Hw do I get my new puppy to be calm around my hens?

[FireTigeris]

Oh and be aware of the 'regression' at about your dog's puberty time fixed or not they will regress- be vigilant (11-14 months for the lab I was working with) during this all previous knowledge seem to fall out of their pretty heads...

(still working on borrowing a tripod)

 

[FireTigeris]

Yeah double post...

From Chickens​

 

[galanie]

I came across this reply to a blog post. The writer is describing how they train their Livestock Guard dogs to work with chickens:

Level 1
1. Once house broken, the puppy sleeps in a crate in the chicken coop.
2. The puppy eats meals near the chickens. We do this by feeding the dog next to the chicken coop with the birds near.
3. Chicken chores are done with the puppy tethered to you.
4. No playing is allowed. All other dogs or playmates (children, etc) are not allowed in the area when the puppy is “working” with the chickens.
5. The puppy is not allowed to chase the chickens. Any attempts are corrected with a snap of the leash and a bark-like “NO”.
6. Closely watched bird introductions are done. With the puppy on a leash, we hold a bird and allow the puppy to calmly sniff the bird. Excited attempts to “play” with the bird are reprimanded. We are trying to desensitize the dog to the birds, so this is done a several times.

Once Level 1 is working well – this can take a few weeks - we move to Level 2:

Level 2
Most of Level 1 still applies, except now we try some limited “off leash” interaction with the puppy and birds. All contact must be closely supervised. It is important that the dog is responding to your commands to not pursue the birds. Commands like “NO” and “Leave It” should be understood by the dog. We believe obedience from the dog is the critical factor.

If a chase does begin, one technique used to show your disapproval is to bark a “NO”, take the dog by the scruff of the neck and roll the dog on its side, now glare at the dog. This is similar to how an adult dog reprimands a puppy. As you might notice, for this to work you must be close and watchful of the dog.

Level 2 progresses with more time with the dog with the birds. The goal is for the dog to ignore the birds. No stalking, no excited lunges as birds dart around or fly to a roost, no staring imagining how tasty they might be, nothing. By the end, the dog shouldn’t even look at the birds and it she does she should be reprimanded, LEAVE IT!

She goes on to say that in reality, the guardian dogs are guarding their territory and the chickens just happen to be in it. While I don't think anyone here will do all of this, such as having the puppy sleep in a crate in the coop, the basic ideas seem to be pretty close to what the "stop chicken killing dogs" guy is doing. He is desensitizing the dogs to chickens. They do get their curiosity satisfied about the birds but only in a controlled, calm way such as #6 above.

This was important to me as I just got an Australian Cattle Dog a week ago and this was starting to be a problem with her. (She is grown, not a puppy) She instantly stops when I say NO even without a leash, but it was becoming clear that she was simply curious. I'm so glad I found the above. She's not a chicken killer and I don't want her to be one or to spend $30 watching a video if this is all there really is to it.

 

[SouthCoastguy]

Thank you both for all of the great information!