# Puppy Problems (similar to Lannie)



## Nicole Irene (Jun 12, 2011)

Well, I read all of Lannie's thread as it is similar to our problem: puppy killing chicken. We are at the step where Lannie's thread sorta died....we have the puppy's trust and a pen.  

Our pup is 5 months old and would be a lap dog if he could. We have to secure the gates (our cocker taught him how to open the gates with his paw<sigh>) leading to the front because he would rather lounge on the front porch than stay in the back. We have had the pup for about 3 months. 

When he first started showing interest in the chickens, we were on him and scolding him (when we saw it happening). Whenever we go out to the barns for feeding/milking time, all the animals come running and the cocker and LGD are with us making the rounds. Chickens are chasing us looking for food and the dogs ignore them, thus I thought he was beyond the chicken interest phase. 

I was wrong. My daughter discovered a dead chicken last night on our feeding rounds. It was obviously the pup. It was in our field close to our house (too close for a predator) and had all the tell tale signs of dog. Oh, and there was dog vomit in the dog area (apparently the chicken was too rich). 

Now what? He doesn't show interest in the chickens, except, apparently, when I am not around. 

Thanks in advance!!


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## Lannie (Jan 11, 2004)

That's exactly why I want to use the shock collar. What they're learning is not to get CAUGHT, not "don't mess with the chickens." If Jasper gets a shock from looking at a chicken and I'm nowhere near him, he won't associate that with me. He'll think the CHICKEN DID IT, ergo, it is not a good idea to mess with the chickens.

You could use one of those now, lucky you. If I were you, that's what I'd do, but as I said in the other thread, I'm rusty with puppies in general, and completely green with LGD puppies, so take that into consideration. 

Good luck, and I hope you don't lose any more chickens.

~Lannie


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## Nicole Irene (Jun 12, 2011)

Thanks, Lannie. We are definitely looking into the shock collars.

It as most definitely the pup that killed the chicken. I was watching him this morning from the window and he started doing his "happy, goofy puppy run" that he does when it is cool outside. Well, he ran straight for the open barn, the chickens scattered and the chase was on...until I screamed at him from the window. I hurried and got my shoes on and by the time I got to the back door, he was there, tongue lolling, tail wagging with the silly puppy grin. 

So, on the rounds this morning, I purposely cornered the guinea hens (they panic easily) and he showed no interest...just stood by my side, licking my hand and looking up at me as if to say, "I will follow you where ever you go!" 

How do you train that? He is locked in the dog area while I am not able to watch him.


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## Lannie (Jan 11, 2004)

Nicole Irene said:


> How do you train that? He is locked in the dog area while I am not able to watch him.


Do you mean how do you train him not to chase the poultry when you're not there?

Yours sounds just like mine.  What I'm planning on doing, when I can eventually get the shock collar on Jasper, is to sit somewhere unobtrusive (the collar will be on him and activated), and then wait for him to screw up. Then I press the button. Jasper will think, "OMG! That chicken BIT me!!!!!!" His personality is more submissive, so he'll back away from that. I'm sure he'll try it again, just to be sure, and I'll have to be watching from somewhere, but I can be "doing something else." Another zap, "Oh, NO! That chicken bit me, too!" Jasper already knows (and yours does, too) that WE don't want them bothering the chickens, but somehow you have to make the chickens very unappealing to him. Some people tie the dead chickens to the dogs (I wouldn't want to do this), and some people will beat the tar out of the dog with the dead chicken (not my first choice, either). There are other ways, also, I'm sure, and depending on the individual dog, some of them might work very well.

I'm dealing with a very smart pup, however, and he is not easily fooled. So I've decided I have to somehow outsmart him and make him think the chickens are zapping him. That way it will be HIS choice not to bother the chickens, not a case of just not getting caught doing it.

Anyway, that's my brilliant plan. I have lots of those. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't. 

