When we go to the coop, Dapper hates to be left out.  At first I wasn’t sure how he’d react to eight chicks running helter-skelter around him but I couldn’t bear his whining for long.

I opened the door to let Dapper in.  Immediately he ran to my side, tail wagging, and sat down.  I wondered how long it would take for the chicks to notice him and what Dapper would do about it.  It wasn’t long.

At times a chick would get close to the dog.  Dapper would stretch out his neck to nose the chicken.  Often the chick would turn to face him, nose to beak.  Then she’d turn and run off.

After a little while, Dapper got brave and would take a step or two to sniff at a chick.  That’s when the trouble started.

A chickens number one preoccupation is finding food.  She spends most of her time eating, scratching, pecking and chasing bugs.  So when Dapper stood up, his floppy, long-haired ears just looked like so many worms that the chicks couldn’t resist.  They flocked him, pulling strands of hair on his ears.  This surprised him and then POW!  He was pecked right on the nose!

After that, Dapper was very careful to keep his face hidden behind someone’s legs.  Soon, he gave up and asked to leave the coop.

I guess Dapper has a healthy understanding of what being “hen-pecked” means now.

(The picture shows Dapper’s surprised expression with his ears standing straight up after being pecked by the Leghorn.)

Related posts:

1. Dapper Doodle Dandy
2. Chicken Dust
3. One Week Later…

Young Master was playing with the chicks a couple of evenings ago and managed to get one to eat out of his hand.  Naturally, if one chick is getting something to eat then all the others come running to get their share.  Now they all come running as soon as you put your hand in the box.  It’s a nice feeling that they trust me enough to actually jump into my hand for something to eat.  The Leghorns still aren’t too keen on being held but at least they don’t run away from me anymore.

Dapper is adjusting now.  He still isn’t sure what to do about the chicks.  I think he gets a bit jealous when I give the chicks some attention.  He starts whining and shaking and trying to get into my lap.  I’ve held a chick up for Dapper to inspect.  he sniffs her and laps the air all around her.  The first night we had the chicks Dapper kept trying to get out of bed to go check on them.  He doesn’t do that anymore.  He will jump up to look in the box when we’re patting or feeding the chicks.  It makes me laugh to think of how Dapper will react when there are eight full-grown chickens that are all twice as big as he is!

Related posts:

1. Chicken Doodle
2. It’s A Jungle Out There
3. Playing Chicken

Well, it turns out that Dapper is scared of sassy chipmunks, mailboxes, and trash cans.  He nearly jumped out of his skin when the chipmunk started yapping.  He tucked his tail and skittered in front of me, nearly tripping me in the process.  He’d duck behind me when we passed a mailbox with the door open and I nearly had to carry him passed the garbage can that was tipped over.  I had to keep telling him what a "big dog" he was so he’d be brave enough to keep going.  But Dapper isn’t scared of one thing… cars.  He wasn’t really interested in chasing them, but every time we heard a vehicle coming he’d run in front of me into the road.  I kept him on a short leash so he didn’t get more than his front feet into the road before I pulled him back.  I don’t know what the deal was.  I guess the car seems safer than the chipmunk.

Yup, I think Doodle is the right word.  A sissy name for a sissy dog.

I wonder if Dapper will be scared of chickens…

Related posts:

1. Chicken Doodle