Welcome! I am from Upstate NY, I am new to this as well! I brought home three chicks this morning and our dog ( a long haired mini dachshund) has a great deal of interest in this chicks. But I plan to do the same as others mentioned - leaving the chickens in secured in a run before letting them roam free in the yard with the dog. We don't leash our dog in the yard so I'd be afraid he would go chasing after them. So like you said he's going to definitely need some correction when the birds come out of the run and thats probably when we'll leash him in the yard to train him how to be around the birds.