Australian Shepherd chicken chasing

[Clay Valley Farmer]

Neat thread, we start our Aussie jouney in a couple weeks. Hopefully the pup will get the idea that she is in a pack with chickens, turkeys, guinea pigs and rabbits. Who knows how it will go. Sheep are next years project.

 

[hcppam]

Quote:
great training advise.

my aussie jack, is good with the chickens it just took a little time, he will help me to a certain extent, to get them in. Aussie are great dogs.

 

[wyoDreamer]

A 7-month old pup just has too much energy and not enough brains to remember to respect the chickens. Keep working with her and as she grows up she will get better. Just remember, it does get better.

My english setter is three now, he is starting to settle down and consistently listen to comands. He no longer just runs around the yard barking just because the sky is blue! We have over an acre fenced for the dogs and we knew this was the nature of the dog before we "rescued" him at 10 months old.

A "job" for a dog can be many things. Be creative. One friend gave her dog the "job" of walking at her side without pulling. She has fybiromyalgia (SPELLING ERROR) and she walks three or four times a day, so she cannot have a dog that pulls the leash. Her dog is a black lab/australian shepard mix. The dog gets to play fetch in the back yard, chase squirrels, dig holes and bark at the neighbors cat. However, when that harness goes on, it is all seriousness and walk time. She gets so excited about the squirrels that she shakes, but she still stays at my friends side and does not pull on the leash.

Another friend built jumps out of plasic pipe and his dogs job is to run down the yard, going over the 3 jumps, grab the nerf football and bring it back to "Dad" as fast as possible. It burns alot of energy and creates a calm/exhausted 1 year old husky. This pup killed two of the neighbors cats before he started the "job" training. Now he has taught the dog to ignore not only the cats, but the wildbirds at the feeder also.

 

[Ole rooster]

Like one poster said, a tired dog is a happy dog. That is a true statement. Well he may not be so happy but you will be. What ever you do it does take time and patience. Lots of it.

 

[Tracydr]

You could train her for agility. Then she would have a job. Or, find a herding group in your area and teach her to herd properly. Or, both. I taught my labradors, who were trained hunting dogs, not to retrieve chickens so it can certainly be done!

 

[joskt0204]

Really, you just need to get a good recall on your dog, and it won't be an issue. My aussie, Sidda, is nine, and she has had to learn not to chase the horses and chickens (as well as sheep and cows in other settings). Because she comes when I call her, NO MATTER WHAT, it's not a problem. Australian Shepherds are so smart; you just have to let them know what the boundaries are.

I don't see how it is cruel to stop a herding dog from herding non-stop. My dog goes trailriding with me, and she obviously can't be herding what I am riding!

 

[ChicKat]

Quote:
We have Australian Cattle Dogs (aka Blue Heelers)---- YES, you can (and should) train your dog to be around chickens. It makes your life SO much easier. Check out the video "Instinct to In Sync" you will get step-by-step technique to make your chickens safe around your dog. Out here, there is a saying that one good cattle dog is worth 6 cowboys. (sorry, cowboys, I know you guys are good at what you do). We consider our dogs SO valuable. Having more training just adds to their value.

If you need a link, go to my BYC page, and toward the bottom there is a link. You would be so glad that you took the training route.

Good luck!

 

[Ole rooster]

Is the video to be bought or is it see someplace in it's entirety.

 

[KatGold]

Asking or trying to get a hearding breed to stop chasing is like trying to get your chickens to stop pecking the ground, shouldn't be attempted, why ruin a good dog.

Really? I thought a herding dog would be the best kind of dog to get for chickens. Is my thinking backwards?

 

[Oregon Blues]

Really? I thought a herding dog would be the best kind of dog to get for chickens. Is my thinking backwards?

All dogs of each and every breed must be trained how to behave around chickens. Herding dogs are a good choice for poultry, because they are eager to please and once they have learned that the chickens are part of the family, they will extend their circle of protection out to include the birds,, But they MUST BE TRAINED.

I have owned 50 German Shepherds and an Australian Shepherd. Not one of those dogs would bother the chickens. They are very easy to train if they have never chased. If you wait until after they have chased, they can still be trained, but it will take a lot more effort.

Besides the herding dogs, I have owned 4 breeds of sight hound, all were used for hunting, none of them ever bothered poultry. My son had 2 gun dogs that he hunted over. They would hunt pheasants and quail, but not look at poultry. Dogs can be trained to leave poultry alone. You can't expect any dog to be born knowing that chickens are off limits.