Bloody Sheep!!!

[terryd 8,014]

i think bird is right. I am the last person to talk as I feel I made a right pigs ear of training mine as I didn't do it the way I should have done. But I had a terrier that was a 110% you could turn your back on him following a line through sheep with out a worry. I have to admit that was due to a hiding. That was going back over 30 odd years and I can remember the exact spot even now and thinking at the time it was for his own good. Which it was because for the rest of life he had a great time and could go anywhere in safety.

What gaz says make sense too because my young lurcher never put a foot wrong as a pup so never new the repercussions of chasing sheep. Then I jumped the gun and assumed he was fine and he chased twice 5 and 6 months. Both times in huge places where I couldn't catch him and had to wait till he came back so I couldn't do any thing (my fault). So I knocked that on the head and put lots of time in making sure I had control over him and he hasn't had the chance since and hopeful has got the idea now. If sheep run he looks the other way incase it was him that made them run and just tried to get on with his own thing but he is relaxed about it now. But even if he lets me down this winter I wouldn't give up. I will rent a a field for 6 months and buy some dam sheep if I have too lol.

 

 

 

[Ads 38]

Like I said, he's been shown them all his life and he's been right with them up until pretty recent. The first time he did it was a good few weeks ago and I'm fairly confident the "bollocking" was sufficient and this time was even more severe. There's no mistaking the the dog knew he'd done wrong. But it was too late, he's already done it.

 

Thanks joe777 I will be getting a collar for it after reading that post and giving a go. Hopefully with a collar I can prevent if from happening in the first place and teach him that way

[morton 5,367]

right, my dogs 18 month old today and whilst on a walk earlier, the little tw@t thought he'd celebrate with a bit of lamb. It's the second time he's done it now and I wouldn't mind but he's seen them all through growing up as a pup and I've tried to enforce that they're a no go as much as possible. And after the first time he did it, he got a good bollocking shall we say.

 

I'm starting to think that a remote shock collar is the only way to go now as he just will not listen whilst in chase.

 

Is he still young enough for a collar (or any other suggestions) to put it right or am I now pissing in the wind?

 

I got this dog from a pup because I had to get rid of the one I had before for doing exactly the same thing. Same breed funnily enough!

You got rid of the first un and failed with the second,the pattern emerging is its not the dog or how its bred,its rare that a pup cannot be stock broken,its common that the owner is often to lazy or not experienced enough to educate the mutt and themselves.Id take this sapling back to basic stock control,plenty of info on this site about that.If you fail this one cull it and don,t get another.

[neil cooney 10,415]

A vibe I get through this thread is that lads seem to think that a dog is broken to sheep if you can walk it off the lead through a field of sheep.

A dog is only broken to sheep if he lost his quarry several fields away and can come back to you on it's own through sheep after having a hunt.

Only then is a dog steady with sheep.

 

As for the original dog ?

I agree with putting it down. A dog like that will loose you a lot of permission, if you had any in the first place.

[forest of dean redneck 11,183]

Dress up as a sheep kick fcuk out of the dog, problem solved

Your one of those Nac Mac feegles arnt you lol

[nans pat 2,575]

if a dog was a stock killer but was a great hare killer would you put to sleep or just run him on land where theres no sheep,

[Maximus Ferret 2,055]

I'd try an Ecollar first. If you're somewhere like the fens then you can run places with no sheep for miles but round here anywhere that has a few hares is usually lousy with sheep too.

Having said that I rarely go after hares specifically but would never feel relaxed with a dog that I knew liked to kill sheep, even outside of sheep country.

Edited July 30, 2015 by Maximus Ferret

[Wales1234 5,424]

Big thing I get I don't want my dogs scared of sheep just to know there off the menu if my dogs didn't hunt through sheep would be a right pain the arse !!

My 2 older lurches can literally be running behind sheep on the hill and I know there not chasing them just the line is where the sheep are running ! I think it's making them comfortable around sheep not scared to go near them !

[Phil Lloyd 10,736]

Familiarity, not fear,... is usually the solution...

[Donna Wildwood 288]

I'll probably get jumped on for this but.....

If you are only walking the dog at this moment, and not working it may I suggest that whilst putting other training/corrections in place you use a basket muzzle and a long line on it?

It won't stop the chasing, it won't stop the sheep getting stressed and personally I would be royally fecked off if these were my sheep BUT if I had a dog amongst my sheep that the owner had muzzled and long lined I could at least try to understand that the owner was doing all he could to prevent damage.

Stress can kill em, but a maggoty dog bite on hill sheep is an almost certain killer.

I have no FAC but a local sheep farmer does, and I can assure you he would shoot first then ask questions.

