Some have asked me how do I train my dogs not to kill my chickens. If at all possible, I let the chickens do the training. If the new dog is a pup it is easy. Let the pup in with the chickens and the rooster or broody hen will do the rest. For years I had a little banty roo that would train any dog. Plus he would take offense to anyone bending over trying to collect eggs. Most broody hens will train a pup also. In some cases the hen is better than a roo. If you happen to get an adult dog that goes after chickens, you have to hope the dog is smart. Take the dog to where the chickens are free ranging, have him on a short leash. Just walk him around the chickens, you will know in minutes if he will be a chaser or a killer. In either case he can be trained. A chaser just needs to be on a long lead or rope. As you walk him around the chickens he will go after them. Pull him back and remand him. Do this until he no longer chases the chickens. He will have his off days, but will stop at the NO command. The killer is more of a challenge. Here you may lose a few chickens until you learn how to control the dog and learn his moves. I use a rolled up newspaper as the first line of of lessons. This does hurt the dog, but more scares him. If he hasn't learned his lessons in a couple of weeks, I have a training collar that I use. This collar puts out electric pules on a low level. Just enough to get the dog's attention and not hurt him. If this doesn't work within two weeks, the dog can never be trusted around chickens. There are a few that are just bull headed killers and they should be shipped off the some junkyard where they will be happy. Most dogs want to chase more than kill, in this case if you could train the chicken not to run the dog would get bored and go lay down.
