Dogs and chic's!

[Familyman0803]

I have a five month old Black Lab/Border Collie mix!Well, I am also getting my first Chic's in 3 days! My dog ,Molly, is very high strung and plays rough with our cats. I looked into it some, but how do you all recommend introducing my dog to the new members of the family? I want Molly to get used to them so she does not have to be on a leash when they are free ranging.

 

[Poultry parent]

Don't put them together while the chicks are still little. Dogs will generally try to eat them. Just let your dog see the chicks, put them in a clear bin when they're outside in their run let her see them, and shout at her if she seems a little too interested

 

[JaeG]

Do lots of focused training with her. Keep her on a leash if necessary and start as far away from them as seems comfortable for her (ie. she will pay attention to you and not to the chicks) and treat her/reward her for paying attention to you. Slowly work your way closer. She's got smart breeds in her so it shouldn't take long for her to understand, and it helps to drain that puppy energy. The aim is to teach her how to behave around them so it's very important to put in the training.

Our dog is half labrador (we think the other half is english pointer by the look of her) and she's completely trustworthy with the chickens despite being endlessly full of energy and horribly excitable. If your girl takes after the Collie side then she will want to round them up.

We find a quick, harsh "Uh" or "Oy" will redirect our girl if she seems to be becoming a bit too focused on something. I can also show her something and tell her "Nooo, that's nooo" in a deep voice and she will ignore it (like ducks at the park). If your girl respects you then she should respect the disapproval in your voice and look sheepish.

At 5 months she's still very much a puppy (hell-bent on destroying the world if she's anything like our girl was!) so it will take awhile for her to be trustworthy around the birds. Our girl was three and a half before we she started to settle down and act a little more mature (though she is still often 'puppy brained' especially when people come to visit). But we trusted her with the birds much earlier than that - she'd steal eggs though given half a chance!