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The doghouse

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Original poster

The dog is obsessed with the chickens and can now scale a 5.5ft fence...

27 replies

lougle · 08/06/2013 10:00

So we knew he wanted the chickens. We have a hen house and we put an enclosure around it.

Patch went wildly barking and circling the enclosure, trying to get at any chicks who came near him.

We have a 5.5ft fence at the front of the garden, so we blocked off the path to the garden, leaving the yard for him to roam, while we thought of a solution.

Except he can now take a standing-start jump from the ground to the fence and scrabble over the top Hmm

It's very clever, but the novelty wears off and he's been carried back over the fence at least half a dozen times since learning to do this this morning.

Clicker at the moment is no good whatsoever. In fact, even waving a whole packet of the smelliest smoked ham at him barely saw a break in his stride (one nostril twitched Hmm).

I know that theoretically I need to desensitise from where he is not aroused, but he can see them from the lounge window and is sensitised even there.

Do I start in the Hallway??

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VivaLeBeaver · 08/06/2013 10:55

Getting a six foot fence might be easier? Grin

Sorry. What sort of dog is he? Will he hurt the chickens. My mutt got in the chicken enclosure recently after dd shut him in. Hmm

Five minutes later I found him cowering in the corner being terrorised by the chucks. He now shows no interest at all in going back in.

Original poster
lougle · 08/06/2013 12:02

He's a staff/?whippet sort of dog.

He would kill the chickens, I think. He went near them last week and managed to get one in his jaws, although did let go when I shook him.

DH is putting some wood beneath the fence, in between the gaval boards and the fence. It'll add 4 inches. Whoopee doo.

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GibberTheMonkey · 08/06/2013 14:04

Wire (chick would do) attached to the top of the fence angled 45° outwards would make it hard for him to scramble over

Original poster
lougle · 08/06/2013 14:05

Good idea, Gibber. I don't want him to get hurt though. I suppose he'd learn.

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EasyToEatTiger · 08/06/2013 21:33

One of our chickens survived being scalped by one of the dogs. That was over 5 years ago. Said dog still prowls about after chickens but has seemingly learned that grabbing them is not the done thing. I agree with Gibber. If you can sort that fence out, your dog will learn.

Original poster
lougle · 08/06/2013 21:50

Lucky chicken Grin

We added an extra 4 inches. He could still vault it.

So DH and my DF added wire fencing on 2 sides of the enclosure, to make it an inverted L shape. That way, he can't circle obsessively, and we can retrieve him.

This afternoon he actually broke his gaze and looked over at us, and ran half-way down the garden - that's an amazing difference already. He was so fixated that even smelly smoked ham was of no interest this morning.

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PseudoBadger · 08/06/2013 22:00

Long line, enforce the recall and find a reward he'll accept even when aroused, for example my youngest dog would ignore food if hyped but would happily latch on for a tug and pretend he's got a chicken in his mouth

VerySmallSqueak · 08/06/2013 22:04

We have 'overhangs' on fences and a roof on the chicken run which covers any accessible points for the dog.

Dog is only allowed in that part of the garden when the chickens are in the run - they often have free range of that bit though.

I suspect he would chase them if he got in but I'm not sure he'd do much more and I think he'd find he'd met his match if our big cockerel decided to square up to him!

nohalfmeasures · 08/06/2013 22:06

What about this?
www.smallholdershop.co.uk/fencing.html

Original poster
lougle · 08/06/2013 22:13

Some great advice, thank you Smile

nohalfmeasures, I've bookmarked that page. It's a bit costly right now, but may be an option later.

VerysmallSqueak - overhangs may be what's needed. I was quite shocked to find that he was getting over from a standing start. He's now able to get over within around 3 seconds (ie. before I can reach him, he's over).

PsuedoBadger, I'll get a long line. Finding the reward will be interesting. His highest motivation is usually food. I was shocked that he wasn't even turned by smelly ham. Perhaps I'll have to make some livercake.

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PseudoBadger · 08/06/2013 22:23

My older dog has a football in the garden that he can run to and 'kill'. Like a redirection of bloodlust :o

RedwingWinter · 08/06/2013 22:26

Another thing you could try is fangling up some version of coyote rollers to go along the top of the fence. If you google them and look at pictures, maybe you could make something. They basically go horizontally along the top of the fence and roll, so that if the dog tries to climb over, they don't have a surface to get their paws on because it keeps rolling.

