Boxer Dog chasing sheep

summerbaby · 21-10-2008 4:36pm #1

Hi everyone,

I found out yesterday that my beautiful boxer has been chasing sheep, now he's the friendliest dog ever and never was vicious towards another animal until now. Anyone know any ways to stop him from doing it again? I'm heartbroken at the thoughts of having to give him away, he's like my baby.:( He's three years old, male whose neutered. Can anyone help!

Whispered · 21-10-2008 4:43pm

A fence?

Are you serious?

Mr. Presentable · 21-10-2008 4:45pm

helena.ryan wrote: »

A fence?

Are you serious?

Lock him into your property somehow. If the farmer catches him he'll be shot!

andreac · 21-10-2008 4:46pm

This is very serious, your dog could be shot by the farmer, you are very lucky he hasnt already been shot, you need to keep him secure as he will keep doing this.

I own a rottweiler who i cant let off anywhere near horses,cattle or sheep as he will chase.

You need to take responsibility for your dog or you could be in big trouble as will your dog if it happens again.

MsFifers · 21-10-2008 4:47pm

You are so lucky he wasn't shot immediately.

You should have a secure garden or build a dog run for him. He shouldn't ever be allowed to wander anyway, even if he wasn't worrying the sheep - he could be knocked down, taken by a dog warden, stolen etc.

Get that fence up!

bigpinkelephant · 21-10-2008 4:49pm

MsFifers wrote: »

Get that fence up!

The wooden kind- not one of those hideous electrocution devices.

andreac · 21-10-2008 4:55pm

summerbaby wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I'm heartbroken at the thoughts of having to give him away, Can anyone help!

Why would you have to give him away? just dont give him the opportunity to do it again, keep him secure, its not the dogs fault if hes out wandering, its your responsibility, why should the dog suffer??

golden · 21-10-2008 5:24pm

Have you seen the outcome of what a dog can do to a sheep, I have and it is not nice at all. As other posters have said your lucky that your dog is alive.

The only way is to be a responsible dog owner and have your dog securely fenced in your own garden.

Sigma Force · 21-10-2008 9:52pm

If you can't get a fence up in time get a dog run cilldara.ie do dog runs and there's another crowd in wexford, you can also buy them in most hardware stores, although not as sturdy might do for now.

Dogs should not allowed to run free now matter how well behaved a loose dog can cause a nuisance to neighbours, farmers and other dog owners not to mention road accidents. Even if living in the countryside, in fact I have found that loose dogs cause as many problems in towns as countryside. We've had to fork out a fortune in fencing over the years do prevent other dogs coming in, and invested in dog runs a long time ago they are a godsend and the cill dara ones can be put up in a matter of minutes, last a lifetime.

ecaf · 22-10-2008 11:14am

Please be responsible and keep your dog fenced in and on a lead when you are walking him.

I know some farmers who lost lost of sheep last year to two "Lovely" boxers who broke into their field and savaged some sheep and chased them. Some died from injuries received from the dogs, others died of shock, others lost their lambs and one even swam across a huge big river to get away from them, I'm not sure if it survived after that.

The dogs in question were not put down, but were moved to a new home where it was more secure.
I love dogs, and I like boxers too, but I would agree with a dog being put down if anything similar to the above happened.

I also know of a neighbours dog who was shot by another farmer for chasing his sheep.

Don't let this be the outcome for your dog, and would you really want to subject someone's livestock to this?

mary123 · 22-10-2008 1:37pm

I can only repeat what everyone else has said. Please keep ur dog in till u can make sure that he cant escape. Poor lad is going to end up shot. If u cant secure ur garden for what ever reason, please do not let him out. Do the sensible thing and get him a new home, though im sure this is not what u want to do.

lightening · 22-10-2008 1:43pm

I'd say she's got the message by now. Judging by her other posts I'm amazed she didn't know this before the event happened!

ecaf · 22-10-2008 3:22pm

lightening wrote: »

Judging by her other posts I'm amazed she didn't know this before the event happened!

:rolleyes: :pac:

Good one lightening!

Whispered · 22-10-2008 4:10pm

lightening wrote: »

I'd say she's got the message by now. Judging by her other posts I'm amazed she didn't know this before the event happened!

yeah, hilarious.

