Are you looking to adventure in the realm of backyard chickens but are concerned with how well your dog or dogs will get along with the new flock? There are a lot of considerations such as preferring free-range chickens or an enclosure to separate them from the rest of your yard; how many chickens or poultry; how much space are you going to designate to the backyard flock; will you let your dog(s) roam with the flock or leave them be.
One of the biggest considerations is: How much time and money do you want to commit to keeping your dog(s) away from the chickens if they can’t leave the chickens alone? That question is for the worst-case scenario. More than likely, you can train your dog to cohabitate with or at least ignore the flock. Time, patience, and consistency are far greater factors in successful dog training than the type (class of dog: toy, working, herding, etc.), breed, or size of your dog.
Although it is true that dog breeds generally produce individuals with a foundational set of mannerisms; for instance, how herding breeds are associated with being nippy busy bodies because their job is to corral other animals, but the personality of your dog, or dogs, matter more when it comes to being good with other animals. Especially, prey animals like chickens, ducks, quail, and other poultry you may want to include in your backyard flock. It is also important to remember that even if your dog is a sweet and caring family dog, they may not handle the addition of chickens well for one reason or another.
Questions to Help Determine Backyard Flock Compatibility
How do I know if my dog(s) will be good with chickens or other poultry?
You won’t know until you try. You can always simulate the environment of backyard poultry, but you really won’t know how your dog will react until there are chickens or poultry making noise and running around your backyard. A basic question as you start thinking about the pros and cons might be: Will the chickens/ducks/poultry free-roam, or be in an enclosure? If I let the dog out to go play or use the bathroom, could they be a danger to the flock? Does my dog have a strong prey drive that will require extra measures to be put in place such as a dog proof fence? How does your dog usually react to new toys, people, places, or other animals?
Like I said, you can make all the estimates in your head by answering such questions, but generally you won’t know unless you try. The exception would be if you had a dog with high-prey drive or herding instinct. You can bet that they would be a danger to your chickens or other poultry simply because at the very least, the dog could cause a chase-related injury. In addition, your dog would have to think about the time spent monitoring or restraining your dog when around the flock, at least until the dog is trained to resist undesirable behaviors.
What’s My Dog’s Trainability?
All dogs are trainable. What limits a dog’s ability to learn new behaviors and maintain them largely depends on the consistency of the owner. This is true especially of dogs with high prey drive. There’s an additional step of getting them to listen to commands under high distractions, which is a long process that takes commitment from both human and dog. I suggest diving into your own research on the subject if this describes your situation.
You might be luckier than some and have an easy-going, mellow dog that can guard the chickens from predators, in which case, the only “training” you’d likely need is a simple introduction (could insert weblink for blog on introducing your dog(s) to chickens).
In general, expect a high amount of training initially when you first get your chickens and then assess from there. Most people will likely have a moderate amount of upkeep in getting their dog used to new environmental changes in the first few weeks of owning farm birds.
Does it take a high-level reward like a favorite toy or treat to get your dog to perform the desired behavior? Or does your dog hear your command and wait to see if you’ll up the ante?
If this is the case, your dog has trained YOU. When you offer a bigger reward to your dog after they don’t perform the behavior you asked for, you’re creating a viscous cycle. Don’t worry, this is more common than you think.
For humans, when something doesn’t work a few times, we like to think of different approaches to the problem. However, you should remember that the first time you up the ante, dogs get it in their heads that they can get you to offer a better reward by not performing the command they know how to do. A “better reward” in the mind of a dog, and much like a child, could be as simple as offering more than one treat in exchange for the desired behavior.
If you find yourself being trained by your dog, simply disengage. Put the reward away, don’t ask for the behavior again, and do an activity that excludes your dog. They will quickly learn you mean business when you offer the reward the first time.
How well can your dog’s attention be redirected?
