Best way to keep vicious dog out of field that is attacking the

tristar

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you are right to act, my neighbour lost 30 sheep to dogs two years ago!, the other day he had more dogs in but they failed to shoot them.

i don`t know how that dog type elec fence might help, but next doors dog is always touching my elec fence, the low strand around the stallion field, it certainly howls when it touches it, the lower strand is about 12 inches of the ground and the next strand another 12 inches higher.
 

KittenInTheTree

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Have rung Police. They can do nothing unless they see it attacking the horses, or there is evidence that it is the right dog e.g. blood on its muzzle and horse's leg. We have 8 acres, thinking of adding chicken wire along the footpath it's coming off - too many bushes etc to electrify a fence well, and the dog will just slip through that anyway.

eta have also rung the farmer who we rent from. Horses don't count as livestock, so can't shoot it. He will tell the sheep farmer who has the field next door though. He's been around a lot lately and was looking for a lost sheep a week ago. Wonder if he's having trouble with the same dog?!

https://forums-secure.horseandhound...(s)-chasing-horses-through-fencing-repeatedly

Didn't you have this exact same problem before, OP? Whatever became of the last situation?
 

maisie06

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Will chicken wire to back up the barbed wire fence work? Or will the dog just jump it? It is attacking after dark, near the footpath which is where their water is. Dog took a chunk out of a pony back leg last night. Going to lie in wait for it but fencing would be better long term.

A very powerful electric fence (or a shotgun!!) seriously, run some wire along your fence line around the paddock one line low so the dog gets a whack if it goes under and another to catch it if it jumps over, have it hooked up to a decent powered energiser. Had bloody woman who used to let her Labradors chase the horses when I was at my own little yard, until they got zapped, never came near the place again.

I would also have a word with the dog warden and the police.
 

mystiandsunny

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mystiandsunny

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A very powerful electric fence (or a shotgun!!) seriously, run some wire along your fence line around the paddock one line low so the dog gets a whack if it goes under and another to catch it if it jumps over, have it hooked up to a decent powered energiser. Had bloody woman who used to let her Labradors chase the horses when I was at my own little yard, until they got zapped, never came near the place again.

I would also have a word with the dog warden and the police.

Would be great to leccy fence the lot but I have no mains power and an 8 acre field. The boundary is also very overgrown in places.
 

sunnyone

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Would be great to leccy fence the lot but I have no mains power and an 8 acre field. The boundary is also very overgrown in places.
I have that acreage leccy fenced using a battery with a solar charger. 3 strands all round the outside, plus 3 fences internally. No other fencing.
We have 1 spare battery so we can provide a topped up battery if the sun fails.
Costly yes, but its the norm in my part of France, and if necessary, easy to return to agricultural uses or sell bits off as building plots.About 1 acre has permission but land is very cheap here and plots abound.
 

popsdosh

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Shoot it.

But you cant ,as I know! Having done it a lot more times than I can remember it is not done lightly and most times i would rather have had my sights on the owner. Even made the front page of the sun one day lol for taking out two Afghans (hounds)

Sheep are a different situation to other livestock. With horses you would need to prove you had tried all other means of stopping an attack and couldnt and its a means of last resort.
Sheep have more protection as it is illegal for a dog to be loose within a sheep enclosure full stop. The law does make allowance for working dogs before anybody states the obvious
 

Archangel

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Erm shouldn't it be the owner that gets shot!?

Absolutely! WTF is the dog owner doing with that dog out of control.

Now you know where the dog is getting in I would put a couple of low strands of electric wire for a good length along that fence. I would hang around at the stables/field and wait for the yelping.

Put a sign up electric fence etc but not too obvious for the person in the dark as you want to catch them.

I would probably also put up posters in the vicinity - "Husky/GSD type dog worrying livestock has caused injuries - dog warden aware - please keep dogs on lead on footpath"
 

jrp204

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'eta have also rung the farmer who we rent from. Horses don't count as livestock, so can't shoot it. He will tell the sheep farmer who has the field next door though. He's been around a lot lately and was looking for a lost sheep a week ago. Wonder if he's having trouble with the same dog?! '

Shoot it, put it in a bin bag and get rid of it. No one can prove anything, dogs disappear all the time. My animals will always come first.
 

jrp204

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'Sheep have more protection as it is illegal for a dog to be loose within a sheep enclosure full stop. The law does make allowance for working dogs before anybody states the obvious '

Actually they have to be 'under close control' which doesn't mean they have to be on a lead. Totally stupid wording, all dogs should be on a lead in a field of sheep. They don't have to be chasing them to worry them.
 

jrp204

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'
In this Act—
.
“agricultural land” means land used as arable, meadow or grazing land, or for the purpose of poultry farming, pig farming, market gardens, allotments, nursery grounds or orchards; and
“livestock” means cattle, sheep, goats, swine, horses, or poultry, and for the purposes of this definition “cattle” means bulls, cows, oxen, heifers or calves, “horses” includes asses and mules, and “poultry” means domestic fowls, turkeys, geese or ducks. '

Reading that it does say horses are livestock, there is no mention of them having to be 'agricultural'
 

Moobli

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I can't even begin to tell you why this is a stupid idea, but let's just go with the fact that poisoning someone's dog intentionally is not only incredibly cruel but also illegal under I'm sure more than one law.



