Dogs, while they make great best friends, have a natural instinct to chase other animals, especially those smaller than them. Chickens especially are prime chasing--and eating--candidates. There are a number of ways you can stop your dog from eating your chickens, but the best way is through positive reinforcement, or clicker, obedience training.
Things You'll Need
- Dog
- Leash
- Clicker
- Treats (dog biscuits, hot dogs)
- Chickens
Instructions
Put your dog on his leash, and familiarize him with the clicker. The clicker is a marker to tell the dog when he has done something good, and must always be followed with a treat. Ask your dog to sit, and click as soon as his rear end hits the ground. Start with lower-value treats such as dog biscuits--you want to save the high-value treats, such as hot dogs, for when you introduce the chicken!
Build your dog's concentration through long sit-stays and down-stays. Teach your dog "watch me" by holding the treat by your eye and clicking/treating when your dog makes eye contact. Gradually move the treat away until it is no longer needed for eye contact.
Work on your dog's recall. Start on a long leash, put your dog in a sit-stay or down-stay, and walk away. Call your dog and click as he starts heading in your direction. Treat him as soon as he reaches you. Practice until you can take the leash off and walk further away from your dog, and add distractions such as people or other dogs. Strive to be the most exciting and interesting object around your dog so he will always choose to come to you.
Introduce the chicken. Start with one chicken and your dog on leash. Click and treat your dog for ignoring the chicken. Start from a distance and gradually move closer--if your dog becomes interested in the chicken rather than you, take a step back and try again.
Once your dog is able to give you his full attention with the chicken around, remove the leash. Practice recalls and other obedience when the chicken is around.
Introduce multiple chickens if you have them. Repeat step four until your dog's attention and recall have been perfected, then remove the leash.
Make sure that your dog is always supervised around your chickens so you can step in if need be. Remember that your dog is an animal with natural instincts and he may never be able to be fully trusted around chickens.