Cube mk2 and WIR

[JudeK]

Hi. We have new hens but we also have a very lively 2 year old labrador, who cannot leave the ladies alone! He got into the enclosure once, and I fear it has given him even more enthusiasm! He runs straight to the enclosure and then runs around it, chasing them.... Any tips to put him off (apart from a squirt from the garden hose!)? Thank you! 

[Cat tails]

Keep him on a leash and correct him as soon as he is paying attention to the chickens.

[The Dogmother]

19 minutes ago, Cat tails said:

Keep him on a leash and correct him as soon as he is paying attention to the chickens.

Absolutely. please don't allow him to do this as you could end up with birds dying from the shock.

[Mother Tweed]

On 4/28/2020 at 8:09 PM, JudeK said:

Hi. We have new hens but we also have a very lively 2 year old labrador, who cannot leave the ladies alone! He got into the enclosure once, and I fear it has given him even more enthusiasm! He runs straight to the enclosure and then runs around it, chasing them.... Any tips to put him off (apart from a squirt from the garden hose!)? Thank you! 

I have two Labradors and when i first got the hens they were VERY interested. Both of them tried lunging at the run and both got a sharp shock of me doing the ‘angry voice’ which they don’t hear often. They done it a couple of times more and now slink around avoiding the hens even when they come in the kitchen. My older Lab who’s nine does occasionally do the ‘stalking pose’ when the hens are all sub bathing and a short but loud ‘leave it’ has her scooting away again. It’s such a natural thing for a Lab to want to flush out birds they can’t help themselves but will learn very quickly if you praise them and treat them when they get it right. I hope this settles down as the wee chooks will be nervous wrecks otherwise. 

[Lewis]

I think it depends on so many variables - breed, age and how they were brought up.

I’ve had Céline for two years (she was a street dog before that) and for all of that time she’s regularly been on vet school campus or at work surrounded by all sorts of companion and farm animals and I trust her around all our pets. I know you should never trust them implicitly but she’s always out in the garden with the chickens, ducks and more recently chicks unsupervised.

I have “the voice” (it’s more an AAAH noise  ) but positive reinforcement helps, ignoring the birds and giving them something else to focus on then the more they are around them, the less they take notice.