[bird 9,586]

A vibe I get through this thread is that lads seem to think that a dog is broken to sheep if you can walk it off the lead through a field of sheep.

A dog is only broken to sheep if he lost his quarry several fields away and can come back to you on it's own through sheep after having a hunt.

Only then is a dog steady with sheep.

 

As for the original dog ?

I agree with putting it down. A dog like that will loose you a lot of permission, if you had any in the first place.

spot on , that's the test when ran something and not caught it, and on there way back to you. if a sheep or lamb ran out in front of them then you really know if the lesson went in there head. and another tip with any dog more so young dog, watch them with lambs for the 1st week or so. my dogs are good with sheep, but even old Bryn who near 8 year old when they 1st new lambs he will have a bit of a look at them the old prat lol, so i walk there week every day let see them and if they look a quick, and do few recalls by the them, and they ok , and after few weeks they treat them like the rest of the flock and don't bother . but as said its getting that (1st) lesson in there heads some dog a shout, others hell of a lot more physical

[Wales1234 5,424]

I know the farmer who owns the sheep on the hill by me and he knows full well my dogs are spot on as iv proved to him time and time again ! My pup at the moment isn't perfect but she isn't attacking them just herding them ! I think you got to act normal around sheep while stock breaking as you want your dog to act normal you start stressing and the dog will sense this and start acting to accordance !!

[inan 841]

right, my dogs 18 month old today and whilst on a walk earlier, the little tw@t thought he'd celebrate with a bit of lamb. It's the second time he's done it now and I wouldn't mind but he's seen them all through growing up as a pup and I've tried to enforce that they're a no go as much as possible. And after the first time he did it, he got a good bollocking shall we say.

 

I'm starting to think that a remote shock collar is the only way to go now as he just will not listen whilst in chase.

 

Is he still young enough for a collar (or any other suggestions) to put it right or am I now pissing in the wind?

 

I got this dog from a pup because I had to get rid of the one I had before for doing exactly the same thing. Same breed funnily enough!

Buy an e collar, set it to maximum, buckle it round your neck and every time the dog chases a sheep, press the remote.It won't do a thing for the dog , but it will remind you to stock break an animal before you let it loose in the countryside.The farmer on my nearest permission shot two Alsatians a few months ago they had killed 2 sheep and two more had to be put down.It upset him ,he said he would sooner have shot the owner of the dogs.

 

 

Practically speaking an e collar will give you the recall you need.

I've a saluki saturated dog that went a bit deaf when you called him.The collar sorted it. If he regresses and doesn't comeback immediately to my whistle I back it up with the sound bleeper on the remote . I just give him the ringing tone no need for the shock anymore.

I should add that he is a very wilful, bold dog with a huge prey drive

. If your dog is a timid sort , I would be more circumspect about using a collar.

Still, if its that or the gun what have you got to lose?

Edited July 30, 2015 by inan

[Blackdog92 2,047]

I know the farmer who owns the sheep on the hill by me and he knows full well my dogs are spot on as iv proved to him time and time again ! My pup at the moment isn't perfect but she isn't attacking them just herding them ! I think you got to act normal around sheep while stock breaking as you want your dog to act normal you start stressing and the dog will sense this and start acting to accordance !!

I think thats the thing with most situations with dogs like if you know your dog fights with other dogs and you see one coming and your heart starts pumping and start to stress the dog will pick up on it and take the dominant role and act how it thinks it needs to. I had the same problem with my mums bullmastiff it would kick off as soon as it saw a dog or sheep because she would get in such a panic but if i took the dog and kept calm and quietly corrected the dog before it acted it was fine.

[Wales1234 5,424]

 

I know the farmer who owns the sheep on the hill by me and he knows full well my dogs are spot on as iv proved to him time and time again ! My pup at the moment isn't perfect but she isn't attacking them just herding them ! I think you got to act normal around sheep while stock breaking as you want your dog to act normal you start stressing and the dog will sense this and start acting to accordance !!

I think thats the thing with most situations with dogs like if you know your dog fights with other dogs and you see one coming and your heart starts pumping and start to stress the dog will pick up on it and take the dominant role and act how it thinks it needs to. I had the same problem with my mums bullmastiff it would kick off as soon as it saw a dog or sheep because she would get in such a panic but if i took the dog and kept calm and quietly corrected the dog before it acted it was fine.

Yeeep just all about keeping calm and keeping a eye on the dogs body language ! Soon as the pup could smell she I could see her body language change completely she was getting stress and wanted to approach them but didn't to me she wasn't broke to sheep I knew if she thought I couldn't see her she would have a pop ! My old two can be a mile or two away and I know they wouldn't bother them at all that's broken to sheep