Re: Hens [quote author=Karen link=topic=4173.msg49554#msg49554 date=1390560754] How do farmers train their gun dogs not to chase and eat their chickens? [/quote] Good question Karen. It's odd isn't it, Hattie came to us as a 13 week old puppy and never chased our free range hens, ducks, rabbits and cats but if she sees a pheasant or rabbit off she goes, but she does recall I am proud to add, so why is this?
Re: Hens Same here as with Hattie. Our dogs do not chase the resident cats or guinea pigs in the garden (although they do look longingly at the guinea pigs at times, salivating and with murder in their hearts....), and when out shooting do not chase anything at all until sent on a retrieve but if just out for a family stroll will fetch me all sorts of contraband feathered creatures. Again when out shooting they would wade through a sea of fox poo without a flicker but family stroll = bigtime rolling. So I suspect folk with gundogs and hens/geese/ducks benefit from the same behaviour and they simply don't chase and kill stuff that lives on "their" land. Anyone with both working gundogs and birds around to comment?
Re: Hens My old dogs came from my sister's farm in rural France. Bones and his litter mates once caught and killed a hen - my sister whacked them all with the dead chicken! She said they never looked at another hen again!! Hmmm .. link to the 'Dog Training Devices' thread?
Re: Hens [quote author=Karen link=topic=4173.msg49624#msg49624 date=1390577038] My old dogs came from my sister's farm in rural France. Bones and his litter mates once caught and killed a hen - my sister whacked them all with the dead chicken! She said they never looked at another hen again!! Hmmm .. link to the 'Dog Training Devices' thread? [/quote] That is just brilliant! ;D ;D ;D
Re: Hens I made Obi read your post, Karen, so that he knows that if he ever kills a duck he'll be sentenced to 90 ducky lashes
