Post by haecklers on Jan 28, 2015 7:07:32 GMT -5
I wish I'd known the commands that are useful, my dog had a phase coming out of the chicken-killing phase where he decided it was OK to walk/herd the chickens as long as he didn't run or catch them, LOL!
Now it's evolved into he chases the roosters the most, and has decided (on his own) it's ok to pluck those long flowing feathers they get on their tails if he can grab one on the fly, but that's all the harm he does them. Occasionally he'll run over one (like when they don't see him coming) and he gets a scold for that because he could break their wings. I think the chasing keeps the roosters humble - we've got game in the mix, and I'd rather not have to worry that a rooster will come after me and get me with his spurs. All the chasing has them convinced they're low bird in the pecking order and there's very little fighting and they NEVER go after non-poultry living beings.
It's hard with herding types to see them make friends and play with the animals because they have the drive to dominate. I take the cues from the animals, whether they seem comfortable with the dog around them or if he makes them nervous. He plays rough with the goats but they play rough with each other too, and they seem to all be friends - the fact that the goats follow the dog in speaks volumes. He is gentle with the babies. He'll chase the calves too, especially if he catches them away from their mother, but the calves seem to enjoy it and after I call him off they'll continue romping and even kick up their heels; and I've seen the calves instigate a chasing session - they'll look right at the dog and run a bit. I think for prey animals play can involve evading a pretend predator, and as long as they all remember it's play (not so easy with a younger dog!) they can play together fine. I even wonder sometimes if the chasing the dogs do with the chickens has contributed to their long lives, because they stay alert and know just where to go that a larger animal can't get them, in a split second. I've gotten grown poultry that hasn't been chased, and they were very slow to find a hole to run through and had slow reaction times too, and usually disappeared over a few weeks, because the fox pressure is severe here, and in the summer there's plenty of cover for a day-hunting fox to sneak in, grab a chicken, and make off without a sound.
Now it's evolved into he chases the roosters the most, and has decided (on his own) it's ok to pluck those long flowing feathers they get on their tails if he can grab one on the fly, but that's all the harm he does them. Occasionally he'll run over one (like when they don't see him coming) and he gets a scold for that because he could break their wings. I think the chasing keeps the roosters humble - we've got game in the mix, and I'd rather not have to worry that a rooster will come after me and get me with his spurs. All the chasing has them convinced they're low bird in the pecking order and there's very little fighting and they NEVER go after non-poultry living beings.
It's hard with herding types to see them make friends and play with the animals because they have the drive to dominate. I take the cues from the animals, whether they seem comfortable with the dog around them or if he makes them nervous. He plays rough with the goats but they play rough with each other too, and they seem to all be friends - the fact that the goats follow the dog in speaks volumes. He is gentle with the babies. He'll chase the calves too, especially if he catches them away from their mother, but the calves seem to enjoy it and after I call him off they'll continue romping and even kick up their heels; and I've seen the calves instigate a chasing session - they'll look right at the dog and run a bit. I think for prey animals play can involve evading a pretend predator, and as long as they all remember it's play (not so easy with a younger dog!) they can play together fine. I even wonder sometimes if the chasing the dogs do with the chickens has contributed to their long lives, because they stay alert and know just where to go that a larger animal can't get them, in a split second. I've gotten grown poultry that hasn't been chased, and they were very slow to find a hole to run through and had slow reaction times too, and usually disappeared over a few weeks, because the fox pressure is severe here, and in the summer there's plenty of cover for a day-hunting fox to sneak in, grab a chicken, and make off without a sound.