Thanks! We are the final home for both dogs, so it's been interesting retraining them from old habits. Minnie was easy as she was only two when we got her. Mandy however, we have had for 3 months now, but has 6 years of terrible habits to over come! I'll just keep exposing them to the chicks. It helps that we have the brooder in the house so they have to hear & see them with out touching as well. Luckily we don't have cats, just horses, dogs and how chickens!
Thanks for the advice!
I use a shock collar for when the dogs are being stubborn about learning to not do something. Like running down the drive and into the road, or chasing elk off. I've used the collars since they were about 7 months old. Never had chicken issues with them, but did have the other problems. They get zapped maybe a couple times every few months. Mostly I use the collars to call them back in now. I have them trained to return to me when it vibrates. If they are way out in the brush playing, they can't hear me sometimes. Deer and elk show up any time of day, so having some way to control the dogs helps. The GSD gets a mind of her own when they show up, but now she just tries to chase them off front of the property. Last fall the dummy went after a 13 strong herd of elk when I let her out to potty. She's lucky they did run and didn't kill her. So now the collars are insurance since she wouldn't listen to me then.
She didn't bark at them, just did a magnificent herding move and when one tried to go the other way, circled and pushed it back with the others and moved them off to the back part of the property. If I didn't think I'd be dragging her dead body back to the house for burial, I'd have been able to enjoy watching it better. I want to get a few sheep, so I think she may be willing to help me move them.