Socializing a new puppy to chickens, any successful strategies?

[Friendly_Lurker]

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???

I knew a neighbor dog with soft mouth once. Long, hilarious story. So, this dog, Shenaide, thought all the poultry belonged to her owner. One day, my little golden bantam went missing. The neighbor in question found her in the her kitchen. Then the bantam rooster went missing, and the neighbor called us up, saying that there was an “ittie-bittie rooster crowing in her kitchen”. We went and collected him, and a duck was kidnapped shortly after. Now she’s got fences! No more kidnapped birds! The stolen birds were always found unharmed.

 

[sunshine ducky]

This is my dog he is a Bernese Mountain dog, they are a very docile breed. I got him when he was a very tiny puppy! I exposed him to chickens and ducks right away, so he would get used to them. Whenever I let the hens free range I would make sure if he chased or tried to kill a hen it was wrong by shouting at him. He was scared whenever I did but it got the point across. Whenever he would just exist with the hens and not do anything to them I would reward him. After 2 years of age and solid training, I never needed to watch him anymore with my hens. He happily coexists with them as you can see lol.

So my best tips:
- Get a docile/livestock dog breed
- Get them as puppy's (easier when they have been exposed to livestock their whole life)
- Be willing that it may take up to two years of training to get the dog costumed to living around hens and protecting them.

good luck, i'm sorry to hear about your old dog passing away and I hope you get a new one equally as awesome.

 

[CoopersFarm]

Great question. I am in the exact same boat.

 

[micstrachan]

First, a disclaimer...dogs are like people and they all have different personalities; however, my four dogs are great with the chickens. They are all strictly house dogs who go outside to play and do their business, but I don’t have to supervise them with the chickens who free range in the back yard. I got my day old chicks May 2019, and my dogs were 13, 11, and 4 (boxer, pug, boxer). In the same week I adopted a mixed breed puppy (Pointer/lab/bulldog/Heinz 57) who was about 12-15 weeks old. When the chicks were in the brooder I would put them in a baby pool and let the dogs look at them. When I started letting the chicks outside with supervision, I just let the dogs out with them. They were harmonious from the very start. My only issues with dogs and chickens have been that the dogs are interested in the chicken food and poop, and in the compost and chicken scraps. Also, the puppy knows that eggs are food, because my dogs eat a raw diet that included whole raw eggs. So, if an egg is laid on the ground, it’s a snack for someone.

All of this to say that when I dog sat for my sister’s puppy who is the same age as mine, I didn’t put the ladies up when I let her outside. She chased immediately and had to go out on a leash the rest of her visit.

Consistency and reminding dogs what is expected behavior is the best advice I can give though. I speak to my dogs like the are human, and they act like humans.View attachment 2005347View attachment 2005348View attachment 2005349View attachment 2005350View attachment 2005351View attachment 2005352View attachment 2005353

Wow, these are some fabulous photos of chicks interacting with your dogs! My dog is to jumpy to allow a chick to sit on her, but she does love being around them!

 

[Dr.Dale]

So we have two livestock guardian dogs specifically for the purpose of protecting our chickens. We have coyotes, foxes, raccoons, stray dogs, and hawks. We don’t put our chickens up at night, they roost where they want, and our shelter is in no way predator proof. We have not lost a single bird while our dogs were on guard. It is no exaggeration to say that they are the key to our whole operation.

Breed matters! While there is some variation from individual to individual breed traits are your best indication of what you can probably expect. Your dogs don’t need to have a pedigree, but meet the breeder and look at their dogs and make sure you feel comfortable. We did not go with the first breeder we met.

With a good breed things will go easier. Keep the dogs and chickens next to each other where they can see, smell, and hear each other but no contact. Let them get used to each other for quite some time.

Next, put the dogs on a leash and let them interact with the chickens while on the leash. Correct them early and firmly. You don’t need to be angry with the dogs, but you need to be firm. You are in charge and the chickens belong to you, they are not toys for the dogs to play with.

After several weeks of that, once they are reliable on the leash, then let them off the leash with close supervision. Very close at first. As you see them behave well you can gradually increase your distance. The timing for all of this depends on the dog. Go slowly. Even with good dogs this is critical to do right.

Even after you have moved to unsupervised time you will need to be vigilant. Be aware that dogs can be good as puppies, regress for a time between 12-18 months (think teenagers) and then go back to being good after they mature. Watch for any regression and be willing to retrain as needed.

Also, sometimes dogs misunderstand things. When the roosters first started mounting the hens the dogs thought that was bad and broke it up. They needed to be taught to leave them alone. There is no need for anger, but firm authority. The dogs are to protect the chickens from predators, not from other chickens.

 

[2hotchicks]

We have a border collie who was raised with the chickens. She (the dog) is not very high in the pecking order! I wish I could give you a strategy. Border Collies are super smart and she has always been eager to please. We taught her not to use her teeth on US by yelping. I think the chickens taught her themselves. They were pretty bossy and would peck her to put her in her place. If she tried to play rough, we’d firmly growl at her. She learned quickly that the chickens are part of the family and excitedly runs to their gate when it’s time to let them out for freerange time. Here she is with my alpha hen a few months ago...View attachment 2005188

And here she was with the hens as a puppy...
View attachment 2005189

I love it & I suspect she (dog) would protect her flock if needed.

 

[2hotchicks]

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.

I agree with puppy observing you interacting with & feeding the chickens. Make sure puppy sees chickens getting fed before him. The most important members of the pack eat first. I always feed my house cats before I feed my dogs to show my dogs that my cats are important pack members.

 

[aart]

Hows your new pup doing @MiaS ?

 

[2hotchicks]

She's a Portuguese water dog, locally raised by a CKC breeder. Hoping for a confident little friend who's active and smart but with an off button. So far the off button on the puppy biting has been a bit hard to activate I love black and white too. I wear a lot of it and I do find that people tend to choose dogs who both look and act like them.

Sometimes the off button is difficult to find. I remember those days fondly - puppy bouncing off the walls, with an attention span of 30 seconds lol. Remember, one day you will look back on these times & laugh in amazement that your little wild thing (as I called mine) has become a loving & reliable companion.

 

[2hotchicks]

I knew a neighbor dog with soft mouth once. Long, hilarious story. So, this dog, Shenaide, thought all the poultry belonged to her owner. One day, my little golden bantam went missing. The neighbor in question found her in the her kitchen. Then the bantam rooster went missing, and the neighbor called us up, saying that there was an “ittie-bittie rooster crowing in her kitchen”. We went and collected him, and a duck was kidnapped shortly after. Now she’s got fences! No more kidnapped birds! The stolen birds were always found unharmed.

That's hilarious. If we don't give our dogs a job they will find one themselves. Extra points for unharmed birds!