HELP puppy chasing Sheep

S

StaceyTanglewood

Well-Known Member
Joined
6 December 2006
Messages
4,904
Visit site
this is getting ridiculous we got the sheep to eat the weeds etc for our farm - all fine when they were on our bottom fields but that is where the horses graze in the summer !!

we have 4 JRT - 2 of them are not bothered but the other 2 keep chasing them single one of and chase it till its tired they dont hurt them but just play with it !!

Last night i was riding and my puppy chased them round the field (they have 40 acres) then into the pathway (goes round the field for us to ride) so i had to ride into the field and canter down there which she then proceeded to chase them all towards me - it looked like a cartoon me on horse followed by 50 sheep then a JRT !!!

Anyway what can i do to stop them either the dogs or sheep are going to get hurt - or me !!!!
 
I assume they are your sheep and your dogs so obviously it's up to you but your statement, "they only chase them they don't hurt them" is what the person who owned the black Lab that "only chased" my sheep said. Next day we lost six aborted lambs.

As for stopping the dogs - lots of choices, keep the dogs confined, keep the sheep fenced so that the dogs can't get in, get wireless electric shock collars and use them until the dogs learn that chasing sheep hurts, rehome the dogs - I'm sure there are more.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I assume they are your sheep and your dogs so obviously it's up to you but your statement, "they only chase them they don't hurt them" is what the person who owned the black Lab that "only chased" my sheep said. Next day we lost six aborted lambs.

As for stopping the dogs - lots of choices, keep the dogs confined, keep the sheep fenced so that the dogs can't get in, get wireless electric shock collars and use them until the dogs learn that chasing sheep hurts, rehome the dogs - I'm sure there are more.

[/ QUOTE ]

No they arent our sheep we are just borrowing them !! and there are no lambs this year but we do hope to have some next year so want to sort this out now !!

I will NOT keep my dogs confined at all it is there farm and the whole point in having it for the horses and the dogs !! and if you think id rehome them then now you are having a laugh - please come back with some more sensible suggestions !

I dealy i would like someone to be able to come out to me and help train the dogs - im in Kent x
 
If they were someone elses sheep its easy and just say keep them on leads.... unfortunatly being your sheep its more a your call sort of suggestion.

If you dont want to shut them in a kennel or spare stable or something whilst you ride, then let them out when you can supervise them........ then I think either fencing the area off, and putting sheep netting or possibly chicken netting would be better as smaller JRT can fit through sheep netting (stupidly small skinny flexible dogs!!! hehe) across the fence (depending on your fencing, obv if its electric fencing, then this wont work)

The wireless collars do get the job done, it depends if a) you agree with using them, b) research how to use them properly and c) will you be able to concnetrate on that sufficiently at the same time as riding?
It might be this is a fine solution whilst you are on the yard NOT ontop of a horse trying to concentrate on 2 things at once, but whilst riding I think your mind will be too distracted to concentrate on both things sufficiently to make them work....

I think best bet is keep them kenneled whilst you ride, and maybe think about the e-collar whilst on the yard, that way if they set off after them you are able to view what you are doing and think it through properly etc......

If your sheep are in lamb however, as jemima said, although they are not HURTING the sheep, the stress of being chased can result in abortion, or even none pregnant sheep can die from the stress of the whole situation! (gah if I worked like that, Id have died about 90 times!)

Hope this helps a bit!
 
[ QUOTE ]
If they were someone elses sheep its easy and just say keep them on leads.... unfortunatly being your sheep its more a your call sort of suggestion.

If you dont want to shut them in a kennel or spare stable or something whilst you ride, then let them out when you can supervise them........ then I think either fencing the area off, and putting sheep netting or possibly chicken netting would be better as smaller JRT can fit through sheep netting (stupidly small skinny flexible dogs!!! hehe) across the fence (depending on your fencing, obv if its electric fencing, then this wont work)

The wireless collars do get the job done, it depends if a) you agree with using them, b) research how to use them properly and c) will you be able to concnetrate on that sufficiently at the same time as riding?
It might be this is a fine solution whilst you are on the yard NOT ontop of a horse trying to concentrate on 2 things at once, but whilst riding I think your mind will be too distracted to concentrate on both things sufficiently to make them work....