~Lannie


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## Cheryl aka JM (Aug 7, 2007)

My three year old anatolian is great with chickens....now. She used to be the chicken killingest dog! Wow I wanted to shoot her more than once! I chased her down and shamed her, beat her with the dead or dying chickens (make sure the chicken is dead or you feel really bad after you swing her at the dog) tieing dead chickens to her neck, watching for HOURS and nailing her with the shock collar, putting a mean rooster in the pen with her to beat her up for looking cross eyed at him (also not a good plan....the rooster wasn't as mean to her as he was to me).

What finally worked was age. I just kept making it clear in every way I could that I didn't want her doing that, eventually the chickens learned to stay out of her pasture....and one day I realized the chickens where in her pasture again and she wasn't chasing them. She FINALLY out grew it around 18 months old.

Now since then Cricket has helped me teach a couple pups not to chase chickens~ but I note a flaw in this~ she was great about keeping the rott puppy and her own daughter (anatolian) off the chickens....until they were around 5 months old. Now she ignores the puppies if they mess up with the chickens. So far niether one has KILLED a chicken but I kind of suspect thats because my chickens are dog savvy and stay away from chicken chasing dogs thanks to growing up with Cricket! So I'm back on my own yelling, threatening, charging the shock collar....and I expect it to continue until the pups are 18 months old or so.....


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## Fowler (Jul 8, 2008)

But, chickens are fluffy squeak toys that run!!!...LOL

I think I'll wait to get chickens when my 2 LGDs are 18 months...LOL


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## Nicole Irene (Jun 12, 2011)

Cheryl...you give me hope! Puppies are cute, but they cause too many grey hairs!!

Fowler, you nailed it! lol


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## ONG2 (Sep 22, 2010)

Well there is an old fashion cure for something like this. I have not used it ever, but my father told me it works just fine. He used to use it on **** dogs that were trailing other critters than ****.

Take a large trash can and place dead chicken in bottom of trash can, 2 would be better. Place offending dog in trash can and secure lid. Run a rope through the trash can & lid handles, tied so that it centers above the center of the lid. Throw other end of rope over tree limb and hoist the trash can several inches above the ground. 

Now spin the trash can until you hear the dog barfing.....then spin it some more.

The dog will associate the smell of chicken with this 20-30 minutes of doggy hell and will afterwards leave chickens alone.


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## Fowler (Jul 8, 2008)

ONG2 said:


> Well there is an old fashion cure for something like this. I have not used it ever, but my father told me it works just fine. He used to use it on **** dogs that were trailing other critters than ****.
> 
> Take a large trash can and place dead chicken in bottom of trash can, 2 would be better. Place offending dog in trash can and secure lid. Run a rope through the trash can & lid handles, tied so that it centers above the center of the lid. Throw other end of rope over tree limb and hoist the trash can several inches above the ground.
> 
> ...



Ummmmm...if you want your LGD to hate you and never trust you again, then yeah I'd try this...:help:


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## BarbadosSheep (Jun 27, 2011)

Not even sure you could stuff any of the LGD breeds into a garbage can even if you wanted to. Not that I'd ever want to.


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## Lannie (Jan 11, 2004)

And... who gets to clean out the garbage can?? :shocked:

(Sorry, but that was the FIRST thing I thought of! LOL!)

~Lannie


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## BarbadosSheep (Jun 27, 2011)

Lannie said:


> And... who gets to clean out the garbage can?? :shocked:
> 
> (Sorry, but that was the FIRST thing I thought of! LOL!)
> 
> ~Lannie


ONG2 can....it was his idea. :hysterical:


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## ONG2 (Sep 22, 2010)

Now wait a minute here, it was my Dad's advice......you'd want a 83 year old man to clean up dog barf?


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## jordan (Nov 29, 2006)

ONG2 said:


> Well there is an old fashion cure for something like this. I have not used it ever, but my father told me it works just fine. He used to use it on **** dogs that were trailing other critters than ****.
> 
> Take a large trash can and place dead chicken in bottom of trash can, 2 would be better. Place offending dog in trash can and secure lid. Run a rope through the trash can & lid handles, tied so that it centers above the center of the lid. Throw other end of rope over tree limb and hoist the trash can several inches above the ground.
> 
> ...


I'm trying REALLY hard to believe that you are joking. 
Lois


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