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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Dog & Sheep Solutions?

139 replies

Baabaabaddog · 31/03/2023 23:22

Late teen DS has just called me, this evening he was walking the dog in the dark, basically she ran away and chased some sheep.
Son says when he got to her she was chasing a lamb round in circles, playing how she does with dogs. When it laid down, she laid down next to it and licked it.
I’m relieved that she didn’t go to attack it, however I’ve also been involved in livestock / farming / countryside living so am fully aware of the damage this can still do.

I’ve been training her by walking through sheep regularly, and going back and forth past them multiple times so desensitisation. I correct any pulling or interest etc, but not really praising her or doing anything to get her attention other than walking on.
The other thing I do is sit and stay with her near sheep in fields, and stand back, with a long line (very securely!) on.

I wanted to ask for suggestions of what else you would do now?
I know full well she will now be super high alert and this will have put my hours and hours of training backwards!
BTW she’s a Doberman and can spot something moving from half a mile away and she can sniff out any animal in undergrowth.

I have access to a sheep farm. I was thinking of putting her in a pen with quite a few sheep and lambs? On a long line, sit and stay and then walking round. Even feeding her in there. Then back out in the fields and get them to run past her?

Thanks for any advice.

OP posts:
Dockindoris · 01/04/2023 12:22

Sorry but you seem a bit arrogant, just keep your dog on a leash around livestock, anyone else with half a brain would.

Rhondaa · 01/04/2023 12:37

'Your idea of getting your dog comfortable around sheep is a good idea'

It is comfortable around sheep, too comfortable it was apparently playing <not harassing oh nooo> a lamb. The problem is sheep aren't comfortable around unfamiliar dogs.

The only solution is lead on at all times unless on the beach where as far as I know you don't find sheep.

bluedabadeedabada · 01/04/2023 13:11

EdithStourton · 01/04/2023 10:50

The problem with saying 'keep the dog on a lead' is twofold.

  1. Leads can fail or be yanked out of your hand.
  2. Unless you want to have your dog on a lead literally all the time except in a city park, you can never quite know where you will encounter sheep. They are escape artists. Trees blow down and damage fences. And so on.

OP, ask the farmer about stock training or speak to a gundog trainer.

This. You cannot ever be certain you won't come across a sheep or any other animal your dog wants to chase. Sad that most dog owners and trainers would rather their dog was shot/euthanised than corrected.

Crumpetdisappointment · 01/04/2023 13:21

this is sheep worrying, walking through a field purposefully

Crumpetdisappointment · 01/04/2023 13:24

you cannot sit in a field of sheep with your dog, mad
what a risk to the sheep
you have no idea how they will react to you

FurAndFeathers · 01/04/2023 13:29

CurlewKate · 01/04/2023 12:22

@FurAndFeathers I am a countrywoman with dogs, relatives with sheep and an opinion. Disagree with me all you want. But don't call me a cunt.

I didn’t

I said troll hunting when someone is looking for practical advice is cuntish and against the rules

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 01/04/2023 13:44

bluedabadeedabada · 01/04/2023 13:11

This. You cannot ever be certain you won't come across a sheep or any other animal your dog wants to chase. Sad that most dog owners and trainers would rather their dog was shot/euthanised than corrected.

Show quote history

Except nobody has said that at all, have they?

AlwaysGinPlease · 01/04/2023 13:48

Crumpetdisappointment · 01/04/2023 13:21

this is sheep worrying, walking through a field purposefully

Exactly this. You are fucking awful for putting sheep through this and your dog. The owner 100% does not know you're doing this and would serve you your arse on a plate if they did.

Choconut · 01/04/2023 13:49

If you think it's all fine then why don't you go ask the farmer what he thinks of your dog 'playing' with his sheep and lambs and whether sticking it in a pen with them would be a good idea? I grew up on a farm and now I'm surrounded by sheep farms and know of two local dogs that have been shot and another two reported to the police.

You sound batshit to me - but good luck with the farmer.

FurAndFeathers · 01/04/2023 14:01

AlwaysGinPlease · 01/04/2023 13:48

Exactly this. You are fucking awful for putting sheep through this and your dog. The owner 100% does not know you're doing this and would serve you your arse on a plate if they did.

Show quote history

Did you miss the part where OP clearly states she lives on the farm and has the farmers permission to do the training before you aggressively attacked her based on your own assumptions?

Crumpetdisappointment · 01/04/2023 14:11

then the farmer sounds like a lunatic imo

OllytheCollie · 01/04/2023 14:16

This whole thread shows the worst side of the Doghouse. Someone made a mistake with their dog. As have I and lots of other people.

It sounds like she wants to address this but has made the mistaken assumption that 'desensitizing' the dog will be possible. Which it probably isn't. BUT trying to reinforce handler focus is possible and will certainly make even on lead walks safer. Rather than give her the helpful advice that she needs to keep the dog on a lead and needs a professional trainer everyone just piles in accusing her of being at best an idiot or at worst a troll.

Why? What do people get out of this? Sheep are sadly worried daily in the rural and touristy area I live in. Not all the dogs are shot, shootings are incredibly rare. In the vast majority of cases the farmer doesn't know until after it happens and never gets compensated.

Here someone knows they screwed up and is asking for advice to stop it happening again and instead of trying to help she gets abuse. That won't help dogs or sheep or farmers losing income.

OllytheCollie · 01/04/2023 14:20

I do think OP needs to find out the owner of the field the dog escaped in last night and let them know what happened. There may have been pregnant ewes there who spontaneously abort now, they need to know their sheep may have been scared and the lamb needs tlc. If there is compensation to be paid the dog should be insured. One of rhe worst thing about sheep worrying for farmers is if it results in death to the ewe or lamb they almost never get compensated by the owners.

