Puppy!!

[greathorse]

I have an Aussie that I trust with my chickens 100%. She was young and impulsive when I got her. I am not a dog trainer, but the first thing I did was make sure I had very good voice control of her, this didnt take too long. I started by taking her with me to the chicken coop every time I went down there with her on a leash. If she showed interest in the chickens I would just give her a verbal dissaproval, for me this is sort of a grunt, you can decide on what works for your dog. I did this on a regular basis for some time a couple of weeks I suppose, I made sure we went into the coop, into the run and got her as close to the birds as possible. I think there are few things that que up the predator response as much as making sure there is a distance.

As she began to get less and less interested I began to take her to the coop on my heel and of course paid very close attention. When it looked like this was going pretty good I would let her out into the yard with the chickens and would again correct her verbally if she showed any interest. It takes some practice to know whether or not she is just watching them or showing interest from a predator perspective.

It was all part of what I thought was a natural interaction with both my chickens and the dog.

I think the very first place to start is to allow her outside when the chickens are safely in a run and correct when whe shows any sign of chase or aggression.

Hope this helps. This entire process was the better part of a summer I suppose. Really big deal is to observe whether or not the dog is excited by the chickens when they are in the run.

 

[LizFM]

Some dogs are high prey drive and when that kicks in they are blind, deaf and dumb to everything else. That excitement of seeing something move away from them just takes over. My dog is like that. A probable GSD mix (from the pound). High prey drive and low impulse control. Hard to walk down the street when wind is blowing the leaves because she tries to chase them.

She's been the star of every obedience and agility class we've ever taken (and we've been to several, not just beginner), the smartest dog I've ever had, but there is no way I trust her off leash. She knows when she's on leash and when she's not. SHe's like some kids...who will decide the eventual punishment is worth the fun of what they want to do.

I did have a 'remote training collar' ('shock' collar). It worked when she was wearing it, and enabled her to be off leash. It had both a "beep only" and 10 progressive settings for how strong a buzz it gave. At the lowest setting it was more like a vibrating cell phone. I used it on myself (wrapped it around my arm) before I used it on her, and never went above about a 3 on it...enough to be slightly painful but not horrible. It worked great because she knew I could still "reach" her no matter how far away she was. It eventually wore out and I haven't replaced it.

She's 5-6 years old and she's still in a crate when we're not home. We have elderly cats who she will tease to try to make them run if she thinks she can get away with it, and I know there is a possibility that she could accidentally do major damage if I'm not there to nip it in the bud. She will chase outdoor cats if she's off leash, yet at the same time, when she's on leash she's great with those same cats and strange cats will walk right up to her.

My guess is your puppy probably has no idea why all of the sudden you descended on him and beat him while he was out playing. Dogs will "act guilty" because they know you're mad...that doesn't mean they "know they did something wrong". Chances are they just come to the conclusion you're an unpredictable psycho who suddenly attacks dogs for no apparent reason. To teach them to leave something alone (at least, while you're there), you have to catch them it *the second* they get the idea to do it...not while they're in the act.

For chickens, this would require being outside and having your eyes on the puppy so that the second he sees the chicken and alerts to it, you correct him and tell him NO. No beating required. This means the THOUGHT of chasing chickens is corrected, the INTEREST in chickens is corrected. Then the second he complies and looks away, you let him know that was good (you can't just tell them No all the time, when they're doing right you have to tell them Yes). Then distract him with a toy or game.

As another poster said, he's already done this 3 times so you will never be able to trust him outside around chickens. Old school farmers would have shot him by this point.

It's not his fault he killed the chickens. He's a dog, he did what dogs do. It's your fault he had the opportunity to do it. Especially 3 times. If you're not willing to go to all the trouble of seeing to it he never gets the *opportunity* to do it again, then please find him a home that has no chickens or other livestock to chase. You will both be happier.

 

[greathorse]

Sounds like you have some work left to do with your GSD. I would be looking for some respect and voice recall.

 

[twentynine]

get rid of the dog or get rid of the chickens!!!!!

Anything less will only cause you greater sorrow at a later date.

 

[LizFM]

Quote:
I'm not sure if you're referring to me or the OP.

If you're referring to me. She is a probable GSD mix from the pound. No idea of her actual background (she was a street stray, picked up when she was 6 months old). Her personality is the opposite of a Golden Retriever. More like a Belgian Malinois (with a bit of dorky Boxer thrown in).

She does respect me. I can take food out of her mouth if necessary. If I put her in a stay next to her food dish she won't eat until I release her. She is basically obedient and people oriented. I don't tolerate misbehavior, but how I deal with it comes from a basic understanding of her personality and how she thinks.

She is high drive and intelligent. That drive is great for many things. But high prey drive, in my opinion, can never be completely controlled by training, to the point that *I* would trust her 100% off leash.

She has a good off-leash recall. But I don't trust her off leash and I never will. I would not bet her life or another animal's life on the certainty that she is 100% reliable off leash no matter what. I will never be the person walking their dog off-leash by the busy road, or leaving their dog outside with the chickens free-ranging.

 

[gsim]

Quote:
Good post and someone who has done it before from what I can see. It takes patience, patience, and still yet more patience with young dogs.

 

[chickeydee]

I have a CSD who will not mess with my chickens ,he knows better . We got him when he was a puppy and we let him out with the chickens . I would take him out with them and show him that they are not dinner if he starts to bite one or chase it I spray him and then I hold him by the collar and tell him no . He has not bother them since and he knows I mean bussiness . He is a year and three months and a 140 lbs . now .

 

[twentynine]

All the suggestions concerning training and behavior modification are great-------BUT---------!!!!!!!


It takes time, lots of time, the chickens don't have that time. One slip and it's all over for the chickens.

Get rid of the dog or get rid of the chickens.

Don't get me wrong I do believe a dog can be trained even one that has "tasted" chicken. However, in my case and maybe in the case of the OP, where do I find the time. I have a job, family and a lot of responsibilities right now, today, finding time to train a dog, it's just not in the hour budget. And to repeat, what do the chickens do in the mean time? One slip and the dog is at'em again.

 

[Miltonchix]

Quote:
He needs to know who's in charge and that you OWN everything. He gets nothing unless you allow him to have it. Food, attention, play etc. The pack leader of any dog pack OWNS everything and none of the pack gets anything without permission. YOU have to be in charge and make the dog understand that. Then a firm "leave it!!" should be all you ever need to control him. DON'T BEAT THE DOG!!! You can get more with an evil look than a beating.

 

[billfields]

Okay, I can't keep up with the chicken breed abbreviations and now we have dog ones!

What kind of dog are we talking about?? Have three BGBHs (big goofy basset hounds) myself