Tabitharose · 22-10-2008 7:28pm

you are not only responsible for what ever happens to your dog as in being shot by a farmer, you are responsible for any suffering that any sheep your dog attacks - you really need to take responsibility & get this sorted IMMEDIATELY as others have said:mad:

kerrysgold · 22-10-2008 8:57pm

you need to make your garden secure and walk him for around an hour a day on the lead (a 5 or 6 foot fence keeps most dogs in, depends if he's a jumper or a digger really!) if you live within a reasonable distance of a beach or woods etc. you could take him there and let him off the lead there for a good run around.

summerbaby · 23-10-2008 9:10am

Most people are shouting abuse at me about a fence, I have a dog run for him, its 10ft x 50ft, but he's both a digger and a jumper so he's really hard to keep in, I found him on top of his dog shed yesterday trying to get over the fence.

I have been in contact with the farmer and i'm paying for his sheep, so long as he doesn't see my dog again he's happy. I don't know if there's any constructive way to train him to leave the sheep alone or am i just wasting my time. I live near woods so i can let him out there in the evenings for a good run around but i'm just afraid he'll find a sheep in the fields nearby.

andreac · 23-10-2008 9:18am

Were some of his sheep injured? what are you paying him for? Your dog really is very lucky he is still alive.
If he jumps over fences well you will have to make sure this is not possible.

You wont be able to train him not to chase them, you just mustnt give him the opportunity to do it again. If you are going to walk him, bring him somewhere there isnt any sheep nearby.
It is your responsibility to make sure the dog is under control.

ruben · 23-10-2008 9:41am

I live near woods so i can let him out there in the evenings for a good run around but i'm just afraid he'll find a sheep in the fields nearby.

Does that mean you just allow him to run around the woods on his own?
Or have I taken you up incorrectly?
If it's the former, please don't do that, a walk is supposed to be bonding time and fun for both of you. Allowing him to run around off your property on his own is just setting him up for trouble.

There is absolutely no way you will be able to train your dog not to chase sheep when you are not around. The Only answer is to not allow him the opportunity to do it.

summerbaby · 23-10-2008 9:58am

I let him off for a run but i'm with him, he runs up a few trees ahead and then runs back to me, I walk him twice a day but he still has enough energy to try dig his way out of his run. I've heard all the responses I need, thanks for all the comments.

arctictree · 23-10-2008 10:06am

ruben wrote: »

There is absolutely no way you will be able to train your dog not to chase sheep when you are not around. The Only answer is to not allow him the opportunity to do it.

I disagree. We have chickens and sheep here. We got our dog (springer spaniel) from ashtown pound at 9 months old. At first he went mental after the animals but after a lot of hard training, he now completely ignores them.

The trick is that the animals need to be part of their environment and not 'on the other side of the fence'.

So OP, my advice is, either completely contain your dog or buy some sheep and be prepared for a lot of training!

A

The Sweeper · 23-10-2008 10:26am

summerbaby wrote: »

I let him off for a run but i'm with him, he runs up a few trees ahead and then runs back to me, I walk him twice a day but he still has enough energy to try dig his way out of his run. I've heard all the responses I need, thanks for all the comments.

Summerbaby, take him to an obedience class, so you learn the correct way to command your dog. You can teach dogs to leave things with the command "LEAVE IT" in your sternest voice, but you need to learn yourself how to make that voice, and how not to order your dog around ("Boxer! Don't touch that! You naughty boy Boxer! Stop that Boxer! Bold dog! Come here!" is not a replacement for "LEAVE IT").

I've spent months making sure my mother in law's beligerent bastard of a jack russell doesn't eat the chickens. They now free range around the garden and he ignores them. (He pointedly ignores them. In a sort of "Look at me, ignoring the chickens" way. I'm sure if one fluttered across his nose he'd eat it alive, but still, if he can do it so can your boxer.)

MsFifers · 23-10-2008 10:56am

The only problem with the advice given that the OP can train her boxer, is that many farmers, once they see a dog in a field with their sheep, won't wait to see if it is going to chase them or not. They'll just get the rifle straight away.

I'm not sure that training the dog would be of much help in this case.

arctictree · 23-10-2008 10:56am

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

Summerbaby, take him to an obedience class, so you learn the correct way to command your dog. You can teach dogs to leave things with the command "LEAVE IT" in your sternest voice, but you need to learn yourself how to make that voice, and how not to order your dog around ("Boxer! Don't touch that! You naughty boy Boxer! Stop that Boxer! Bold dog! Come here!" is not a replacement for "LEAVE IT").

Agreed 100%. We use the simple word 'NO!' for this! We use it very rarely but when we do, it stops the dog in his tracks and he just freezes!

