We have a hunting dog, a lurcher. We got her from a farm near the grampians for $100. At first we thought she was a bit hyperactive, but she is now 18 months old so she has calmed down quite a bit.
At the start of the year we decided to get some chooks. She got her way into the cage and ate 2 because she didnt know any better.
We have since gotten 3 more chooks, and the 4 of them, for 2 months now, have roamed around our backyard together. And last night I caught the 3 chooks, and the dog, all in the kennel SLEEPING TOGETHER!!
The only 'violence' she has towards the chooks is nudging them away when they go near her food
Instead of just playing 'fetch' with her, we kick it to her, if its up high she will tap it with her nose so it lands back with us, if we kick it low, she will run next to it as it is rolling down the hill, and nudge it if it stops rolling towards us, until it is at our feet.
We also have a small shed out the back, about 2 meters tall. Quite often she will jump on it and growl at the birds on our roof. But our front gate is probably only a meter high, and she has never jumped over it.
I think we have a very smart dog