Help need with wild puppy!!

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sw123

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We have had our rough haired jack russell pup (well she's 11 months now) since before Christmas and she is an absolute nightmare!!

Came from the hunt kennels where my brother works and has only ever lived outside and been used as a working terrier and been around working dogs. We have 2 springer spaniels who work but are pets too and believe that dogs can do both!!

She is a lovely person - v sweet and not yappy or nasty in anyway but just seems 100% untrainable!!

The main problem at the moment is sheep, she chases them, now being a v rural area we live in, have our own sheep too and lambing time coming up this is just a nightmare. We are just walking her on an extendable lead at the moment because we can't risk her chasing them. When she has gone after them it seems more for fun than to actually harm them and as soon as the sheep stops running she stops too and comes back (not a lot of use though!) so this really has to be stopped.

If she is off the lead she doesnt respond to any amount of calling or encouraging her to come back, becomes very 1 track minded and makes no acknowledgement of you and seems to do compeletely her own thing which is driving us all mad as a 5 min walk from say yard to house can turn into an hour waiting for her to come back.

She has to learn to come back and has to learn not to chase sheep.

Other things like sitting/waiting/staying with us is in an ideal world but for now really really need basics!

Any advice?!
 
Get yourself to a local puppy training calss - and ask if they do ASBO specials. Our puppy trainer has an ASBO calss after our basic puppy training on a Monday night and it is full of dogs that don't come back, dogs that bark and dogs that chase. She will work with them as a group or as indiviuals depending on your needs.

I have heard of dogs cured by farmers of chasing sheep. Ewe and her lamb placed in a pen and dog lowered in to it. ewe will attack and keep attacking to protect the lamb. Some farmers swear by it as a solution - not so sure I would risk teh sheep or lamb. I would be more inclined to think a ram would do the trick. Sounds a but cruel - but as the other choice is a shotgun I would prefer my dog attacked by a ram - he at least has the opportunity to learn.

With the puppy I would never allow her off the lead without carrying a tin of treats - every time you take her out on eth lead carry a tin of treats - call her name, rattle the tin and reward her when she comes back. slowly allow her off the lead but don't let her go far before calling her and rewarding her. Soon she will return as soon as her name is called or at least as soon as the tin is rattled. Then you only treat every other time - then one in three etc, she should come back because she can never be sure that the next recall will be the one that provides food.
 
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