Training not to chase sheep

[*Marie*]

Bracken who is 6 months old did this once, our fault for not paying attention, but it worried me endless knowing he could have been shot, this is something I want to tackle, Bracken is going to start gun dog training so hopefully that might help abit, I have had suggestions put to me like putting Bracken in a pen with a tup, and getting him out asap or him in a crate, sounds very frightening that one! Would like any other way to the solution if possible, your thoughts on this would be much appreiciated!

[dianna1]

Training not to chase and good recall training will be part of your gun dog training.  6 months is still very young but find a reward based trainer and they will set you on the right track.  Good luck I'm still working on it a year later.  It is constantly taking the time to reinforce.

[Helen]

we were very lucky as my SIL had 5 orphaned lambs and Jarvis was introduced to them at the barn they were kept in - he hated their funny little stiff legs on concrete and was actually very wary of them.  So much so he has never chased a sheep or lamb (thank goodness).

I think it's a long procedure and you need to desensitise the dog to stock so lots of walking on lead near fields of sheep and keeping the attention and focus on you all of the time - your gundog training will absolutely help, especially if you have one 2 one sessions.

[JohnK]

This morning, Minnie decided to chase some sheep. It was more like she was trying to round them up, but she would not come back to us.

[Emilyoliver]

I would never trust a dog fully around sheep. Sheep can't be trusted not to run and the temptation to chase a running animal is just too much for most dogs. Mine have never chased livestock, but I still keep them on lead in sheep pasture. If I don't know an area, I also keep them onlead until am sure there are no sheep about. Teaching focus and a reliable recall are vital (especially if you should inadvertently find yourself and dog in sheep pasture), but I'd never 'test' a dog to see whether they'd recall in a field full of skittish sheep.

[Helen]

That is so frustrating John and dangerous for Minnie at lambling  

I'm afraid around stock I would definitely put her on a long lead - sheep are stupid and panic and can easily abort at this time of year and farmers will shoot dogs bothering stock.

Emilyoliver -  I agree - with most of the dogs I meet I wouldn't trust them around any stock and would never walk them offlead through any fields.

On the other hand we have a dog we have spent nearly 8 years stock proofing as my OH works on different farms every day in his line of work.  I know that we can walk him through a field offlead to heal if we need him too - and also through pheasant pens and shoots with hundreds of pheasants which are his hugest temptation.  It's not a matter of testing, it's consistent training - especially controlling a chase instinct.  You can teach dogs to do this, but not many people do as they don't have the constant contact with stock to make this imperative.

[Emilyoliver]

That is so frustrating John and dangerous for Minnie at lambling 

I'm afraid around stock I would definitely put her on a long lead - sheep are stupid and panic and can easily abort at this time of year and farmers will shoot dogs bothering stock.

Emilyoliver -  I agree - with most of the dogs I meet I wouldn't trust them around any stock and would never walk them offlead through any fields.

On the other hand we have a dog we have spent nearly 8 years stock proofing as my OH works on different farms every day in his line of work.  I know that we can walk him through a field offlead to heal if we need him too - and also through pheasant pens and shoots with hundreds of pheasants which are his hugest
temptation.  It's not a matter of testing, it's consistent training - especially controlling a chase instinct.  You can teach dogs to do this, but not many people do as they don't have the constant contact with stock to make this imperative.

Exactly. You know and trust your dog implicitly because he has had the requisite input. That is rare. You wouldn't know how reliable your dog was unless it was constantly exposed to sheep and hadbeen suitably desensitised.  So I wouldn't advise anyone on how to train a dog not to chase sheep as the input required is too much for most pet owners. A reliable recall and use of a lead are vital to owning any dog (and simple to implement) and aside from specialised livestock training with a very experienced person, I'd never advocate walking a dog off lead near livestock.

[GeoW]

William has yet to meet sheep, this will happen in June when we visit the Westmorland hill farm we have stayed at for years.

George however when we took him on his first holiday at 11 months of age, ran after a group of sheep who stopped, turned, stamped their feet, he looked over his shoulder back to us, and sheepishly returned. he displayed no interest in sheep thereafter.

That's not the end of the story tho' poor George was subject to dog worrying by a sheep!  on two ocassions mardy old ewes charged him for no reason head butting him in the side whilst he was minding his own business. We did put him on a lead  if passing thro'  sheep meadows but out on the high fells it fortunately wasn't necessary.

I do hope young William shows the same lack of interest, but if not I will very tempted to introduce him to a mardy old ewe. 

[Nicola]

That is so frustrating John and dangerous for Minnie at lambling  

I'm afraid around stock I would definitely put her on a long lead - sheep are stupid and panic and can easily abort at this time of year and farmers will shoot dogs bothering stock.

Emilyoliver -  I agree - with most of the dogs I meet I wouldn't trust them around any stock and would never walk them offlead through any fields.

