How do I teach my dog that the hens arent a threat?

[Turner_Family_Flock]

So, I have a pitbull.
Not one of those small, short, stubby pitties- no, I've got a big, bulky, if not slightly chubby american pitbull.
And that pitbull is afraid of exactly two things.
Weiner dogs.
And chickens.
Don't ask me how the weiner dog part happened because I can't figure that out either.

So, we were always told to watch out dog around chickens because their instincts can drive them to attack and kill your hens.
Tita was mostly just a nuisance.
Baby chicks in the brooder? She'd stick her nose over the cardboard divider and sniff them out.
Baby chicks in the yard eating grass for the first time? She'd come sit and stare at them, and occasionally attempt to bonk one with her paw.
Ugly teen chicks in their coop for the first time? Unice came up and pecked her on the nose when she got too close to the coop.
This was when things went from "The pittie is curious, albeit not hostile with the hens" to "holy shit these birds can PECK and I do NOT LIKE THAT"

Ever since that incident, Tita will not approach the chicken coop unless all the hens are in the garden.

But that was fine. She left the birds alone, they were always fine in the yard together, and then the hens figured out that the dryer vents onto the patio, and it makes the patio warm- so they like to sit right outside the door when the dryer is running.

And the dog. Will. NOT. Walk past them.
The hens don't even pay her any attention because they're not afraid of her, but Tita is too scared to even go out into the backyard sometimes. In fact, she's started scratching on the FRONT door to go use the little pup's room.


I'm not sure where this fear of the hens came from, but I want the dog and the chickens to be able to coexist without fear. Personally, I'm not sure how a 90 pound pitbull feels threatened by a feathery 5-piece chicken mcnugget meal, but maybe you guys have had similar experiences?

How do I teach my dog that the chickens aren't a threat?

 

[chickentrains]

First off, you must understand that your dog is not a APBT.. your dog is most likely a mutt. If it where an APBT, it would of killed the chickens already. they have extreme prey drive.

put your dog on a leash, bring it as close to the chickens as it will go, and feed it treats. Praise and give treats.

Walk her past the chickens, feed her food. Your dog will learn that the chickens aren't all that bad, since when she is near them, she gets food and praise.

 

[MountainWoman73]

Teehee. Not usually a pitbull person, but your Tita sounds sweet. I once had a 100-lb newfie mix who was TERRIFIED of small dogs and tried to hide under furniture to get away from them. He'd end up with just his head hidden under a chair and the rest of him hanging out in the open, shaking.

 

[Mya05]

We have a 70lb Pit mix that is also terrified of the chickens I let her out in the morning, before I let the chickens out, and use a leash, or pull her by the collar to go in and out during the day. Occasionally, my daughter will bring a hen into the house, and our dog will cautiously sniff at the hen's butt. If the hen turns her head, our dog tucks tail and runs!

 

[chickentrains]

Its really not funny. Fear can turn into aggression.

 

[Folly's place]

Well, it's kinda funny. Much better than my rescue pit, who is a chicken killing machine, given the chance.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

I do agree, on leash, with positive reinforcement, walking past should be very doable. She doesn't need to love them, just be willing to get past the birds rather than hiding out.
Mary

 

[CharcoalDragon]

While I agree with using positive reinforcement, if the purpose of the leash is to make sure she stays as close to the 'scary thing' as YOU want her to be, I have to disagree with the leash.

Seeing as how this one particular incident has made such an impression on her, flooding her won't help. Use a long line if you have to, but if you've got a fenced backyard, personally, I wouldn't bother with the leash, especially if your chickens are put away and you're not worried about their wellbeing.

I also would not use the treats to coax or lure, she's not learning anything if she feels bribed or tricked.

I would open your back door, and sit outside between the door and the coop with a bag of treats. If she looks at you, or the coop/chickens, mark and toss a treat BEHIND her. Turning away from something scary is like a breath of relief to a dog- you are letting her know she doesn't have to get close, doesn't have to engage. If she doesn't return to the doorway, it's probably too hard for her.
If she keeps coming back to the doorway, mark and reward and keep tossing treats behind her. No bribery, no stipulations, all she has to do is stand a "safe" distance away. Don't call her, don't hold out treats for her. It has to be her CHOICE that makes her come out.

Every time she gets closer and closer to the coop, just keep tossing treats behind her, allow her to disengage.

It takes different amount of time for each dog, but it will make such a difference to work at her pace without forcing her.

 

[PastyButtsMom]

While I agree with using positive reinforcement, if the purpose of the leash is to make sure she stays as close to the 'scary thing' as YOU want her to be, I have to disagree with the leash.

Seeing as how this one particular incident has made such an impression on her, flooding her won't help. Use a long line if you have to, but if you've got a fenced backyard, personally, I wouldn't bother with the leash, especially if your chickens are put away and you're not worried about their wellbeing.

I also would not use the treats to coax or lure, she's not learning anything if she feels bribed or tricked.

I would open your back door, and sit outside between the door and the coop with a bag of treats. If she looks at you, or the coop/chickens, mark and toss a treat BEHIND her. Turning away from something scary is like a breath of relief to a dog- you are letting her know she doesn't have to get close, doesn't have to engage. If she doesn't return to the doorway, it's probably too hard for her.
If she keeps coming back to the doorway, mark and reward and keep tossing treats behind her. No bribery, no stipulations, all she has to do is stand a "safe" distance away. Don't call her, don't hold out treats for her. It has to be her CHOICE that makes her come out.

