Golden retriever-chow mix

Question
Last March, we adopted Mattie, a female about 6 years old, from a rescue.  There is only a history on Mattie for two years previous to when we got her.  She is a really wonderful dog in too many ways to list.  However, she is really into "trophy animals."

So far, she has brought us as trophies a squirrel, mouse, small bird, baby possum.  

When we first adopted her, we were in the process of finishing the building of a home on rural acreage.  Now we live out in the country and there are all the animals above and more to chase and capture.  The other day, the wind was blowing hard from the direction of our neighbors 200 yards away.  They raise chickens.  I had not taken my eyes off Mattie for 10-15 minutes and she had made her way to the neighbors, grabbed a rooster, and was sprinting down our driveway, feathers flying everywhere.

It was as if she was saying "hey, master, look what I got this time."

Is there any way to train or discipline that behavior out of Mattie?  We are on good terms with the new neighbors (so
far).  But I would like to think Mattie could respect their livestock, too.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Answer
Hi David, Living in a very rural area and having birds and other animals myself, I know what you mean. My neighbors have moved in from the city and have dogs that do not control their hunting instincts, but I am more than happy to work with them. You must ask you neighbors if they are willing to assist you in training your dog to control her hunting instincts and keep the peace. You can begin by having the birds or other animals in a small wire cage. Have your dog on a leash with a slip collar or other collar which you have control. Place the dog in the down position by the cage. When she moves towards the animals, give her a correction with the leash and make a "SHHH","AHHH" noise or firmly and quietly say "NO, Down". Once she is consistently obeying your commands and will look away and not fixate on the animals, have a helper remove a bird from the case. It will flap it's wings and will be more attractive to your dog. Repeat the corrections as many times as you need to have her stay down and look away from the birds. Then in a confined area, let the birds move freely, while you repeat the correction until you have the same positive results. Next take her to the coop that houses the birds and put her in the down/stay position. Repeat the corrections if she moves or fixates her gaze. This process is something you will have to repeat for many hours, days, weeks...until you are sure that she can be trusted. If you do your homework correctly, the problem will go away. If it does not, you may need to have a good dog behaviorist assist you. You can use a shock collar, but it must be used with care in the right hands by a professional at first and should never take the place of proper training. Take her to parks, zoos, county fairs, walks in the woods and other places where she may encounter animals. Train her in as many different situations as you can until you get 100consistency. If you have any problems or questions feel free to write back. Leave me some feedback, and follow-up to let me know how your training is going. Thank you for writing. Regards, Susan