I think best bet is keep them kenneled whilst you ride, and maybe think about the e-collar whilst on the yard, that way if they set off after them you are able to view what you are doing and think it through properly etc......

If your sheep are in lamb however, as jemima said, although they are not HURTING the sheep, the stress of being chased can result in abortion, or even none pregnant sheep can die from the stress of the whole situation! (gah if I worked like that, Id have died about 90 times!)

Hope this helps a bit!

[/ QUOTE ]

no lambs or pregnant sheep so no worries there !!

what is the coller you are talking about?? x

They have never done it while i was riding before just last night !!
 
have PM'd you

Its good the sheep are not pregnant, as then whoever's sheep they are will not risk losing livestock due to that!

Another recommendation people gave me was to put them in with rams to scare the idea of sheep out of them! but that depends on whether you have rams available!

If you google dog trainers, and sheep generally there are a few around who can do it, someone forwarded an address to me, I will see if I can find it for you!
 
You may do better with goats Stacey. If you won't keep your dogs confined or under control around the sheep - then something has to give.

Sheep become distressed very easily, and can collapse at the drop of a hat.

Sorry, not what you want to hear I know. But you have a responsibility to ensure that they are not harrassed by your dogs.
 
skinnydogs, think that was one of the ones that I got sent!
smile.gif
hehe

Sorry stacy I have deleted the message I got with the trainer recommendation!! If I find info on any others will forward you it!
 
^^ What AM said. I can't trust mine around sheep, they are undergoing training and until I am on top of it, they stay on a lead or behind a fence when sheep are around.

Any dog has the potential to be dangerous to livestock, when in a pack, even more so.

Farmers shoot first and ask questions later, as they are entitled to by law - I know what would happen to any dog around here seen chasing a sheep until it was tired.

Sorry to sound harsh but better a confined dog than a dead one.
 
[ QUOTE ]
^^ What AM said. I can't trust mine around sheep, they are undergoing training and until I am on top of it, they stay on a lead or behind a fence when sheep are around.

Any dog has the potential to be dangerous to livestock, when in a pack, even more so.

Farmers shoot first and ask questions later, as they are entitled to by law - I know what would happen to any dog around here seen chasing a sheep until it was tired.

Sorry to sound harsh but better a confined dog than a dead one.

[/ QUOTE ]

well they are on my land and we are the farmers so im not going to shoot my own dogs !!
 
Good luck, keep us posted. As I said, I wasn't meaning to sound harsh. I know farmers who have shot their own dogs (one of whom was my father and it was a JRT) and who wouldn't take to kindly to knowing their sheep were being chased, even if they are on your land.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Good luck, keep us posted. As I said, I wasn't meaning to sound harsh. I know farmers who have shot their own dogs (one of whom was my father and it was a JRT) and who wouldn't take to kindly to knowing their sheep were being chased, even if they are on your land.

[/ QUOTE ]

oh no dont tell me that xxx
 
Yes I've heard the rams suggestion, a colleague of mine who shoots recommended it as a means of producing a negative association with sheep, rather than "fun". The net result is you have to use a dehorned ram, when the pup is around 6 months old in a supervised environment, the ram beats up the pup sufficiently for it to change its ideas about sheep. It may seem barbaric, but seems to have been used over the centuries. This may need to be repeated over short periods, however given the size of JRT you would have to be very careful.

The shock collars are a device that administers an electric shock like your standard fence unit, by remote control. The idea is that you let the dog run near the sheep, call it off when it chases them, when it ignores you, you zap it, however these can be over used.

I would recomend a dog trainer and professional advice
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top