Introducing a new pup to the girls

[top of the hill]

Hi BYC!

Just adopted a new pup named Fin. He's a 6 month boxer / lab mix. I've taken him out with me in the morning to open up the coop and he is super excited to see the girls start coming out one by one. He doesn't bark, just wines like he wants to play. I'd love to be able to let them both "free range" happily together.

So just wondering, does anyone have any good training tips on how to intergrade Fin with the ladies?

Thanks!

 

[mstricer]

DO NOT let him go if he is in an excited way. Whinning is excitement. You can use a short lead and attach it ti your side and he will now become the follower. Give him corrections if he starts to whine near the birds. If he has a favorite toy, like ball or frisbee, use it as a reward. Before you take him near the irds try to drain his energy by a walk, rollerblading, or playing fetch, Its easier to train a drained dog. Your dog is beautiful, Good Luck, Michele

 

[weimlikeschicks]

I am dealing with this in a way as well. It is the chicks that are new at our house and a beautiful 14 month old Weimaraner who needs to learn to share her space. Right now they are in their brooder and all she wants to do is stare at them. Once or twice she put a paw on the lid, but moved it with correction. I know she would mess them up pretty bad in a heartbeat if given a chance, but we aim to keep that from happening. Once they grow we will do introductions, but with a breed like the Weim (or a Lab) we might just have to try and keep them apart.

 

[mstricer]

She wants to eat them if she is staring at them. My lab was very nice to the chicks, would give them a kiss on command, then one day I failed to notice that he was in an excited way when I said "give the baby a kiss" He tried to bite its bitty head off. Dogs give off cues, I've been studying our dogs, to which my BF has humanized and robbed them of their doggy spirit. But that's a long story, I watch them and try different things to the state they are in, Oh yeah did I say I'm addicted to the dog whisper, can get good tips..

 

[weimlikeschicks]

Oh I know she wants to eat them lol

She is straight huntin dog, although we don't have much formal training on that front. Working on that this summer actually, but we spend allot of time in the woods and I have seen her run down a full grown hare. Squirrels too.

No doubt she wants to eat them, but she is also a very smart dog who does listen well and who has shown the ability to adapt to new boundaries. Never will she be unsupervised, but I believe there is still a good chance she may get along alright when I'm around. She doesn't go outside alone anyway or she'd be off huntin in the woods all day.

Dog whisperer is good, but it's also tv and way over simplified. The fact is, canine dynamics are much more involved than a simple hierarchy. Obviously this is neither the time nor place to go in depth, but there is allot more to it than TSST! and "dominance' (which is a crock... Leadership with consistency gives a much better description). That stuff works on family pets for the most part because they lead such dull lives anyways, but try it with a working quality Belgian Malinois and you will get your face bit off. On the other hand, that dog, with proper leadership, would kill or die for you in an instant.

 

[mstricer]

Nice maybe it will keep coons out of the yard

 

[dixiebeast]

I am training a Catahoula to be our LGD...from day one I have taken him out with me to do farm chores off leash and with no chickens loose so that he got to meet them through wire and see how they were a part of our life...he has also been around the horses,goats and cats with no problems. Then after a few weeks (at 15 weeks old) I let out our crock pot rooster ( because he is evil) for a face to face...he chased...roo sorta ran...and I called him off. It took 2 call downs and here we are 2 weeks later and he free ranges with my laying flock everyday!!He will run behind them if they are running after something but he is not chasing...yesterday I went out to our cat sleeping in the girls nest box and the dog drinking from the waterer with the gals!! It took determination to show him daily they are important...His breed is a dog bred for herding livestock in Loiusianna swampland...now a popular hog dog...he should be able to ward off coyote,and any other preds we have!! Good luck on your training!!

Also wanted to add I had an escaped quail who he decided to catch for me...I was sure when the quail went in his mouth it was doomed but he promptly ( and I have not taught him fetch) brought me a soggy unharmed baby!! This was inside out of the brooder and a 3 week old quail is a tiny thing!!

 

[top of the hill]

Thanks for the responses!

Dixiebeast, I am hoping I can have a pooch as good as yours! He's been coming out for my morning chores and has seen them through the fence. Sometimes I swear the chickens are more interested in him than he is of them, lol. When he's not making any sudden movements, the girls start to approach, then Fin can't take it anymore and jumps up on the fence and they all scatter. Its almost like they are playing a game!

mstricer, you're right, Fin is way too excited right now to let him get too close. He likes to pounce on his toys, I can only imagine what he would do to a chicken!

We have signed up for obedience training in April so I may wait until I have the whole sit, stay, leave it commands at the ready. I really want this to work and have a chicken protector, not a chicken eater, lol!

 

[dixiebeast]

Treat training helps...other than taking 14 weeks to housebreak my pup was started on sit and leave it at 6 weeks old...My rotti was doing that and laying,rolling,speaking,and housebroke by 8 weeks old!! I am a most of the time stay home mom and farmer so I have the pleasure of time to train....set out a time daily after a good walk to work on command training...u will be surprised!! Because the pup will be worked more toward farm work and not my couch dog he will not get all the trick training...from him I need sit,come,leave it,herding and protection...so thats what we work on...different uses need different training but you can have a house dog that works with your farm also...A good big rooster will teach him real fast to respect the chickens just be ready with a net(we use a fishing net) to scoop up the roo before any damage is done...a roo is usually aggressive enough to hold its own against a pup so you can use that opportunity to tell the pup his behavior is wrong by calling him of and scolding!

Dont get me wrong Beau(the pup) is part of the family but he has a job to do...Gator(rotti) was ment to be my cuddle baby and he is...he also loves the baby chicks I keep inside brooding and I don't worry about him around anyone or thing...his problem is he is too friendly and off leash or out of fence he want's to go visit anyone around...and the neighbors fear him because of breed. I am always hearing how he is gonna kill me one day!! Yet he is one of the best dogs I have know...

Thanks for the responses!

Dixiebeast, I am hoping I can have a pooch as good as yours! He's been coming out for my morning chores and has seen them through the fence. Sometimes I swear the chickens are more interested in him than he is of them, lol. When he's not making any sudden movements, the girls start to approach, then Fin can't take it anymore and jumps up on the fence and they all scatter. Its almost like they are playing a game!

mstricer, you're right, Fin is way too excited right now to let him get too close. He likes to pounce on his toys, I can only imagine what he would do to a chicken!

We have signed up for obedience training in April so I may wait until I have the whole sit, stay, leave it commands at the ready. I really want this to work and have a chicken protector, not a chicken eater, lol!