Well, this thing was SUPPOSED to be protecting the chickens.. not the other way around :/

[dacasodivine]

If you really want to make it work, there are a couple of sites that you can refer to in training her. Homesteadingtoday.com has a board specifically for LGDs. The people there are very helpful if you really want help.

I personally do not think you are patient enough to work with this pup. You came here to complain after only a week that instead of guarding your chickens, she was eating them. You also referred to her as a thing, it, him and her. Who does that to an animal unless they don't like it? If you don't like her, how much effort are you really willing to put into working with her every-single-day?

I KNOW your frustration. I'm living it with a 4 month old GP mix. I read everything I could about these dogs for a YEAR before getting my pup so I would know what I was in for. It is not something to take on lightly and is not for everyone.

 

[Reurra]

I had a doberman when i was a girl. Best dog i ever saw around livestock...Of course my Dad was very diligent in her puppy training.

One thing he did too was carry a wrist rocket. Some dogs think that if they are far away from you, they can get away with anything. But that wrist rocket can bean them at 50 yards, a nice little sting on the butt made her think twice. She learned really fast as a pup that harassing the animals got her in trouble. Of course my Dad lavished her with praise when she was good around the animals too. It got to the point where she would lay down in the yard and the chickens would roost on her.

Leash can work up to a point. Eventually you have to let the dog off the leash in your yard. You just cant keep a dog on the leash every time you go out. Our dog was smart and really good about obeying commands because she knew that my Dad had a long arm. If you keep a dog on the leash and one day it gets out, it will think its got free reign to do as it pleases and will ignore you, even run off from you just to avoid being kept tied up.

One thing I know that works too is to introduce new puppies to baby chicks right away. Its so much easier to correct the behavior when you let them coexsist. Often times when the puppy is raised with the idea that the chicken is its sibling, it will usually treat them as friends and not food. But there is an exception to every rule.

 

[mixitup]

No. 1 she is a PUPPY! Of course she finds the chickens interesting and she is curious. You need to talk with a trainer of hunting dogs. Why? you might ask, because hunting dogs are trained to retrieve and not kill what they have. A puppy wants to play with things. Now, the protection breed still needs basic training. And they can do well with training. As long as you have the right training. I would look for a trainer who does clicker training. You don't want positive/negative reinforcement training. You need positive only. Normally, when I take dogs in for training, I won't take them under four months. And generally, dogs do not mature mentally until about 2-3 years. When she shows interest in the chicks, do not yell at her, it's not doing any good and will make her afraid of you and make her all the more curious about these things she is not supposed to touch. When she is gentle, repeat it and praise her. When she is aggressive, simple take the birds away and give her a break. If she gets too excited, she doesn't know how to calm herself yet.

If you are seriously interested in training her, make sure you get the right trainer.Someone who is patient and doesn't get ruffled by a lot of things. Good luck!

One more thing to remember, if you can't control your dog by your side, what makes you think you can control her from 10, 15, 20 feet away. Food for thought.

 

[Jakoda]

I have always had herding dogs, aussies and german shepherds.

You can't expect a dog that is untrained AND a puppy to act anything other than what it's doing.

It's your job to teach her / train her/ spend time with her AND puppy proof your livestock until , if ever, she is trustworthy around them.

Puppies do NOT train themselves, if left to their own devices they will get into trouble and do whatever they feel like doing.

It sounds like you need to better supervise this puppy, get into training classes , and don't expect her to 'know' right from wrong .

I have had birds a long time (parrots, tiels, keets) and my dogs have always been very gentle with all of them IN the house..Outside flying around, my aussies have high prey drive and are going to do what alot of dogs do..

I don't have my chickens yet, but when I do, the dogs will be acclimated to them IN the house, and my chicken run will be 'dog proofed', (but my dogs are not out unsupervised anyway)

 

[Habibs Hens]

i way i seen on pet training programs is to tell the dog NO and when the dog heals and moves back you give him a treat

that way the dog will realise that if i leave chicken alone my master will treat me

and also loads of reasurance and praising when they do as they are told


try not to tell them off

 

[Aumlet]

I always appreciated the stories about the Daemon Sisters, two Kuvasz pups: http://www.lgd.org/stories/DaemonIntro.htm

It takes TIME and EFFORT to raise a LGD. As previous posters have pointed out, they're a different sort of dog than most people are used to. They were not bred to work closely with human beings, and obedience is not their strong point. Puppies are nuts, and LGD puppies need guidance in order to grow up and be effective at their jobs.

Please listen to what some have told you and seek advice from experienced LGD owners. You don't need advice on training dogs in general - you need specific advice about the kind of dog you have.

Good luck, and do rehome the pup if you're not up for the considerable work ahead of you.

 

[mixitup]

Please don't go by what you have seen on TV. It is glamorized and unrealistic in most cases. Find a trainer that does positive reinforcement. You have the idea, but to be effective you have to know what you are doing and need to be trained for it.