Dog Chasing Chickens

[TheyBeChillin]

Hello! I have a five month old Sheltie. I was hoping y’all could give me some training tips to get him not to chase my chickens. He never tries to attack them, but he is stressing them out by chasing them. To train him so far, I have placed him on a leash around the chickens, telling him to sit and giving him treats and praise when he behaves by ignoring them. However whenever he is off the leash, he will immediately chase them. Is consistency key here or are there other tips and tricks I can use to get him adjusted? Thanks!

P.S He is very food and praise motivated!

 

[TexasBlues]

Keep up the leash work until he is trustworthy. Add a longer leash or let him drag the leash around also so you can keep control. Toss treats on the ground when you are around the chickens so he goes after the treats while ignoring the chicks.

 

[TheyBeChillin]

Keep up the leash work until he is trustworthy. Add a longer leash or let him drag the leash around also so you can keep control. Toss treats on the ground when you are around the chickens so he goes after the treats while ignoring the chicks.

Okay, thanks!

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I love Shelties! I used to show them for a breeder. They are incredibly smart! That herding DNA is strong so it's what he wants to do, herd them, not eat them. My horse hated all of my dogs except for my Sheltie, he would let him trot right next to his legs. But that was after he was Novice obedience trained and well under my control off leash. Other animals respect the herding but you have to get it in check... Give commands associated to treats like you are. Some people say "leave it," I give one quick correction when I see them obsessing, with "be nice to chicken." I've just learned to use my own commands so that my dog hears me above the typical commands being given in the ring, it really doesn't apply here though, lol. A treat is when you can see no obsessing and relaxed. It does sound like you're doing the right thing! Your patience and consistency will for sure pay off. He'll be herding them like a rooster soon enough!

 

[lomine]

I had my dog on a long line for the first few months. I didn't always hold the other end, but it was there if I needed it. He was doing great, so I gave him more freedom and let him outside unsupervised. When he hit his teenage phase at about a year, he accidently killed a few birds. I say accidently because he was clearly playing and not trying to kill. It was 100% my fault for giving him freedom too soon.

I decided to do positive reinforcement training at a place in town because we also needed to work on him being too excited around other dogs. I think the most helpful commands in this situation are leave it and a strong recall. Leave it teaches them self-control and it's pretty easy to practice inside or around the yard with treats. A strong recall is good for all kinds of situations. One tip on recalls, no matter what "bad" thing the dog was doing, if he comes when called give him tons of praise. You want them to learn that coming to you is always a positive experience. McCann dog training has a great YouTube channel with tons of videos on how to train at home.

Another option might be to look into the training for herding. You can use his natural instincts to herd and channel them into commands. There's a thing called Urban Herding, where you teach the dog to push balls into a goal. That might be a good option that wouldn't require you to train with the chickens and stress them out.

 

[AngelAnela]

Hello! I have a five month old Sheltie. I was hoping y’all could give me some training tips to get him not to chase my chickens. He never tries to attack them, but he is stressing them out by chasing them. To train him so far, I have placed him on a leash around the chickens, telling him to sit and giving him treats and praise when he behaves by ignoring them. However whenever he is off the leash, he will immediately chase them. Is consistency key here or are there other tips and tricks I can use to get him adjusted? Thanks!

P.S He is very food and praise motivated!

I have a huge mix bull Mastiff. He would love to kill anything I stick him on. He leaves my chickens alone because he sees me holding them and loving them.
Basically though, some dogs cannot be trained to not chase chickens. It's just a thing. I'm new to chickens but have had well trained dogs for decades. If your dog doesn't stop, you will have to keep him/ her away is all. Hopefully treating some.chickens like babies your dog will see them as siblings and as puppy excitement goes away your dog will be fine. Hope this helps.

 

[TheyBeChillin]

I have a huge mix bull Mastiff. He would love to kill anything I stick him on. He leaves my chickens alone because he sees me holding them and loving them.
Basically though, some dogs cannot be trained to not chase chickens. It's just a thing. I'm new to chickens but have had well trained dogs for decades. If your dog doesn't stop, you will have to keep him/ her away is all. Hopefully treating some.chickens like babies your dog will see them as siblings and as puppy excitement goes away your dog will be fine. Hope this helps.

Thank you! I have a German Shepherd that leaves them alone because she views them as part of the “ pack. “ I was hoping maybe she might help influence my Sheltie, but so far it isn’t working But I’m glad he doesn’t chase our cats!

 

[TheyBeChillin]

I love Shelties! I used to show them for a breeder. They are incredibly smart! That herding DNA is strong so it's what he wants to do, herd them, not eat them. My horse hated all of my dogs except for my Sheltie, he would let him trot right next to his legs. But that was after he was Novice obedience trained and well under my control off leash. Other animals respect the herding but you have to get it in check... Give commands associated to treats like you are. Some people say "leave it," I give one quick correction when I see them obsessing, with "be nice to chicken." I've just learned to use my own commands so that my dog hears me above the typical commands being given in the ring, it really doesn't apply here though, lol. A treat is when you can see no obsessing and relaxed. It does sound like you're doing the right thing! Your patience and consistency will for sure pay off. He'll be herding them like a rooster soon enough!

Thank you!! Yes, I’ve noticed how smart they are! He knows to sit, down, stay ( we’re working on longer distances with staying ), and touch. He also understands
“ come on “ as follow me, but he usually only listens to come on when what I’m doing is more interesting than whatever else he’s paying attention do. To get his attention, I usually snap my fingers. Snapping means that I want him to do something, and he’ll look at my hand- pointing up means sit, pointing down means down, and holding my four fingers down means touch. He is definitely stubborn!! He knows he is supposed to behave, but he doesn’t always. He’ll look at me, look back at the chickens, and usually go to chase. I may sound crazy, but he gets a look in his eye when he understands but wants to act up

 

[TheyBeChillin]

I had my dog on a long line for the first few months. I didn't always hold the other end, but it was there if I needed it. He was doing great, so I gave him more freedom and let him outside unsupervised. When he hit his teenage phase at about a year, he accidently killed a few birds. I say accidently because he was clearly playing and not trying to kill. It was 100% my fault for giving him freedom too soon.

I decided to do positive reinforcement training at a place in town because we also needed to work on him being too excited around other dogs. I think the most helpful commands in this situation are leave it and a strong recall. Leave it teaches them self-control and it's pretty easy to practice inside or around the yard with treats. A strong recall is good for all kinds of situations. One tip on recalls, no matter what "bad" thing the dog was doing, if he comes when called give him tons of praise. You want them to learn that coming to you is always a positive experience. McCann dog training has a great YouTube channel with tons of videos on how to train at home.

Another option might be to look into the training for herding. You can use his natural instincts to herd and channel them into commands. There's a thing called Urban Herding, where you teach the dog to push balls into a goal. That might be a good option that wouldn't require you to train with the chickens and stress them out.

Thank you!! I’m still in school, and I work couple hours most nights, but after school lets out maybe I could get him into some puppy training classes.
I’ve noticed while chasing chickens he does snap sometimes. I know he isn’t trying to hurt them, but I also know it could always happen. The girls are like pets to me so I wouldn’t want anything to happen to them.
His recall isn’t great, and I could definitely work on having more patience with him especially after coming after doing a “ bad “ thing, like you said. I don’t scold him harshly, but I could seem more enthusiastic and happy when he comes back- that’s for sure.
Thank you for the advice! I have never heard of Urban Herding! Sounds interesting!

Thankfully, he knows not to go into the run. He’s never been allowed in there, and when he’s tried to follow me I just tell him
“ No, no, you get out of there. “ and he listens.