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Noni

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Does anyone have any advice about dogs wearing muzzles while running free?

I have no problems with my two catching and dispatching rabits, squirrels etc, but I have just had to deal with my second deer, which was not killed but injured by the dogs.

Will wearing a muzzle when out in deer country put the dogs at risk?

Noni
 
Noni said:
Does anyone have any advice about dogs wearing muzzles while running free?
I have no problems with my two catching and dispatching rabits, squirrels etc, but I have just had to deal with my second deer, which was not killed but injured by the dogs.

Will wearing a muzzle when out in deer country put the dogs at risk?

Noni

i dont meen to be rude but why on earth is your dogs attacking animals u dont want them too ? :- "
 
Noni said:
Does anyone have any advice about dogs wearing muzzles while running free?
I have no problems with my two catching and dispatching rabits, squirrels etc, but I have just had to deal with my second deer, which was not killed but injured by the dogs.

Will wearing a muzzle when out in deer country put the dogs at risk?

Noni

Hi Noni,

Be very careful. Catching and despatching rabbits is one thing but squirrels etc could get you in a lot of trouble with the Bunny Huggers. They don't give a toss if it was an accidental chase and kill, they'll do everything in their power to prosecute (Trust me). As for deer, I'm sure we've all dreamed about magnificent hounds and deer, even if we only hunt the humble rabbit. Ask yourself the question, even if it was legal, are my dogs upto the job of catching and holding and despatching deer quickly? If the answer to any part is no, don't let your dogs chase deer. Racing dogs wear muzzles but it doesn't stop them chasing.
 
boom said:
Noni said:
Does anyone have any advice about dogs wearing muzzles while running free?
I have no problems with my two catching and dispatching rabits, squirrels etc, but I have just had to deal with my second deer, which was not killed but injured by the dogs.

Will wearing a muzzle when out in deer country put the dogs at risk?

Noni

i dont meen to be rude but why on earth is your dogs attacking animals u dont want them too ? :- "

I can assure you that the chase was NOT intended. They took me unawares in an area usually clear of deer. I do not let them 'hunt' deer and the question about muzzles was to discover if anyone had problems with their dogs catching the muzzle on anything while running free.

Noni
 
I'd be more worried that my dogs couldn't defend themselves if they needed to :( or that if they got lost/didn't come back (always a worry when one of mine gets on the scent of deer) that they might not be able to forage until rescued/got home. There have been stories on this site and others, of spooked dogs running off and managing to live rough for a few days until recaptured. They might not fare so well in a muzzle :(
 
~Helen~ said:
I'd be more worried that my dogs couldn't defend themselves if they needed to :(   or that if they got lost/didn't come back (always a worry when one of mine gets on the scent of deer) that they might not be able to forage until rescued/got home. There have been stories on this site and others, of spooked dogs running off and managing to live rough for a few days until recaptured. They might not fare so well in a muzzle :(
Hi Noni,

Please forgive me for offending you, it wasn't my intention. I really wasn't suggesting that you intentionally let your dogs chase deer and I wholeheartedly apologise if that's what you thought. I've had a similar experience with deer and only just escaped prosecution and this was nearly 20 years ago. We have to be so careful these days. Once again, please forgive me for any offence caused and for not reading what I'd actually written and what I thought I'd written.
 
boom said:
Noni said:
Does anyone have any advice about dogs wearing muzzles while running free?
I have no problems with my two catching and dispatching rabits, squirrels etc, but I have just had to deal with my second deer, which was not killed but injured by the dogs.

Will wearing a muzzle when out in deer country put the dogs at risk?

Noni

i dont meen to be rude but why on earth is your dogs attacking animals u dont want them too ? :- "

Oh if only it was as easy as just telling and training them not to :lol: . I have one whippet that can't go off the lead in open fields as he will find the scent of any deer and track them down.

We own sighthounds - and therefore they are keen hunting dogs - some more so than others admittedly.

I work in the veterinary industry and have spoken to one of the top behaviourists in this country and basically the outcome was that in some breeds it is so ingrained in their make-up you will never get them to stop.

Therefore my one only is let off leads in safe secure areas.
 
~JO~ said:
boom said:
Noni said:
Does anyone have any advice about dogs wearing muzzles while running free?
I have no problems with my two catching and dispatching rabits, squirrels etc, but I have just had to deal with my second deer, which was not killed but injured by the dogs.

Will wearing a muzzle when out in deer country put the dogs at risk?

