Dogs and Chickens

[Owl Gal]

How do I get my Plott hound used to being around the chickens? I showed him them once, and he seemed a little too obsessed with them.

 

[nuthatched]

Patience. If it's an older dog, it may be a rough battle.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

The trick is to desensitize them and make it seem like the chickens are no big deal. It takes time, and self control on your part, but it works (for most dogs).

I used this video to guide me.

Also, teaching your dog a "leave it" command is very useful during this training. "Leave it" just tells the dog to stop engaging with whatever they are looking at or interacting with. There are plenty of training videos for that on youtube. I personally used balanced training, with praise being the positive reinforcement and an e collar being the positive punishment. I love this command because you can use it for anything. Dog starts to sniff some food on the counter? Leave it! Dog starts looking a little too interested in a chicken? Leave it!

 

[NatJ]

How do I get my Plott hound used to being around the chickens? I showed him them once, and he seemed a little too obsessed with them.

Can he walk nicely on a leash? You might try taking him for a walk, on leash, near the chicken pen-- several times each day for several days. Just walk on by, or walk back and forth, but don't let him try to chase them or stop to sniff.

That helps him get used to the chickens being there, but being a thing to ignore.

How he acts over several days will tell you a lot about what other training he will need. He will almost certainly need more training. This is a starting point, and a way to start figuring out whether this will be quick & easy or long & hard. Some dogs never learn to behave well around chickens, some learn it fairly easily, and most are somewhere in the middle.

I would not let him run loose near or around the chicken pen, at least for the first few days, because he will probably get all excited, which will scare the chickens so they run and flap, which will make him more excited... not a good cycle to get started.

 

[kittyvamp1884]

My hound dog has been obsessed with our chickens since we got them. At first. It was entirely too much interest, but we thoroughly desensitized him to the chickens through exposure while they were still chicks. Now he's terrified of our Brahma roster, and won't go outside unless I pick the rooster up first. We think something happened between them while I was at the hospital giving birth in August, but we don't know for sure.

Enjoy some pictures of Revan (Foxhound) and the chickens:

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

My hound dog has been obsessed with our chickens since we got them. At first. It was entirely too much interest, but we thoroughly desensitized him to the chickens through exposure while they were still chicks. Now he's terrified of our Brahma roster, and won't go outside unless I pick the rooster up first. We think something happened between them while I was at the hospital giving birth in August, but we don't know for sure.

Enjoy some pictures of Revan (Foxhound) and the chickens:

So so sweet! He seems like such a nice dog. I love hounds so much but I wouldn't get one until I move out to the country one day. There sure are loud and love to have lots of space!

Sweet photos. Thanks for sharing.

 

[kittyvamp1884]

So so sweet! He seems like such a nice dog. I love hounds so much but I wouldn't get one until I move out to the country one day. There sure are loud and love to have lots of space!

Sweet photos. Thanks for sharing.

He is such a sweet boy. Stubborn as all get out, but super sweet. The hardest I've had to chicken train thus far.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

He needs some desensitization to the chickens. I like the video posted above.
Walking him on leash teaching him leave it. I taught mine gentle( i use this all the time now, never thought id need to use the command as much)
My retriever acts like the chickens are her babies, and when there are chicks and one chirps she quickly runs over to the brooder and watched it. She was a puppy when we got chickens so she has been around them since a few months old.
Now my other retriever, he will try anything to kill the chickens. He is a high prey drive bird dog.