any tips on training a dog not to eat chickens?

[cooingdove]

hello all,
I recently adopted an 8 month old German Shepherd/hound mix puppy. Today I introduced him to the chickens briefly through a screen window. He seemed not extremely interested, but I want to know if anybody has any tips on training him with them when the chickens are outside when/if he shows more interest. I also have a 13 year old beagle mix dog, and we trained her not to chase them years ago, but he might be different. Any tips?
@RiverOtter
@Ihavesomechickens
@chickenlover007
@CaliFarmsAR
@DobieLover
@Erda
@GermanKennhuhn
@shawluvsbirds
@Weeg

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

Well you could start with walking it on a leash and if your dog gos after the chickens tell them no.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I would start with a leash to see how he react as you approach the chickens.
But before you do this and correct him, I want to make sure that he is comfortable with you and you have corrected him on other things. I only say this because I don't know what his past owners were like.

 

[RiverOtter]

If he doesn't already have one, get a flat, buckle collar (standard dog collar). Then, take the collar and put it through the handle of the leash, then on the dog. Now, the leash and collar are one unit. then take the clip, and clip it to the belt loop of your jeans. Hands free, you have Pup right there with you on lead every second. Now, not only can he not chase chickens, he also can't grab-n-dash or sneak a poo behind the couch.

This will also help him bond with you. It makes you, literally, the leader.

It's an interesting mix, the only thing that is certain is this will be an active dog. And adolescent GSDs teethe hard. Invest in a large Kong, a good food puzzle, like this:
https://www.chewy.com/pet-zone-iq-t..._HLaJSA3cM3Qtbgg-nrlVdAQi471RaEQaApVWEALw_wcB

and a good pair of walking shoes and wear that dog out. Be aware, folks will caution you against "over-exercising" large breed pups because of dysplasia. You cannot do this by walking, or even jogging. You can do it by wrestling and playing fetch and other dash and spin type exercise. But go on and walk that pup until his tongue is hanging out. It's good for you, too.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

If you can fence an area adjacent to the chickens, do so. By this I mean set up a pen for the dog where one panel of his pen is shared with the chickens. This is the same way we would introduce one batch of chickens to another, in a "see-no-touch" setup. The dog can see and smell the chickens but he can't get to them. Have him spend at least an hour a day in this pen. Make SURE he can't get through, over or under the fence to the chickens! Provide food, water, shade and toys for him but otherwise leave him alone. Gradually let him spend more time there, up to about four hours. Basically, he should be ignoring the chickens and snoring.

Phase Two is, put him on leash and walk him through the chicken run. Have him sit and lie down in there. He should ignore the chickens. Do this every day for about a week. Praise him and take him out.

Phase three is, repeat phase Two, but with this change: either you or a helper rile up the chickens. Get them rattled so they flap and squawk. If he ignores them, great. Praise him and leave the area, you can pretty much trust him. If he goes after them, jerk the leash so the collar snaps shut, tell him, "NO! BAD DOG!" and walk him away from the birds. Take a minute and try again. Hopefully, he won't do it again. Praise, walk out. If this does not work, pm me. This did work for me but for a confirmed chicken killer, I do have another method.

 

[JaeG]

Just remember he's still a puppy and may have a puppy brain until he's up to 3 years old. Larger dogs take a lot longer to mature than smaller dogs and I wouldn't trust a young dog to be left unattended with chickens free ranging until I felt they had matured and started to calm down.

Get him to focus on you at the distance from the chickens that he is able to focus solely on you without glancing at them constantly and getting distracted by them (keep him on a leash at this stage). It may be quite some distance at first but that's to be expected. You want to reward him with treats or a toy (whatever works for him) for focusing on you and ignoring the chickens, and for being calm. Slowly work your way closer to the chickens. Keep training sessions short and fun so that you always end on a positive note with him doing as he should.

Work on obedience training as well away from the distraction of the chickens, especially the "Leave it" command.

 

[cooingdove]

good point

If he doesn't already have one, get a flat, buckle collar (standard dog collar). Then, take the collar and put it through the handle of the leash, then on the dog. Now, the leash and collar are one unit. then take the clip, and clip it to the belt loop of your jeans. Hands free, you have Pup right there with you on lead every second. Now, not only can he not chase chickens, he also can't grab-n-dash or sneak a poo behind the couch.

This will also help him bond with you. It makes you, literally, the leader.

It's an interesting mix, the only thing that is certain is this will be an active dog. And adolescent GSDs teethe hard. Invest in a large Kong, a good food puzzle, like this:
https://www.chewy.com/pet-zone-iq-t..._HLaJSA3cM3Qtbgg-nrlVdAQi471RaEQaApVWEALw_wcB

and a good pair of walking shoes and wear that dog out. Be aware, folks will caution you against "over-exercising" large breed pups because of dysplasia. You cannot do this by walking, or even jogging. You can do it by wrestling and playing fetch and other dash and spin type exercise. But go on and walk that pup until his tongue is hanging out. It's good for you, too.

wow ok, so ive got a good collar and lead, a Kong dog toy, been doing some pretty good exercise about 3-5 miles per day and some good play. so thats a altho I could do more exercise. I'll ask my parents about the IQ treat thing. I let him look at the chickens for a minute yesterday, through the chickenwire window, and he could smell them and everything
he didn't show that much interest. so thats good,

 

[cooingdove]

thank you for all the replies! I'll try all of these things.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

There is another thread on this topic. Get a good book on dog training and teach basic obedience as well. I recommend Pet Dog by Richard A. Wolters, your local library should have it. Another good one is How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With by The monks of New Skete. You won't need to practice everything the recommend, but they do have some good ideas.

 

[RiverOtter]

wow ok, so ive got a good collar and lead, a Kong dog toy, been doing some pretty good exercise about 3-5 miles per day and some good play. so thats a altho I could do more exercise. I'll ask my parents about the IQ treat thing. I let him look at the chickens for a minute yesterday, through the chickenwire window, and he could smell them and everything
he didn't show that much interest. so thats good,

Great!!
If he's already not that interested, that's great too. Take that a step further and do some training with him just a little further from the chickens than he's interested. By which I mean, if he sees them and looks from 10 feet away, take him fifteen feet away, and practice sit. Move a tiny bit closer every day, until he's distracted, then move a foot away. Stay just at the distance where it's easier for him to focus on you than them, and soon that distance can be nothing.

@BigBlueHen53 recommended some great books. Might I add, Dog Talk and Puppy Preschool, both by John Ross and Barbara McKinney. Read nothing by Cesar Milan - for a dog without major problems, it's like sending a kindergartener through bootcamp.