Introducing a dog to chickens???

[Shawnna R]

Recently we took a rescue dog (part lab and possibly weinheimer) and she is most definitely a bird dog! I have never had a problem with my other dogs with chickens, usually it takes some time and effort but after a few months my other dogs were fine with chickens. This dog on the other hand is NOT. she tried to eat a chick I had out last week, and chased many chickens in the yard, even catching one at one point and pulling feathers. I am used to a dog losing interest after a month or two, but she has not. She lunges at them and every chance she gets she will go after. I can tell her to come, sit, stay, and no and she listens unless we are around chickens. I have tried introducing them on a leash, and more then once I have picked them up and talked to them thinking like my other dogs she would realize they were mine and leave them be. But this method has not worked well, and when she is reprimanded about it she just goes back and does the same thing again. I have kept the chickens in their run when she is outside and she will walk the fence and keep an eye on them and she has mellowed out some, but the second there isn't a fence she thinks they are fair game. Any advice??

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I would be surprised if you could get a dog that is bred to mouth birds to leave chickens alone.

 

[Shawnna R]

I have done it with three other dogs, I am sure I can do it with this one, just looking for some more suggestions

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Were your other three dogs bred to retrieve game?

 

[heartsizedfarm]

How old is your rescue dog? Do you know her previous life experience?

 

[Shawnna R]

Other dogs were various, two I have now are German shepherds. I was told she was five but personally I don't believe it. The past owners said they have no history on her either found her on the streets, she was kept on a chain quite often and was a very good escape artist, I know they didn't hunt with her, I am not sure she saw many birds at all. But that is really I know about her past.

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Might be really hard to retrain her. Will take constant supervision for a considerable amount of time I imagine.

 

[vehve]

I would be surprised if you could get a dog that is bred to mouth birds to leave chickens alone.

Three year old lab introduced to chickens today. She's used in hunting. We let the chickens out, and she lunged for them, I said "NO!". This is 2 minutes later. She continued to follow the chickens, cleaning up after them, for about an hour until we put her back in.

To be fair, she's been trained not to chase live prey when out on walks and so on, but still, this was a lot easier than I expected.

 

[6of6chicks]

Might be really hard to retrain her. Will take constant supervision for a considerable amount of time I imagine.

I agree, considering the dog's age. With a LOT of training you may be able to train her to leave the chickens alone, but I would NEVER leave this dog alone with chickens unsupervised. The dog clearly has a pattern of behavior firmly in place, and while you might be able to train her to behave against her natural instincts, she's never going to forget what comes naturally to her.

One of my dogs is a whippet/lab mix, and I know that SHE knows full well how I want her to act around the chickens. The understanding is there, but compliance is not, and it may never be because she just isn't capable of overriding her own chase/hunt instincts (if that makes sense). I'm still working with her every day, but I also accept the fact that she is never going to be as good with the chickens as the others are.

You can train a dog, but you can't re-write their entire personality. In that situation I see it as MY job to put preventative measures in place (like a secure run, never leaving her unsupervised with them, etc.) rather than engage in a constant battle with my dog. Train, yes. Behavior reminders & expectations, yes. Anger and frustration at her failure? No.

Keep working with her, but don't expect miracles. And NEVER leave her unsupervised with the chickens, even after years. Her behavior now is clearly telling you what YOU can expect from her. The best thing you can do is listen to her.

 

[vehve]

I agree, considering the dog's age. With a LOT of training you may be able to train her to leave the chickens alone, but I would NEVER leave this dog alone with chickens unsupervised. The dog clearly has a pattern of behavior firmly in place, and while you might be able to train her to behave against her natural instincts, she's never going to forget what comes naturally to her.

One of my dogs is a whippet/lab mix, and I know that SHE knows full well how I want her to act around the chickens. The understanding is there, but compliance is not, and it may never be because she just isn't capable of overriding her own chase/hunt instincts (if that makes sense). I'm still working with her every day, but I also accept the fact that she is never going to be as good with the chickens as the others are.

You can train a dog, but you can't re-write their entire personality. In that situation I see it as MY job to put preventative measures in place (like a secure run, never leaving her unsupervised with them, etc.) rather than engage in a constant battle with my dog. Train, yes. Behavior reminders & expectations, yes. Anger and frustration at her failure? No.

Keep working with her, but don't expect miracles. And NEVER leave her unsupervised with the chickens, even after years. Her behavior now is clearly telling you what YOU can expect from her. The best thing you can do is listen to her.

The whippet part would bring a lot of chasing instinct I would assume. Our labs are fun to watch when they get a scent of a deer. They track it with great interest, but once it takes off right in front of them, they don't know what to do.

The thing that worked for us in training the labs not to chase, was a remote controlled spray collar. Doesn't hurt the dog, but breaks the frenzy long enough for you to call it to you. Of course basic obedience must be taught prior to this. Took us a day or two to get the chasing to stop. Might not work for you, but something to consider.