Green Hornet · 23-10-2008 11:04am

We had something similar with our boxer - interested in but never chasing - sheep, cows, anything basically. She has quite a bit of room around the place (3/4 acre or so) and we couldn't fence everything so we got one of those electric fence things for dogs. She was also also wandering onto the road (you know boxers

) and we were worried about her causing an accident.

Another poster here gave out about them but in our experience its been a FANTASTIC investment. Felt really bad when introducing her to it but its given us great peace of mind and theres no way she will go within 2 feet of it. Doesn't even try so she never gets any shocks at all (if she did we wouldn't use it).

The only choice you have is some type of fence. Maybe obedience training would work but I'd always be worried about when nobody was there.

bigpinkelephant · 23-10-2008 12:38pm

Green Hornet wrote: »

we got one of those electric fence things for dogs. ... Felt really bad when introducing her to it but its given us great peace of mind and theres no way she will go within 2 feet of it. Doesn't even try so she never gets any shocks at all (if she did we wouldn't use it).

Well obviously if she won't go near it then she does get shocks from it, unless she read the box it came in and knew it was electric. So saying "if she got shocks from it we would't use it" doesn't make sense.

BlackCat2008 · 23-10-2008 12:51pm

summerbaby wrote: »

Most people are shouting abuse at me about a fence, I have a dog run for him, its 10ft x 50ft, but he's both a digger and a jumper so he's really hard to keep in, I found him on top of his dog shed yesterday trying to get over the fence.

I have been in contact with the farmer and i'm paying for his sheep, so long as he doesn't see my dog again he's happy. I don't know if there's any constructive way to train him to leave the sheep alone or am i just wasting my time. I live near woods so i can let him out there in the evenings for a good run around but i'm just afraid he'll find a sheep in the fields nearby.

First of buy some cheap paying slaps and lay them then drill some holes in them and you'll find electric or plumming clips which you can put over the bottom of the run poles and scew them down, then get chicken wire and put it over the top, hate to give out but best to post the whole story if you need help, hance why everyones on the band wagon.

Sigma Force · 23-10-2008 10:27pm

"Most people are shouting abuse at me about a fence, I have a dog run for him, its 10ft x 50ft, but he's both a digger and a jumper so he's really hard to keep in, I found him on top of his dog shed yesterday trying to get over the fence.

I have been in contact with the farmer and i'm paying for his sheep, so long as he doesn't see my dog again he's happy. I don't know if there's any constructive way to train him to leave the sheep alone or am i just wasting my time. I live near woods so i can let him out there in the evenings for a good run around but i'm just afraid he'll find a sheep in the fields nearby."

(Sorry quote box doesn't work on my computer for some reason).

Thing is you didn't post origionally that you had a run etc.
For digging provide a hard surface like paving slabs or concrete.
For jumping out have a top fitted to the run.

You still don't seem to get it that you cannot simply let your dog off to run freely when you know for a fact he's going for sheep.
Instead why not get a long lead, like the ones for horses, so he can still run on ahead but you still have contol over him.

Not all have been shouting at you but you just don't seem to want to take the advice and seem to be ignoring the fact that you must keep the dog on a lead regardless of where you are.

As said you should take him to classes, so both of you can learn recall, obedience etc. All the info on here may or may not help but a trainer needs to see a dog first hand to be truly helpful to your situation.

The run is nice and big so he can run about in that and then instead of using the walks to allow him run free use the walks as mental stimulation, he can still sniff around all the new smells etc. You have been allowing the dog too much freedom he thinks he can do what he likes.

Hope you don't take this as shouting this is just my humble opinion.

kerrysgold · 23-10-2008 11:51pm

I think you basically need to build him a giant crate, like what GPR said! you could put down a patio type thing or a plain poured concrete base for the run, and then either roof it with strong wire or with a proper roof or maybe half and half.

You definetly need to keep him indoors and only outside while you can supervise him until you have the run secured, as farmers usually won't hesitate to shoot the dog if they catch him in their fields with livestock.

Green Hornet · 24-10-2008 3:32pm

bigpinkelephant wrote: »

Well obviously if she won't go near it then she does get shocks from it, unless she read the box it came in and knew it was electric. So saying "if she got shocks from it we would't use it" doesn't make sense.

She obviously got shocks from it when introduced. That was not nice but it only happens when its installed and they get beeps warning them if they go near it again so they dont. As I said, I felt terrible but it's a short few minutes and they dont get shocked again because they dont go near it. Its either that or possibly shot by a farmer or hit by a car. She knows the boundaries so there is never an issue.

Boxer Dog chasing sheep

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