If your dog is focused on something, they likely have tunnel vision and are unlikely to pay much attention to you, no matter how much you call or shout. With training, you can get your dog to focus on you in nearly any situation. I say that with leniency because there are always situations where your dog might be more interested in something other than you, especially if it is new or considered a potential threat by your dog.
Training them to redirect their attention on you is one of those special skills that take a lot of consistent effort to establish. For some dogs, this skill might be a lifelong struggle. But don’t worry, start small- meaning an environment and situation that can almost guarantee success. This is crucial when you train a new or difficult behavior in your dog. Redirecting behavior has two main parts: one to look at you when you call their name, and the other to do a different activity (aka, substitution).
Here are a few resources I found helpful when training my dog to ignore small animals on walks and did wonders when we got rabbits.
Grab and Hold Your Dog’s Attention With the ‘Watch Me’ Cue – American Kennel Club
Pack or Individual?
Dogs are generally social, pack animals. Even if you have one dog, you and your family are part of the pack. When you have one dog, they are generally of the mindset that they follow your guidance in life. When you have more than one dog, they still understand you provide guidance, but together they have their own pack, their own rules, their own hierarchy. Add chickens or other poultry to their environment and things can go sideways, even if they are considered good, well-behaved dogs.
When dogs are playing together their pack mentality is very much active. The pack mentality looks something like this:
A chicken starts running either away from something “scary” or towards food. The dog sees it and his instincts to chase kick in. The other dog sees the first dog get up to pursue the chicken and does the same. Now you have a chicken running scared and two dogs giving chase (whether for fun, out of instinct, or both). Often this level of high alert and focus is not easily broken, even if you call your dogs at the top of your lungs. Some dogs might stop and cower, because they know they did a bad thing, or they may hear you and keep chasing the chicken. In which case, their instinct to chase is greater than their desire to obey because they are encouraged by the other dog’s movement; similar to the “I’m going to get there first” mentality of children racing.
Again, it all goes back to questions about training and the environment. You can train your dogs to stop chasing and leave the chickens alone. It takes consistent effort and patience, but it is doable. Here is another excellent resource that can help you train your dog(s).
How to Tame Prey Chase Drive in a Dog – Michaelson Found Animals
How to Tame Prey Drive In Dogs – People’s Dispensary For Sick Animals
Secrets to Dog Training Success: Redirect, Substitute, Reward – Smart Dog University
Role or Rule?
How much time do you want your dog to spend with your flock? What kinds of interactions do you want your dog(s) to have with your flock? Or rather do you want to give your dog a role such as guard dog or herding dog; or a rule such as no playing, nipping, and chasing? Whatever the role or rule, make sure your dog and flock can comfortably coexist in their environment.
How much time can I commit to training my dog?
Who said it needs to take longer than 30 minutes or more? Keep in mind, it doesn’t take a lot of time to complete a training session. As I mentioned earlier, what matters is consistency. Starting with a simple behavior like sitting and building it up to a “sit” and “wait” for short periods of time in different places around the house is how you start to cement and grow a behavior.
Establishing those small expectations for such behaviors in varying environments and circumstances will allow you to take it to the next level such as asking them to sit and wait while putting their leash on for a walk, giving them food, or letting them outside (that one is often the toughest). Asking for a specific behavior before an activity in exchange for a reward (often the activity itself) is called behavioral cueing. It is a great way to maintain expectations and consistency in training by asking your dog for such behaviors in everyday life. You will be able to apply this same system of training when you need your dog to behave around your chickens.
Is My Household Compatible with a Backyard Flock?
If you answer yes to any of these questions, you might want to address the issue with training prior to the arrival of your birds. This is not to say your dog won’t behave favorably or unfavorably when your flock is established, but it will make it easier to correct poor behavior. And of course, it is equally, if not more important to reinforce good behavior from your dog with treats, praise, or playtime with their favorite toy. I will talk more on building positive experiences between dog and bird, in the blog, Feathered Friends and Canine Companions: Preparing Your Dog for a Flock-Friendly Family.