Sheep proofing dogs

If the sheep owner is happy I would probably give it a try, but keep the long line on at all times so he can absolutely never get away. Our dog is always on lead away from our own land (he's a terrier!) but he is familiar with sheep and knows to be polite around them (he walks through them every day and we have our own sheep). When I see visitors' dogs going beserk barking and pulling at the mere sight of sheep, it does make me think that familiarity must be useful, even for a dog that's never going to be trusted off lead with them.

Regardless of how good I thought the dog was I'd never have one off lead around someone else's livestock, except as others have said, by accident.
 
A few months ago, we were on the forest walking along a bit of forest that runs alongside some farmers field.

Very occasionally I have seen sheep in one of the fields, however the fencing is immaculate so I have no worry of them escaping and my dogs have never paid any attention to them when passing by.

Anyway, the Whippet was off lead. The other two on lead and I spot a big ball of white OUTSIDE of the field.

Completely freaked. Called Whippet back sharpish.

Turned out to be an enormous long haired cat 😅
 
blackcob said:
I did say usually. 😉 I don’t disagree but IME many ‘pet’ dog owners would baulk at the process, and only go to someone like that as a last resort.
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And therein lies the irony......they baulk at the opportunity when pup is young and naive and the process is 'softer' and as you say, go as a last resort once all the sausages and lumps of cheese in the world have failed to deter fluffykins from his unwanted behaviour and the options are shock collar, a bullet or re-homing out of the area to an urban area and hoping that cats are not substituted for sheep.
 
Your first post certainly made it sound like that was what you were thinking of doing. Perhaps something has been lost in translation but it's not hard to see how the reader would conclude that was your plan.


poiuytrewq said:
There seem to be few sheep locally and one on footpaths so I’d never really known how Bertie would react to them.
The last 10 days or so someone has been grazing sheep in one of the farm crop fields. They had 3 low strands of electric wire round the entire field. One side is a wide pathway rather than just quad size so the first day we went past on a lead. I don’t think anyone noticed. Second we passed loose. The sheep were right up against the fence and ran when the saw us so he did go to chase but came straight back when called.
Since then he has passed daily and now seems to want to go through the fence but not particularly to the sheep I don’t think. He seems to just ignore them completely now.
Today they move again and this time will be on a field we go all the way round. So I won’t be risking that as someone will definitely get a shock. I’d need eyes in the back of my head to keep all 4 from touching a sudden electric fence that’s appeared on their running loose patch!
The field is absolutely huge. Would it be beneficial sheep proofing wise to take B in, maybe do a bit of training on the long line first as a precaution but to just get him doing a bit of basic sit stay come etc and practice around them?
Not that I’d ever go through unknown sheep with a loose dog but it would be nice to know for sure he wouldn’t chase, would recall in all situations and it’s just another checklist thing, or would training in a regular field at home not translate to meeting sheep out walking?
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Someone, yes, it’s a forum I’m not going to put a third party’s name on here. I’m sure I also put somewhere that it’s a friend, maybe not but I think you jumped to a conclusion there.
 
poiuytrewq said:
Someone, yes, it’s a forum I’m not going to put a third party’s name on here. I’m sure I also put somewhere that it’s a friend, maybe not but I think you jumped to a conclusion there.
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I read your initial post and replied to it, no jumping to any conclusions. If you had said "a friend" not "someone" the first post would read very differently.
 
Clodagh said:
I’d only disagree in that I work mine on the moors around sheep and their focus is all on the hunt and the retrieve, they blank the sheep altogether. But work mode and play mode are very different.
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Same here, my dogs don't even notice running sheep when they are working. That being said if I'm out and about not working they are on lead if livestock around, unless I'm at OHs farm but then that's ohs land and livestock
 
druid said:
I read your initial post and replied to it, no jumping to any conclusions. If you had said "a friend" not "someone" the first post would read very differently.
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I suppose I figured there was obviously a connection for the sheep to be kept here.


Anyhow, won’t be doing that!
Hopefully they won’t be around for long anyway. I’d just thought it may be a good opportunity to teach him not to chase animals just incase. As I say he’s always on a lead in public anyway so that’s all good.
 
Coming from living on a farm as a kid, the only true way of protecting sheep from dog attacks, was a small piece of lead travelling at a very fast rate.

ALL dogs should be on a lead when out being walked, it's that simple.
 
They are all totally un interested and don't even seem to notice there are sheep literally on the doorstep. I don't walk round anymore as they appear also not to notice the electric fencing (I've said it can't be working but apparently is, My dogs don't agree) but its not a hassle having them there and I can still have the dogs off lead on the yard without worrying they may go investigate. The only issue I have had is Cecil rolling in sheep poo, new perfume it seems!
 
Widgeon said:
If the sheep owner is happy I would probably give it a try, but keep the long line on at all times so he can absolutely never get away. Our dog is always on lead away from our own land (he's a terrier!) but he is familiar with sheep and knows to be polite around them (he walks through them every day and we have our own sheep). When I see visitors' dogs going beserk barking and pulling at the mere sight of sheep, it does make me think that familiarity must be useful, even for a dog that's never going to be trusted off lead with them.

Regardless of how good I thought the dog was I'd never have one off lead around someone else's livestock, except as others have said, by accident.
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I didn't realise that the sheep become familier with dogs aswell. I had to walk through sheep to get to my horses a few years ago. She actually went off the lead as she had in the past been a sheep dog (border collie) and the owners of the sheep said that she was the only dog they didnt move off the footpath for when they saw her coming. I guess as we were there two or more times a day it was all very unexciting for either party!
Apparently they would freak out at chocolate labs in particular!
 
Our dog has been in a couple of times with my friend's sheep and shows no interest in them and is often round the horses at our yard with no issues ever.

However if there's even a remote chance of any livestock encounters she's always on the lead, even when encountering horses on local bridleways, just not worth the risk.

I got approached last year by a very irate chap because a very similar dog to mine was spotted off-lead and chasing his livestock a couple days earlier.
 
poiuytrewq said:
I didn't realise that the sheep become familier with dogs aswell. I had to walk through sheep to get to my horses a few years ago. She actually went off the lead as she had in the past been a sheep dog (border collie) and the owners of the sheep said that she was the only dog they didnt move off the footpath for when they saw her coming. I guess as we were there two or more times a day it was all very unexciting for either party!
Apparently they would freak out at chocolate labs in particular!
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There's also an element of different dogs giving off different vibes. Sheep are frequently gathered immediately outside my front gate, and if I walk out with the Kelpie they will barely lift their heads to acknowledge us, whereas if I walk out into them with the small ginger chaos dog they will hurry away (dogs on leads and to heel this is, there's no chasing going on).
 
Our three dogs are all livestock trained, we live in sheep central… we also have four goats and until recently a few fairly tame sheep. Both the sheep and particularly the goats know our dogs, whom they are fine with, though I wouldn’t trust the goats with the dogs totally, from visiting dogs who the react very differently too.
 
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