Getting a guardian puppy - any chicken<-->dog communicables I need to worry about?

[Paz]

Good luck

 

[chickfused]

No chasing this morning again.

In other news...dogs apparently like dried mealworms.

This presented an interesting opportunity to completely desensitize Copper to flapping, chasing, squawking, squabbling chickens about 3 inches from her nose and to make her nicely share treats with the birds. Worked without even the slightest bit of chicken interest from her and absolutely no food aggression. They all shared a pile of mealworms, by which I mean Copper ate most of them while 16 chickens fought over who was going to get to the rapidly disappearing pile.

This will be repeated regularly until they're all sick of each other or she becomes more dangerous than she is.

 

[chickfused]

And again, no chicken chasing. I gave her a new chewy toy and the chickens thought she had food and tried to fight her for it. They all did fine though she tried to convince a chicken to play, which did not work and she got charged by an angry hen instead.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

And again, no chicken chasing. I gave her a new chewy toy and the chickens thought she had food and tried to fight her for it. They all did fine though she tried to convince a chicken to play, which did not work and she got charged by an angry hen instead.

Aw, she sounds like she is doing great excpet for the angry hen.

 

[chickfused]

Tonight was rough. She got suuuuper amped up and I couldn't get her down. Had to put her on leash and supervise chicken interaction. As soon as they were up for the night, she went to sleep _hard_.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Following!


This is very, very educational for those of us who don't have any clue how to go about this.

Question: Are you home during the day to work with her? I'm trying to get a sense of how much time this part of the process requires.

 

[chickfused]

I work from home and spend 2 x 10-15 minute breaks and part of my lunch hour with her. She also gets 1-2 hours of person time for breakfast and dinner where we work on training, chores, and do some playing and loving before and after work.

The rest of the time, the birds are her only companions.

To date, I've been able to leave her fully unsupervised since day 2. I'm not sure that's going to continue based on tonight's behavior. We shall see.

Also, I'd like to be clear - I have absolutely no idea if what I'm doing will work or end in tragedy. It's likely to be the latter, but I have to try.

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

Title says it all. I've never even owned a dog before, much less a working dog. I know about how to care for them, having done so from time to time and also from working in a shelter, but I don't know any specifics about chicken to dog and vice versa communicable illnesses. Is there anything to worry about beyond parasites?

If you have never had a dog or working dog i suggest a saint bernard they are very lazy and bigg but still are protective. But they tend to have a low prey drive. Boys are more stubborn so i suggest a girl i have 4 and will little train they all have never killed a chicken

 

[Aunt Angus]

I work from home and spend 2 x 10-15 minute breaks and part of my lunch hour with her. She also gets 1-2 hours of person time for breakfast and dinner where we work on training, chores, and do some playing and loving before and after work.

The rest of the time, the birds are her only companions.

To date, I've been able to leave her fully unsupervised since day 2. I'm not sure that's going to continue based on tonight's behavior. We shall see.

Also, I'd like to be clear - I have absolutely no idea if what I'm doing will work or end in tragedy. It's likely to be the latter, but I have to try.

Thank you. I have thought seriously about doing this, but have all of the same concerns you do. And I'd love to have a dog that would protect my goats, too. This is just about the most helpful thread I've seen since you and I are both novices.

 

[chickfused]

I will say she knows her name now. I've practiced saying it in different tones and even just using it in conversation to see if she reacts, and she does. She will only recall about 50% of the time and only if she wants to. It seems quite clear to me that she is strong willed. She clearly knows commands and decides if she wants to do them. Like "come" or "drop it". Treats, love, nothing seems to motivate her consistently.

Suggestions appreciated!