Livestock guardian dogs

[mossyroo]

We have what we have. 1 buck, 2 does, 3 doelings, 10 chickens, 2 horses that all roam together. She won't be out there full time until she is old enough to not get beat up by the goats, knows to stay out of the way of the Alpha mare, and can be trusted with the chickens. She already gets on with the buck who is very friendly and we may be on the next round of kids before we get close to this point.

 

[Alex1010]

Hey just bought a German Shepard puppy how do I train it so it won't kill my chickens when it's big? I put her out there with them and she didn't bother them but how do I train her so she'll protect them? Any help please. Want to train her before she gets too big

 

[Phoenixxx]

Hey just bought a German Shepard puppy how do I train it so it won't kill my chickens when it's big? I put her out there with them and she didn't bother them but how do I train her so she'll protect them? Any help please. Want to train her before she gets too big

At some point she/he'll discover that they look like fun to play with. When that happens, any time the puppy goes for a bird grab it by the nape and sharply pin it to the ground while saying "no". Also teach it to be gentle and not to bite. My big girl comes to the coop with me at lock-up to say "good night". I let her "handle" the chickens but I stop her when she tries to grab one and pull it off the roost. I give her "babies" once in a while, too. She likes to take them to the couch and give them a thorough bathing. These exercises I use for teaching "gentle" and "no bite". Of course, trying to tell the difference between a bite and a gentle mouth grab is a bit tricky. They try to escape so, naturally, she has to pick them up and put them back in position.

Guarding should come naturally. Will a shepherd fight to the death to save one of its chickens? Probably not. For that level of dedication you would need to look at one of the true LGD breeds. If all you're after is keeping the smaller predators away and an alarm when a visitor comes calling, I'm sure the shepherd will perform fantastically.

 

[Alex1010]

At some point she/he'll discover that they look like fun to play with. When that happens, any time the puppy goes for a bird grab it by the nape and sharply pin it to the ground while saying "no". Also teach it to be gentle and not to bite. My big girl comes to the coop with me at lock-up to say "good night". I let her "handle" the chickens but I stop her when she tries to grab one and pull it off the roost. I give her "babies" once in a while, too. She likes to take them to the couch and give them a thorough bathing. These exercises I use for teaching "gentle" and "no bite". Of course, trying to tell the difference between a bite and a gentle mouth grab is a bit tricky. They try to escape so, naturally, she has to pick them up and put them back in position.

Guarding should come naturally. Will a shepherd fight to the death to save one of its chickens? Probably not. For that level of dedication you would need to look at one of the true LGD breeds. If all you're after is keeping the smaller predators away and an alarm when a visitor comes calling, I'm sure the shepherd will perform fantastically.

Thanks a lot training will start today, hopefully she catches on soon. I have ducks and a peacock too. We'll see how it goes today I'll let you know.

 

[aart]

Thanks a lot training will start today, hopefully she catches on soon. I have ducks and a peacock too. We'll see how it goes today I'll let you know.

Will likely take 1-2 years of consistent work before pup is trained enough to be left alone with livestock.
This is an excellent resource for learning to train dogs for livestock:
http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/guard-animals/

 

[Phoenixxx]

Thanks a lot training will start today, hopefully she catches on soon. I have ducks and a peacock too. We'll see how it goes today I'll let you know.

Some are faster than others. Athena's sister only needed to be pinned by her owner twice - she's been able to be loose and wholly trustworthy with her flock for months. She also happened to be lucky enough to have older, experienced LGDs to learn from. My Athena, on the other hand, needs constant reinforcement since she's the first dog. I brought some roosters home a week ago and put them in an unused pen. Athena figured it'd be a great idea to lob herself over the fence and through the cover netting to investigate the new guys! Rather than reinforce the fence, I spent time teaching her that she is not to climb up or go in. Now when she puts a paw up, I just holler "down!" from the kitchen window and she begrudgingly obeys She also still is compelled to chase when one is loose whereas her sister on another farm ignores her livestock. Athena is getting better at "stay" but she can only resist temptation for so long! So, every dog, even from the same litter, is different. The younger pup I have mostly ignores the chickens, but she's only ten weeks old.

 

[aart]

Quote: That's a whole nother story.

 

[Phoenixxx]

That's a whole nother story.

Yeah, I'll bet. I got a second LGD puppy already but my first one isn't even a year old yet. I'm paranoid she'll pick up Athena's bad habits before I get them trained out of her!

 

[aart]

Quote: Sounds like chicken math....but dog math, and worse....lol.

 

[Alex1010]

Will likely take 1-2 years of consistent work before pup is trained enough to be left alone with livestock.
This is an excellent resource for learning to train dogs for livestock:
http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/guard-animals/

Thanks we'll see how fast she learns