Original poster
lougle · 08/06/2013 22:27

Oooh...nice idea.

I told him earlier that he was lucky he still lives with us and that his only saving grace is that he's good with the children.

I apologised tonight Blush

I love him. I know he can only learn if I teach him. I just wish he instinctively loved other animals in a non-killing way.

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PseudoBadger · 08/06/2013 22:31

The reason I said long line (and lead only until you get one) is that the more he 'practices' the worse he'll get.

Original poster
lougle · 08/06/2013 22:40

You're so right.

I used body-blocking this afternoon to stop him going over. I just stood in the way of his path to the bit he has been jumping over and calmly shifted into the space he stepped towards, with a low, bored 'no' every time he tried.

I saw him eye up another bit of fencing, but body-blocked him towards the house, again staying bored but insistent.

Long-line to come.

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Original poster
lougle · 08/06/2013 22:43

One question about a long line....he easily chews through leads. He doesn't normally try to unless he's really bored (say I'm talking to someone in the street and he's sat patiently waiting..then he starts to gnaw his lead) or unless he's stressed (ie. I'm trying to stop him doing something he wants to do).

How would I control that if I'm 10-15 metres away?

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PseudoBadger · 08/06/2013 22:47

I'm thinking that the long line will be used only when you're there and it's a set up training situation. So the chickens are out and being exciting. You put line on dog (in the house). Release dog into garden. Recall. When he ignores put your foot on line and then pick it up and reel him in to a reward. So there isn't really anytime for him to get bored or chew.
I wouldn't have him just hanging about in the garden with a line on. And when you're not training, if he's just going out for a wee if do that on lead.

Original poster
lougle · 08/06/2013 22:48

Gotcha, thanks. So long line only for specific episodes.

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PseudoBadger · 08/06/2013 22:51

Yes i think so. I use the lightest strongest line that I can find, with a light small clip attached. Lunge type lines are too heavy as the dog knows that they are attached.

Original poster
lougle · 08/06/2013 22:56

Aha, so he shouldn't know it's there...it should be like an invisible force dragging him back to me...I like.

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PseudoBadger · 08/06/2013 22:58

Otherwise you end up with a dog who will behave when the line is on. But when it's off.... :o
Obviously eventually you have to fade the line but not until the behaviour is under control. If he slips up then back on the line.

Ilovemydogandmydoglovesme · 08/06/2013 22:59

When we trained my spaniel we took him to a chicken farm. We took him inside one of the sheds. It was filled with hundreds of squawking shrieking chickens and he was scared of them. He sat rock still not daring to move.

We also took him inside a rabbit pen with loads of tame rabbits. He was told to sit and leave and if he went towards a rabbit he was called straight back.

Admittedly he is a gun dog breed so this type of training might be more difficult with a staffy type but we found it very successful. We went back a few times and he gradually became indifferent to everything.

Ilovemydogandmydoglovesme · 08/06/2013 23:03

Sorry meant to say that a long line is a short term solution to him slaughtering your chickens but its a bit like removing the chickens. It takes away the immediate problem but doesn't cure him of his desire to kill. Could you start by taking him into the chickens on a really short lead? Or would that not work. Not an expert on that type of dog. I'm ok with spaniels!

PseudoBadger · 08/06/2013 23:09

I think that's a bit like saying that a headcollar is a short term solution to pulling on the lead. Yes it is if you just use it and don't take the opportunity to train and reward the good behaviour that the tool provides.
I could not train the prey drive out of my dogs. I used the line to train control in these situations, whether it's an instant recall to something that had become more exciting than the prey, or an instant down until I can get there/remove the temptation.

Original poster
lougle · 08/06/2013 23:18

I understand your point Ilovemydog. I did take him in there on a very short lead last week.

I don't know what he is crossed with (I was assured he was a purebred when I got him Hmm but I honestly think he's staff x inspector gadget. His neck seems to be extendable. I thought I had him on a very short lead, with harness. He managed to get a pullet in his mouth, within a minute. He just seemed to stretch his neck. He did drop it when I shook him from the collar, but I'm fairly sure the pullet would have been dead if I'd left him.

They do seem remarkably unfazed. When he's around them, they sort of migrate to the middle of the enclosure and watch him, while nonchalantly drinking their water. They occasionally wander over to the edges, but of course, he sticks his nose into the wire, or paws up, and they retreat.

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