puppy started hunting all on its own - what to do?

happywithlife

hi all, hope i'm in the right place for some advice
(mods feel free to move the thread if not)

anyway we have a springer spaniel bitch as family pet

she came from a good hunter, although we don't hunt with her - she is a devil for playing fetch though - will find anything, no matter where we throw it, even in darkness....

anyway she had a litter of pups and we are keeping one, and down to two last bitches to sell....

'daddy' is also a sringer from next door and is a trained hunter...

so the one pup we decided to keep has taken to killing rabbits even though he is well fed and everything, he's bout 3 months now.

my poor dd finds this distressing and tbh neither me nor my husband is too keen on removing the remains!

is there anything i can do to discourage this?
and as we live out in the country, should i be worried bout this dog straying in time? we have sheep & cattle all around us...
the bitch never strayed so we don't have a fenced in run -- will we have to consider this?
any advice greatly appreciated.

terminator2

dogs should be kennelled at night , especially coming into lambing season

Ronnie Beck

happywithlife wrote: »

hi all, hope i'm in the right place for some advice
(mods feel free to move the thread if not)

anyway we have a springer spaniel bitch as family pet

she came from a good hunter, although we don't hunt with her - she is a devil for playing fetch though - will find anything, no matter where we throw it, even in darkness....

anyway she had a litter of pups and we are keeping one, and down to two last bitches to sell....

'daddy' is also a sringer from next door and is a trained hunter...

so the one pup we decided to keep has taken to killing rabbits even though he is well fed and everything, he's bout 3 months now.

my poor dd finds this distressing and tbh neither me nor my husband is too keen on removing the remains!

is there anything i can do to discourage this?
and as we live out in the country, should i be worried bout this dog straying in time? we have sheep & cattle all around us...
the bitch never strayed so we don't have a fenced in run -- will we have to consider this?
any advice greatly appreciated.

Are they healthy wild rabbits she's killing? In your back garden or out in the fields? I'd keep a close eye on her when she's outside for a start as with any pup. Don't leave her out the back on her own. Either yourself or the husband is gonna have to take charge of her and give her a good shaking when she does it again. Let her know it's not on.

Rabbit is very tasty though

http://www.greatfood.ie/item_display.asp?cde=2&id=907

Shoot2kill

What age are the pups?

landkeeper

12 old pup hunting and killing rabbits , by the time it's a year old it'll have broken your heart and taken the bitch off hunting too if your out in livestock land it'll end up badly for you and the dogs imho

two choices build a runand train the pup or get rid of the pup

EPointer=Birdss

happywithlife wrote: »

hi all, hope i'm in the right place for some advice
(mods feel free to move the thread if not)

anyway we have a springer spaniel bitch as family pet

she came from a good hunter, although we don't hunt with her - she is a devil for playing fetch though - will find anything, no matter where we throw it, even in darkness....

anyway she had a litter of pups and we are keeping one, and down to two last bitches to sell....

'daddy' is also a sringer from next door and is a trained hunter...

so the one pup we decided to keep has taken to killing rabbits even though he is well fed and everything, he's bout 3 months now.

my poor dd finds this distressing and tbh neither me nor my husband is too keen on removing the remains!

is there anything i can do to discourage this?
and as we live out in the country, should i be worried bout this dog straying in time? we have sheep & cattle all around us...
the bitch never strayed so we don't have a fenced in run -- will we have to consider this?
any advice greatly appreciated.

First of all welcome & you will find more functioning, realistic knowledge of dogs let alone hunting dogs with the lads on here than some other areas.

This scenario is partially why I dont like hunting dogs being kept as pets & on top of it you are keeping another one.
Spaniels are Instinctually hunting machines & LOVE rabbits.

However if you must & spaniels are a great family breed I would consider start building a dog run & introduce a regular exercise regime to keep them safe & happy.

The answer to will they stray & bother sheep is likely Yes. Not so much that she is killing & this is the next likely move but more so that if a dog is free to ramble outside your immediate property you must think as a responsible owner the chances are high.

Also consider getting that bitch & dog spayed as irresponsible breeding & distribution of hunting breeds does nothing for the breed overall.

Good luck with & I think by asking the question you have the right mindset to address the problem properly.

EP

Best of luck with it

deeksofdoom

That pup is going to break your heart.

Ronnie Beck

my experience of pups and sheep. Pup will approach the sheep - out of curiosity or just stumble upon them looking for more rabbits. Sheep will run and the pup will chase the sheep... By your description of her its only a matter of time before he puts the head down on a scent and tears off across the fields. As the lads said build a run for the dog and bring him out regularly, keeping him under control. That is keep him nice and close to you at all times or put him on the lead in areas full of strong scents and other animals where this is impossible untill the dog is well trained. Pups are very instinctive and just follow these instincts as they know no better. Sounds like you might have picked the wrong pup for your situation but its not the end of the world.

Your in the right place to sort it out. Loads of the lads on this thread have plenty of experience with mad little springers and will give you plenty of solid tips.

TriggerPL

like the lads said build a run and do daily exercise , shaking the dog and saying no should work but you have to catch her at it with rabit in mouth . id suggest advertising the dog if a pen isnt possible there are lots of hunters out there would like a pup that has a keen interest at that age

best of luck with the problem , springers will break your heart if you cant control them

garv123

you could train dogs to a radio fence. they worked great in the past for us. at a young age he wont be as hard to train and he wont be limited to a run if you dont get the time to walk them often.

happywithlife

thanks for the replies ,

mother was given to us as a present by fil for our dd so we didn't pick her but love her to bits.

we did try to keep her in when she was in heat, but failed obviously. appt for splaying? is in feb.... so def no more pups!

yeah, we picked the wrong pup to keep but we'll give him a go and if we can't get a handle on things than yes, i will off load him - maybe to lovely neighbour next door

ok had some funds for a hedge started but looks like we'll have to divert and use for a run instead - i had initially said to dh if we were keeping one, we'd have to build one so looks like i was right.

i was wondering if we scold enough now, immediately on seeing him with a rabbit, and obviously take it away from him, could we 'knock it out of him' --- i suppose i'm hoping someone will say the magic words that yes he can trained not to hunt i suppose although i know in my head, in reality, it is in his blood..

i appreciate all the advice, and although a novice, i would hate to think i am being, unintentionally, an irresponsible pet owner.

Spunk84

happywithlife wrote: »

yeah, we picked the wrong pup to keep but we'll give him a go and if we can't get a handle on things than yes, i will off load him - maybe to lovely neighbour next door

i appreciate all the advice, and although a novice, i would hate to think i am being, unintentionally, an irresponsible pet owner.

I think u are full stop!

wirehairmax

I'll take him off your hands. Great to see a springer doing that at that age but if it doesnt get some manners at an early age it gets harder as they get older. PM me if you want a good home for that pup

happywithlife

thanks for the offer wirehairmax,

but as of today they have been rehomed to a friend's uncle who is an avid hunter and keen to see what they can do.

thanks to everyone else for all your advice

will be keeping a close eye on the bitch just in case but i hope now that the pups are gone, that will be the end of it. but rest assured she'll be on a tight leash for the foreseeable future.