She gets amped up like this every day. She's basically an alligator. I think I need to employ less carrot and more stick, but in a way that won't actually harm her. She's going to stay on the leash for the next couple of weeks until she recalls every time. Sits every times. Lies down every time. Doesn't lunge at a chicken every time.
I thought you said she was supposed to bond with the chickens, and protect them.
Yes, of course you have t avoid her chasing chickens (so a pen beside them might be good), but focusing too much on obeying you may be counter-productive at this stage.
She gets amped up like this every day. She's basically an alligator. I think I need to employ less carrot and more stick, but in a way that won't actually harm her. She's going to stay on the leash for the next couple of weeks until she recalls every time. Sits every times. Lies down every time. Doesn't lunge at a chicken every time. Etc. Sure, I'll let her off to play with her ball...if _I_ go get it. Same for other games. I will initiate.
I think this is why I don't like dogs. You must break them to your will, or they must break you to theirs. It's pack dynamics. Cats, which can feed, shelter and care for themselves, only partner with humans when they really want to. If a cat loves you, it loves you because it wants to and everyone gets to be a whole being, with control over their lives. If a dog loves you, you might have had to make it a slave.
I'm icked out by the psychology of this whole thing but...she's a tool like any other tool on the farm. She will have a good life, but I'm not sure I will ever love my shovel either.
That's one way to look at it.
But I think you are expecting too much, way too soon. She's only what, 10 weeks old? Many source suggest two years as the age when a guardian dog can reasonable be trusted with livestock without supervision. Many dog training books suggest waiting until age 6 months or even 1 year before starting formal obedience training. Sources on training a dog to herd sheep suggest waiting 6 to 12 months before starting (that's partly based on physical maturity.) Guide dogs are typically raised by puppy raisers until they are over a year old before they go on for more training to actually guide blind people (yes, they learn to sit during that time).
What these all have in common: don't expect mature behavior from a young puppy! They need to mature quite a bit before they can really be reliable in obeying any commands or doing any tasks.
Here's a specific example, a page on teaching recall for Guide Dog puppies (who are carefully bred and raised to be very trainable, responsible, and people-oriented.) If you notice, they start with an on-leash recall as soon as the person has the puppy, with a goal of a reliable off-leash recall by age 12 months. That is a lot of months of work! (The time frame relates to the maturity of the dog, as well as the time required to learn the skill.)
Yes, of course you can be teaching her things from the very beginning, including come, sit, down. But I would expect it to be something to work on for at least the next 6-12 months, not something she will learn in a few weeks and do perfectly forever after.
She's going to stay on the leash for the next couple of weeks until she recalls every time. Sits every times. Lies down every time. Doesn't lunge at a chicken every time. Etc. Sure, I'll let her off to play with her ball...if _I_ go get it. Same for other games. I will initiate.
I'm not sure what amount of time you expect her to be on leash each day, but as long as she's in a safe place (perimeter fence, no chickens), you can just avoid giving any commands unless you are in a position to enforce them. So if you cannot enforce a recall, don't call her, just lure her with a treat or a toy instead. Work on the sitting for a little while each day, but don't fret about it during the rest of each day (just don't tell her to sit unless you are ready to enforce it.) Work on the recall at a point when you can have her on a leash or long rope to enforce it.
I've noticed that if you can prevent bad behavior in a puppy (fences and leashes are really handy for this), some of these issues just go away when the puppy grows up-- a year or two later. I know one person with an English Shepherd, who says he really settled down around age 3 years.
I think this is why I don't like dogs. You must break them to your will, or they must break you to theirs. It's pack dynamics.
With many dogs, it doesn't have to be that antagonistic. Yes, the dog should recognize that you are the boss when it really comes down to it, but there's a lot of middle ground you are missing.
For example, if you call "dinner" and put down a dish of dog food, and the dog comes to eat, it does not really show anything about who is in charge. It just shows that you and the dog both recognize this signal means dinnertime. I find that most day-to-day interactions with a dog are like that: you and the dog can have a set of habits that work for both of you.
I'm icked out by the psychology of this whole thing but...she's a tool like any other tool on the farm. She will have a good life, but I'm not sure I will ever love my shovel either.
Have you had any other animals that you had to train? Or raised any children?
I think some of the skills are transferable.
In each case, it takes a long time, and the skills build up gradually.
If you don't keep practicing the skills, they may have to be re-learned later.
I never really "loved" a dog, and I am rather fond of my favorite shovel, so I certainly see where you are going there. But the shovel never needed any training, and does not work with me, so my "relationship" with it is quite different than with a dog.
For now, life will be much simpler if you can arrange to let her be a puppy, without too many restrictions but without causing problems either, and work on the obedience bit by bit over time. A safe pen next to the chickens, where she can spend her time when you are not working with her, will really save you a lot of effort. And then you can work on training for a few minutes, a few times a day, instead of trying to make it a big marathon that gets finished soon (because it won't.)
