[Homestead] Homestead question -- puppy and chickens

Marie McHarry mmcharry at dtnspeed.net
Sat Oct 2 20:42:46 EDT 2004


>
>tvoivozhd---an Anatolian can be pretty hardheaded---and HUGE.  They
empathize with sheep well if kept with them from puppyhood.  I don't think
even puppy Anatolians feel any real warmth toward chickens.>>

This little guy -- Louis by name -- is definitely hardheaded, but he's not
huge yet -- just 14 weeks (and has about doubled in size since I got him at
9 weeks.


<<I had a Golden Retriever, Black Lab mix that was wonderful with chickens 
with almost no training---but it was a female, not a neutered male.  
Females in my experience are a hell of a lot  easier to train and so 
anxious to please they pick  up on your displeasure and afterward do not 
chase chickens  (female dogs, can't speak for my ex-wife---well, it was 
really my fault, not hers).>>

A golden-lab mix is generally a people-oriented dog, and I can believe one
of them would be crushed if she knew she'd done wrong. Louis definitely
doesn't have that sort of personality, but he's pretty tuned in to me. When
I said he was a puddle of misery, that's just what he was. He knew he had
sinned big time.

<<I like the electric collar and hand-held transmitter signal best---the 
shock is instantaneous and painful---dog might think the chicken is 
doing the dirty work.>>

I have considered that. I've also heard that a dead chicken wired to deliver
a shock works well -- but I'm not quite sure how one accomplishes that.

<<... a stubborn dog 
will turn off his hearing aid at that distance.>>

Yeah, one of my border collies -- a bitch, by the way -- has that kind of
hearing problem. She's obedient, but when she gets something in her head,
she just does it. Fortunately, she's not prone to do anything really bad,
and when I summon the voice of authority, she knows she'd better listen.

<< You might try the leash, 
the angry shout and a willow-whip for disciplone-susceptible dogs--->>

Before I invest in an electric collar, we're going to do a bit of work with
the usual discipline.

Maremmas are actually selected to guard chickens by people with large 
flocks---they drive off neighbor dogs and coyotesl

\

<<As for some of the myths surrounding breaking dogs from chasing 
chickens, do not...

1. Tie the dead bird around her neck and allow it to rot. This is so 
lame, I have no idea where it got it's start but have heard lots of old 
timers pass it on. Most dogs won't be bothered, they'll just want to 
play with it and will likely wind up managing to get it off and eat it.>>

Actually, I know this works -- or at least it worked once on a *very*
hardheaded Chesapeake. The bird didn't have to rot; after a day and a night,
the dog -- who was one of the toughest dogs I've ever know -- was a wreck.
My mom felt so sorry for him that she removed the bird, and Brownie (all our
Chessies were named Brownie) never went near a chicken again.


Alas, I have no birds that would beat the tar out of the puppy. That would
be the best thing -- though he's getting a little big for that. He's never
tried to bother the adult guineas (but then they *are* street fighters), and
he's been fine with the cats.

As for supervision, he's not allowed in with the birds; it's the birds that
do all they can to escape. Ah well, tomorrow I'll reinforce their pen with
chicken wire. Right now, the chickens are locked up, and Louis has had my
supper, but is still worried that I'm mad at him.

Young chickens (these are about 2 months old) are a terrible temptation for
any dog -- and really bad for a puppy.

Marie





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