Escapee dog keeps chasing sheep

Is this dog relatively young? Just wondering if this is a new 'fun' thing she's found to do or something she's always done and maybe why she ended up in rescue? To be honest it sounds like you have a good farmer there who could help you so I would try work with them. Maybe ask to walk in the sheep field - ones not in lamb - and have dog on long line. I would almost let her go to chase and then give her a b*llocking quite frankly. I know not everyone's way but this always used to work with ours and terriers are blooming tenacious little dogs they need telling. Problem is with sheep, they run. That's the excitement. It sound like when they stop she does run or launch at them so I think, like with your horses she will learn. 6 weeks is not long. I think every dog we've had wants to chase sheep to start with - that's just their prey drive. It can be nipped in the bud but you need to get the timing right. Your issue here is the escaping so I'd either go down the electric fence route or just tie her on a long line if in the garden. Also maybe introduce so brain work for her - hiding toys/room etc, have 'games' so she can use her brain and seek out 'rewards'. Terriers are hunters, they need a lot of stimulus!
 
Fat_Pony said:
Do you guys think it would work walking her in the fields with the stock and reward her for good behaviour and/or punish the bad? Obviously on a short lead at all times. Would desensitising her work at all?
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My terrier wants to kill cats, all the time. If he sees them, if he's off a lead, NOTHING will stop him from chasing them! People have offered their cats to me for a "desensitising weekend" - I politely decline, explaining how I'd only be able to give them a collar back come Monday!
 
ladyt25 said:
Your issue here is the escaping so I'd either go down the electric fence route or just tie her on a long line if in the garden. Also maybe introduce so brain work for her - hiding toys/room etc, have 'games' so she can use her brain and seek out 'rewards'. Terriers are hunters, they need a lot of stimulus!
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THIS totally. Although could she not chew through the line she'd be tied to in the garden? I know mine would!
 
Why do so many people have aversions to a dog run? Is it expense? I'd rather shell out a couple of hundred than have a dead dog. We've always kept ours in runs and it's much safer than relying on chain, rope or electricity IMO. Plus with the newer styles you can just use a drill to take the mesh panels apart again and take it with you if you move.
 
Goldenstar said:
You could consider a freedom fence as long as you don't live in Wales .
It sorted out our escaper and sheep chaser.
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Is that the fence with electric underground round the boundary and a unit on the dog's collar? If so next door use it and we still find their dogs loose, and they can't get back in either as they'll be zapped.
 
The fence is either not working or they are not doing the training correctly .
I have never had a dog go over our freedom fence but you need to be strict with the maintaince of the collars ,the fence and training of the dogs
It need not be underground and would not impact on the fence OP can't change that's why I thought of it.
 
Have you had a chat with the rescue? They may have resources to help you or, frankly, offer to have the dog back to rehome to a situation where she isn't exposed to her current temptations. Both ours came from a lurcher rescue and I know, sad as it is, they've had dogs back rather than be in situations where everyone is struggling. I know you're attached and want to make this work - you're been given lots of good advice. I would never encourage anyone to give a rescue dog back (having just spent an obscene amount of money to fix our youngest one) but if the situation proves untenable, as you say, better than dead.
 
Start making phone calls to trainers, google can only take you so far. You need to speak to them, be honest about the issue and try and find one you think you can work with. You may need to travel as well. There are ways of training a dog to overcome its drive to chase (or at least to control it) but you need someone there with you to help you get this right, and to choose a method that will work for both you and your dog.
 
My dog doesnt chase sheep but i had a problem with him escaping by jumping out and also running off, I took a lunge line home and tied it to a ring on the wall just used to clip him on to his harness and let him out, no need to supervise and no escaping from the garden.

i also used it to teach him recall, would put his lead on his harness and a lunge line then unclip lead, he would charge off get to end of line and get a shock, i would then ask him to come, if he ignored me i gave him a gentle tug in my direction and again gave the command come, took a few months but he now recalls really well even when distracted by exciting cats or other dogs lol
 
We used to have a foxhound that would scale our 8ft high garden fence to escape. We stopped him by putting up a 4 strand temporary electric fence connected to the mains in our garage. As a bonus it kept out foxes and neighbours' cats.
 
OP it is early days in your relationship with this dog.

It has taken o er two years but our rescue Border Collie has just started to come to recall in houses and garden. He is never allowed off lead away from home and for the first year he was always attached to a long rope or lead when in the garden, even though it is securely fenced.

It takes a lot of time and patience to get a rescue dog to trust you and want to do as you ask.

Ours has always been a lovely dog in the house and had his freedom inside, but outside is still ongoing work.
 
If you can't raise the fence, then as said, build an enclosed (roofed) dog run for her to be out in. Between that and creating a negative connection with sheep (as put to you by DryRot) you should be able to keep your dog from being shot. I am surprised that she is still alive in all honesty- you should count yourself lucky to have such a lenient farmer on your hands.

Electric might work for the first scape attempt, but they soon learn that the pain is momentary, and worth it to have some fun. Fence needs to be too high to get over, too deep to tunnel under and too close to go through. If you can't manage that then enclose in a run. prevention is better than cure when it comes to this in my opinion.

Good luck.
 
OP dont know where abouts in kent you are but the wealden advertiser has quite a few dog trainers in it, they have a website too, someone called training-gundogs.co.uk do offer outside training so may be worth a call. It is difficult with terriers in my experience, I had a very feisty jrt who went after my husbands sheep one day, he got such a roasting he never did it again and actually became good with sheep, driving them with my two collies who were working sheep dogs. However even when he was an old dog i never left him unsupervised or he would be off. It sounds like your dog has plenty of exercise so just accept that you will have to keep indoors or in a cage when not being walked, lots of people do this with terriers, they soon get used to the routine. I have a terrier pup who goes out but if i am not about or doing horses etc he goes indoors or in his cage and he is quite happy with this routine, id rather know he was safe.
 
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