dog chasing sheep

RKMG

hi

i have brought my ESS out shooting a few times and twice she has gone through a hedge before me and has started chasing sheep before i have gotten through the bush to stop her. i know its a serious matter but would like some advice on how to discourage it.

thanks

SW81

Shout when she does it and give out to her after (DON'T hit her!), it worked for our dogs, it took a little while though.

stevoman

dog training shock colar. seems a little tough but will put manners on that dog very quick. i stopped my setter chasing hares with the use of this.

meathstevie

+1 for the electric colar. And indeed don't hit the dog when it comes back to you. The only thing you'll achieve doing that is give the dog encouragement not to come back.

whitser

shock collar are ment to work well. or go and catch the dog and give him a hiding, defo something you need to sort out asap.

pullandbang

The problem with giving them a hiding is they will associate coming back to you with getting punished.
Great if you can get after the dog and catch him in the act, then give him a good shake by the scruff of the neck.
Collar seems like the best bet but definitely do not let him away with it.

stevoman

pullandbang wrote: »

Collar seems like the best bet but definitely do not let him away with it.

It is by far pullandbang. You have two choices when it comes to chasing. shout NO at him and then correct him when he does come back to you and IMO that only cofuses them.

or get the collar shout NO and then give them a belt of the collar. its immediate correction and they dopnt be long about copping on.

RKMG

i agree with not hitting her tbh, ive never found it effective in any sort of training. the problem really lies when she is out of sight and then i follow her through a few minutes later but she has already taken off. if i was with her i dont think she would run off.

the shock collar seems like a good way forward. any suggestions on where to get one/prices etc?

macadam

For god sake do not hit the dog , after all you need this dog to retereive and come to hand .

Best method is the training collar and a long lead, find a few sheep , even in a pen , when she gets near zap the collar and say heal , or long lead in a field and same procedure , but do not hit the dog , raised voice when she/he disobeys a command,the dog knows when she/he does wrong .

Socialisation at ayoung age would have averted this.

I have the same problem with my ESS , only with hares.Put her straight on the lead and practice the come command.

Best of luck, Maca

jwshooter

macadam wrote: »

For god sake do not hit the dog , after all you need this dog to retereive and come to hand .

Best method is the training collar and a long lead, find a few sheep , even in a pen , when she gets near zap the collar and say heal , or long lead in a field and same procedure , but do not hit the dog , raised voice when she/he disobeys a command,the dog knows when she/he does wrong .

Socialisation at ayoung age would have averted this.

I have the same problem with my ESS , only with hares.Put her straight on the lead and practice the come command.

Best of luck, Maca

just a question ,what age is the dog .i mostly fined the fault in training lies with the trainer . you have brought a dog to the field that is NOT ready for it .i train my deer dogs to hold or kill a animal ,before i bring them to the field they have seen and know sheep are not on the menu.this easily done walk with your dog on a lead tight at heal on your left hand side ,wear your wellies bring a crop or cain in your right wellie .when your dog starts to get interested in the sheep hit it as hard as you can with the crop on the ass put the crop away , never let you dog know you hit it .this is your doing not the dogs you owe it to your dog to get this right . or shoot it ,as a dog that follows sheep is not on

bunny shooter

don't know if this is true but I was told of an elderly shooter who had this problem and he was advised to put dog in a sack (hessian type?) and tie it down in a gateway and run a flock of sheep over the bag, apparently dog will never look at sheep again. Anyone else hear this. For the record I haven't done it

meathstevie

A friend of mine's father is know locally to send a load of shot after dogs that get at his sheep. He'll wait until they're about 40-50yards away from him and he'll let rip with a light load style 7.5/28gr. If doggie comes back for more lambchops it's 00. A lot of farmers around here would use that method. Give the dog a scare and a dose of bruising and if that doesn't work too bad.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating using excessive methods for dog control but some dog owners don't realise that they're messing around with people's livelyhoods. Having said that and most farmers will agree.Hunters are among the most responsible and cautious dog owners. Keep it that way lads.

jwshooter

meathstevie wrote: »

A friend of mine's father is know locally to send a load of shot after dogs that get at his sheep. He'll wait until they're about 40-50yards away from him and he'll let rip with a light load style 7.5/28gr. If doggie comes back for more lambchops it's 00. A lot of farmers around here would use that method. Give the dog a scare and a dose of bruising and if that doesn't work too bad.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating using excessive methods for dog control but some dog owners don't realise that they're messing around with people's livelyhoods. Having said that and most farmers will agree.Hunters are among the most responsible and cautious dog owners. Keep it that way lads.

thats a load of sh0t if i see a dog killing sheep i kill it end of story ,hunting dogs should be not let roam as they will get into bad habits .

bunny shooter

Must say if a dog isn't under control of owner, be they hunter or not then only likely to be one outcome, namely dog being shot or destroyed.

Hunters cannot risk loosing good faith and permission of farmers by allowing dogs to worry livestock.