Every time she gets closer and closer to the coop, just keep tossing treats behind her, allow her to disengage.

It takes different amount of time for each dog, but it will make such a difference to work at her pace without forcing her.

You seem to know a lot about training dogs - can I ask your advice? We have five 7 week old pullets and a 2.5 year old husky/hound/shepherd mix (our best guess). It's been very stressful letting the chicks forage worrying whether or not someone will accidentally leave the door open for our pup to get out. He doesn't have a strong prey drive as he usually ignores cats and squirrels, however I've noticed that he gets very excited when they're doing their thing in the run and sometimes, he gets into that "let's play" bow and barks a "let's play" bark. One time he got out and ran toward them while they were roaming free, but I called him just before he got to them so he ran off to the side and came back to me with a low head (he knew I didn't want him going after them). So, I don't think he's the worst case but I definitely don't trust him loose in the yard with them. How can we train him on a daily basis to co-exist in the yard with the girls? Anyone chime in please!

 

[CharcoalDragon]

You seem to know a lot about training dogs - can I ask your advice? We have five 7 week old pullets and a 2.5 year old husky/hound/shepherd mix (our best guess). It's been very stressful letting the chicks forage worrying whether or not someone will accidentally leave the door open for our pup to get out. He doesn't have a strong prey drive as he usually ignores cats and squirrels, however I've noticed that he gets very excited when they're doing their thing in the run and sometimes, he gets into that "let's play" bow and barks a "let's play" bark. One time he got out and ran toward them while they were roaming free, but I called him just before he got to them so he ran off to the side and came back to me with a low head (he knew I didn't want him going after them). So, I don't think he's the worst case but I definitely don't trust him loose in the yard with them. How can we train him on a daily basis to co-exist in the yard with the girls? Anyone chime in please!

Please know that not every dog will be completely trustworthy around livestock or small critters. Sometimes it's their personality, and sometimes it's their breed/genes. This is not your fault, because it's not always something you can 'train out'.

Just wanted to get that disclaimer out.

It does sound like your boy could be a good candidate for learning to leave the girls alone. I would start with some mat training and calmness training in the home. The goal being to lay quietly, peacefully on his mat (or bed, or towel) with little input from you. Grab a book or your phone, and be 'boring' until he chooses to go to his mat and lay down to relax. You may need to use a leash if he's very exciteable. Toss treats as reward for as long as he stays on the mat. Be careful with the rate of reinforcement, as well as the value of the reinforcement, as something too high-value or too many will just hype him up. Ideally he gets his treats when he's snoozing away, and suddenly wakes up because a treat has miraculously appeared in front of his nose. He learns that his mat is 1) a good place to be, because he gets treats, and 2) the mat is a place to relax.
After he had mastered the art of the mat-zen, start making it a little harder to stay on the mat. Do little 'interesting' or enticing things- make soft funny noises, move your arms in a weird way, etc. After every sound or motion, mark and reward. This is a game of "can he stay on the mat if I..." The point is for him to win, so if you do something a little TOO interesting and he gets up, tell him he's a silly-silly, and lead him back to his mat. Treats for laying down again.
These are "Capturing Calmness" by KikoPup, and "The Relaxation Protocol" by Karen Overall, and this sets the groundwork for moving his mat outside.

Outside, do the same thing, using a leash if you have to. The goal is to have a relaxed pup while he's outside on his mat, around the chickens. Make the mat, and you, more rewarding than the chickens.
After he is effectively ignoring your flock, grab his leash and start working him on the "Look At That" game with the chickens. Every time he looks at the chickens, mark and reward. If, upon your mark, he can't look away, it is too hard for him and you must move farther away.
If after taking a treat, he whips his head back around to look at the birds again, that's okay- it just means he's not ready to move closer yet.
The goal for this exercise is "if I see something exciting (a chicken), my parent will give me a treat!", you are building the behavior of the dog learning to redirect his attention on to you. Give a mini-jackpot every time he decides to give more of this attention to you rather than the chickens.
Move closer and closer to the chickens, making sure he can still pay attention to you. It is okay if you need to go back sometimes- this is pretty hard for dogs.

If at any point the chickens decide to freak out and run around and flap, mark for your dog and start talking in a high squeaky voice and back away in the opposite direction ("Good boy, come on come on come on, let's go let's go!!"), giving treats when he will eat them. Try to remain more interesting (squeaky voice) and rewarding (treats) than the birds, despite the flapping.

You may then choose to work on a long leash, or off-leash if he has progressed enough. You may also choose to play with him in another portion of the yard- though this depends on your judgement. Would you prefer to keep everything calm and peaceful, or would you want to reinforce how much more fun you are than the chickens? It depends on the dog and what you think the both of you can handle.

I think I've covered the basics, let me know if you have questions.
Pictured is our Husky-mix during her training, she gets to say 'hi' (sniff), and then be called away to get treats or to play. We still don't let them out together unsupervised- her prey drive is too high, and I'm not willing to lose a chicken.