Help, How Do I Train My Lurcher Not To Chase?

[markbrick]

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YES THE DOG WILL GET SHOT BY THE FARMER IF SEEN TO BE WORRY HIS SHEEP.ON THE TV LAST NIGHT IN SWINDON A LAMB WAS LEFT WITHOUT HIS MUM,THE EWE WAS CHASED BY THE DOG,AWFUL INJURINGS,SO THE POOR LAMB HAD NO MUM.THEY ARE STILL LOOKING FOR THE DOG THAT DID THIS. :- "

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we had to shoot 6 sheep this morning 4 lambs and 2 ewes one of the ewes were pregnant,all because a fecking stray dog,and you get loosers on her going on about collers are cruel,you want to get of youre council estates and see how the country side work,all i said was a electris coller is a good way to stop a dog that is hard to train from worrying sheep,mark

 

[ladyp]

YES THE DOG WILL GET SHOT BY THE FARMER IF SEEN TO BE WORRY HIS SHEEP.ON THE TV LAST NIGHT IN SWINDON A LAMB WAS LEFT WITHOUT HIS MUM,THE EWE WAS CHASED BY THE DOG,AWFUL INJURINGS,SO THE POOR LAMB HAD NO MUM.THEY ARE STILL LOOKING FOR THE DOG THAT DID THIS. :- "

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we had to shoot 6 sheep this morning 4 lambs and 2 ewes one of the ewes were pregnant,all because a fecking stray dog,and you get loosers on her going on about collers are cruel,you want to get of youre council estates and see how the country side work,all i said was a electris coller is a good way to stop a dog that is hard to train from worrying sheep,mark

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SORRY TO HEAR THAT MARK ABOUT YOUR SHEEP, :rant: :angry:

 

[kris]

YES THE DOG WILL GET SHOT BY THE FARMER IF SEEN TO BE WORRY HIS SHEEP.ON THE TV LAST NIGHT IN SWINDON A LAMB WAS LEFT WITHOUT HIS MUM,THE EWE WAS CHASED BY THE DOG,AWFUL INJURINGS,SO THE POOR LAMB HAD NO MUM.THEY ARE STILL LOOKING FOR THE DOG THAT DID THIS. :- "

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we had to shoot 6 sheep this morning 4 lambs and 2 ewes one of the ewes were pregnant,all because a fecking stray dog,and you get loosers on her going on about collers are cruel,you want to get of youre council estates and see how the country side work,all i said was a electris coller is a good way to stop a dog that is hard to train from worrying sheep,mark

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just the sort of remark ive come to expect from you mark. first of all to say that someone who doesnt agree with you is a looser (sp)loser points to your own ignorance secondly why do you assume that because someone disagrees with you they live on a council estate?are you saying that people who live on council estates are stupid or ignorant?you seem to assume also that anyone who disagrees with your methods of training dont know anything about the countryside and only people like you know what goes on in the countryside.i think its time you realised that there are people out here that have a bit of knowledge about the countryside but who disagree with you and how you choose to train a dog.some people arent prepared to put any time and effort into training a dog.they want a quick fix.for people like that yes a shock collar will achieve some results.what kind of results they achieve only time will tell.

 

[wild whippies]

I think we're all pretty much aware of what the consequences are if your dog upsets livestock on a farm - even residents of a council estate so I don't see the use in posting 'I told you so' remarks.

Mr Whippy appears to be asking for advice and doesn't wish to consider electric shock collar treatments so has anyone got any advice that's useful?

Markbrick, what about if the dog was introduced to live stock under neutral circumstances? I'm sure someone on here introduced their dog to a mothering Ewe who was feisty enough to put the fear of god into the dog concerned?