Noni

i dont meen to be rude but why on earth is your dogs attacking animals u dont want them too ? :- "

Oh if only it was as easy as just telling and training them not to :lol: . I have one whippet that can't go off the lead in open fields as he will find the scent of any deer and track them down.

We own sighthounds - and therefore they are keen hunting dogs - some more so than others admittedly.

I work in the veterinary industry and have spoken to one of the top behaviourists in this country and basically the outcome was that in some breeds it is so ingrained in their make-up you will never get them to stop.

Therefore my one only is let off leads in safe secure areas.


thats just the thing tho it is easy

the dogs i have owned have never needed muzzles and it was all down to simple training..the dogs i have had range from terriers to lurchers and had no such problem with them after training them

sorry but i put it down to the owner if the dogs wild :p
 
harryjay said:
~Helen~ said:
I'd be more worried that my dogs couldn't defend themselves if they needed to :(   or that if they got lost/didn't come back (always a worry when one of mine gets on the scent of deer) that they might not be able to forage until rescued/got home. There have been stories on this site and others, of spooked dogs running off and managing to live rough for a few days until recaptured. They might not fare so well in a muzzle :(
Hi Noni,

Please forgive me for offending you, it wasn't my intention. I really wasn't suggesting that you intentionally let your dogs chase deer and I wholeheartedly apologise if that's what you thought. I've had a similar experience with deer and only just escaped prosecution and this was nearly 20 years ago. We have to be so careful these days. Once again, please forgive me for any offence caused and for not reading what I'd actually written and what I thought I'd written.

No offence taken! :)

Thank you all for your advice. I've got a couple of muzzles and will get dogs used to them and use them in 'deer country'.

And I've also been told that it is difficult to train the chase instinct from some dogs. Mine are both rescue so I have not had the advantage of their first year(s) to ingrain an excellent recall when competing with a running animal.

Noni
 
boom said:
~JO~ said:
boom said:
Noni said:
Does anyone have any advice about dogs wearing muzzles while running free?
I have no problems with my two catching and dispatching rabits, squirrels etc, but I have just had to deal with my second deer, which was not killed but injured by the dogs.

Will wearing a muzzle when out in deer country put the dogs at risk?

Noni

i dont meen to be rude but why on earth is your dogs attacking animals u dont want them too ? :- "

Oh if only it was as easy as just telling and training them not to :lol: . I have one whippet that can't go off the lead in open fields as he will find the scent of any deer and track them down.

We own sighthounds - and therefore they are keen hunting dogs - some more so than others admittedly.

I work in the veterinary industry and have spoken to one of the top behaviourists in this country and basically the outcome was that in some breeds it is so ingrained in their make-up you will never get them to stop.

Therefore my one only is let off leads in safe secure areas.


the dogs i have owned have never needed muzzles and it was all down to simple training..the dogs i have had range from terriers to lurchers and had no such problem with them after training them

sorry but i put it down to the owner if the dogs wild :p

My other one would never go out of my sight and I have put in at least double the amount of training with the naughty one...

If you have a dog with a combination of extremely high prey drive, completely un-biddable - (he couldn't care less about anything than wild animals when he is in a field) and with a very stubborn streak...

I am pretty damn experienced with lots of different types of dogs and never had one like this.

I agree with you that often 'wild' dogs are down to their owner but no-one would be able to stop this one...ever :rant:
 
~JO~ said:
boom said:
~JO~ said:
boom said:
Noni said:
Does anyone have any advice about dogs wearing muzzles while running free?
I have no problems with my two catching and dispatching rabits, squirrels etc, but I have just had to deal with my second deer, which was not killed but injured by the dogs.

Will wearing a muzzle when out in deer country put the dogs at risk?

Noni

i dont meen to be rude but why on earth is your dogs attacking animals u dont want them too ? :- "

Oh if only it was as easy as just telling and training them not to :lol: . I have one whippet that can't go off the lead in open fields as he will find the scent of any deer and track them down.

We own sighthounds - and therefore they are keen hunting dogs - some more so than others admittedly.

I work in the veterinary industry and have spoken to one of the top behaviourists in this country and basically the outcome was that in some breeds it is so ingrained in their make-up you will never get them to stop.

Therefore my one only is let off leads in safe secure areas.


the dogs i have owned have never needed muzzles and it was all down to simple training..the dogs i have had range from terriers to lurchers and had no such problem with them after training them

sorry but i put it down to the owner if the dogs wild :p

My other one would never go out of my sight and I have put in at least double the amount of training with the naughty one...

