Pet dog chasing chickens

[Golden Brahma 64]

This is cooper, our 8 month old cocker spaniel pup.
We have a reoccurring problem everyday with him chasing the chickens. He doesn’t seem to chase them with any bad intentions, it seems like it’s all play to me.
But I’d be worried if he ever did do anything to the hens. Does anyone have any advice on how we can stop this behavior?

 

[PirateGirl]

First he's going to need to learn basic commands. Sit/stay, and leave it are key. If he can learn these without distraction, the same commands and desired behaviors can be taught around the chickens. First is to learn it without the excitement of the chickens however.

 

[Chikkin4life]

put him in a crate and put the front so that it is facing the chicken coop. leave them for a few minutes every day. if that doesn't work. you might have to refrain from being a dog owner.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

My Labrador killed two of mine trying to retrieve them for me when I first got them. Basically I took him out to the chicken run and every time he showed interest in them, he got reprimanded. He's a smart dog and eager to please so it did not take long for him to learn he is meant to ignore them. He still chases squirrels, wild birds, rabbits, etc, but he now knows chickens, even chicks, are off limits.

ETA because of what another poster mentioned, being a hunting dog he was already well trained in basic commands and what "leave it" means. Always always always start with the basics and in addition to the one mentioned you need a recall command such as "here", and it needs to be enforced. Yelling and hollering is easy to ignore when there has never been training with enforcement (which can also be said about some people's kids lol).

 

[TheTwoRoos]

I have been using the stinger method.I don’t allow this,dogs are rough and I have had dogs kill hens by trying to play.The stinger method is basically where I take two fingers and poke him in between his back leg,and rib,don’t poke him hard.It kinda I guess tickle or shocks them somewhat?I learned it from a professional dog trainer on television,it worked.If you have ever been poked or grabbed on your side it sorta of has a tickling stinging feeling that catches your attention,it’s annoying.

 

[Golden Brahma 64]

put him in a crate and put the front so that it is facing the chicken coop. leave them for a few minutes every day. if that doesn't work. you might have to refrain from being a dog owner.

I will most definitely not ‘refrain’ from being a dog owner. He’s an indoor dog and these problems only occur when he’s outside and nobody’s there to distract him.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Folding and squeezing the end of the ear also works. It's used as an alternative/supplement to shock collars for hunting dog training.

Remember that spaniels are hunting dogs meant to flush birds out of brush, so chasing them is deeply ingrained. Also, every dog is an individual so you have to find what works. Be sure to praise him when he ignores them so he knows he is doing the proper thing.

 

[PirateGirl]

Once the dog knows sit and stay and be calm you can transition to working on this behavior near the chicken coop, where the birds can be seen but not touched (fence between them). The dog must learn to sit and stay and be calm around the chickens. Someone else mentioned learning a strong recall. I agree. The dog needs to come when called, even with the temptation of the chickens, but first the dog must learn to consistently come without the temptation of the chickens. Your dog can learn. I've had birds escape and had the run gate open and my dog (who would chase and kill a squirrel or rabbit in a heartbeat) will not chase or catch my ducks/chickens. Be consistent. Work your way up from the basics. You will get there.

 

[lazy gardener]

put him in a crate and put the front so that it is facing the chicken coop. leave them for a few minutes every day. if that doesn't work. you might have to refrain from being a dog owner.

This is one method that I absolutely would not employ. This leaves the dog alone with the chickens, even though in a fenced environment. He learns that he can bark, lunge, and engage in other aggressive behaviors to get the chickens to cluck, scream, flap their wings, and otherwise react in ways that are stimulating for him. All this while he receives no correction from his owner for that destructive behavior.

I would put him on leash, and take him with me to do chicken chores. make him lie down. give verbal praise when he avoids looking at chickens, or remains calm in their presence. My dog has high prey drive. I tried this technique for the better part of a summer. It works for a lot of people. In her case, I had to resort to a behavior modification collar on vibrate mode. 2 collar reprimands were all that were necessary.

The last time I mentioned employing such a collar on BYC, I was called all sorts of names for being so "abusive". Is it more abusive to have a dog who can be trusted around birds, or have a killer dog???

 

[PirateGirl]

Oh yes, bring your dog to do chicken chores. It makes it part of the routine. It makes it something the dog can participate in. It makes it normal. It makes it less exciting. Pair a command with it. I ask my dog to go "check the chickens" with me. Now I can send the dog to "check the chickens" without me and she runs to the coop. This is great when I am suspicious of predators. Also when I have company and the dog is being annoying I give her the job of "checking the chickens" instead of pestering my company.