advice needed to help stop my springer puppy from chasing sheep!

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clarejones

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Hi how can i stop my 6mth springer bitch from chasing our sheep, we live on a big farm so she is very rarely on the lead everytime i call her to stop she just totally ignores me! She did it today and nearly got hold of one of the sheep which made it panic and break through the wooden fence!! I need to get this sorted as i don't want her worrying them when they are heavy in lamb and to do it to other farmers sheep!! Any advice would be really appreciated thanks
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My bitch use to do this but she only wanted to play & when they ere cornered she stopped she never got hold but worrying is enough for a sheep to abort. I will say that I did use an electric collar on her as I would of shot her is she did it again Only used it a couple of times by an experience user & it did the trick she can go in a field now with sheep lambs & she wont even look at them even if they are running & she doesn't wear the collar she only ever had it on for those 2 training sessions. If you have shhep to hand the other thing would be to put her in a pen with an old ewe it will batter her & make her think twice about doing it. We have done this many times years ago when people had problems with their dogs worrying sheep. Farmers will shoot dogs if they seem them worrying them so best to sort it out now which you are trying to do so full marks to you.. You seem to be doing the responsible thing by seeking help though. You will get there just take some time in re-training her. These ways aren't the only ways I am sure there will be more suggestions so it will be just finding the one that works for you both. People my dog me for using the collar but it saved me from shooting my girl & she is now 100% safe with livestock so is a happy dog herself.
 
I had the same problem with one of my dogs jumping up and chasing the horses. I did the same as Huntress - bought a zap collar and used it on the vibrate mode - it worked! Only took a few days for her to learn to stop doing it. I didn't use the zap part but I certainly would have had she not stopped doing that with the horses as she was actually in jeopardy of losing her life under their feet!
 
Another vote for an electric collar here, too. I haven't had to use one myself, but i wouldn't hesitate to if I had a livestock-worrying dog. Like Tia, you may find the vibrate setting enough- but if not, it shouldn't take more than a couple of small zaps to sort out your problem.
 
The thing is when you use a collar. The dog looks at sheep say NO in a deep harsh voice if he looks again Then say NO again whilst pressing the button ONCE to zap/vibrate. As soon as the dog turns &l ooks at you cus he is wondering what the hell has hit him, put on your happy nice voice saying come here & look really welcoming to them & make a fuss when they come to you.
Then you become a safety zone & they don't associate you with them being zapped because you are not physically hitting them. If you were to chase him & belt him he's going to run more & not come to scary Mummy who hits him.
It should only take a couple of sessions for him to get the idea that when you say NO if he doesn't listen then something is going to get him from somewhere. & if you tell him when he looks at them rather than when he has actually bolted then you are ahead of the situation. Good look & don't be affraid if you choose that route to ask for assistance when using it.
Good luck I'm, sure you will win.
 
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Hi how can i stop my 6mth springer bitch from chasing our sheep, we live on a big farm so she is very rarely on the lead everytime i call her to stop she just totally ignores me!
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Train your dog to recall before letting her anywhere near the sheep. If she will recall under normal circumstances, then you have to up her training so she listens wherever she is.

sometimes there are sheep in the horse's feilds (the sheep have full access to all the feilds so aren't always in the same feild) so if they are in the feild I am going too, dog is on the lead to go get the horse, and let off when getting horse out, as generally we are then going away from the sheep.... but if your dog won't listen, then you need to either not take her, and/or get the training going up a gear...

bearing in mind, your's is still only a pup, and mine is 18months old!
 
Thanks everyone for the advice i think the best way forward is to get one of these collars, she did it again this morning and the trouble is when she is chasing them she completely swithches off from your voice its as though i don't exisist then all of a sudden she decides to come to me when she has completely worried all the sheep i tell her off and send her to her basket surely she thinks i am telling her off for coming to me it must be quite confusing for her . Where do i get one of these collars from ? It does need sorting out before she gets any worse i think the younger the better i can't believe how fast she can run we have a border collie who is now 11 and we had no problem training him whereas Gracie is a little madam!!
 
They have them advertised in the back off the shooting magazines. Unfortunately it is one of the worse things you can do when she does come back when you have been calling her then she gets roasted & sent to her bed , so in theory I come back to Mum get told off & sent to my bed?? Why do I want to go back to my Mum?? It's hard I know believe me I have been there. The sooner the better you sort it. For now though when you go out is there any chance of putting her on a lunge line so she can still go but them you can still get her back your still in control of her. Just an idea so then you can start the "NO" training before the collar without it being a waist of time.??
 
when they lamb, turn her out with some of the older mums and their lambs.

They will kick the [****] out of her, and she will learn her lesson!

It's nasty, but it works!
 
I am moving to a farm next month and I am having a similar problem with my 3 year old Springer except she is ok with the sheep but will not leave the chickens and geese alone. I did think about locking her in the stable with the geese as they are very protective of their "room" but I would worry too much. A friend has one of the dog collars that you can zap the dog with at the appropriate moment with but im not sure about that either.
Any advise?
 
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