Nothing makes me fear for my backyard birds more than the sight or signs of predators around my chicken coop. I’ve had plenty of experience with racoons, coyotes, opossums, snakes, bobcats and foxes. It stresses me out to know they have found my coop and are twiddling their thumbs (metaphorically) trying to come up with an attack plan to snatch them.
This is the type of brazen predator behavior I was dealing with. Raccoons have to be the most confident animals on the planet.
Unfortunately, predators have taken a significant number of my flock—even with the strategies I have employed to prevent bird losses. (To read my blog about predators, click here.) Most of my predator defense approaches have been successful for lengths of time, but when the raccoons came back in October 2024, my husband suggested we get the ultimate predator deterrent—a guardian dog.
Taking the Pyrenees plunge
Livestock guardian dogs—such as Great Pyrenees, Anatolian Shepherd Dogs and Bernese Mountain Dogs—are bred to stay with livestock and protect them from predators. These breeds are known for their large, intimidating frame, bravery and dedication to their job. In other words, a raccoon or coyote is usually on the losing end of a battle with one of these canines. Although these dogs are known for protecting livestock, many breeds can serve the same purpose with training.
My husband and I were not looking for a new dog prior to October. We already have an 11-year-old West Highland Terrier, named Audrey, that stays in the house and fenced backyard. We also have a baby that was born in May. It was not exactly an ideal time to get a new puppy. I know the responsibility that comes with having a new dog—especially living next to a busy road—and it would take time for a puppy to start fending off predators.
Looking for another option, I started searching for adult guardian dogs that were available for adoption. Before long, I found a 3-year-old female Great Pyrenees, named Tasha.
Tasha on the day we took her home. (Journal photo by Lacey Vilhauer.)
Tasha’s owner had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment. She loved Tasha, but wanted to find new owners that could give her the attention she deserved. Tasha had guarded a herd of goats previously, so I believed I could make her into a chicken dog. We drove to Tulsa to get her later that month and brought her home.
There are risks to adopting an adult dog and I considered them before we picked her up. Would she accept us as her new owners? Would she stay at our house, or would she wander off in confusion? Would she get along with our Westie, and would she murder the rest of my flock? We took the risk anyway because I had a good feeling about Tasha.
She stayed in our fenced backyard the first week or so, just to get used to our house and accept that this was her new home. It was a stressful time for Tasha to be taken from the place she had known for years, but she quickly adapted to recognizing me as her owner and soaked up all the love I gave her. Additionally, she loves Audrey—that was a huge relief.
Let the training begin
Tasha was used to running free with her old owners and it became obvious that she was getting bored penned up in the backyard. I wanted her to get to work protecting our property, but I also wanted to be confident she would stay close to home and have a healthy respect for the busy country road where we live. To give myself some reassurance, I purchased a GPS tracker for her collar so I could keep tabs on her. I highly recommend this for dogs that travel a lot or are adopted in adulthood.
Tasha on a leash near the hens. (Journal photo by Lacey Vilhauer.)
Eventually, I started letting Tasha out in the yard with supervision, to see how she behaved around the road and if she would listen when I called her. Next, I let my chickens out of the coop and walked Tasha on a leash next to them. This is a very important step for training an adult dog to recognize chickens as the animal to protect—their next meal. Tasha wasn’t raised with chickens, so they are somewhat foreign to her. I had to teach her they are your responsibility.
During these sessions, I watched Tasha’s body language closely. I was looking for signs that she was overly-interested in the chickens or if she reacted to any sudden movements they made—such as flapping wings. Anytime she concentrated on them I would say her name and redirect her attention to me.
It is natural for dogs to pay attention to birds; my goal was to get Tasha accustomed to the chickens to a point where she wouldn’t care what sounds or movements they made. Once she saw them as her friends, she could be trusted to be with them unsupervised.
Providing positive reinforcement to dogs that are behaving well around chickens is crucial. I filled my pockets with dog treats when I conducted these training sessions. When Tasha was calm in the presence of the chickens, I would randomly give her a treat. This sends the message that I want her to be near them, but I don’t want her to taste test them.
Can you teach an old dog new tricks?
After a few weeks, I took the leash off and observed Tasha’s behavior once again. Knowing I could not control her with a leash, I stood close to her, prepared to jump in and grab her collar if she lost control. I was pleased with her conduct.
Next, I caught a hen and brought it to Tasha to smell. I was careful while holding the hen so close to her face. One chomp and it was goodbye birdie. I wanted to reinforce that the chickens are pets, so I stroked the bird while she watched and then I rubbed it along her back.
Most chicken keepers know that a dog that gets a taste of chicken is likely to sample from the flock again. Chicken killing is a terrible habit to break, and I didn’t want Tasha to become one of the predators I was seeking to thwart.
My chickens had never been guarded by a dog before, so the training I was providing Tasha was equally beneficial to the birds. If they aren’t afraid of her, she is less likely to treat them like prey. Over time, everyone settled down and got comfortable.
Next, I gave Tasha a few minutes of time alone with the chickens. Unbeknownst to her, I was watching from the window. As soon as she thought I was gone, she would sneak out to the coop to check on things. Her natural curiosity scared me. What was her ultimate plan? Was she there to protect or harm? It was hard to tell.
I wasn’t confident that Tasha could be trusted with the chickens if I wasn’t with her, so I held off on leaving her alone with them. Then one day my husband asked if I knew the automatic chicken door was open. I had set it to stay closed unless I opened it manually, but the battery was low, and it decided to open and let the chickens out that day.
I didn’t see my hens and I worried that Tasha had taken out the rest of my flock—which would have been the ultimate irony. Then I found them hanging out in the equipment shed. Tasha was laying on the grass nearby, observing everything.
It has now been more than a month since the door accidentally opened and Tasha has become a chicken protector in the process. She acts like she’s been doing this her whole life and takes her duties very seriously. I hear her barking at coyotes all night and I’ve seen her run off at least two critters during the day.
Beatrice trying to see what Tasha is having for breakfast. (Journal photos by Lacey Vilhauer.)
A couple weeks ago I filled her dog bowl with food and while she was eating, I noticed Beatrice, my Black Sex-Link hen, showing interest in the dog food. The hen kept sneaking up to see if she could try some, without fear of the 90-pound dog. Tasha didn’t mind and I think if the hen had pressed further, Tasha would have been happy to share her meal.
That story shows that in the three months we’ve had Tasha, she has turned into the perfect guardian dog. Training her took some time, but it was well worth the effort to have a dependable protector of my flock. I’m grateful to have her here to fill our needs, but I think we are also giving her what she needs—a purpose. There’s nothing like seeing a dog smile, and I see it everyday now that she has gained a forever home at Vilhauer Farms.
Lacey Vilhauer can be reached at 620-227-1871 or lvilhauer@hpj.com.
Tasha—queen of the coop. (Journal photo by Lacey Vilhauer.)
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