following hunt thread in nl. can u call ur dog in any situation?

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SplashofSoy

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There is thread in new lounge about the cat killed by hounds. There are a couple of people who say they can call their dogs off small furries instantly and perfectly. This is fantastic and to be aimed for but just wondering how many others can do it like that in all circumstances. Is it realistic to expect and in the case of rabbits for instance where it is acceptable to Chase and catch. I am not talking hunting just if they come across one when walking off lead. If u can how long did it take to train? What about breeds with a strong prey drive?

Lots of questions, thoughts ...
 
Harley is not perfect with cats.... If I can get him before the cat RUNS I can call him back and all is fine. However if the cat takes off he's gone.... :( Still a work in process I am hopefull I'll get it one day...

He doesn't hurt cats though, just likes a game of chase. I've caught him in the caravan with the yard cat sat on the sofa wagging his tail at her!! lol!
 
I can't. One of mine has killed a cat (family cat, swore blind it wasn't in the garden, it was, horrible accident). They have huge prey drives and (at least in an open space) zero recall, it's a breed thing.

As a result they stay on leads unless in a totally enclosed area. They still manage to catch a surprising amount of wild small furries even on a lead. :eek:
 
Total honest answer no, my dogs came to me hating cats and as I dont have a cat I cant train them out of it. I live outside the village but we do have the odd cat down here and my dogs have chased it but luckily Ive managed to call them off. But as others have said if a cat jumped up in front of them and I didnt see I dread to think what would happen.:(
 
Ostrich said:
Oh, Hoover did try and catch a squirrel tonight. It had been squashed by a car on the road :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

"Look, mum, look what I caught! Honest!" :D

Both of them have managed to catch myxi rabbits while on a flexi lead, D has managed two pheasants on the same and averages a mouse per day even on a short lead. Her record was 8 mice in one day (one nest, two individual mice, all separate locations). R is too stupid to catch mice but once chased a buzzard off a fresh rabbit with surprising bravery, for him. :eek:
 
My older dog, who has a very strong prey drive, has nailed two cats and had to be hanged/kicked off them both.
He is now cat proofed but it was not a pretty process for either of us but is better than the alternative.
His father also killed a neighbour's cat.
I do not let him off lead in unfenced areas to be on the safe side as there are a lot of hares around here and a lot of sheep so I would not like one to lead him onto the other.
If the worst happened, I have said this before, I will be the one who calls the farmer.

Little one has even more drive but I am long lining him like nothing normal and training him with a whistle too, lots of recalls, hand feeding, ball play. Can call him off low-flying birds, people, other dogs (eventually :p) but have yet to try him with a cat.
 
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Darcy caught and killed a rabbit last week, came running back with it having been recalled whilst eating it and having a Heeler on the end of it trying to get her share.

Diesel has killed 2 wood pigeons who flew out the hedge and as they are big heavy birds before they could get height he jumped into the air and caught it mid flight. These were separate incidents and he did eat them feathers and all.

When I worked for a hunt I would often go out exercising with them and we would pass through the local village, cats sat on the wall,in gateways and even crossing the road have all been ignored without incident.
 
Oz JRT is a proper ratter, but whilst I let him rat, I can and do call him off a rat if I see him going for a poisoned one.

Chicken/duck/geese I can call him off, but he rarely needs to be called off as he knows he isn't allowed to hunt them. Crows a fair game and he hates them with a passion (not that he has ever managed to catch one).

He has only ever caught sick rabbits, but loves to chase them, but he is OK now when my nieces pet ones come to stay, but wouldn't trust him completely (yet).

Cats again not an issue ignores them if they stand their ground or walk away, will chase if they run, but can be called off.

Deer are his biggest vice (gord know what he thinks he would do it he caught one)! He can be called off, but is not 100% responsive.
 
Nope. Hence why I have given up ever taking Teal beating he just bogs off after what he sees. He does recall but not immediately all the time. Dylan is on a long line atm, he is getting better but I feel it is taking forever. Buster starts to chase if the others do but then decides its all too much effort and comes back to me. Unless they have been eaten before I see, as far as I am aware they have never caught anything, just chased.
 
I think I could probably call Evie off a cat, and don't think it would be a problem if I couldn't as she adores our cats. Rabbits ,hares or foxes, not a chance, I have lost her on more than one occasion when she has put one up which is why when I am not in our own fields she is on a long line or flexi lead (I know, I know:o) unless I am sure there are none about.
 
In the garden I can call them both off chickens and cats. Can I call them off anything and everything on a walk? No, that's why they are on leads :)
 
Both mine are scenthounds and I have managed to call both of them once each from chasing a deer,but once with Flint I couldn't call him off,I could hear him baying all round the forest we were in.:o

Craven prefers to just follow the scent more than the actual chase,he is also not bothered by small furries,he lives with a cat,but he does lunge at cats on the lead,and any that come into next doors garden he barks at and gets excited,he could get to them if he really wanted to,but never has,I think he's more bothered that they are eating food that has been left out for them.