Sairk · 01/04/2023 14:21

You could work with a gun trainer who uses an E-collar. If used correctly it makes them bomb proof near livestock. You need a rock solid recall and leave it command. You've got a very trainable breed you just need to find the right trainer.

IngGenius · 01/04/2023 14:31

Hides thread takes own dog for a lovely walk as ecollar debate about to kick off......

AlwaysGinPlease · 01/04/2023 14:36

Sairk · 01/04/2023 14:21

You could work with a gun trainer who uses an E-collar. If used correctly it makes them bomb proof near livestock. You need a rock solid recall and leave it command. You've got a very trainable breed you just need to find the right trainer.

They're illegal. They're very cruel so that's a good thing. Jesus , some people.

AlwaysGinPlease · 01/04/2023 14:42

IngGenius · 01/04/2023 14:31

Hides thread takes own dog for a lovely walk as ecollar debate about to kick off......

Good idea. I might hide it too. So much stupid.

Mistymoonsinastarrysky · 01/04/2023 14:45

Who on earth let’s a dog off the lead in the dark? Complete stupid, as is hoping to train your dog to ignore sheep, it only takes one incident of your training failing to make a disaster.
I never let my dog off the longline if there’s any possibility of sheep being in the vicinity, it’s just not worth the risk. We often have escapee sheep on our lanes and bridleways, I wouldn’t be able to live with the fact my dog caused damage or worse.

bluedabadeedabada · 01/04/2023 14:56

Hello could anybody help.
I am just wondering, all of you who say you don't let your dog off its lead if there is a possibility of sheep being in the area, where do your dogs get off lead time? A remote island surrounded by miles of sea? Or do you have some sort of sheep detecting technology that I have not yet come across?

You can never be 100% sure you will not come across livestock. Ever.

FurAndFeathers · 01/04/2023 15:00

OllytheCollie · 01/04/2023 14:16

This whole thread shows the worst side of the Doghouse. Someone made a mistake with their dog. As have I and lots of other people.

It sounds like she wants to address this but has made the mistaken assumption that 'desensitizing' the dog will be possible. Which it probably isn't. BUT trying to reinforce handler focus is possible and will certainly make even on lead walks safer. Rather than give her the helpful advice that she needs to keep the dog on a lead and needs a professional trainer everyone just piles in accusing her of being at best an idiot or at worst a troll.

Why? What do people get out of this? Sheep are sadly worried daily in the rural and touristy area I live in. Not all the dogs are shot, shootings are incredibly rare. In the vast majority of cases the farmer doesn't know until after it happens and never gets compensated.

Here someone knows they screwed up and is asking for advice to stop it happening again and instead of trying to help she gets abuse. That won't help dogs or sheep or farmers losing income.

Could not agree more.
the ill-intentioned superiority is entirely unnecessary

Rhondaa · 01/04/2023 15:11

OllytheCollie · 01/04/2023 14:16

This whole thread shows the worst side of the Doghouse. Someone made a mistake with their dog. As have I and lots of other people.

It sounds like she wants to address this but has made the mistaken assumption that 'desensitizing' the dog will be possible. Which it probably isn't. BUT trying to reinforce handler focus is possible and will certainly make even on lead walks safer. Rather than give her the helpful advice that she needs to keep the dog on a lead and needs a professional trainer everyone just piles in accusing her of being at best an idiot or at worst a troll.

Why? What do people get out of this? Sheep are sadly worried daily in the rural and touristy area I live in. Not all the dogs are shot, shootings are incredibly rare. In the vast majority of cases the farmer doesn't know until after it happens and never gets compensated.

Here someone knows they screwed up and is asking for advice to stop it happening again and instead of trying to help she gets abuse. That won't help dogs or sheep or farmers losing income.

They seemed to want advice on how to get a dog to ignore sheep. A lead is the answer.

Responsible adults should walk it with a lead on near livestock is the only solution.

People like the op give actual responsible dog owners a bad name, that is why there is exasperation.

Hoppinggreen · 01/04/2023 15:18

Sairk · 01/04/2023 14:21

You could work with a gun trainer who uses an E-collar. If used correctly it makes them bomb proof near livestock. You need a rock solid recall and leave it command. You've got a very trainable breed you just need to find the right trainer.

Yes electric shock treatment does tend to be effective

TakeMyStrongHand · 01/04/2023 15:21

Ecollars do not have to provide a shock. Some are vibration only. They are not the devil. Using this could save the dogs life and ensure it is not shot by the farmer.

That being said, dogs will not die if they are not off the lead. My dog is always on the lead because he is a prey driven and ignorant breed by nature. It's not worth the risk to me or him. Just keep them on a lead.

Giggorata · 01/04/2023 15:22

We used to have lurchers, with a high prey drive.
Knowing which fields were likely to contain sheep helped, because we could ensure the hounds were on the lead and we could then react to any interest they showed in the sheep.
At an early age, they were trained to have good recall and they were left In no doubt that sheep were very very bad things, and not theirs to hunt. This meant that they never pulled on the lead or barked at sheep, not that they were foolproof around them.
We never had them off the lead around sheep, and were always hyper vigilant about stray sheep popping up unexpectedly.
Short of an E collar, that was the best we could do.

There aren't any sheep within miles of the towpath where we walk our dogs now. (labs and a herder).
They are trained to horses and bicycles, etc, but I am still vigilant.
A few years ago, one of our labs and one of a friend's labs, both gun dog trained, brought down a deer, working in unison as if they had done it all their lives. It was a display of the instinct and the prey drive in dogs that isn't bred out.