I have a chocolate lab. He is very much a bird dog, and my husband uses him to hunt birds. We had him before we got birds. When we first got the birds, I kept the birds in a pen and watched the dog VERY closely. He would try to chase the birds through the fence. So, we used a shock collar to discipline him every time he tried to chase them. He got to where he knew that he'd only get disciplined if one of us were outside, so I started watching from inside the sun room. Eventually, he realized that chasing birds was a bad idea. That was when we started letting the birds out to free range, again with the shock collar on the dog. After all the work we did with him when the birds were in the pen, it didn't take long to teach him to leave them alone. Now, he only chases birds when I get a new one, and he knows EXACTLY which ones belong and which don't. He'll still chase turkeys, pheasants, dove, any bird that comes in the yard that isn't one of mine. However, I don't mind that because the wild birds know that they are supposed to run/fly.I hear that. We have a 15 month old 60 lb. rescue that I'm working with trying to get him to be a good citizen with the chickens. The second day we had him, he grabbed my Welsumer by the tail and removed some feathers, but that was the only interaction so far. He is probably a heeler mix with maybe some pit bull? and something with long legs, and so far he hasn't eaten anyone. This is a picture of his usual method of getting off of the sofa. We should have named him Stretch instead of Red.
I put a shock collar on him (we got it when we also had his brother and they tag teamed the cat) and go outside with him when the chickens are out. We started out on a leash a couple of months ago and have graduated to the shock collar (I use the vibrate function -- he responds well to it and it doesn't hurt him). Yesterday he lay on the patio sort of watching them and sort of dozing for nearly an hour. I came back inside and watched him discretely CONSTANTLY. It was a huge time sink, but if I can get him so I can trust him, our lives will be so much easier around here.
Now the dog and my birds play this sort of "game". The birds will eat the dog's food when he's not around. My white chinese goose screams the whole time the birds are eating the food, so the dog has learned to come running when he hears the goose screeching. Then, the dog will steal the birds' food on random occasions! I'll see him walking past the window with their food, bowl and all. Thankfully, the dog walking off with the birds' food bowl is a rare thing!
To make a long story short, it sounds like you're on the right track! Good job so far and keep up the hard work!
