Farm dogs--training tips, please.

[prosefullstop]

My SIL lives on a smallholding of about 25 acres. There are horses, sheep and chickens. Her dog has just recovered from a severe kidney infection, likely caused by consuming a toxin. The dog is into everything--horse manure, grains, meds etc., has fallen very ill several times, and my SIL has come to the conclusion that the dog cannot be trusted to roam the farm nor let off-leash on walks (the dog goes headfirst into stagnant bogs and eats all sorts en route).

Any tips on how to get the dog to be less inquisitive? A muzzle, perhaps? Or might an indoor routine be a better solution?

The dog is a Border Collie/Basset/JRT. She gets a 90-minute walk in the middle of the day, and otherwise roams the farm (aside from nights, when she sleeps in the kitchen).

 

[Brownmare]

That sounds like an awful situation. My first thought would be put a muzzle on as an immediate short term fix but also look at the diet in case she is trying to make up for a shortage of something in her diet or is simply not getting her hunger satisfied. Maybe dividing her ration into 3 meals might help??

I'm assuming your SIL is taking suitable precautions with any rat poison etc that is put out around the farm

 

[prosefullstop]

That sounds like an awful situation. My first thought would be put a muzzle on as an immediate short term fix but also look at the diet in case she is trying to make up for a shortage of something in her diet or is simply not getting her hunger satisfied. Maybe dividing her ration into 3 meals might help??

I'm assuming your SIL is taking suitable precautions with any rat poison etc that is put out around the farm

The dog is fed a high-quality dry food (Solid Gold), sardines, veggies and the odd beef bone.

Unfortunately, my SIL thinks the last scare--which nearly killed the dog-- was due to rat poison. She doesn't own the farm--just rents a house on the property. It's a tough situation as the dog in question has brilliant recall, goes nowhere near the road that adjoins the property, yet seems to find eating all sorts of rubbish an incredible temptation.

 

[Brownmare]

Maybe the food is too high quality? I have heard of dogs getting very hungry on the likes of Orijen etc, and my whippet ate haylage and grain almost manically when on a high protein diet - I moved him onto something I considered pretty crap and he has virtually stopped! Perhaps increase the amount of veggies or add in some weetabix or porridge.

If the farm owner agrees that the dog is allowed to roam the farm then he has a clear duty of care to prevent her (and any other animals or children) getting access to rat poison. I believe the RSPCA take cases like this quite seriously as do HSE if there is a human risk. Some rat poisons are coated in a fatty substance which dogs can find very appealing so maybe he could look at changing the type of poison he uses but either way it should be sited in tamper proof bait boxes ideally out of reach of dogs etc

 

[CorvusCorax]

Build a dog run?

 

[nona1]

I've heard of people training their dogs to only eat out of their bowl by planting loads of yummy other things around in random places, but coating them all in strong mustard. If everything the dog eats makes it puke/hurts mouth apart from from the 'safe' bowl, they stop eating junk. Not sure if this really works, but it's an old trick.