Chook Me!

How to stop my dog from going into my Mom's chicken coop?

We have a little australian shepherd puppy. We keep her outside all the time. Some how she gets in the chicken coop my Mom made. She goes under the fence we made to keep the dog from hurting the chickens. We put some BIG logs so she won't get in! Now she chewed her way through the plastic fence!!! My Mom is thinking about getting rid of the dog! :'( Please help us! BTW: We don't live on a farm

Public Comments

1. Here's some friendly advice : Get outta the farm.
2. My brother once tied a dead chicken to his dog's neck and left it there until it rotted off. The dog never touched another chicken again. Disgusting but true.
3. get chicken wire!metal no dog can go and attack chickens if u got chicken wire!or put the dog on leash to a post.
4. Properly fence in the chickens. End of problem. It's not the fault of the puppy ............... !
5. Don't keep the dog outside all the time! Let the dog be a house dog, and take it out to eliminate and get exercise when when you supervise/watch it. TRAIN the dog that the chicken coop is OFF LIMITS! It can't learn anything that you're not willing to teach.
6. You realize that she is a breed that needs a job, and is probably very bored and lonely? Give her things to do, play with her and spend more time with her. Then run a hotwire across the area near the chickens where she digs or chews through. If she touches it once or twice, she will stay away from the area. (Why would you use plastic fence, instead of wire?)
7. maybe get a shock collar? and every time the pup goes near the coop zap her, but keep in on very low, or maybe an air horn? something loud that will scare her and eventually she will realize that when she gets too close, bad things happen..but you will just have to be out there and catch her doing it..
8. Very difficult to stop this once has gotten taste. High prey drive breeds are bad. Pick up cheap electric fence to put up. Will respect it if gets shocked few times. Will not harm dog. Otherwise, very hard to stop. Good luck. I have raised chickens for 35 years.
9. Chicken wire can work pretty well. Try getting a gate as well, maybe install a new floor that the dog CAN'T dig through. Either that, or get a proffesional to build a better chicken coop.
10. Put up chicken wire instead of plastic..also try clicker training with your dog.. everytime your dog goes to go by the pen tell him/her "leave it" click the clicker(which can be found at a pet store or walmart for about $1)and offer a piece of kibble or a small piece of a treat when the puppy looks at you or better yet comes over to you..it will take a while but eventually your dog will leave the chicken coop alone..also keep in mind that australian shepherd dogs are herding animals..so if you play with her a lot and give her a job to do she won't be looking for mischief
11. The dog shouldnt be kept outside all the time especially as a puppy. The dog needs to be trained to stop attacking your chickens and to do this the dog needs to be supervised at all times. Therefore the dog should be living inside with you until you feel it is trained enough. You need a proper fence for your chickens. If your puppy is getting in, foxes and cyotes will to. Get chicken wire and install it UNDERGROUND to prevent the dog/animals from digging under. This is the only way to prevent your dogs behavior. You need to TRAIN the dog. Leaving the dog outside as a puppy is not the way to go about this.
12. Australian Shepherds are herding breeds as well as high energy. You can't leave one outside for any length of time and not expect it to make it's own trouble. These are dogs that need companionship and constant training or they will cause a lot of trouble. First, your mom needs to make a good pen. One with wire and the wire buried underground so it can't be dug under. You need to also work with the pup around the chickens and teach her not to go near the fence. This is going to be almost impossible if you leave it around them. The dogs instinct to herd will take over and every time the chicken moves the dog will react. The best you can hope for is to train the dog not to hurt the chickens and herd from the outside of the fence. This is a disaster waiting to happen...sorry but even for a good trainer this is a challenge. This is why it's good to know the about the dog and how it will fit into your family and lifestyle before getting one. Aussies require a lot more care than some other breeds and with livestock, unless it has a job to do it will be a mess! Chasing is a normal function of an aussie and it will do it without being trained. I have both chickens and aussie's and mine would chase them all day if allowed but I don't let them have access. They herd but only when I allow them...they do not rush a fence but I also don't leave them outside unattended with the chickens.
13. As a person who has chickens, dogs and cats. Use chicken wire, make a trench and bury the fence a foot or probably more in the ground. It will be need to be very sturdy as well. To keep cats and hawks and other birds of prey out, we used deer barrier on the top on the enclosure. Keep the dog away from the chickens, being a herding breed and untrustworthy around birds and other small animals.
14. Yes you can train them to do anything. My friend has a dog who ca get him beers... not open them of course