Well what works for us may not necessarily be the program for someone else > Bear in mind that we basically had the odds stacked up against us right from the start. But we made the best decisions that we thought we could for her at the time and we still are in an experimental way. To eliminate the killing of chickens we made alterations to the main gates to all other adjoining pastures and paddocks to prevent the chickens from using any other fields but the one they are currently in. We made alterations to an adjacent small rotational field that is about 1 1/2 acres or so that has shade trees and a meadow and a newly built man gated area alongside the orchard road where our perennial plot is located along with the bees...so it is very accessible now. This area is easily in view from my kitchen window. It also has access to be in view of the pasture where the horses, goats and hens are. The area is now safely fenced and gates were secured, a dog coop brought over, a feeding and watering station developed. The ram and billy now live there with the dog. My husband is over there everyday tending to the plants and bees, so she get a good amount of attention. She gets out of the field and goes up for jaunts on the mountain with us on and off lead, so she still has socialization and a reckoning of obedience. We have a neighbor with a kennel of Shars, and I selected a calm young adult male to pair with her. They have play dates in her field and it is working out perfect. They romp and drain energy, and she is learning from his size and experience that she needs to be respectful and mindful. Win-win. If we see her chasing or stalking anything...she gets an air horn blast. If she keeps it up, she gets the knocker stick, if she keeps it up she get put on the chain. Game over. She gets released and again has the opportunity to make a mistake so she can be corrected. So far, it is working and I have only had to chain her once. Someone suggested a big nasty rooster to put in with her to get her to leave the poultry alone, and ya know what we may just try that along with the air horn. Again, an experimental step, but it could work. The next step is to build trust to allow her back into the barn yard area (without chicken access) which is adjacent to the field she is in right now and it backs up to the house so we can see and correct her. Then it is to get her adjusted and respectful of electric fence over the summer so she can spend more time with the flock. But we feel that this is home for her for now. So far, so good! Plus she does a great job of keeping the deer off the garden and the baby fruit trees...and the bears have not even tried to get the bees! So I think we are on to something good here. That is where we are with Alka in her journey to becoming a Sarplaninac LGD.[br][link={e_FILE}public/1276132885_18405_FT74429_alka_on_watch.jpg][img:width=500&height=281]{e_FILE}public/1276132885_18405_FT74429_alka_on_watch_.jpg">[/link][br]