Training a LGD with chickens

[havi]

I will be picking up a great pyrenees female pup tonight. Shes about 8 months old. They have told me shes been around other dogs and cats and does just fine, but they dont have any other animals. So theyre not sure how she would do with the chickens. This will be my first time getting a dog for guarding anything. What is the best way to introduce her to the chickens and get her started on guarding them? ANY info would be a great help! Thanks.

 

[PrinceSandwich]

I would also like to know this.

 

[Beekissed]

I would say healthy, supervised exposure to the chickens and consistent correction would do it. I introduced my pup to chickens at about the same age and he learned rather quickly what it meant to leave the chickens alone~took him a total of about 20 min. of hands on training and a day of watching his interaction. Of course, I had already had him for some time and had his basic training down before we got the new flock.

I would advise that you bond with and do basic training of this pup before exposure to your chickens...it will make for a better experience for all involved. Make sure he knows your cues and reacts appropriately to your corrections before training him on livestock.

 

[Grillo]

Just what I was about to say Beekissed. First thing you have to do is establish yourself as the Alpha, because you will need to correct the dog when he goes for the chickens, and most likely he will. Don't be scared I introduced one of mine at 7 months and she had never seen a single chicken in her life. After getting an earful and a bucket full of water right on her face for chasing chickens, she started ignoring them immediately and has never given me any problems since. I wish I could say the same for my other (pyrenean mastiff) female who was raised with daily interaction with chickens and while she does LOVE chickens, she loves them so much that she will lick them to DEATH! She's very hard headed and can't seem to realize that chickens are too frail for her to see them as play buddies. I'm waiting for her to mellow out a little with age but not sure if she will.

 

[busywoman]

First off, I don't have any LDG's...yet. But in all my research about them, I came across this site and they had a great article about training your LGD. I have it bookmarked so that when I do get one, I will have a clear understanding on how to train it. Hope this helps!

http://www.kelownaalpaca.com/LGD Training.htm

 

[justbugged]

I have a Komondor that learned his lesson the afternoon he went bowling for Polish crested. I got home after the deed was done. He got a beating and spent the rest of the day tied to a fence post with a dead chicken tied around his neck. Fast forward 11 years. He doesn't look at chickens to this day. My Silkie did see Big Dog for the first time to day, and started screaming. She doesn't scream about the Yorkies looking at her. I was laughing so hard.

 

[vicki2x2]

I have to disagree with that method. You beat the dog long after the deed was done? How was he supposed to know what that beating was for? Your dog understood you were upset by your body language, but did not necessarily understand the actual deed with the beating. It was far too late for that. They have the reasoning of a toddler, you either catch them in the act or it is too late.

 

[Beekissed]

Apparently it worked....

Maybe my dogs are smarter than the average, as they know exactly what they have done and just who I am displeased with when I speak of the infraction, long after the deed is done. I can walk into my back yard and ask, "Whose been digging holes?" and my Lucy will slink away and go to her dog house.

I can even point to a dog pile that has been placed in the non-poo zones and ask who did it and the offending dog will put down its head and slink away. The other dog that has not committed the crime will stand there and act per usual, as if they have nothing to fear, which they don't.

My dogs act guilty of the crime long after the offense is committed...they obviously have adequate reasoning skills.