I am new to raising chickens, and have a female Austrailian Cattle Dog and a white German Shepherd... I also have a step dog, which comes by, twice a day, for a visit, and sometimes, stays for hours. It is a female, which appears to be a Black Lab/Bulldog mix, which caused me concern. Well, I was wanting to let my chickens out, without having to babysit them, constantly.
I spent about a week, with all of the dogs on leashes, and close supervision, during the morning and evening release, just to allow the dogs to get used to the chickens.
I also know that dogs are triggered by erratic movement, so I knew that, sooner or later, the dogs would make a lunge for the chickens. After all, they are the intruders.
So, I would fasten two dogs far enough away, so that they would not be bothered by the chickens. Then, I sat with a single dog, and gave them enough leash, to make a move.
As soon as the chickens got close enough to the dog, and it made a move for the chickens, let's just say that I corrected the dog, with extreme predjudice..... It only took one time, for each dog.
For about a week, they all considered the chickens to be toxic, but now, the chickens graze within 2-3 ft. of the dogs, with no problem... The shepherd still tends to move away from the chickens.
For the last week, I have allowed the chickens out, from daylight to dark, with no problems, and no supervision.
