HELP to teach new puppy not to chase chickens

[Lemonade72]

I'm looking for any tips or advice to teach my new nine week old puppy it is not all right to chase the chickens, I have mostly silkies guineas and bantam Polish but a couple full-grown Wyandotte Hens the guy at the Feedmill told me to put her in with them while she is still smaller then them so she respects them and avoids them, I see that to a point but why traumatize them all ... she is not a herding, hunting or terrier breed so no natural instincts should be at play but it's basic puppy curiosity at fun toys that play "keep away"... I professionally train dogs but this is a new one for me...

 

[Allie Grace Sanders]

Walk around the chickens with her on a long lead. When she starts to chase them, yank the lead and give a sharp "NO!"

 

[Folly's place]

I start on leash, with a puppy that already knows "leave it!" and has general early leash training. Six foot lead, time spent around chickens, learning that they are verboten.
Then longer leash, same training.
Then either very long lead, electric training collar, or lounge whip, to reinforce training in chicken avoidance.
My bird dog puppies were easy to train, being very interested in working with/ for me. My adult rescue terriers (terrors!) are much more difficult, and I've gotten lazy and used fencing to solve the problem. Mary

 

[Sara Ranch]

A few suggestions...

1. Head leash. It gives you greater control over your puppy when out and about. The head leash doesn't hurt the dog either, if you need to yank it.

2. Smell. Dogs love to smell. I have two 100# plus puppies in training right now. While I can't bring everyone to the doggies to smell (my cows said NOT happening and they weigh a LOT more than the puppies...) I do bring over as many animals as possible for the dogs to sniff through out the day. Tonight was actually the first time they didn't want to sniff a chicken. My guess is they were tired of smelling THAT chicken. They ignored him!

It takes a lot of time and patiences to train the puppy to ignore the chickens. I do most of my work alone.

 

[Folly's place]

I agree. don't expect perfection fast. Young dogs are willing to 'try again' as they mature, and need supervision for a long time. Mary

 

[Sparrowsong98]

My dogs ere are taught by chickens. One was chased away by the rooster, and the other bit a chickens tail, pulled the feathers out, and swallowed them. She hacked up feathers all night. Never did touch a bird ever again. That said, I never did train a single dog.

 

[Folly's place]

A friend of mine, many years ago, had a broody hen beat up her young boxer, He too never bothered the chickens after that. Every dog is different, and I'm sure my current terriers would come back for a rematch, and plan to win. Mary

 

[micstrachan]

When my dog (who is technically still a puppy) was a puppy, my Rusty girl (who, sadly, is no longer with us) put the puppy in line. I have always been very firm with her when it comes to the chickens. She knows they are part of the family (flock in chicken speak, pack in dog speak.)
I think it’s wise you are socializing them now. Today, my dog runs around the chickens and they only get out of her way if she is in full sprint. Even though Rusty is gone, two of the chickens stand up to andchallenge the dog. One girl who was a hen when the dog was a little pup, and one who was a tiny chick when she was a little pup. I love how they all seem to understand they are all part of the family.
So... after that long rambling, my advice would be to be very firm and don’t take chances. A playful puppy or dog can easily and severely harm a chicken accidentally. And once they get the taste of blood, there may be no going back.
I missed what breed of dog? Mine’s a border collie, and I’d love for her to heard the chickens someday if I had the patience snd drive to train her.

 

[Kathy Golla]

If you are a dog trainer it's an obvious comment that you should be informed as to what breed your dog is and educate yourself about how that breed might react to small fast moving prey animals.
Do you know for sure what breed the puppy is?

 

[TalkALittle]

In what capacity do you professionally train dogs? What's your background and how long have you been at it? How would you reduce the occurrence of any behavior? As a professional dog trainer what would you do if this were a dog pulling on the leash, inappropriately jumping on people, mouthing, stealing food from the garbage, or any other undesired behavior?