Flint is not interested in cats,but is interested in small furries,he's never chased one while I have had him as he has been on the lead whenever we have seen a rabbit.He was a stray for at least 5 weeks in a fairly rural area so I presume he can and has caught something during that time,although he was very thin when he was caught.:rolleyes:
 
My old family dog used to catch mice when out on the lead. She'd suddenly pounce and jump into the grass and come back out eating it :o
She was never let off the lead as we lived right next to a sheep farm and wasn't worth the risk.
As for Storm I don't think she would listen right away, it's never been tested tho. She chases after wild birds but gives up quickly as they are just too fast for her (plus they can fly and she's not managed that yet :p)
She did try catching a crow in the stubble field, it flew up just out of reach and then landed close by. I couldn't tell if maybe there was something wrong with it or it was clever and knew how to stay just out of reach. Storm came back straight away when I called her but that's been the only kind of test she's had.
 
Is it sad to say that my german shepherd is scared of cats? Or is it just a testament to my cat!

I do have recall in almost all situations (won't jinx it by saying all) - after a few 'runaway' strides I can do a scary grunt and she will cower down.
 
I have a chocolate lab and although he would never harm anything and has never chased after anything, he is a bugger for running after people to say hello!! Also as soon as he can smell something he will wonder off :D He is pretty good off the lead thou!
 
my dobe has a brill recall, one whistle and turns on a sixpence. Can call her back if she takes after a deer or whatever, the one failing is cats. fab gentle girl but becomes the taz devil if she spots a cat, i know she wouldn't even hear me if she spied a cat and i hate to think of the outcome. CC how did you sort your cat issue? I would have loved to sort it but figured i would have to borrow someones poor cat and haven't found anyone willing yet :p what do you mean by it not been pretty for either of you?
 
FNN, the cat we have now is pretty much a simpleton and does not know fear.
So it will sit and look at a dog, walk past a dog, stick it's tongue out at the dog.

Everytime the dog looked at the cat or made any predatory moves, I corrected him.
When he stopped paying attention to the cat, I rewarded him.
It was a long process.
I did not break him.
It is not the way everyone would do it and I am sure I will get criticised for it, I am sure there are free-range, vegetarian ways of doing it, but I know that dog inside out, we have been through a lot together, I know what he can cope with or not, what drives him, how I should behave around him.
I could come on here and claim a lot of things about what I am, or what I am not, and believe me, there are others on this forum who do just that.
But the way he is, he needed the correction before he could recognise that he was being offered a reward.

If it is a case of killing a cat, or applying a certain amount of pressure to the dog in order for him not to kill a cat, then that is what I will do.

On a lighter note....
 
In a word, no

Our old whippet would chase anything that ran, when it stopped she totally lost interest. If it turned to face her she would run the other way.

Our spaniel only chases birds, as they get in the air after a few feet its never been an issue :D :D
 
Complex no; I haven't given him the opportunity in all situations! :)

We have cats, which he seems to regard as small and useless playmates in the house. They're forever having Kongs etc., dropped on their heads as in "play with me! C'mon! Why are you so dull?" Eldest cat (mine, nearly 20 :eek:) simply hisses and he gets the message. The ginger tom purrs away as though they're best friends. He is however the cat most likely to run; which does set the dog off. They're all half asleep with each other one moment, the next thing the cat darts off and Loki is off after him.

OI stops this in the house, but the few times we've bumped into ginger tom outside the two of them are off and no, I can't recall 100% yet when he's free running. :( Fortunately ginger tom is pretty smart and gets out of the way. TBH from the few times he's 'caught' him in the house, he wouldn't grab at him or such. But he has such huge paws that a playful smack is enough to hurt a cat, particularly when he's bouncing around (he's prob just over 40kg by now).

He's 50/50 recalling from squirrels, he'll often wait until they're out of reach, up a tree, then gleefully return with a "I'm so smart!" face. Same with crows (but I consider that fair enough as they taunt him dreadfully, gliding along near ground level just out of reach :p).

He's getting to be spot on though with recalling from dogs and foxes/fox trails (though I do often have to use "WAIT" and then recall, he's far more receptive to "wait" than anything else, it produces a lovely mid-chase stop (very amusing when they slam the breaks on, on an icy surface, muahahah) I probably roar "wait" and "leave IT" far more than "this way/here" on a walk :o).

Um, the tl;dr version: No, but he's just past 18 months and he's getting there, and making leaps and bounds in progress now we're leaving the 'lulz i r teenaig, fug j00!' period. :o:p
 
Boris (GSP) I can call off any chase or in any situation we have faced so far.
He is naturally extremely responsive and happy to come back.

Daisy (dobe) is not really trustworthy- she is better now she is older (7) but I know I could not call her off something in full flight.
We did a lot of work on a long line when she was younger to try and cement recall and it has worked to a degree.
However, in chase mode she is either deaf or decides whatever she is chasing is worth getting a smacked bum for!

