My herding puppy has alektorophobia (fear of chickens)

[feliciadawn]

I choses the breed of my new puppy particularly as one from a breed that is known to get along with livestock, as herders. She is just over 9 months old. My pup's mom herds a flock of chickens every night. When I first got the puppy, she loved going into the chicken area and eating chicken poop. She occasionally chased the chickens, but did not hurt them, and I was confident she would be a great helper to me, or at very least would be great company while I took care of the chickens.

Then one day something happened in the chicken area. I assume she got a shock on the electric fence. I had left her for just a minute as I had a handful of eggs I had to put down, and she did not come with me when I left the area because she was having too much fun. So I put down the eggs inside and immediately returned. Whatever happened, it occurred in that short time. She screeched and ran inside and under the sofa, staying there for the rest of the day. That was 2 months ago.

Now, she has an irrational fear of chickens (alektorophobia). I have tried to desensitize her, but her fear seems to be growing. Since sometimes one hen hops over the electric fence and roams in the backyard, my puppy is starting to be afraid of the backyard. She no longer will play ball with me there, and she won't join me while I am gardening. If I keep her outside in the backyard (with me also in the backyard), instead of following me like she does when I am in the house, she just sits by the door waiting to go inside. Now as summer is approaching, I will be spending a lot of time outside in the backyard. I had anticipated this as Mommy and puppy time, and I am so worried that she won't come around to hang out with me again.

Any suggestions?

 

[RoosterRambler]

It sounds like your puppy had a traumatic experience that has caused her to develop a fear of chickens, which is unfortunate given her breed's herding tendencies. It's understandable that you're worried about her aversion to being in the backyard with you.

One thing you could try is gradually reintroducing her to the backyard and the chickens in a controlled and positive manner. Start by taking her outside for just a few minutes at a time, with you holding onto her leash and staying close by her side. Gradually increase the time you spend outside with her, and use treats or other rewards to encourage her to stay calm and relaxed around the chickens.

You could also try exposing her to chickens in a more controlled environment, such as a friend's chicken coop or a petting zoo, where you can closely monitor her behavior and reactions.

It may take time and patience, but with consistent and positive reinforcement, you may be able to help your puppy overcome her fear and feel more comfortable around chickens and in the backyard with you. If the problem persists or worsens, you may want to consider seeking the advice of a professional dog trainer or animal behaviorist.

 

[Party_Chicken]

I have to border collie mixes and when I got my chickens I had hoped they would be a good help. But my older one couldn’t care less and the other has started to pee right next to the door then bolt inside but they both think baby chicks are chew toys

 

[NatJ]

I don't know if this idea would make matters better or worse, so definitely think twice before deciding whether to try it.

Maybe put two dog crates side-by-side, with the puppy in one and one or two chickens in the other one. You could do it at bedtime, in the area where the puppy usually sleeps, and leave them all night. Or do it in the daytime, for a shorter stretch of time, and give the puppy some nice treats. The idea would be to force the puppy to be near chickens in a situation where you can be very sure nothing bad will happen, to help her realize that chickens do not always cause bad things, and good things might even happen (like treats.)

I know that when animals are put in new, scary situations that do not actually hurt them, they often settle down after a while and realize that it's not dangerous after all, so they quit being scared. Obvious examples are when someone puts chickens in a new coop, or takes a fearful dog to a new home. Since they have no choice but to live in the new place, they soon adjust. But I also know that some situations get worse with more exposure (like your puppy and chickens seem to be doing now.) So I'm not sure whether forcing a large amount of exposure in this case would help your puppy realize that chickens are safe, or would traumatize her more.

 

[SamCO]

Have you done clicker training with your pup? To help her associate good things with the chickens, start at a distance. If she looks at a chicken, click and treat. Over and over. She should learn that looking at the birds gets her a treat. Once she has that, gradually have her do more and get closer to earn the click/treat. Herding dogs are smart- just go slow and make sure to use a clicker to mark the exact behavior you want to encourage.

 

[feliciadawn]

Thanks for the replies. I like the clicker idea particularly, as I haven't tried that. I did try bringing a hen inside... see picture. After many hours Mirza settled and even took a nap, belly up near the hen. However, the next day she still showed the fear of chickens while outside. It is like she decided that one hen was safe but the rest are still scary.

 

[fluffycrow]

Clicker training doesn't make wonders, issues are not going to be fixed overnight. And it's like she figured one chicken is safe but the rest aren't because that's exactly what happened. You tried training inside with one chicken and the next day you took it outside with all of them. That's going from step one to finish, you missed all the steps in between. Day one bring in one hen, the next two and so on. Eventually take training outside and start with one chicken again till you introduce every single one

 

[ShrekDawg]

She could also be going through a fear period too on top of whatever happened. My dog went through a phase around the same age where he was scared of men when previously he loved everybody. He also was TERRIFIED of plastic bags for some reason? But he grew out of both of those eventually and went back to being friendly and not scared. So there is hope if it’s a fear period. But I would still keep working with her just in case. It can’t hurt.

 

[feliciadawn]

Clicker training doesn't make wonders, issues are not going to be fixed overnight. And it's like she figured one chicken is safe but the rest aren't because that's exactly what happened. You tried training inside with one chicken and the next day you took it outside with all of them. That's going from step one to finish, you missed all the steps in between. Day one bring in one hen, the next two and so on. Eventually take training outside and start with one chicken again till you introduce every single one

I took in my friendliest hen, who lived inside with me for a while when she went through a sick period after losing her husband/brother. Some of the others would not adjust well to being in the house. I think I will need to bring the dog to the hens rather than the reverse.

 

[fluffycrow]

I took in my friendliest hen, who lived inside with me for a while when she went through a sick period after losing her husband/brother. Some of the others would not adjust well to being in the house. I think I will need to bring the dog to the hens rather than the reverse.

Still, you need to introduce slowly. Going too fast will ruin the dog