My 6 Month Old Spoodle Killed One Our Our Chickens

[Denver]

Hello everyone and looking forward to your comments.

As mentioned we have a 6mth old spoodle (Denver) as well as our 8 yr old Rotti, Boston, that we have had from a puppy. We also have 3 small children who love pets as we do, and a baby on the way.

Our Rotti is very well trained and is very good with the kids as well as the new puppy.

The Rotti is more a Dad's dog whereas the Spoodle is more the Mum's dog even though Dad is more assertive with the Sit's, No's , Naughty Dog, Good Dog etc.... when Mum is not around , Mum has been very good at the daily training and he learned very quickly to toilet outside, sit etc....

The Spoodle on the weekend dug a very large hole under the chook fence and as mentioned killed a chicken. He was caught by Dad going for number 2. He was punished with some very loud talking and tied up. He knew what he had done was wrong. I thought it was in their nature to retrieve, not to kill.

I now have 2 questions...

1. Now the Spoodle (Denver) has killed, do you think he will still be as gentle as he was before?

and

2. Should he go, the chickens go or should we build concrete footings?

Your thoughts and comments please. Some additional comments on the Mum AND Dad training verses just Mum OR Dad training would also be welcome

Thank you

(Denver)

[SueM]

Hello everyone and looking forward to your comments.

As mentioned we have a 6mth old spoodle (Denver) as well as our 8 yr old Rotti, Boston, that we have had from a puppy. We also have 3 small children who love pets as we do, and a baby on the way.

Our Rotti is very well trained and is very good with the kids as well as the new puppy.

The Rotti is more a Dad's dog whereas the Spoodle is more the Mum's dog even though Dad is more assertive with the Sit's, No's , Naughty Dog, Good Dog etc.... when Mum is not around , Mum has been very good at the daily training and he learned very quickly to toilet outside, sit etc....

The Spoodle on the weekend dug a very large hole under the chook fence and as mentioned killed a chicken. He was caught by Dad going for number 2. He was punished with some very loud talking and tied up. He knew what he had done was wrong. I thought it was in their nature to retrieve, not to kill.

I now have 2 questions...

1. Now the Spoodle (Denver) has killed, do you think he will still be as gentle as he was before?

and

2. Should he go, the chickens go or should we build concrete footings?

Your thoughts and comments please. Some additional comments on the Mum AND Dad training verses just Mum OR Dad training would also be welcome

Thank you

(Denver)

Concrete around the fence to stop him digging, once he has got at one chicken he will keep going at them I would say,it wont effect how he is around your children if that is what you are worried about..

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Spaniels are part of the gundog (bird dog) (someone correct if I'm wrong) family. I'm not sure about Poodles (I have a silky terrier probably crossed with a poodle) and she'd certainly kill a bird or a cat if she got hold of it.

It's a natural instinct with many. My friends owned a Pointer (also from the gundog family of dogs) and he killed birds, they stupidly brought a cockatiel into the house, forgot to shut the door when they went out and the Pointer killed it, bent the bars of the cage to get at it.

Nothing to do with human aggression and that is extremely unlikely ever to occur.

Doesn't mean the dog is bad, it is just driven by instinct. Make your chickens more secure.

[poodlefan]

Denver:

I thought it was in their nature to retrieve, not to kill.

Spaniels find birds, flush and retrieve. All hunting instinct is modified prey drive and it's the rare dog that won't kill prey given the chance.

Dog proof your chicken run and assume that given the chance, he'll kill again. It won't affect his gentleness with the family.

[huski]

The Spoodle on the weekend dug a very large hole under the chook fence and as mentioned killed a chicken. He was caught by Dad going for number 2. He was punished with some very loud talking and tied up. He knew what he had done was wrong. I thought it was in their nature to retrieve, not to kill.

I now have 2 questions...

1. Now the Spoodle (Denver) has killed, do you think he will still be as gentle as he was before?

I am assuming a "spoodle" is a cocker spaniel x poodle? I am never sure what type of "spaniel" they use in that particular cross LOL.

