Bonding new LGD in winter

[RoostyRoo]

Hi everyone

I have a young LGD who is about six months old. He’s been progressing pretty well with poultry training, but now that winter has set in all my chickens are staying in their coop and out of the snow so he rarely sees them. Does anyone have advice on how to continue training him/socializing him to the chickens during the winter?

For context, he’s still at the training stage where his interactions with the chickens are supervised while he is on a short leash and he is still primarily spending his time in his
bonding pen next to the fenced in chicken area.

Thanks for your help!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Hey there good morning.
If your able to keep it up please do.
Lot's of good boys sound like your on the right track.

 

[RoostyRoo]

Any advice on how to keep bonding my LGD pup to the chickens in the winter would be much appreciated! The chickens don’t like going out in the snow and rarely do.

 

[Debbie292d]

Any advice on how to keep bonding my LGD pup to the chickens in the winter would be much appreciated! The chickens don’t like going out in the snow and rarely do.

One thing that helps is for the dog to know those are your chickens. Could you bring one out and cuddle and talk to the chicken in front of your pup, then let the pup smell the chicken? I'd do that once a day or more if you can. Then it'll understand those are yours.

 

[RoostyRoo]

One thing that helps is for the dog to know those are your chickens. Could you bring one out and cuddle and talk to the chicken in front of your pup, then let the pup smell the chicken? I'd do that once a day or more if you can. Then it'll understand those are yours.

I thought about doing something like that or clearing a space in our garage and adding a pen and then taking a few chickens out at a time and practicing with my pup in there. My concern was it might be too stressful on the chickens to be caught and lugged back and forth all the time just to be put in a pen with a puppy who is still learning manners?? Granted we would be watching him very closely and he would still be on a leash just as before.

 

[Debbie292d]

I thought about doing something like that or clearing a space in our garage and adding a pen and then taking a few chickens out at a time and practicing with my pup in there. My concern was it might be too stressful on the chickens to be caught and lugged back and forth all the time just to be put in a pen with a puppy who is still learning manners?? Granted we would be watching him very closely and he would still be on a leash just as before.

I'd just handle that chicken or chickens for a couple days ahead. Pick one or a couple you can always choose, like if they're all the same, mark them somehow with a band or water marker. Take them out and spend a few minutes carrying them around and have some good treats, like scrambled eggs or something. In the pen, put more treats. Then it won't be such a shock to them. They might enjoy the special treatment.