Christmas?!!

My westie was a pain at first - I tied him in the garden on a long lead and let the girls freerange around him. Didn't take him long to realise he couldn't get them. Now he is absolutely fine with them. Although that terrier instinct does still kick in if one of them flaps and makes him jump - he starts to give chase, but stops almost straight away. Took a few weeks though!

[KAZAROO]

Ive had my chickens for one week and the two Westie's I also have are an absolute nightmare! The boy gets bored and isn't too bad - I'm sure he'll be able to live in perfect harmony with the girls soon! The girl Westie though - she is non stop crying this side of the fence. They have both been introduced on leads and are much better when they can get close. The girl dog seemed quite a lot more relaxed and was responding to treats for good behaviour so I let her off. As soon as a chicken moved quickly the instinct to chase kicked in and there was definitely no recall. Fortunately I caught her; the chicken just ran and I thought she'd fly up and away?!

 

I will also keep at it but feel it may take longer than I thought! The dogs have shown no interest in chickens before and have successfully walked past them before along with ducks and swans. I suppose it's the fact the chickens are in the garden?

 

I had the lovely idea they'd all mooch around together but now feel this may not happen this side of Christmas?!!

My westie was a pain at first - I tied him in the garden on a long lead and let the girls freerange around him. Didn't take him long to realise he couldn't get them. Now he is absolutely fine with them. Although that terrier instinct does still kick in if one of them flaps and makes him jump - he starts to give chase, but stops almost straight away. Took a few weeks though!

 

One off my Jack russells isnt bothered at all; she even does night duty and rounds the girls up by letting the chase her; they peck her heels lol; but my other pinned Lacey to the ground when she flew this side of the fence and whines so intensely I have to shut her inside when we spend time with the chooks.... saying this though my old dog had no room to maneouver with any kind of pets and actually tried to eat through my bathroom door once; when we rescued a cockatiel....

[Woodcat]

We have two rescue cocker spaniels and we have never needed to worry about the simply because they are terrified of the chickens. They went over and snift at them through the bars when we first got them, got pecked on the nose and ever since refuse to go near them. They also rule all of the cats and if they are in a bad mood will case them all round the garden

[The Dogmother]

I get asked this every time at my poultry keeping courses - while some dogs are fine around chooks, they have natural instincts, which may come to the fore if a chicken flaps up in their face (I have known a very highly trained dog do this). My answer is that I wouoldn't put my dog in a position where it might fail and would only ever leave it with the chooks if I were around.

 

Having said that, my friend's two labs just lie there and let the hens climb all over them.