Really? I know an awful lot of farmers (and non farmers) who hold a firearms or shotgun licence and I can't think of one who would accept cash in exchange for shooting a dog. Having seen first hand the aftermath of having to shoot a dog who was worrying livestock, it really has to be a last resort, and you have to be prepared to be pulled over hot coals for it. Dogs are classed as property and many owners' have taken people for criminal damage for shooting their dogs. If you are found to have acted unreasonably, you could be held on firearms offences, which carry a jail sentence - I wouldn't be risking it for £50 and a bottle of scotch anyway, it's slightly different when it's your livelihood on the line. I would be making an attempt myself to find the culprit.

^^^ Absolutely this. I can't even fathom why anyone would suggest such courses of action. Keep watch - call the police if you catch the dog on your land, speak to the dog warden and other dog owners in the area to find out if you can determine who the dog belongs to and then tackle the owner.
 

pennyturner

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Can you catch the dog? If you do, and hand it in to the dog warden, the owner will have to pay a release fee. That alone is likely to make them secure it properly in future.
 

Emmangel

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Why would anyone suggest shooting/poisoning the dog ?? It's not the dogs fault. It's the owners fault for not controlling their dog.

The dog doesn't wake up and think let's go and chase some horses. I sympathise for the horse (and rider) big time, and I have been chased many times and it's really not nice. Something needs to be done for sure, but not like that :(
 

OWLIE185

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Contact your local rural police officer as they should be able to assist you.
We use Equi-Fencing (A tight form of sheep fencing) to prevent dogs from adjoining gardens from getting it to our paddocks.
 

MiJodsR2BlinkinTite

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I offer this as a suggestion.

OK so if you can't shoot dogs for worrying horses; then get some sheep and bung in their field as well.

Then if there is any instances of dogs coming into the field and chasing anything, you WILL have some legal redress for shooting the dog/s involved.

Just an idea........ if you can't do something one way then there's quite often another solution to be found, somewhere..
 

popsdosh

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I offer this as a suggestion.

OK so if you can't shoot dogs for worrying horses; then get some sheep and bung in their field as well.

Then if there is any instances of dogs coming into the field and chasing anything, you WILL have some legal redress for shooting the dog/s involved.

Just an idea........ if you can't do something one way then there's quite often another solution to be found, somewhere..

Why this obsession most of you seem to have with shooting dogs.
As I say I have done it many times but always because it was the only way to stop them attacking sheep and that is legally the only time you can use that ultimate sanction ,when there is no other way to stop the attack happening. Been sued 5 times by owners none of which were successful but worrying at the time because a lot revolves around who the judge is. Then theres the risk of losing your weapons if you dont stick to the law. I would not think twice about doing it if needed but I would think three four or five times first . To be honest if your horse is being attacked and you do nothing to try and take measures to keep dogs out your just as negligent as the dog owner.
 

Roasted Chestnuts

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Why this obsession most of you seem to have with shooting dogs.
As I say I have done it many times but always because it was the only way to stop them attacking sheep and that is legally the only time you can use that ultimate sanction ,when there is no other way to stop the attack happening. Been sued 5 times by owners none of which were successful but worrying at the time because a lot revolves around who the judge is. Then theres the risk of losing your weapons if you dont stick to the law. I would not think twice about doing it if needed but I would think three four or five times first . To be honest if your horse is being attacked and you do nothing to try and take measures to keep dogs out your just as negligent as the dog owner.

Here's another take then. My horse kills dogs. He has clearly been attacked before I got him and now any dog loose is fair game to him. What redress would I have for there being a loose dog in my field which has no right of way through so not path by English definition. We do have outdoor access in Scotland which stars dogs must be controlled and on a leash when there is livestock in the field you are walking through. I don't think there would be a leg to stand if for my horse killing a dog loose in his field when he is protecting himself and his herd. No farmer has been sued successfully for all the cow attacks due to people taking dogs into calving fields.

