Paula321
Songster
For all new chick owners with a dog, now is the time to train your dog to think he is their parent. Here is a video below describing the process I used to train our dog. A broody is best but training your dog to love your flock will hopefully keep them safer.
Free ranging Chickens really benefit our permaculture food forest, but we have a large dog sharing the same yard. Our dog Shadow is an amazing chicken daddy. When we got chicks, Shadow had never seen a bird up close before. We knew he could be an issue because he loves to chase squirrels. He is also not well behaved with male dogs and cats but since we have a fenced yard, this keeps problems to a minimum.
I watched videos and read many books and articles on training dogs. Shadow has also been professionally trained to use sit, stay and leave it commands. Boxers are around the 50 percent range for both intelligence and stubbornness as a breed so it is not like we are working with a super intelligent poodle or a lab. He is also not a bird dog or hunting dog breed which I would assume would have the instinct to chase and grab birds. At least we had that going for us.
Here are the steps we used to train Shadow. The first day we got the chicks we showed them to Shadow in our hands very well protected. We had the peeps fully enclosed in our hands so he could smell them but not bite them. We kept them in a plastic see through bin with a lid that had holes in it. He was shaking and fearful. He was panting and restless but he couldn’t take his eyes off of them. We never let him have access to the chicks alone at that point. If he tried to get at them in our hands, we said leave it. This went on for three days at least four times per day for a half hour to an hour each time. He could see them with us present and the lid on at all times. If we left, we locked them in the bathroom with the door locked. Shadow can paw at paddle doorknobs to open them and we could not risk him getting in unattended.
On day three, we moved the chicks to our small screened room during the daytime. As often as possible, I brought Shadow in there with a leash but I had my hand gripping the back of his collar so he could not bend his head down to reach the chicks. He sat between my legs while the two chicks ran around like crazy. I never allowed his head to get within a foot of the chicks. After several days he seemed calm and resigned to them. That is when our six additional chicks arrived. It was kind of like starting over. He was panting and excited again and that is not what you want.
Now, with eight chicks running around him, I constantly reassured him. After about four days, he would lay down in the screened room but I was right next to him with his head in a vice grip. The chicks would jump on him and dart here and there. This startled and scared him. Once he got familiar with their movements, he calmed down. Then I blocked him off from them with a tall baby gate and let him lay nearby watching and wearing a leash but not in my grip.
Next I had him on a leash in sitting position. I found this was much better than standing because his head was two feet away in this position. Alternatively, you could tie his leash to something high up so that he could not bend his head to their level. I would only do this under very strict supervision with me two feet away at most.
After a week of this, we moved outside with the chicks. They were about three weeks old by this time. It was very scary for me the first time I had him sit still and was fully off leash with me a few feet away. I took about a week backing up a foot further each day or so. I constantly watched Shadow for signs of stress. Examples for your dog might include panting, snapping, whining, yelping and tucking tails.
Let your dog go at their own pace. If you have two dogs, I strongly suggest doing this training separately at different times and you can go at different paces as needed based on your dogs' responses.
Free ranging Chickens really benefit our permaculture food forest, but we have a large dog sharing the same yard. Our dog Shadow is an amazing chicken daddy. When we got chicks, Shadow had never seen a bird up close before. We knew he could be an issue because he loves to chase squirrels. He is also not well behaved with male dogs and cats but since we have a fenced yard, this keeps problems to a minimum.
I watched videos and read many books and articles on training dogs. Shadow has also been professionally trained to use sit, stay and leave it commands. Boxers are around the 50 percent range for both intelligence and stubbornness as a breed so it is not like we are working with a super intelligent poodle or a lab. He is also not a bird dog or hunting dog breed which I would assume would have the instinct to chase and grab birds. At least we had that going for us.
Here are the steps we used to train Shadow. The first day we got the chicks we showed them to Shadow in our hands very well protected. We had the peeps fully enclosed in our hands so he could smell them but not bite them. We kept them in a plastic see through bin with a lid that had holes in it. He was shaking and fearful. He was panting and restless but he couldn’t take his eyes off of them. We never let him have access to the chicks alone at that point. If he tried to get at them in our hands, we said leave it. This went on for three days at least four times per day for a half hour to an hour each time. He could see them with us present and the lid on at all times. If we left, we locked them in the bathroom with the door locked. Shadow can paw at paddle doorknobs to open them and we could not risk him getting in unattended.
On day three, we moved the chicks to our small screened room during the daytime. As often as possible, I brought Shadow in there with a leash but I had my hand gripping the back of his collar so he could not bend his head down to reach the chicks. He sat between my legs while the two chicks ran around like crazy. I never allowed his head to get within a foot of the chicks. After several days he seemed calm and resigned to them. That is when our six additional chicks arrived. It was kind of like starting over. He was panting and excited again and that is not what you want.
Now, with eight chicks running around him, I constantly reassured him. After about four days, he would lay down in the screened room but I was right next to him with his head in a vice grip. The chicks would jump on him and dart here and there. This startled and scared him. Once he got familiar with their movements, he calmed down. Then I blocked him off from them with a tall baby gate and let him lay nearby watching and wearing a leash but not in my grip.
Next I had him on a leash in sitting position. I found this was much better than standing because his head was two feet away in this position. Alternatively, you could tie his leash to something high up so that he could not bend his head to their level. I would only do this under very strict supervision with me two feet away at most.
After a week of this, we moved outside with the chicks. They were about three weeks old by this time. It was very scary for me the first time I had him sit still and was fully off leash with me a few feet away. I took about a week backing up a foot further each day or so. I constantly watched Shadow for signs of stress. Examples for your dog might include panting, snapping, whining, yelping and tucking tails.
Let your dog go at their own pace. If you have two dogs, I strongly suggest doing this training separately at different times and you can go at different paces as needed based on your dogs' responses.
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