How can I stop my dog chasing chickens?

My ten month old pup who is usually very good and aced puppy training will not stop chasing our chickens. We are on a farm and the chickens are free range. Three have died as a result of his 'attentions'. If I call him before he is 'in the zone' he readily returns to me, but once he is on the chase he will not come. He has NEVER been hit or even yelled at (this takes a lot of self-control from me). He is walked every day. The spaniel plays with him, I play with him but every couple of weeks he gets a bee in his bonnet and nothing I say or do seems to work...

When you let them out in the mornings take him with you on a lead, get him used to being around them, if he goes to chase them you can stop him with a firm "No" when he tries.
After a while make him sit and wait while you feed them, you have to slowly show him that they are part of his household and not to be played with. Good luck

You could train him using a training lead attached to his collar then as he runs forward you can grab or step on the lead with a firm NO LEAVE each time he leaves you treat him with a high tasty treat.

You could also use the training lead whenever you are out with him by walking him passed the chickens regularly using the word LEAVE each time he does he is rewarded.

A dog has to be trained I have 5 dogs and ALL have been trained around the chickens and small furries to LEAVE its not something they do unless trained to Im afraid

Great advise above, nothing more to add just wanted to say good luck with this.

There just seems to be something about chickens that brings out the need to chase. Even my nans little lhasa couldnt resist them when we lived on a small holding.

I worked with an avid chicken killer a few years ago who also lived on a farm with free-range birds. The girl who owned the dog (a Boxer) was 13 at the time and had an ultimatum from her dad - cure or out.

We worked on obedience training around the chickens - starting very securely with the dog on lead and muzzled to begin with. We worked particularly hard on 'leave', 'stay' (good self-control exercises) and recall.

The youngster was brilliant - working every morning before school and night after school and within three months the dog lost interest in the chickens and turned from a menace to a really beautiful, well-behaved lad.

It can be done, but it does take work, patience and perseverance to get there. That little lass was a great asset to the dog owning world and a really fantastic owner. Dad was so impressed, Boxer 2 came along shortly after

This video looks good and is what I am doing with my dog and the rabbits. Takes a while though

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-zDi...e_gdata_player

You had good info and I can't add much more to it.

But you mentioned that you could recall him before he gets into the chase and not when he's in the chase - would you come to you for a biscuit if you were having the time of your life?

I have a similar problem, my springer x lab chases anything that moves, birds and rabbits mainly. I use a whistle and can 75% of the time get him to recall from a chase.

Have you tried using a whistle?
I started using the whistle to get him to come from room to room. giving him a treat when he did so, then moved it outdoors, it took me a while to get him to respond outside the garden, but then it clicked and now 95% of the time I get a recall and a stop (in a fashion). Whistles are useful tools

I own rabbits myself and with him being a gundog, when I have it sorted out, I will have a pen for us to work him in with retrieves and obedience, like Brierley said, working around the thing he wants most is going to get the focus shifted from the thing he desires to you.
My dog has never hurt a rabbit intentionally - he just wants to lick their ears, but then he has never had the pleasure of killing one - so all he knows is to lick.


But as I said - you've got great advice above - take it into account, soak it up and then think what it is you want/need to do... it'll be hard work but I'm sure you're chickens would appreciate it

Good luck and remember the best is yet to come, he'll soon be a teenager and thats where your self control will really be tested (I know mine was)