 

[kris]

ive already posted some really useful links for mr whippy jac. :thumbsup: i go on another dog site where a lady was at her wits end with a couple of patterdales chasing bunnies but shes worried theyre gonna get shot by local farmers who dont know theyre stock broken.in the end after considering various options open to her and listening to avenues of advice given to her by some sensible and intelligent posters she has had a kennel and run built for when she has to leave her smallholding on the moors when she goes out after her stock and keep them under lock and key as she said yes theyve lost their freedom(its only for short periods when she leaves the smallholding and the dogs are without supervision) but i replied better that than their lives

 

[midlanderkeith]

I really need some advice from anyone who works their dogs as I figure that they're probably the best people to ask how to control a dog as to where and when they can chase. My lurcher is a rescue dog who I suspect was worked in his previous life. I have been training him for the past year in basic obedience as he appeared to have had no training when we took him in. We have an extremely strong bond and when he does chase he has so far always returned promptly as he has no interest in catching, just chasing, which is probably why the travellers dumped him. He is fantastically obedient, that is right up until the moment he spots something of interest, be it dog, sheep, rabbit etc If I see him spot it I can get his attention and recall him, if I wait a split second too long he's gone and won't return till the chase is over, sometimes over ridiculous distances. He once ran at least half a mile over the fell after sheep to the edge of a sheer drop. It was only the sheeps knowledge of the area that stopped him from running over the edge. I really need to get his prey drive under control for his own safety. My uncle had a similar problem and his dog ran into a road chasing a cat and was killed outright. I live rurally so although traffic isn't the major issue, getting lost or badly hurt on barbed wire, being shot by a farmer etc is.

Today was a prime example, I struggle for places to let my dogs free run as I live rurally, so today seized the chance as the farmer had taken the stock off the field with the footpath running through. When my dog is offlead I watch him like a hawk and try to keep him occupied, recalling, ball games etc anything to prevent him trying to hunt. Unfortunately, we startled a hare, my lurcher bolted after it, straight through the one dog sized gap in the fence and disappeared into the scrubland beyond. I presume he lost sight of the hare as he returned within 30 seconds but I can't keep having this happen. He's chased deer, sheep, dogs... I really don't want him to have to live his life on a lead. I do try to only let him off in fenced areas but as today proves even that isn't foolproof. Sorry to be long winded but I wanted to try and give a full picture for people to work with. Any help would be gratefully accepted.

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Ok mr whippy heres my advice, first off you say the dog is intelligent, so your on to a winner there, now then, go ask the farmer, landowner if you can have permission to livestock train your dog, making sure you tell them that at no time will the dog be allowed off lead, you really have to be inside the dogs mind and to be able to read it, ok im talking sheep here, walk your dog calmly up and through the sheep as if they dont even exist, now you have to be real quick on this one and this is where you gotta be able to read your dogs mind, as soon as you feel the dog even looking at the sheep, snatch on the lead with a command of your choice, i use the word HEY, do this daily if you can without making it a chore or unpleasant experience for the dog, ive worded this best i can, i would much rather put it into practice but there you have it, i work my dog day and night surrounded by livestock, and believe you me ive done the above with my dog, and she never bothers them, and this is why i have permission from several landowners to work their lands.

I do hope ive made sense, and good luck

keith :luck:

 

[midlanderkeith]

I really need some advice from anyone who works their dogs as I figure that they're probably the best people to ask how to control a dog as to where and when they can chase. My lurcher is a rescue dog who I suspect was worked in his previous life. I have been training him for the past year in basic obedience as he appeared to have had no training when we took him in. We have an extremely strong bond and when he does chase he has so far always returned promptly as he has no interest in catching, just chasing, which is probably why the travellers dumped him. He is fantastically obedient, that is right up until the moment he spots something of interest, be it dog, sheep, rabbit etc If I see him spot it I can get his attention and recall him, if I wait a split second too long he's gone and won't return till the chase is over, sometimes over ridiculous distances. He once ran at least half a mile over the fell after sheep to the edge of a sheer drop. It was only the sheeps knowledge of the area that stopped him from running over the edge. I really need to get his prey drive under control for his own safety. My uncle had a similar problem and his dog ran into a road chasing a cat and was killed outright. I live rurally so although traffic isn't the major issue, getting lost or badly hurt on barbed wire, being shot by a farmer etc is.

Today was a prime example, I struggle for places to let my dogs free run as I live rurally, so today seized the chance as the farmer had taken the stock off the field with the footpath running through. When my dog is offlead I watch him like a hawk and try to keep him occupied, recalling, ball games etc anything to prevent him trying to hunt. Unfortunately, we startled a hare, my lurcher bolted after it, straight through the one dog sized gap in the fence and disappeared into the scrubland beyond. I presume he lost sight of the hare as he returned within 30 seconds but I can't keep having this happen. He's chased deer, sheep, dogs... I really don't want him to have to live his life on a lead. I do try to only let him off in fenced areas but as today proves even that isn't foolproof. Sorry to be long winded but I wanted to try and give a full picture for people to work with. Any help would be gratefully accepted.