If you have a dog with a combination of extremely high prey drive, completely un-biddable - (he couldn't care less about anything than wild animals when he is in a field) and with a very stubborn streak...

I am pretty damn experienced with lots of different types of dogs and never had one like this.

I agree with you that often 'wild' dogs are down to their owner but no-one would be able to stop this one...ever :rant:

Ditto for me - one really good 'trained' whippet, while the second has had probably more training and yet is untrustworthy if deer have ever been in a field she's in.

No training would make a difference, so she is on the lead unless safe ie on the beach.

Until you've had a dog of this sort, it's difficult to understand. But once they discover deer, it's like watching a junkie crave for heroin (and I've seen plenty of that, socially and professionally, to be able to make the comparison).
 
Completely agree it's almost impossible to stop some dogs. I've managed to successfully train my greyhound and whippet x to recall from chasing 100%, but my Saluki lurcher will go after deer and there's no way I'll ever be able to stop him (believe me I've tried).

My main worry when he chases is that he becomes completely blind to his own safety. On his last little expedition he went straight through a barbed wire fence and ripped his leg to pieces - he ended up needing Gawd knows how many stitches and a skin graft. Being muzzled wouldn't have stopped him doing that.
 
We had a very scary moment a few weeks ago when in Wales. We'd gone on a walk on the advice of a local person & it was somewhere we'd walked the dogs safely a few years ago. We were in a field but there was a high wall alongside us, the dogs ran ahead & 17month old lurcher Scrumpy "spotted" something & was gone round the end of the wall. To our horror there were about 30 sheep running away up he field with her in hot pursuit. Despite the PANIC in my head, visions of farmers with guns flashing through my mind, I called her once & amazingly she turned & came back at top speed. Oh the relief :sweating: :sweating:

We put all 3 back on leads & walked back the way we came. Despite it being a public right of way in a popular tourist village there were no warning notices about the sheep on any of the 2 gates into the field :rant:

I'm just so glad that I spent time on her recall, we had so much trouble with Hebe the other lurcher when she was younger that I didn't want another "deaf" runaway.

Maybe it was a fluke but I don't ever want to be in the position to have to test it out again, my nerves couldn't take it. For days after I kept thinking it could have ended so badly :( :(
 
FeeFee said:
My main worry when he chases is that he becomes completely blind to his own safety. On his last little expedition he went straight through a barbed wire fence and ripped his leg to pieces - he ended up needing Gawd knows how many stitches and a skin graft.  Being muzzled wouldn't have stopped him doing that.
Yup, been there. They're going so fast, I don't think they even see the barbed wire :( Josie was in and out of the vets on alternate days for 5 weeks after getting tangled. I was just glad she made it back to me, but I am terrified that next time she won't :unsure:

Even pain won't necessarily stop a dog with that nature, in full pursuit mode :blink: Terrible to see. You feel so helpless.
 
I know im gonna sound thick but wat is the best way to train an 4 year old lurcher recall?and also how can we stop him chasing sheep. the thing is we have one at the home who is a nice dog and walks well on the lead until it comes to sheep then he will jump and pull at the end of the lead and often takes everyone by surprise. I think this may be putting off prospective owners. Also wen we have him in the paddock off lead he is very difficult to get back in unless its raining!!!!

p.s sorry if iv put this in the wrong spot!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
As I said we had lots of problems with Hebe when she was younger, she used to see something or another dog in the distance & was gone :rant: She wouldn't come back till she was ready, very annoying but then I couldn't get cross when she finally did come back or it would take even longer the next time. After all sorts of training classes (where her recall was of course excellent :- " ) the only thing that worked was a dog whistle. I started with just one whistle in the house & then gave her a treat. Whistle,treat, whistle,treat. She is a real foody so this worked right away. Once she got the idea (about 10 seconds) I whistled from different rooms, upstairs, in the garden etc. 100% success :thumbsup: After a week or so we ventured into the park at a time when there were not too many distractions & when she was a short distance away whistled her, don't forget the treats :b This worked so well that if we are out now & someone else whistles their dog they quite often get a lurcher too :lol:

Of course there is the odd time when it doesn't work usually when she's found food that some :rant: :rant: had dumped in the bushes for the foxes.

Hope you manage to sort your dog out :luck: :luck:
 
that is a great idea!!! think ill have a go at training bracken with that thanks!
 

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