The term livestock is put above. Document all injuries and 'losses' then shoot the dog. Any 'possession' claim can be counter sued with damages resulting from said dogs actions. Yes shooting the dog to some seems cruel but constantly putting livestock through worrying is worse when it is protracted. I would shoot it and leave it on the verge of it were me. No proof of who shot it and if the owner was that worried about it they should have kept it under control.
 

horseaddict

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I would shoot the dog as then I would be preventing injury to my horses. I would then deal with the consequences regarding classification of 'Livestock' and necessity of protecting my animals.
 

popsdosh

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Here's another take then. My horse kills dogs. He has clearly been attacked before I got him and now any dog loose is fair game to him. What redress would I have for there being a loose dog in my field which has no right of way through so not path by English definition. We do have outdoor access in Scotland which stars dogs must be controlled and on a leash when there is livestock in the field you are walking through. I don't think there would be a leg to stand if for my horse killing a dog loose in his field when he is protecting himself and his herd. No farmer has been sued successfully for all the cow attacks due to people taking dogs into calving fields.

The term livestock is put above. Document all injuries and 'losses' then shoot the dog. Any 'possession' claim can be counter sued with damages resulting from said dogs actions. Yes shooting the dog to some seems cruel but constantly putting livestock through worrying is worse when it is protracted. I would shoot it and leave it on the verge of it were me. No proof of who shot it and if the owner was that worried about it they should have kept it under control.

Its very easy to ascertain what weapon shot a dog so by elimination work out who did it. The only time it is legal to shoot a dog is if it is inflicting physical damage on an animal and there is NO other way of stopping it. It is also illegal to shoot a dog in those circumstances and not inform the police within 24 hrs.
 

Sheepdip

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Signs up saying dogs worrying livestock will be shot as per British law. We are farmers, we have police officers in the family, one is a rural crimes officer. We had the same issue. It stopped when the signs went up and we spent two Sunday mornings stood in the field with the 12 bore in full view of people on the footpath that were walking their dogs. The police even told us to put their 101 number on the signs for other dog walkers to report any incidents.
 

Roasted Chestnuts

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Its very easy to ascertain what weapon shot a dog so by elimination work out who did it. The only time it is legal to shoot a dog is if it is inflicting physical damage on an animal and there is NO other way of stopping it. It is also illegal to shoot a dog in those circumstances and not inform the police within 24 hrs.

It is illegal for a dog owner to allow their dog to worry livestock. It is illegal for someone to own a dangerous dog. It is criminal damage that is being done and the solution is shoot the dog. Yes not the dogs fault but if the owner is not taking responsibility then tough. I wouldn't be having my livestock pay the price.

The damage is being done and how the hell are you going to prevent a dog jumping fences getting into a field? My fences are 4.10 stock fencing sheep net then barbed on top. My cockers and springer would have made short work of popping that without it being one of the collies or Gordon's they wouldn't have even considered that an obstacle.

It's causing damage so a farmer is well within the right to shoot it. I come from
Farming background and there wouldn't be any hesitation after the first offence it would be gone round here reported or not.
 

Roasted Chestnuts

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Signs up saying dogs worrying livestock will be shot as per British law. We are farmers, we have police officers in the family, one is a rural crimes officer. We had the same issue. It stopped when the signs went up and we spent two Sunday mornings stood in the field with the 12 bore in full view of people on the footpath that were walking their dogs. The police even told us to put their 101 number on the signs for other dog walkers to report any incidents.

Great idea
 

Sheepdip

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We bought neon coloured paper and laminated about 8 signs. Some said DOGS ON LEADS AT ALL TIMES. A couple said LIVESTOCK AHEAD - KEEP DOGS UNDER CONTROL. and 3 said DOGS WORRYING LIVESTOCK WILL BE SHOT ON SIGHT AS PER BRITISH LAW. Every sign had the police telephone number on and reference to the local rural crime officer. It stopped immediately. No more dog attacks ever. So to all those folk who think it can't or isn't allowed - You are sadly wrong. Not that we would take any pleasure from shooting a dog. We have dogs ourselves. And yes I'd rather be shooting the owner but hey ho, the law will only let us shoot the dog if it can't be brought under control
 
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paddi22

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To be honest if your horse is being attacked and you do nothing to try and take measures to keep dogs out your just as negligent as the dog owner.

you can't realistically keep a dog out of most multi-acre fields. If they want to get in they will dig under, or scramble up trees/banks on the perimiter, climb under where the streams go in, theres a million different ways they can get in, even over good horsewire etc. Plus a lot of people rent fields and don't have the option to demand dog proof fencing and I can imagine the farmers reactions if they ask.

The onus is on the dog owners to keep control of their dogs.
 
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