Hoping you can help...one of our WSS has developed an obsession with my hens, to the point where if I go out to feed them he is so desperate to accompany me that if I don't take him, he races upstairs to stare from the window and barks frantically and constantly while I'm out there. At this time of year that can be 6 times a day for 10 or 145 minutes to make sure chicks are fed and watered, eggs collected, hens kept happy with rootling about. If he is allowed out to watch he lunges on the slip lead to chase them (from outside the pen), he takes a lot of strength to hold back and if he slips loose he has no recall at all. Interestingly our younger WSS isn't really bothered at all, although he is happy to sit upstairs and look out the window--if allowed out to the pen his recall is fine.

He wasn't always this way--he used to be able to come into the hen house with me off the lead, and although he was keen egg rustler he never bothered the birds. Does anyone have any advice as to how I can help him realise that hens have to be treated with respect? I saw an ad up at the local feed merchants for a dog trainer that apparently specialises in acclimatising dogs to farmyard life--no disrespect to anyone, but wasn't sure if this was a 'let the tup threaten to kick the bejesus out of him' school.

Before anyone suggests he needs to get out more, both dogs are out for 1-2 hours a day in 2-3 sessions with me with plenty to do (running about, swimming/water retrieves and training to work). I'll be keeping bees soon, so he won't be able to go out to the pen with me then--I'd like to think he could be settled for 20-30 minutes while I get on with things.

Could you leave him with a stuffed Kong or something to keep him occupied for the short time you're out with the hens?

he races upstairs to stare from the window and barks frantically and constantly while I'm out there

My first thoughts to start with in stopping this behaviour are to block off his view, can you fit a roller blind to pull down so that he can not see you when due to go out, if he can't see, he can't get excited and bark for longer than a few minutes of irritation to begin with.

Is he at his adolescent stage by any chance? Often pups are fine with chicks when younger and for the first few months and then their behaviour can change, to then settle down again when older. He does sound as though he needs more training but if an adolescent it is understandable, everything will be a game right now and his testosterone and natural instincts will over-ride everything else.

dog trainer that apparently specialises in acclimatising dogs to farmyard life--no disrespect to anyone, but wasn't sure if this was a 'let the tup threaten to kick the bejesus out of him' school.


At least you are aware of these type of trainers, he may be worth a shot, only use him by recommendation and make sure that you give him a good grilling about his techniques.

In the meantime, sounds like a good training class would not go amiss to encourage those basic commands, sit, stay, down, leave, to heal, recall, quiet! etc, if you are not able to get to classes then a good book will teach you the basics, you need to get going on that, once he is obediant you can then slowly re-introduce him back to the hens. With commands and the hens becoming part of everyday life he may just learn to ignore them or at least obey the leave command.

how I can help him realise that hens have to be treated with respect?

Dogs don't understand respect, they understand a command,  if he does not comply then he is taken away back to the house.  There is no quick fix here, it is going to take a lot of hard work from you to train him to do as he is told, if a dog is not told what to do, it will act on it's own instincts, sometimes that is perfectly fine, but in your case it isn't, well, not unless you want no hens. :-)

swimming/water retrieves and training to work. Just noticed you are training him, then keep going with it, in the meantime, rollerblinds. :-)

> I'd like to think he could be settled for 20-30 minutes while I get on with things.

I think this might be the key.  Is it only the chicken trips he has trouble with?  Is he OK being left indoors if you are involved in other activities?

Perhaps it would help to leave him indoors little and often to help him adjust.  Don't give him any 'chicken run' signals, make sure that he can't tell the difference betweeen you going to the supermarket, and going into the garden.  Also make sure he is in one room when you leave, preferably somewhere he has no view.

When did his new chicken behaviours start?  Have they been building or can you recall a specific event?

If he 'knew' the good behaviours before he may find it easier to relearn but you'll need to take it slowly.  Make sure that when you are working with him you are concentrating only on his training.  Don't attempt to try and look after the chickens whilst he is with you as he's going to need your undivided attention, a pocket of fave treats, and maybe your clicker...

My brother put a dog crate near his guinea pigs for a while so that his dog could watch the children play with them.  He learnt to lie down and wait for them to finish but it took a good while before he could be trusted not to try and rush in the door to eat them!!

they both get tripe chews, but while Jack would adore the Kong Diesel simply ignores anything if he thinks he's missing out on a trip to the hens

How is he with basic commands? Would he cope going out to the general area of the chicken pens, and doing some basics like sit, watch me, come and down while on lead? I would be thinking that would be my first step - have him out there, and get him doing things with you that aren't related to the chickens. Depending on how interested he is with the chickens, you might have to start just outside the back door and work up to being near the chickens over time.
Then when he's reliably listening on lead, you can go for a flexi and work from far away again up to close to the chickens.. then off lead. He doesn't need to learn respect for the chickens as such, he just needs to know you are boss and if you say lie down, he does it, never mind how much he wants to make the chickens run about. I wouldn't be looking to banish him from activities at the moment, especially if him coming along is something that used to happen.

You need to go back to the basics to enforce that he can't ignore you round the chickens. I don't see that you would necessarily need to hire a trainer unless he won't do the basics with them about.

If keeping him inside is something you want to do, then you need to spend time teaching him to settle. Is he used to a crate?

They are both pretty good with commands. I do take them to the pen most days and have them sit outside the fence, then we walk away and do something else, then come back The other day I had them both in the pen (on leads) and they were quite good really, mainly because the hens weren't going nuts. Actually now that I think about it the dogs were far more interested in the call ducks, our new arrivals. The ducks weren't in the least put out, since they've been brought up with a dog in their previous home and are ready to scrap with anything at all.

I'd rather have the dogs outside with me. Diesel is good in a crate and will go in voluntarily, but Jack cries like a baby so mostly we leave the crate alone.

I am just going through exactly the same thing with one of mine. She has truned into an absolute hooligan around the chickens, ducks and guinea pigs. I have started back with basics and take her out with me to do them but always on the lead until they become more comfortable around her again. Thing is, the more they are running around flapping and screaming the more she feels the need to chase them and my theory is if I can get both her and them used to being in close contact again whilst she is safely on the lead we can then move onto a longline and hopefully before long she be back to being a good girl :-)  I click and treat her all the time she is ignoring the chickens and it seems to be doing the trick (well none have lost any feathers for a while !!!!)