The Dog House offers general guidance. If you have any concerns regarding your own dog you should always seek professional advice.
The Dog House – September 2010
As I mentioned last month I have acquired 6 brown chickens from a rescue centre. They have settled in well and are providing eggs not only for me, but also for my friends.
Before deciding whether “Poultry and Zippy” keeping would be successful, I spent a long time considering how I would teach Zippy to live in harmony with chickens. Zippy with his probable Lurcher genes, was certainly not on paper the ideal dog to introduce to chickens. On the other hand I had been making good progress with Zippy’s Obedience training and that these basic commands could be used in any situation requiring control.
These basic commands are as follows: Walk to heel on a lead
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Leave
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Recall
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Stay
In addition, Zippy’s addiction to his ball, means that I am able to redirect his attention to me at the mere mention of the word “ball”
Prior to the chicken’s arrival, Zippy had watched with interest as the chicken run and housing were erected, however he is always pleased if I am in the garden, as he is hopeful it will include a game with his ball.
On the day the chickens arrived I kept Zippy indoors whilst I settled them into their new home. The next day having let the chickens out and fed and watered them, I put Zippy on his lead and took him round to meet them. When we arrived at the run Zippy’s ears pricked up and he stood still and alert…..too alert. As soon as I produced his ball out of my pocket, instantly all thoughts of “chicken” were gone and I had re-focused Zippy’s attention away from the chickens to his ball.
I followed this pattern for over a week, Zippy on his lead sat quietly, not at all interested in the chickens, but intent on staring at my “ball” pocket. By this time Zippy would follow me to the chicken run, lay down and I would give him his ball. Zippy was beginning to understand the routine; let chickens out; feed chickens; ball game. However, I would like the chickens to be completely free range and to be loose in the garden. So the following week Zippy is taken on lead into the chicken run, to meet the chickens. Zippy’s ball remains outside the run and after a few minutes of mildly interested sniffing, Zippy sits by the chicken run door waiting to get outside to reach his ball ,which he obviously finds far more interesting.
After a few more days I decide to let the chickens out; Zippy is on his lead and carrying his ball. I open the door and eventually the chickens wander out apart from one who goes the wrong way and gets stuck behind the door, very soon they all disappear into the bushes. I take Zippy onto the lawn for a game of ball.
For several more days Zippy is not left loose in the garden and we continue to walk on lead amongst the chickens. A couple of days ago whilst I was doing some weeding, Zippy was allowed into the garden off lead. Whilst Zippy was doing his best to distract me by dropping his ball in exactly the wrong place, a couple of chickens also came to investigate. Zippy hardly looked up and after a short while the chickens continued on their way.
Whilst I am hopeful that eventually Zippy and the chickens will learn to share the garden, this is still work in progress. I am fortunate that I have managed to use Zippy’s obsession (drive) with his ball, to re-direct his focus away from the chickens and at the same time train and reward him.
Many years ago my parents owned a Collie x Spaniel and one day he escaped from the garden and killed two chickens at a nearby farm. Although my father tried to train him, he was never successful and this dog could never be trusted around poultry, or rabbits for that matter. Whilst on this occasion the farmer didn’t pursue legal action, it is worth remembering that under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953, your dog must not worry (chase or attack) livestock (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses and poultry) on agricultural land. If your dog worries livestock, the farmer has the right to stop your dog (even by shooting your dog in certain circumstances).
As I write this Zippy is asleep on the floor (too hot for his or the cat’s basket) his head resting on my book entitled “The complete Step by Step Guide to Keeping Chickens”, bedtime reading, mine, not his.
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