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First of all - get both your dogs spayed!! One - because it's the right thing to do. Second - because it will help with the chicken aggression.
I can't help myself with this one, and I didn't continue on reading except to the end of the page, so if someone corrected you, I'm sorry for the double dose.You know your collars! Lol. I must admit, I'm surprised.
Personally, I don't even like to use regular collars. I train my dog "naked" usually, unless I feel that there's a chance he can run off. Then I use a well-fitted harness that doesn't rub against his arm pits. But almost 100% of our training involves nothing more than a clicker and treats(for my dog, I use green beans because he has an issue with gaining weight, but for really really difficult behaviors I use chicken or liver). I didn't like using a prong because it literally did nothing. It didn't lessen pulling at all, and he never seemed phased by it. I did finally put it away when he lunged sharply and caused some damage to his neck. They do say not to use prongs for lunging dogs, lol. It's interesting that some people use them for punishment, considering a lot of police academies use them to amp a dog up.
Not true. It is a corrective punishment. Not used to keep dogs amped up. Generally a toy is used as a reward after working to keep the dog in drive. It's generally a reward based training method, but corrections are involved to give a balanced system.Hm, I thought it was a very common thing? I've been told by other professional trainers who do bite work that prongs are used to keep the dog amped up, but not used as a punishment tool.
Due to his arthritis and recently-torn ACL, my dog can't sit or lie down, and even stopping too quickly can further his ACL injury. But he has an awesome recall so I use that if I need to, but he's been taught to do regular "check ins" so he never wanders too far anyway. I do have to walk him on a leash because of leash laws, though.
Dogs pull on harnesses if they've been taught to, definitely. And it is indeed easier to gain leverage. Which is why, when dealing with a particularly strong dog or a dog who lunges, I prefer to start training indoors, and work my up to strange places.
Oh, but this is off-topic! If you're curious or want to discuss more, feel free to send me a message! But I don't want to steal fromthe conversation anymore.
Much of the advice given has been great. I hope that you (the poster) succeeds and all animals are capable of coexisting, but don't be discouraged if it doesn't happen.
my husband said the same thing, I thought he was nuts. We have a park with geese and ducks. He wanted to take her there and let her see a goose.Many years ago I had a confirmed chicken killer. Not his fault - he was a terrier and terriers are bred to kill things. I thought I had penned in the chickens and made their fenced area dog proof. When the chickens were out and about the dogs were confined to the "human" backyard that was encloused with 6' chain link fencing with gate to the rest of the property . The human backyard was like most backyards, garden beds, stone patio, grass, lawn furniture etc.
Like most terriers who are great problem solvers, he found a way. If you can't go over, go under. Not only did he go under, he killed a chicken, brought it back under the fence, through the doggie door and gave it to me as a gift, by leaving it on my bed.
After trying various barrier methods that all failed an old farmer suggested that I get two geese. After they fledged out I moved them in with the chickens. Surprisingly that was the end of the dog going after the chickens. Seems that even the most determined dog takes the hint when his ear gets grabbed by a goose and then gets a good thrashing with goose wings.
Worked for me. In addition to keeping the dog away from the chickens, the geese also acted as flock guards against skunks, raccoons and snakes.