Is there a way to train a grown dog not to chase chickens?

[citrusdreams]

Another vote for shock collars. I use shock collars to contain my dogs in our property and I love it. I believe it would work very well to train your dogs not to chase chickens as well.

And yes, you can train adult dogs not to chase chickens. Two of my dogs were adults when we moved to the country and got chickens. They had never seen a chicken before. One never chased them and I have never had an issue with him. But the other did actually play rough with a guinea and killed it

He knew he did wrong though because he was on the opposite side of the field with his tail down and kinda creeping around. I showed him the chicken and yelled at him and he never did it again. Yes, I know that's a unique thing, but still, you CAN train adult dogs to behave around chickens.

With the shock collar, you'll need a remote control. And you basically shock him/her, when she starts chasing chickens. And praise her when she is not.

I would start right away though: by exposing her to the chickens on a lead. Then off-lead by playing with her along side the chickens. Always praise her when she's doing good and *quickly* and consistently correct her when she's not behaving. She needs to know that the chickens are YOURS and not her playtoys.

Let us know how it works out. Be aware that poodles are very prey-driven (they used to be hunting birds in England), but they are also smart. And if your approval is important to her (which it usually is), she should be quite trainable to chickens. Just be prepared to work with her, and please, for the first time, use a lead

 

[19Dawn76]

If my dog even looked like he was THINKING about chasing a chicken i grabbed him by the muzzle and looked him in the eye while saying "MINE" in a super firm voice. It worked for us. Of course he is the smartest dog inthe world and very eager to please. He has never chased a chicken and we leave all of them out by themselves alot.

 

[maizie]

19Dawn76 has my vote. Shock collars work as long as you work them but dog owners have got to be the boss of the dog with collar or without a collar.
The chickens in my yard belong to me and my dogs know it.
Also if your poodle seems to jump aroung the chicken coop then it is probably not getting enough exercise.

 

[kimbobim]

Yes, you can train an adult dog to leave your birds alone. I have a standard poodle, too - they can be wicked smart, and very, very good at figuring out how to get what they want (among other tricks he taught himself, Jasper can open doorknobs). One thing you should remember - standard poodles were originally bred over 1,000 years ago as water retrievers. Most of my friends with standard poodles use them for pheasant/goose hunting and swear they're better than any other retriever any day - way smarter, easier to train. With that in mind, we were really careful when bringing our chickens home. We didn't need a shock collar, but would have used one if we thought we needed it.

How old is your dog? What is her personality? Does she get a lot of exercise and other stimulation? If she's bored and needs an outlet, she'll probably find the chickens more attractive. Jasper was 3 when we got our first chickens, he's a big sweetie. He is definitely NOT an alpha-type male. How old are your chickens? We got older hens to start with on purpose - to acclimate Jasper to having birds free ranging our 150 x 80 back yard. They were fully grown hens, four/five years old, a couple of whom were feisty old gals and not the least intimidated by our 45-lb dog. He learned very fast that sticking his nose too close got it pecked HARD. He was not being agressive or trying to chase them, just curious and trying to figure out what these new creatures were.

Initially, we were careful that he was not allowed near the birds when they were free ranging unless DH or I were out there with the hose. With Jasper, a good squirt from the hose works better than the shock collar, so we used that for the first few times he tried to get close to them. He learned that he was not allowed to touch the chickens in any way, and doesn't show any interest in them (other than trying to eat their poo

). We have younger chickens now and he's been great with them - the 12-week olds will come perch on his back when he's lying down, or even peck at his fur and he just sighs. But mostly they all ignore each other.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[Brindlebtch]

Another vote for electric collar.

 

[Katy_didnot]

I don't know anything about shock collars, but IMO I wouldn't really even consider a one year old larger breed dog an adult. They may be physically, but not on a maturity level. I would think that this should work in your favor!

 

[eviered]

We have a shepherd that killed several birds. She seemed to go after the white ones only. My BIL is a world-renowned bird dog trainer and he advised us to lay the dog down and put chickens on her head, making her stay there and take it. We did and she hasn't bothered the chickens since. She gives them a wide, wide berth. This has been about 2 years now and she has left them alone.

On the other hand, my Sheltie will herd the chickens. She'll actually herd them over to me when I ask. She also does that with the horses. She won't hurt them, just likes to herd them.

--Lisa

 

[citrusdreams]

Quote:
Well that makes a lot of sense. By putting the dog in a submissive position amoung the birds should drive home to them that they aren't to romp all over them. Notice when a mama dog scolds her puppy, or an adult dog reprimands a puppy, the puppy flops down on his/her back to show he's taking the reprimand.

You really need to speak to a dog or puppy in language they understand. That's why I don't get why some people recommend tying a dead chicken around a dog's neck or beating him with a dead chicken that he just killed. The latter would probably make him hate chickens even more, so again, I don't know what the rationale is behind suggesting that.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

I want to thank all of you for your advise. This is really important to me to have everyone co-exist and be safe. Our two little geese are just about ready to go outside also and we love them. She is inside with them and just stands over their brooder watching.

So.. I got the collar and it is charging. I figured that being here on 4 acres I had better get the long distance one especially if I don't want her to see me shocking her.
I also bought a muzzle just in case.
I will put the collar on and let her get used to it for a few hours. Then also muzzle and leash and take her out.
Dana, lunging is exactly what she does outside the coop. And pounce. She is like a kangaroo. She does actually get alot of exercise because we live in the boonies backed up to BLM land. She has the run of the place.
She is very smart and does like to please but put a chicken in her view and she becomes so focused that she does not listen well.
And she likes to herd too. The poor kittens make a run for it when they see her. But when she does catch them they end up with dog slobber all over them.
You have all given me hope and I will continue to work with her until she behaves.

I love all the tips and advice from everyone and will use it all. Thank you. I will let you know how it goes!

 

[Germaine_11.20]

It is working!! But am I pooped. This is really stressful. You can see she wants the birds and 1 out of four times she is still lunging.
So, always on my toes.

The worst was when the collar came OFF and the baby geese were loose. OMG I had to literally wrestle her and my son came and got the babies and took them inside. I don't know how the collar got loose but it is on good and secure now.
I actually took her into the chicken coop and sat down with her (on the leash and muzzled) She is not happy with me. But she left every chicken alone after the first 5 minutes. Always with an eye on them though.
I know this is going to take days and maybe weeks of training, but thank you all for your help.
I did put the geese on her (they both hated that) and I did grab her muzzle, look her in the eye and say MINE!
In just over 1/2 a day the shock collar has done what I haven't been able to teach her all spring and summer.
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!