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Ok mr whippy heres my advice, first off you say the dog is intelligent, so your on to a winner there, now then, go ask the farmer, landowner if you can have permission to livestock train your dog, making sure you tell them that at no time will the dog be allowed off lead, you really have to be inside the dogs mind and to be able to read it, ok im talking sheep here, walk your dog calmly up and through the sheep as if they dont even exist, now you have to be real quick on this one and this is where you gotta be able to read your dogs mind, as soon as you feel the dog even looking at the sheep, snatch on the lead with a command of your choice, i use the word HEY, do this daily if you can without making it a chore or unpleasant experience for the dog, ive worded this best i can, i would much rather put it into practice but there you have it, i work my dog day and night surrounded by livestock, and believe you me ive done the above with my dog, and she never bothers them, and this is why i have permission from several landowners to work their lands.

I do hope ive made sense, and good luck

keith :luck:

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Doesnt even know they are there

 

[Mr Whippy]

ive already posted some really useful links for mr whippy jac. :

Many thanks for all those who've given me some advice to work with. I have been trying very hard with my dog for the past year and he has made huge improvements in that time and I forsee this continuing. I've already tried several methods to deal with this issue before asking for advice here. My neighbour is a shepherdess and did offer to put my dog in with a tup but then withdrew the offer when she got to know my dog a bit better as she said due to his nervy nature it might do more harm than good. I train him everyday when walking by telling him to leave it and return to me every time he looks at a sheep. He does so 99% of the time but I would still not trust him offlead because of that 1% where he lunges and barks. We cannot avoid sheep where we live as we are surrounded by them and often meet a a flock head on when road walking, there are no footpaths and we have to get into the hedgerow to try and let them pass :blink: . He has had a training session with Jim Greenwood last year and I might be contacting him again as he apparently has a flock in Staffordshire that he does stock training with. I have also found a local trainer called Ingrid Grayling (Penrith - Cumbria) who does this also. I'd be interested to know if anyone has heard of her/how good she is. I understand that the issue of sheep worrying is very emotive but I didn't intend to stir up a debate about it - I am sympathetic to the farmer's viewpoint. I couldn't live in a more rural area than the one I do and I have consulted my local shepherdess and farmer for advice but neither was very clued up on sighthounds only collies and I'm sure you'll agree that there are distinct differences to be considered seeing as training herders versus hunters requires a different approach in some areas. I really do try to keep a close eye on my dogs body language and know when he has switched mentally onto a target. What I'd like to know is if the current methods I'm working with will make him more likely to return if he does start running. I have been encouraging him to fetch a toy and then recall him before he reaches it. At the moment this is being done quite slowly but I hope to build it up until he is running for the toy. Might this work? Or will his deeper instincts overide any training with real quarry in sight?

 

[gabbitas31]

(w00t) Very good advise Keith, i like the way you do it. :thumbsup: Diane

 

[wild whippies]

My neighbour is a shepherdess and did offer to put my dog in with a tup but then withdrew the offer when she got to know my dog a bit better as she said due to his nervy nature it might do more harm than good.

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I think the shepherdess was very sensible here. There's a difference between aggresion and fear and particularly nervy dogs are the least likely to respond to 'radical training' methods. It also explains your valid reluctance to use these 'methods' as it could have been potentially disastrous.

Personally I think Keith's onto something, perseverance, calm behaviour of the handler and constant exposure are in my opinion the best way to train nervous dogs. Reinforcing recall through play/ treats is also a good idea in my mind.

Keep up the good work, sounds to me like your making progress. :thumbsup:

 

[kris]

you have to find the 'trigger' that works for your dog.every dog is different and what works for one wont work for another.some dogs will do anything for food.i have one like that and so shes been really easy to train to leave squirrels alone which are what floats her boat.others arent interested in food i know one lady who trained her dog with a welly boot!sounds mad i know but the dog had such a high level of interest in the welly that she could work with that.some will respond to a favourite toy especially a squeaky one.you just have to try and find out for yourself what works for that particular dog.it sounds to me like youre putting a lot of work and effort into your dog so im sure youll reap the rewards. :thumbsup: :luck: