- Nov 17, 2010
- 341
- 119
- 174
Quote:
It took a little while! No staring was first. But raising the peeps inside was very important because most dogs do have better inside behavior! So even if you can just bring a chicken in the house for a hour a day...in a cage of course...I would think that would work too.
1. Only allow the dog next to the chicken inside when they are lying down and not whining and carrying on. They may not be ready to lie down quietly next to the cage at first. So start from a distance where the dog will behave. My dog was so excited we started in the hallway for the first week. Gradually we moved into the room and near the cage....but we only went closer when there was no whining and carrying on. I didn't use treats to motivate her. I used the fact that she wanted more than anything else to be close to those chickens!
2. I first let my dog stare at the chickens for a second or two. Then I said, "Hey"! (Or you could say NO!...whatever word takes a dogs attention away from the thing they are fixated on.) The important thing is to say it when the dog is making eye contact with a chicken. Timing is everything. If there is no word that works you can touch them too. On the shoulder works well for my dogs.
3. At first my dog looked at me as soon as I said ,"Hey!", but then she looked back at the chickens, more quickly every time. She understood me but was making the choice to look back! So then as soon as she looked back I made her stand up, turn around and lie down facing away from the chickens. If she wouldn't stay without whining and carrying on then I walked her out of the room and we started all over again.
And that was pretty much it. We did this every day for a few weeks. When she stopped staring at the chickens and was content to just be close to them then I took them out of the cage with her in the room.
To get her to look away when I held them up to her face:
1. I made my dog lie down on her side next to the cage. Then I took the calmest peep and put it on her back. Of course she picked her head up. I said, "Hey!", and pushed her head back down. It only took a few times and she got it. First time my dog shook she was so excited.
It's like the dog has to allow the chicken to come into their space and not react at all. If that happens then the chicken feels safe with the dog. If a dog gets up then they are not ready for this. My dog had to be completely calm and submissive or the peep would panic. They know when something wants to eat them!
2. I did this with her every day for a week or so until she stopped reacting to the peeps walking on her at all. Then I took a peep out when she was lying down regular with her head up. When I held it up to her face she looked at it for a second. I said, "Hey!" and then she pulled her face away herself. She got it very quickly.
By now the peeps thought they were the dominant ones because they had been walking all over the dog for a week! So they looked her right in the eye....Bossy!
It took a little while! No staring was first. But raising the peeps inside was very important because most dogs do have better inside behavior! So even if you can just bring a chicken in the house for a hour a day...in a cage of course...I would think that would work too.
1. Only allow the dog next to the chicken inside when they are lying down and not whining and carrying on. They may not be ready to lie down quietly next to the cage at first. So start from a distance where the dog will behave. My dog was so excited we started in the hallway for the first week. Gradually we moved into the room and near the cage....but we only went closer when there was no whining and carrying on. I didn't use treats to motivate her. I used the fact that she wanted more than anything else to be close to those chickens!
2. I first let my dog stare at the chickens for a second or two. Then I said, "Hey"! (Or you could say NO!...whatever word takes a dogs attention away from the thing they are fixated on.) The important thing is to say it when the dog is making eye contact with a chicken. Timing is everything. If there is no word that works you can touch them too. On the shoulder works well for my dogs.
3. At first my dog looked at me as soon as I said ,"Hey!", but then she looked back at the chickens, more quickly every time. She understood me but was making the choice to look back! So then as soon as she looked back I made her stand up, turn around and lie down facing away from the chickens. If she wouldn't stay without whining and carrying on then I walked her out of the room and we started all over again.
And that was pretty much it. We did this every day for a few weeks. When she stopped staring at the chickens and was content to just be close to them then I took them out of the cage with her in the room.
To get her to look away when I held them up to her face:
1. I made my dog lie down on her side next to the cage. Then I took the calmest peep and put it on her back. Of course she picked her head up. I said, "Hey!", and pushed her head back down. It only took a few times and she got it. First time my dog shook she was so excited.
It's like the dog has to allow the chicken to come into their space and not react at all. If that happens then the chicken feels safe with the dog. If a dog gets up then they are not ready for this. My dog had to be completely calm and submissive or the peep would panic. They know when something wants to eat them!
2. I did this with her every day for a week or so until she stopped reacting to the peeps walking on her at all. Then I took a peep out when she was lying down regular with her head up. When I held it up to her face she looked at it for a second. I said, "Hey!" and then she pulled her face away herself. She got it very quickly.
By now the peeps thought they were the dominant ones because they had been walking all over the dog for a week! So they looked her right in the eye....Bossy!
