Hound dog training

[RJ3]

Being new to owning chickens I'm worried about letting them be free range anyway, but to add to my anxiety we have a 7mnth old 50 lb Coon hound [Doc]. Our chicks are only a week old so I have some time before they are vulnerable to Doc. I want to get a start training him to leave them alone, he learns well and quickly but obviously has a high prey drive. Any advice on how to do this?

 

[mywifewasonherenowiamalso]

my opinion is it will never happen, but im not a professional dog trainer though.

what im doing with my great pareness (3 months i think) is have him separated by wire at all times unsupervised, and put him on his leash when chickens are ranged, and hold him and walk him up to chickens and if he tries to play scold him, if he is gentle i let go of leash and watch very closely. he does very good for his age cause of his breed.

if your dog gets out of control be very harsh, and never, ever totally trust any dog with chickens(like leave and go to wal-mart).
does your dog have too much energy? if so thats not good for chickens well-being

 

[RJ3]

Doc does have a ton of energy. After speaking with our neighbors we have decided we can't have free range chickens. There are so many birds of prey in our area it just wouldn't work. I'm glad I can learn from there mistakes. Luckily, with the coop design we have it will be easy to extend the run. I still plan on teaching Doc basic respect though, and your right I will definatly not be leaving him unattended with the birds!

 

[mywifewasonherenowiamalso]

you can still, just tie doc and sit in a chair outside with them. and only let them out later in the day (not sure but i believe hawks attack when the sun is high so their prey (your chickens) cant see them) but find out for sure