Daisy is an expert catcher/killer and is another dog who can catch a surprising amount of animals when on a short lead- including a kitten the other day but thankfully we got the jaws prised open before any damage was done but she didn't want to give it up!
 
Puppy who is 13 weeks old has amazing recall so far! Whether we will loose that as he gets older we shall see.
Alfred who is just over a year has awful recall unless hes on his own. With others it takes a spray collar just so I can distract him from his friends!
Lexi is brilliant, but I have to be careful how I call her sometimes as if were close to home or at the yard walking around the fields and I've shouted at her then she will run home/car. Especially if the pony starts playing up. She panics and just runs and no calling will bring her back
 
I can let the terriers loose in the hen runs ratting and they will not touch the birds when I am there. I wouldn't trust them if I wasn't!

Big dogs, no problem with calling them off deer, allow them to catch and chase rabbits.

My late lurcher, more greyhound than anything else, say a mallard and her brood waddling across the field with her brood. He made straight for them before I realised they were there and as he was about a stride away before I did, I yelled "Leave it!' and he jumped the lot and wandered off. Astounded me!

I was out with the dogs, up on the hill. One of the JRs was chewing on a branch, the rest were all ahead hunting through some rough. I was towing a terribly spoilt Lhaso that was not use to using its legs.
The dogs put up a deer, it came out of the cover and across the field. All dogs on giving various tongue. I was some distance away and issued the order to "Leave it." and they all stopped.
The deer ran towards the road and then circled the headland (out of sight) and passed behind me to go down over the hill. The main pack were all by my side watching. The neurotic JR saw it and was off, screaming, he was going so fast he rolled down the hill. The deer jumped a hedge and then turned and came back up the same track he had run down. The JR was still chasing and only when the deer jumped into the woods did he give up!

So, I do have control of the dogs - well some of them, some of the time, sort of!

Mine do know what they can and cannot chase. Back in the summer my Lab came in with a young mallard duck, unharmed but she had caught it. (Not good when she was so pleased and released it in the kitchen! Catching a wild mallard is not easy for a human even in a restricted space!) next evening both the Lab and GSD brought me a duck each, unharmed. The Lab will bring back rabbits alive, the GSD kills them.
 
Although Holly is an utter nightmare in the house... She has pretty good recall, small animals, other dogs, people, bikes, runners, farm animals, children... no problem at all makes me feel proud... However footballs... That's another issue all together, no hope of recall at all, she also loves teenage boys ... And runs over wagging her little stump like mad for a fuss, the teenage boys often look a bit disconcerted with a large rottie bounding over to them with me yelling "she s friendly!!!!!!!!" X
 
I think to call your dog off in full flight, you have to have a dog that has a certain amount of fearful respect i.e if THAT tone of voice comes on and they don't leave it immediately then there will be severe consequences.Some dogs naturally have t his reaction even if never been more than mildly shouted at, some you'd have to really physically beat it into them (not recommending this..).
I haven't yet had a dog I can't recall from anything, for the big dogs sometimes its when they have had a telling off the first time they tried.
 
Mine are all pretty good. They don't chase rabbits (we have three that I trust them around, even unsupervised). Not sure about cats because it's never come up.
 
Brig, eventually, but it takes losing the voice.

Zak has a massive prey drive, no way could I get him back if he were in hunt mode: he sees smaller dogs as prey :(

Bear, I dunno, probably, as Tigger would come bouncing back on his springs for fuss, love etc. He reverse parks at my feet to sit like a trained dog. :o :D
 
I have 2 JR a 4 year old and 6 month pup.
6 month pup hasnt got the hunt idea yet but been taking into my friend who handily lives in the flat next to me since i got him at 8 weeks as she has a cat and bunny. Cat ignores him so and hes used to it been there same as the rabbit so im hoping hes not going to get to into chasing things will see how that goes!!:rolleyes:

4 year old been bought up on a yard, once hes in a chase for the rabbit ive not got a chance in hell of getting him back, since when he was on the yard as a pup hes been encouraged to get rats, plus he was bought from a stables so its just in him, although he cant actually kill them luckily up untill the summer i had another terrier who used to finish them off, and since i lost her in the summer ive managed to avoid him getting any. As for him with cats he will chase and luckily theyve always managed to get away!!! Ive tried taking him to friends house to get used to them but as he really chases she runs and he starts howling and barking ive stopped taking him to even try. All my neighbours have cats, so hes always kept on a lead round here and let off where i know theres no cats. I only walk him in places where theres as few rabbits as possible. In normal situations i have perfect recall though and is actually getting better as doing the extra training with the pup he seems to be really improving along side him.
 
no chance ex racer,we had her 6 yrs her prey drive is still as strong hence why she's still muzzled when out on a walk,and never off the lead,but in the house she's a different dog,even gets on with my moms cats,but with my moms cats she learn't the hard way,she has a huge ginger cat,the thing weighs more than her dog,she went for him and he laid into her,great friends since then,but i would never trust her out and about.
 
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