Wow, that is pretty small for a Lab! Especially a male. Must just be the angle of the pictures then - that one from below he looks like a wolf! Haha maybe it's his build too? Cause he seems very solidly built (not to be confused with fat cause he looks to be a great weight) and not dainty and thin like some smaller, lighter dogs! Anyways, very handsome. As is the pup!
Also, question. How do you correct from inside a fence? E collar or verbal? Because Gator has become very good with the chickens and leaves them alone mostly and doesn't even pounce at the fence anymore but when I go inside he seems to get jealous or something if I am in there long enough. Not if I do usual chores like collect eggs or change the food, etc. But if I start talking to them and spending a lot of time in there. Like last week I was taking pictures which I never do and he got jealous. Or if I let him out at night for his last bathroom break and he wants me to hurry up so we can play, he won't really pounce at them but gets a little sassy ha. I don't mind that as much but sometimes it takes longer or I don't to play. Usually ignoring works though.
Anyway, he's a good boy and usually when I tell him no or leave it he stops doing it but I'd like him to not pounce at all. Stop it before it starts, you know? Is there a way to fix it or do I just need to start spending more time with them so he gets bored?
Those sentences in bold? That should never have been allowed at all...not even the first time. And "leaves them alone...mostly" should also not be allowed. A dog should NEVER be allowed to grow excited about the chickens, not for one single moment. That's the first and most important thing to understand about dogs and chickens. The dog must leave them alone ALWAYS..not mostly. If the dog doesn't respect you when you start that training, you are doomed to failure. First, he has to mind you right away and always or there are serious consequences...especially in regard to the chickens.
What you see as jealousy is not jealousy...that dog currently OWNS you, he is your pack leader. When you do things he doesn't want you to do, he reacts to that and tries to get you to comply to what he DOES want you to do...people mistakenly think that the dog is jealous or that he is protective, but it's not that at all...he's just doing his job as the current pack leader. That order has to be switched or you will never be able to train him effectively on anything and especially on the chickens. Every single dog has a prey drive, some more than others but they all have it. In order to turn off that prey drive around chickens, he needs an effective pack leader that directs the pack on what they are allowed to do, when they are allowed to do it and where.
I'd work on becoming a pack leader first. I know a lot of folks don't like Cesar Milan, but he's the only man I've ever seen who really understands dogs and understands the pack relationship. I'd watch a truckload of his vids...you can find them all over YT. Pay special attention to his vids on establishing pack leadership. I had never seen any of his vids when I trained Jake, but when I did watch Cesar in action, I realized he was basically doing what I had been doing with Jake...and watching his vids gave me even more good ideas along that line. I've utilized a few things I saw Cesar do and they work like a charm~mainly leash work and feeding time training.
Once you get that under your belt, it won't matter if you are inside the fence or outside the fence, when you talk, he will listen much better than he does now....and he'll likely just wait patiently until you get done doing whatever you are doing.
