Cattle Chasing !

[cycas]

Had a look at David Ryan's website - a direct link to that chasing article here: http://www.dog-secre...my-dog-chasing/

 

I wish I'd read that when I first had Az! It's all more or less what I've painfully figured out by now (and anyway, Az isn't so driven now he's getting on in years) but goodness it's well explained there.

 

I particularly liked the bit about chasing being something that gives a high that defuses stress from other things, so to tackle it you may need to sort out other forms of stress that the dog uses chasing to relieve. That is EXACTLY what Az used to do!

 

He has a book too : "Stop!" How to Control Predatory Chasing in Dogs . This looks like the book that I have wondered for AGES why nobody had written!

 

Has anyone read it ? Would you recommend?

Edited August 8, 2010 by cycas

[Anne Grose]

Very interesting article. I haven't read the book, but the techniques he describes will work with any dog that can be motivated by play. Sadly, my ex semi-feral dog will not play with any object of any description, despite 5 years of trying to get her to do it.

 

Still, she is 90% safe with small furry's now - the other 10% she is kept on a lead.

 

Anne

[cycas]

I have to say I found the play motivation difficult too. But taking the approach that the chasing was partly stress- motivated helped me manage the stress part of things, and I'm afraid that I also took the attitude that if he was going to have to chase something, then I would choose what it should be.

 

So, I walked a lot around trees full of squirrels, and I more or less gave up on preventing the wild rabbit chasing. Squirrels are safer than most things from being et, as they are mostly up in the air, and the warren I walk through has a lot of doggy visitors so the buns are very savvy - and of course Az is too big to get down the holes (harder with little dogs I think!)

 

I focussed on keeping him off livestock, deer and cats, and in fact I found that he was easily able to tell the difference between my pet rabbits and the wild ones after a while.

[purple_mog]

Oohh, interesting website riotous! Might consider the seminar on the 18th

 

I'm going to the weekend at Bishop Burton in September!

[riotous_uk]

I'm going to the weekend at Bishop Burton in September!

 

See you there

[Trallwm farm]

Our very own Dibs ( Debbie Connolly ) works with livestock chasers. She will do home visits but does holidays complete with all types of livestock so you really can get to grips with the problem in safety and confidence.

http://www.safepets.co.uk

[Purrpuss]

Thank you so much for all the good thoughts and ideas

 

riotous_uk - thanks for the link, and if the Sept day at Liverpool dogs trust is a livestock day, then I'll be there (still waiting to hear). Have ordered the book too.

 

Hope you and Mogs have a fab time at the BB weekend xx

 

Cycas, how did you get Az interetsted in play ? Jamie is not play motivated at all outside, and not much inside either. I'm not sure that his chasing is from stress either, more sheer enjoyment and thrill of the chase

 

Trallwm farm - thank you for that link, and the phone consult bit has given me another option.

 

Jim Greenwood is still on the look out for a farmer who will let him in with a bull, for me and another lady, but in the meantime, next time he comes up to our area, will give me a shout and we can work on my "stop" command with Jamie. He is getting better, and his recall is inproving, but anything with any speed to it (including a coastguard pickup the other day )just seems to trigger something in him and that's it, he's off. Ah well, we will crack this.

[Trallwm farm]

Jim Greenwood is still on the look out for a farmer who will let him in with a bull, for me and another lady, but in the meantime, next time he comes up to our area, will give me a shout and we can work on my "stop"

 

Can I just say he may be good with dogs but clearly knows zilch about cattle.

Generally there are not bulls wandering about in fields. They tend to keep them penned even though they are bone idle. A nice natured bull who can be let out with the girls could become permanently aggresive towards walkers and dogs out of fear if perhaps your dog nipped him or just pushed his luck. Cattle crunch with the top of thier head and stamp with thier hooves. You presumably will have your dog on the other end of a lead. Cows can actually get crosser than bulls because they protect thier young.

What you need is a socialised couple of older cows who are not going to want to kill your dog and will tolerate someone close to thier space correcting a dog. The above isnt meant as critisism but I have a Bull here called Fred and I would be very angry if someone wanted to bring people and dogs near him. He is a gentle soul who would try to move away. But if it was not possible to get the dog back then eventually he would defend himself.

My Jersey girls however would chase the dog,raid the picnic hamper and drive your car away !

[Anne Grose]

Here is France, the bulls are all kept in the fields with the cows. We have a huge chap in the field right next door and all the cows take not a blind bit of notice of the dogs because they are used to having dogs running free through their fields.

 

Even the tiny babies ignore the dogs (not mine I hasten to add) because the mum tells them it isn't a problem.

 

It has been very useful to have such placid creatures around us because it has made my job easier to stop my stupid lurcher from forever trying to chase them

 

Anne

[cycas]

There's a bull with the cows that graze our local country park. He seems a nice natured gentleman. Like the ones near Anne, most of the cattle and horses that graze there are well used to walkers and dogs and ignore them.

[riotous_uk]

Quite a few bulls kept out with the cows round here as well, although not premanently, just long enough to get the cows 'served'. I'm prettys ure that you can't have a bull loose in a field with a public footpath across it unless there are warning signs (possibly not even at all). Jim would be better looking for a field of heifers or bullocks to work with, they are more predictable and safer, although very nosey, and will circle you if you aren't careful.

generally, you don't see more than one bull out together (they can do serious damage to each other and are very valuable beasts). Bullocks and heifers are often out in herds (round here they are loose on common ground, which can be fun...but the dogs and cattle soon get used to each other and ignore each other).

Edited August 15, 2010 by riotous_uk

[cycas]

I'm prettys ure that you can't have a bull loose in a field with a public footpath across it unless there are warning signs (possibly not even at all).

 

If that was the case then our council are breaking the law (they manage Kit Hill country park, where our local bull lives when the cattle are turned out there). It's full of footpaths. And actually, now I think of it, there's a footpath up to Cadsonbury which is National Trust, and I'm sure I've seen a bull in that field with a herd of lady friends as well... Can't remember if I've seen bulls on Dartmoor: stallions though, yes, definitely.

 

To be honest though, the ones that I steer (! ) clear of are the areas that have gangs of rumbustious youngsters in and the cows with calves, they seem to be much more antsy than the full grown bulls.

 

There are signs on all of those (as long as you go the right route), so I think it must be OK if it's signed...

[blackmagic]

We have bulls in fields with cows, and some on their own or with another bull.

 

They are all beef cattle.

 

last year there was a bull loose on the main road. Some 'helpful' person got it off the road into an adjoining field.

 

Unfortunately, there as already a bull in that field who didn't want company.

 

The farmer was using his 4x4 to try and separate them.

[one.eyed.dog]

Jim took me hunting with his dogs as he thought that might be her thing. She learns very quickly. Lottie is from working deer stalker parents so she stalks naturally. We have got to the point where she paces herself to my footsteps and if I stop she stops. She will work brilliantly on her own but throw another dog in and it gets silly unless all the dogs are there to work properly then shes dead good.

I found that Jim explaining what and why your dog is doing what it's doing when it does it helps greatly. He shows you how to deal with a situation.

[one.eyed.dog]

I have also learnt that less is more where speaking is concerned. I now use a whistle and hand signals. I find she responds far better.

ACME whistles are for gundogs but I trained a lurcher to one easily.