Tackleberry.

this is off a vid i have to correct your problem it suggests the use of electric coller ..you go to your problem spot with the sheep,deer goats etc enter the field as the dog starts to run the sheep turn your back on the dog walking away and at the same time you pick the highest power on the coller and keep it pressed till the dog has stopped chasing the sheep when he catchs up with you pet him as if you were happy to see him this way he believes the sheep caused his pain not you.
I had this problem with goats and it works a treat ,tis alot easier than trying to chase down the dog on the bad land that i shoot
Carfull using the coller ,training overuse will ruin any dog and there is a fine balance to when the dog cops that your pressing that button and giving him one in the neck ...guess what happens then dog wont want to work RUINED and when an a electic fence nails him he'll blame you and thats your days shooting finished, were as the dog that never seen a coller may just get on with it.
Realy if you could use the coller just for this one problem as it is a big one chasing sheep but after that don't use the coller for other problems as it may ruin your dog...... all the best

jwshooter

Tackleberry. wrote: »

this is off a vid i have to correct your problem it suggests the use of electric coller ..you go to your problem spot with the sheep,deer goats etc enter the field as the dog starts to run the sheep turn your back on the dog walking away and at the same time you pick the highest power on the coller and keep it pressed till the dog has stopped chasing the sheep when he catchs up with you pet him as if you were happy to see him this way he believes the sheep caused his pain not you.
I had this problem with goats and it works a treat ,tis alot easier than trying to chase down the dog on the bad land that i shoot
Carfull using the coller ,training overuse will ruin any dog and there is a fine balance to when the dog cops that your pressing that button and giving him one in the neck ...guess what happens then dog wont want to work RUINED and when an a electic fence nails him he'll blame you and thats your days shooting finished, were as the dog that never seen a coller may just get on with it.
Realy if you could use the coller just for this one problem as it is a big one chasing sheep but after that don't use the coller for other problems as it may ruin your dog...... all the best

if its gone to this stage id be picking the tightest choke

lightening

whitser wrote: »

catch the dog and give him a hiding

Good man.

I would suggest livestock socialisation for the dog OP, get him used to the sheep in a controlled space, reward him when he ignores the animals, a sharp shout and a tug on the lead when he goes for them. It might take a bit more time, but its better than a good hiding and the trust won't be broken.

Double Barrel

Maca, JW, lightening,et al have it.

Back to basices. WHOA!!! whoa!.

Under no circumstances should that behaviour be allowed to continue.

whitser

lightening wrote: »

Good man.

I would suggest livestock socialisation for the dog OP, get him used to the sheep in a controlled space, reward him when he ignores the animals, a sharp shout and a tug on the lead when he goes for them. It might take a bit more time, but its better than a good hiding and the trust won't be broken.

im talking about whern you catch the dog in the act of chasing the sheep. you need to catch him(not call him in) and scare the life out of him so he knows that what he's done is a serious no no. chasing stock isnt like not sitting when told or not dropping to shot,its a life or death permission or no permission problem. when i say a hiding i dont mean a beating that will do physical damage i mean grab him shake him and let him know in the most serious way he's fcuked up.
my terrier got a rush of blood last year and chased and i went and got him and let him know and he hasnt done it since. he used to sheep from a pup sometimes one jumps out in front of a dog and they get a rush of blood.

lightening

A hiding is a beating. Please, please, please choose your words carefully, as you know, a lot of hunters are dog lovers and a lot of dog lovers are hunters.

We don't want hunters to be tarred with the same brush.

whitser

op has passed the point of stock breaking the problem is entrenched now. basic training and stock breaking is the best way but now op has a problem and the dog needs to know its totally out of order to chase stock.
i wouls suggest to op that you leave the gun at home and work on the dog until he's sound, other wise leave the dog at home.
just for record i didnt mean beat the dog with fists or kicks. and certainly dont call him in then scold him.

sniper83

YOU DO NOT need a shock collar or to give the dog a beating..

Training dogs is easy its the training of handlers that is the problem..:(

Most young dogs will chase after sheep. i tink they want to know where the sheep is goin and what IT might be chasing! The answer is to be ready for the problem and recognise it when it happens. Watch the dog's body language. Where is it looking? Are its ears pricked up in interest? If the dog seems interested in sheep, call him and run in the opposite direction.
Pay no attention to the sheep yourself.

Certainly don't shout and chase after the dog! Often a dog will look back to see what the handler is doing. If the handler goes to follow the dog, the dog will interpret this to mean he is expected to chase the sheep.
So do the opposite As soon as you see the dog begin to turn and look back at you, call and turn your back on the dog and run in the opposite direction or lie flat on the ground if he should come back praise him and continue in the opposite direction.

If the dog does chase.

What can you do?

Most sheep farmers will understand the problem and help you cure it. I'd ask them to let you know when they are next handling sheep. (dosing, sorting, etc. so this should not be a problem).

Position yourself with the dog on the lead slightly behind and to one side of where the sheep are released after treatment. As each sheep runs free, give your dog a sharp tap (no more!) on the nose with a light stick or cane until you see him turn his head away when the next sheep runs free. He will get the idea that he only has to look at a sheep for it to lead to unpleasantness!

Next time out, drop your dog when you see it even look in the direction of a sheep, call it to you if you can, otherwise go to it, make a big fuss of him and cast it off in the opposite direction. by doing this the dog will learn to pass no heed of them and you can relax and continue hunting...

RKMG

I got the dog from a family who couldnt look after, and have no experience in training working dogs like this, so have done my best by trial and error. shes only been out twice and she had never seen sheep before. when the day was over i brought her back down to the field with the sheep and walked her near them and even let her off but she stayed with me.


like when she heard me calling she came back and instantly knew she had done something wrong but as you guys have mentioned i know its a serious matter so thats why i want to completly discourage her from even looking at the sheep.

whitser

we all learn by trial and error. dont get down over it. just leave the gun at home and start from fresh stock breaking. its unusual for springers to be hardcore sheep worriers and i'd say you'll snap him out if it sooner rather then later. but until he's 100% dont think about taking him out shooting.