Herding Dogs trained to herd chickens

[NickyPick]

My new Aussie puppy has the instinct and the utmost desire to move those chickens around the barn. When they panic, she lays down, then gets up to move them when they calm down. She's even pounced on one that tried to fly over her to get back out to the yard, but she did it with a closed mouth and gentle paws - just held the hen down until I could get over there and pick it up. It was really cool. Of course, she's a puppy, so sometimes the excitement gets too much, so after her obedience classes are over, we're heading out to this place in Waller, Tx that will help me train her to herd correctly. I can't wait. My other Aussie has no herding instinct at all, totally ignores the hens in favor of barking/chasing the horses. HER job, according to her, is to keep me safe, so she's never far from me and works hard to make sure nothing approaches me. ::rolls eyes::

 

[JLGauntt]

My chickens are allowed to free-range in the backyard in the mornings for a couple of hours before I leave for work. My border collies (who were already trained on sheep) help me to gather the chickens back into their coop. It's been a very good arrangement for all of us -- calling the chickens to treats kind of worked, but a dog helps me get the job done in a minute or so even if the chickens are not inclined to get back in the coop at that particular time. And the border collies enjoy the work.

 

[chickchick8]

I have an Aussie and she is a wonderful chicken herder! We go at it a little differently than folks who herd hoofstock, but it works for us and our situation. She moves chickens up and out of 'prohibited' areas as well as pushing them out of the woods when they get too far away and won't come when they're called. (This is not chasing, it is calculated behavior.) I can also tell her to 'take care of it' if there is a fight in the barn yard or a rooster is just getting a bit too obnoxious around the hens. The birds aren't afraid of her but they respect her and generally fall into line. She is never physically aggressive with them.

I love watching her work, especially when she drops her head and moves very purposefully. It's amazing how the prey drive can be shaped. She loves working the birds. Lately, her favorite thing is escorting the guineas off the porch!

Granted, Pheobe comes from working stock with a very high drive and it took a few years to get to this place where I trust her without reservation, but the work was worth it. (She never killed any birds, but as a puppy/young dog she had two speeds: wide open and stop, neither of which were predictable around stock.) She is four years old now. She does check back with me, but most of the time it's from a distance. They don't all feel the need to come back to you every time if you teach them early on to wait for direction on the out.

Aussies are like humans with fur, especially after they become mentally mature. You'll never find a more loyal or intelligent all-around dog in my opinion. They are both farm dogs and lap dogs. Ready to work or play anytime but they know when to turn it off and just chill.

The thing about training herding dogs is to not throw them into it before they can mentally handle it. Puppies only understand what herding is in relation to chasing. They know it's fun and their instinct tells them to go for it. Should something happen and they get corrected, perhaps many times or over zeallously by their human or the stock itself, a diminished desire to work could form. OR the opposite and they just become dangerous around stock. OR, they learn all kinds of bad habits that are hard to work out once the strategic training begins. Keep in mind, you are working on modifying the prey drive. That is what herding instinct is all about. Most working dogs aren't put into training until they are at least 2 years old. They may be introduced to stock, even had instinct testing done, but as far as allowing them to run with the animals or attempting to teach them herding as a whole- that's not a good idea. They just aren't mentally developed enough to handle it.

 

[minaayindra]

So, I live in rural PA and I haven’t seen any trainers around who work with herding behaviors. I’m older and need my dog to corral the chickens to the roost when it’s time and, mostly, to keep them safe from predators and each other (roosters, you know I’m talking about you!). I try to adopt any animal I have and I know there are rescues that have herding dogs. It isn’t necessary to have them around chickens from puppyhood, is it? I would prefer an older dog with a little more self-control, one who already needs a home. Is anyone familiar with this type of situation?