Great Pyrenees LGD is Progressing with Chickens

[thankful_k]

Not sure if this should go under the chicken discussion or the pets discussion, but anyway ... My 6 mo Great Pyrenees is doing much better with my chickens now ... I have six 11 week-olds (male & female) I've now let mingle during the day with the established rooster & hen (all that was left after raccoons).

I took the advice of one person and led the dog around on a short leash, giving her a little yank if she started toward the birds. All it took was 30 minutes or so of that and she was starting to know that she should leave them alone, and after that one day, I've never needed to do it again.

I also took another person's advice and started doing her training (sit, stay, down, etc) in the chicken run, keeping her focused on me & the training, ignoring the birds, and that seems to have been very effective.

In fact, I now take her in the run without a leash, and she behaves. She loves going to see the chickens now. I let her look at them, even approach them, but any kind of chasing gets a stern "NO" and she is immediately frog-marched out of the run.

Next exercise will be to leave her in the run with the birds for 30-45 mins while I work, mill around nearby, etc.
Then leave her in the run for 45 minutes, while I go inside and watch her on the cameras.

If I can do that 3-4 days in a row with confidence ... it might be time to let them try free ranging

 

[Pearl]

Not sure if this should go under the chicken discussion or the pets discussion, but anyway ... My 6 mo Great Pyrenees is doing much better with my chickens now ... I have six 11 week-olds (male & female) I've now let mingle during the day with the established rooster & hen (all that was left after raccoons).

I took the advice of one person and led the dog around on a short leash, giving her a little yank if she started toward the birds. All it took was 30 minutes or so of that and she was starting to know that she should leave them alone, and after that one day, I've never needed to do it again.

I also took another person's advice and started doing her training (sit, stay, down, etc) in the chicken run, keeping her focused on me & the training, ignoring the birds, and that seems to have been very effective.

In fact, I now take her in the run without a leash, and she behaves. She loves going to see the chickens now. I let her look at them, even approach them, but any kind of chasing gets a stern "NO" and she is immediately frog-marched out of the run.

Next exercise will be to leave her in the run with the birds for 30-45 mins while I work, mill around nearby, etc.
Then leave her in the run for 45 minutes, while I go inside and watch her on the cameras.

If I can do that 3-4 days in a row with confidence ... it might be time to let them try free ranging

Sounds like you are doing a great job with a great dog! Keep us updated!

 

[Cascadian]

@thankful_k hasn't been on since Nov. Hope he doesn't mind me hijacking his thread. We are getting a second Great Pyrenees. We are going with a puppy this time. The last one was a 3 year old rescue. She is doing ok but we wanted a fresh start with this one. I did find the above posts informative and thought to resurrect it.

 

[thankful_k]

@thankful_k hasn't been on since Nov. Hope he doesn't mind me hijacking his thread. We are getting a second Great Pyrenees. We are going with a puppy this time. The last one was a 3 year old rescue. She is doing ok but we wanted a fresh start with this one. I did find the above posts informative and thought to resurrect it.

Hijack away, no worries

Pups are cute

 

[Wingnut]

We had a GP when I was young, maybe 4 or 5 years old... one of my earliest memories is riding that dog like a horse (with the "help" of my mischievous older brothers). Great dog, very friendly & loyal to our family.

Those same brothers once talked me into climbing into a large truck tire and rolling down some stairs... lucky I didn't break my neck. My pop was angry when he heard about it, so I reckon he felt the same way, lol.

 

[Pearl]

Hijack away, no worries

Pups are cute

Glad to see you around, how are things going?

 

[Cascadian]

She got a bath. We are picking her up tomorrow.

 

[thankful_k]

Good news with the LGD ... I decided to let the chickens out today just for the heck of it. It's been probably 5 months since I'd done this. And right off the bat she behaved, almost perfectly! She would chase a little bit when they scurried, but it was more of a gentle, curious thing, and she stopped with a stern "NO!!".

Then I sat there with her by my side. She would stare, and the instant she turned away she was showered with praise & pets. Then I just started walking with her right next to the birds, again praising heavily when she would ignore or turn away from them. Then I went inside and had a snack and watched through the window ... ZZZZZZzzzzzzz ...

Gonna try letting them out all day tomorrow after they eat ... the goats and the dog like layer feed apparently

 

[Pearl]

Good news with the LGD ... I decided to let the chickens out today just for the heck of it. It's been probably 5 months since I'd done this. And right off the bat she behaved, almost perfectly! She would chase a little bit when they scurried, but it was more of a gentle, curious thing, and she stopped with a stern "NO!!".

Then I sat there with her by my side. She would stare, and the instant she turned away she was showered with praise & pets. Then I just started walking with her right next to the birds, again praising heavily when she would ignore or turn away from them. Then I went inside and had a snack and watched through the window ... ZZZZZZzzzzzzz ...

Gonna try letting them out all day tomorrow after they eat ... the goats and the dog like layer feed apparently

View attachment 105992

Time well spent with her!!

 

[Peanut]

All my gsd's took to herding and farm life immediately. Several were trained K-9's. A couple of those had a bumpy start but they came around, had a little un-training to do.

Herding is what gsd's, gp's et al were bred for. When working with livestock I've found that non-verbal commands work better. Shouting at a dog usually upsets the critters you are trying to move. Like when a cow is out, its best to move them quietly. A panicked cow might dash into traffic. Shouting at your dog does not help the situation.

Dogs pick up non-verbal commands quickly, again instincts, they read body language better than people. I might snap my fingers or hiss, even whistle. Sometimes it's to get the dog to look at me, then use my hands etc.

Also, teaching a pup to herd is easier if you start with big herd animals, like cows or horses (2reasons). 1. Chickens don't herd worth a darn on a good day. It's confusing for the dog, hard to grasp what you expect him to do with chickens(dinner) running every which way.

I've found... if I just move the cows between pastures everyday. Don't give the dog instructions, just let him watch me do what he was bred to do. Takes no time at all. Once he understands herding cows I move on to a different critter. Different problems for the dog to sort out but the principle is the same, herding.

2nd reason... starting with large critters. It teaches the dog to respect the critter. That it's not just a fun game of chase or drum sticks for dinner.

Some cows won't take crap from a dog. Donkeys certainly won't. The dog learns right away that herding is a job and there is danger. But all they need is a little encouragement to do what comes naturally.

I think of it like this... Taking a dog that's new to farm animals, which critter should you introduce first. A. Chickens - a definite prey item or B. a large critter that can hurt him? I'll go with B. Easier to make the dog understand what you expect... they are more unsure and will look more to you for guidance than when seeing a small harmless critter.