Socializing a new puppy to chickens, any successful strategies?

[aart]

I certainly don't intend to let pup out to 'hang out' with the chickens

Any kind of 'trouble'.....the less you have to 'discipline' or correct, the better....keeps things positive.

 

[jolenesdad]

Of course love what @aart has said.

it’s all about obedience training from a very young age. And that’s really all about bonding with the dog. The most lasting principles I learned in puppy training with my Aussie were these:

Recall: YOU must be the better deal. You cannot expect the dog to want to come to you if you always call it from what it thinks is more fun. You must throw a dang party, and be where the pup wants to be.

dogs don’t know “no”. Ideally, you want to redirect always. Think of never saying no, and instead telling them what you DO want them to do. This is setting them up to succeed.... which brings me to:

Leave it. On the farm, this is the Most important command for me. I use it all the time, and, often in place of NO. It’s a command we learned as a little puppy and it allows me to praise him for leaving it instead of getting “angry” with a NO. This subtle change in perspective has been monumental in creating a relationship out on the farm with my dog. I use leave it anytime his focus takes him off of where I wanted him, whether that’s chasing a squirrel, running up to a visitor, eating a toddler snack, barking out the window, sniffing too much chicken poo, etc.

If I could have a good recall and a leave it, you don’t need much else.

 

[aart]

You must throw a dang party,

Yes, Pup Party! Best thing I learned at an obedience class.

Tone of Voice is powerful.
Joy Voice(happy times) and No Voice(self explanatory).
...and don't mis-use them...only causes confusion.
Clear and Consistent wins the best dogs.

 

[MiaS]

Of course love what @aart has said.

it’s all about obedience training from a very young age. And that’s really all about bonding with the dog. The most lasting principles I learned in puppy training with my Aussie were these:

Recall: YOU must be the better deal. You cannot expect the dog to want to come to you if you always call it from what it thinks is more fun. You must throw a dang party, and be where the pup wants to be.

dogs don’t know “no”. Ideally, you want to redirect always. Think of never saying no, and instead telling them what you DO want them to do. This is setting them up to succeed.... which brings me to:

Leave it. On the farm, this is the Most important command for me. I use it all the time, and, often in place of NO. It’s a command we learned as a little puppy and it allows me to praise him for leaving it instead of getting “angry” with a NO. This subtle change in perspective has been monumental in creating a relationship out on the farm with my dog. I use leave it anytime his focus takes him off of where I wanted him, whether that’s chasing a squirrel, running up to a visitor, eating a toddler snack, barking out the window, sniffing too much chicken poo, etc.

If I could have a good recall and a leave it, you don’t need much else.

Yup, got all that covered...

 

[rehdancer]

I have a Great Pyrenees, rescued at age 3, before we got our chicks. When they were old enough to be outside (and DH had finished the coop) we walked the dog in the chicken area on leash. He lunged at the chickens twice and received 2 light corrections (tug on leash and firm "NO"). He now ignores them. GPs are livestock guardian dogs by natural instinct, which is why we got him, even though he was a city dog all his previous life. We got lucky, for sure. Agree with all previous posts, you need to invest time in training, and I would imagine that your dog could be shaped to retrieve anything, as that is their natural inclination. Could very well have a "soft" mouth, maybe he could collect your eggs???

 

[thimony]

I positively don't expect to let puppy out to 'hang out' with the chickens I'd quite recently prefer to arrive at a point after some time where I could sensibly unquestionably be out in the yard and not need to be continually stressed over my canine..
MyBKExperience

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

Our family has always had Labradors and Golden Retrievers - both breeds known to be good with birds. For introduction to all other animals (birds and stock etc.) we do gradual introductions.

First introduction is where all animals are under strict control, allowed to sniff and most importantly feel safe from each other. Give everyone lots of positive feedback for a calm interaction. Let the puppy see you interacting with your chickens in a way that suggests "this chicken is part of my pack".

Second and subsequent introductions - start removing controls when safe to do so. Allow actual touching and sniffing, positive feedback for correct interactions and redirections for unwanted ones. For our puppies we prefer to use the pre-taught commands "gently" or "leave it".

Remember - puppies often respond instinctively to a flurry of action, so even though they are showing calm and considerate behaviour in a controlled situation, out in the yard a fluff of the feathers or flap of the wings may well incite a youthful lunge or snap... just don't leave your puppy unattended with the chickens until you are 200% certain there is no danger.

 

[50-45-1]

Id like to say that there is no such thing as a bad dog, only bad owners and bad trainig but my co workers dog is an exception.
This will be the 4th golden retrever they have raised from a pup. They love the breed.
So after dealing with serious genetic health problems with the last two dogs, they spent $2000.00 for this pup with some overseas bloodlines that are supposed to not have the health problem tendencies.
Well its a beautiful dog but....it took almost a year and a half to het him compleatly potty trained and now he will sneek into an unoccupied room of the house ( when everybody is home) and rip and tear something up.
My mix breed pup i found on craigslist only piddled on the floor twice. And after speeking sternly to him a couple times when he went to "play" with the chickens, he knew and understoood. He is now outside all day with the other 2 guardian dogs with my free range chickens all day with no supervision.
I hope your pup is wonderful. Basic obediance first. He needs to know who is boss and that limits will be enforced. I hope you have no problems with your new dog.
Please show us some puppy pictures when you get him.

 

[MiaS]

Id like to say that there is no such thing as a bad dog, only bad owners and bad trainig but my co workers dog is an exception.
This will be the 4th golden retrever they have raised from a pup. They love the breed.
So after dealing with serious genetic health problems with the last two dogs, they spent $2000.00 for this pup with some overseas bloodlines that are supposed to not have the health problem tendencies.
Well its a beautiful dog but....it took almost a year and a half to het him compleatly potty trained and now he will sneek into an unoccupied room of the house ( when everybody is home) and rip and tear something up.
My mix breed pup i found on craigslist only piddled on the floor twice. And after speeking sternly to him a couple times when he went to "play" with the chickens, he knew and understoood. He is now outside all day with the other 2 guardian dogs with my free range chickens all day with no supervision.
I hope your pup is wonderful. Basic obediance first. He needs to know who is boss and that limits will be enforced. I hope you have no problems with your new dog.
Please show us some puppy pictures when you get him.

So many rescue dogs turn out to be just great dogs. I was looking for a non-shedder this time and they tend to be harder to find at rescue orgs. Obedience is non-negotiable. We've had our new pup, Wren, for 3 weeks so far. She has been near the coop, helped me 'check in on' the girls, but that's as far as we've been. It's gonna take a long time but I'm hoping we can all just co-exist and that I can trust her, at least to some degree, around the girls eventually.

 

[aart]

What kind is she and where did you get her?
She sure is cute, love black and white.