The dog did not know what he did wrong - he was following his instinct. My dog has a high prey drive, too, and he has caught bats and possums that have come into our yard. He is NEVER punished for this - chasing and grabbing a possum for him is NO different to chasing and grabbing a ball or squeaky toy I through for him.

IMO punishing a dog in these circumstances is the wrong thing to do because you are punishing the dog for following its natural instinct. He does NOT know what he has done is wrong. He does not connect your yelling and tying him up after he killed the chicken with the actual act.

As others have said, make sure the chicken pen is very secure and do not assume he won't try and kill them again (even with "punishment"). Despite the old wives tail he doesn't now have the "taste of blood" or anything and he is still the same gentle dog he was before. His instinct was the same then. Nothing has changed.

[WreckitWhippet]

Dog proof the chook yard or suffer the consequences of prey drive and develop some consistancy when it comes to the training.

[Just Midol]

I'd go further than dog proofing the chook yard, completely separate the dogs and chooks.

[chloebear]

I would definately upgrade the chicken coop. We are currently in the process of designing ours and we are doggy and cat proofing it (not just for our dogs but also the neighbourhood strays) as the chicken coop won't be in our main fenced area. (live on acreage)

[Paganman]

My dogs would kill chooks if they could get them its what dogs do. Make sure that the pen is dog proof and make sure the wire is heavy duty, if the dog jumps up at the pen all the time and all its got is light chook wire it will eventually break and the dog will be in.

My dogs love people and kids and their fine with other dogs (most) but theyll kill chooks or possums or birds or rabbits if they get the chance, doesnt make them bad dogs just mean their behaving as dogs do.

Keep dogs and chooks seperate and you wont have any probs.

[sidoney]

As said, improve fencing to chooks.

Depending on how the dog acts around the chooks, you may have to block vision in to chooks. Chooks moving stimulate prey drive.

We had chickens for years but rehomed them to my mother because my working Kelpie and a foster Kelpie x started to obsess over them. To herd but not kill them, but it's still prey drive, and it meant they spend much of their time watching chickens - even with double layer fencing and a sight screen. I wanted the dog as a companion not a chook watcher and so I made the choice to rehome the chickens (my mother has a big chook yard and chooks of the same breed).

[shellbyville]

I had a red stumpy tail cattle dog that killed chickens. I tried every farmers remedy there was to stop the dog killing the chooks as the chooks were free range. Eventually after quite a few dead chooks I decided it was best to get rid of the chooks. We did have a small pen for the chooks but not big enough to lock them in permanently.

While this was happening I had 3 very young children from 4 years old to a baby and my cattle dog adored my children, was always gentle, never showed any signs of aggression toward people, except as a protective thing when people first drove onto our property (she would bark and growl until she knew they were ok.) Never once snapped at my kids.

My advice keep the dog, dog proof the chicken run!

[Poodle wrangler]

My mini poodle has killed a bird and I suspect would also kill a chicken, given the opportunity. Not the stereotypical killer dog .

Don't believe what you hear about a dog being "blooded".

He will kill another chicken, given the opportunity, as they are prey-food to him. This is normal dog behaviour.

Does NOT mean he's vicious in any way with people/ all other animals.

Your dog did NOT know what he did was wrong. He only knew that it's humans were angry with him.

He's a dog and thinks like a dog, not a child.

You have kids...they never open the chicken coup?

If this is causing you stress, with baby on the way and a young family, then give away the chickens.

Your rotti might also eat one, given the opportunity.

[Nekhbet]

He may not have had the intent to directly kill and eat. A flapping fluffy bird is really fun for a dog and he will play with it (being his size) he kills it. Then he will move onto the next one because that one is flapping about and making heaps of noise as well. Its prey drive. Make a secure chicken run because the dog has learned playign with chickens is fun, maybe even put up some shade cloth so he cant stare into the cage.

If you have a dog like my mastiff, he has the catch and kill intent with birds. His prey drive is high and he has the intention to chase, kill and eat. He's great with kids and doesnt chase anything in the street, just dont show him a bunny or budgie