I know that we can walk him through a field offlead to heal if we need him too - and also through pheasant pens and shoots with hundreds of pheasants which are his hugest temptation.  It's not a matter of testing, it's consistent training - especially controlling a chase instinct.  

I agree, I'm not saying people should all start walking their dogs loose around livestock at all; for the majority of dogs it's always safest to keep them on lead around livestock or where you might come across livestock as it's just not worth the risk either to them or the other animals.

However, it is entirely possible to train your dog/s to a level where you can trust them around livestock/wildlife/birds, but it takes a huge amount of work and repetition. I can walk all 3 of mine, separately or together, off lead around sheep, cows, horses, deer etc. and they're fine, they're totally not bothered by livestock and don't even really glance at them. As they've all been trained to work/trial they've had a huge amount of focus/control training; it's a matter of constant repetition and practising and proofing it over and over again with increasing distractions and I think this level of proofing is what most dogs don't get as they're not going to be worked/trialled or spend a lot of time around livestock. On the big driven shoot we go to Rodaidh has to go from controlled hunting to walking at heel (off lead) with dozens of pheasants running 10-20 yards in front of him, it's as stimulated and wired as it's possible for him to get but he still listens to me because I train it over and over again and never let him ignore me. Caoimhe was the same with her FT training which was even more demanding, she's rock steady in any situation because she's been proofed over and over again, never had the chance to chase anything or ignore a recall so it never occurs to her to do so. It's a huge amount of work to begin with - I haven't kept a puppy from Caoimhe yet purely because I just haven't had the time to dedicate to training a pup properly in the last couple of years - but it definitely makes life easier in the long run.

It is never too early to start teaching focus and control, that's all I work on from day 1 with my dogs, everything else is built on that foundation and comes later. Gundog training will definitely help put you in the right direction; done properly it will teach you how to get that focus and control and if those are proofed properly and consistently then you'll find everything else falls into place much more easily.

[JohnK]

We had walked through the field with the sheep in earlier and Minnie didn't bother, so I was so angry when nshe chased them!!   Good job there was no farmer there or Minnie might have been extinct!!!

I know for certain if I see sheep around again, she will be on her lead

I have to say though, that the farmer has put his sheep in so many fields today, yet normally they are in just one field

[Ben's mum]

It really is like others say just a matter of keep on walking near them with your dog on a lead until you know they are totally 100% sheep proof.  I can and do walk Ben off lead through Chatsworth park often within 1foot of sheep and deer and I know he will not look at them even if they run but he is 10 and it took a lot of work and he was about 6 before totally sheep proof. Harry is always on a long line near stock of any kind he is only 80% and that's not enough especially at this time of year. Good luck

[JeffD]

Sorry you can never be absolutely positive your dog will not chase, I had a JR that was worked for rabbits around sheep for years and never took any notice and then one day out of the blue when she was 8 years old she chased. I never again gave her the opportunity to chase again so I am not sure if it was a one off or not.

[Lovely]

We used to keep sheep and also lived in a cottage surrounded by sheep so our dogs saw them every day and got used to them. We also had a very grumpy ram which encouraged the dogs to be wary. I think dogs need to see livestock virtually every day to become steady, it's alot to ask of a town dog to be steady if it sees sheep infrequently. Having said all that, even with dogs that are steady, you need to watch them all the time as it's a strong instinct to chase; sheep are their own worst enemy at times! Flapping birds are also highly attractive, if i see a pheasant running along a wire fence i always call the dog asap as once it's pinned against the fence most dogs will nail it.

[Archie bean]

Archie has been used to sheep since he was a tiny pup. We pass them on every walk we do so I made sure he was used to seeing them right from the start as we are utterly surrounded by them here. I even once woke up with an escaped herd mooching about the cul de sac and merrily destroying everyone's front gardens! I've never let him off the lead in a field though because you just never know. Despite not showing any interest in them previously we had a nightmare last week when I came parallel with a field full but there was no gate.  The sheep were behind a single string of what I assume was electric fence. Archie was ahead of me and was stood looking at them when they suddenly bolted and he followed. It has never taken me so long to get my whistle to my mouth but thank doG he stopped straight away and immediately came back. My legs were jelly. Since then he has shown a really unhealthy interest in all the lambs we walk past. It's like a switch has been flicked in his head. I'm being extra careful but also trying not to make a big thing of it as I just want him to go back to ignoring them.

[Patp]

It is strange how a head to head with a grumpy ewe at an early age can make a difference, but unfortunately when we only see sheep / cattle / horses on an occasional basis, it is difficult to stop them taking chase, especially as was said before when sheep are skittish.

Jinley was pinned down by a very large matriarchal barbary duck when she was a puppy and since then gives ducks and geese a wide berth!

My daughters 2 spaniels, never saw much livestock until they moved to their small farm, now they wander through free roaming chickens, goats, ponies and cats and never bat an eyelid!  Jinley on the other hand  acts as though she has at the dog equivalent of a theme park!!