When the predator is your own dog...

[PuppyBantamCochin]

Late yesterday night, my lab mix got out, in hopes to show us (for the 5th time) just how ugly she can be.

I have lost chickens and rabbits to this dog, and she just LOVES killing little animals and having a go at large ones.

So, she got out, and my dad & brother were trying to catch her. Well, she sees one of my goats (one that is currently in isolation due to illness) in a small pen, and goes running at the pen. As my bro & dad get closer, she leaps the fence (4ft) and grabs the goat.
I was inside, but I heard her scrambled over that fence and grab that goat, and I heard the goat scream. My dad ended up throwing our pellet gun at our dog to get her off the goat.

Luckily, the goat is fine. A bit scratched up, but okay. My dog had already done this to one of my goats this past fall.

I don't know how much longer I can tolerate this.


thanks for letting me vent,


PuppyBC

 

[dadsdeercamp]

maybe time for a new pup

 

[BrattishTaz]

It sounds like you have to find a better way to contain the dog, live with what it does, or rehome it. I don't know if retraining would even work, I guess you could try. I would rehome but then again I have very little patience with dogs.

I hope you find a solution to you probelm. Good luck.

 

[OregonChickenGal]

So sorry...it looks like you only have 2 choices...re-enforce her run, so she can't get out...or get rid of her. You will never break her from killing animals at this point.

 

[bywaterdog]

Get rid of the dog or get rid of your animals.With the dog's past history it is not going to stop this behavior.If your father and brother were chasing it then the dog knows exactly what it is doing is wrong but chooses to to as it pleases.

 

[Apollo's Mum]

The dog simply needs some training, end of story.

I have 3 dogs - all of which I have adopted because their owners no longer wanted them: 2 had a history of aggression and were adult dogs when I got them (Coal was 3years and Bull 4 years old) and both Coal and Bull are on their 3rd home with me. Coal was aggressive towards men, children and wanted to kill my chooks and chase the sheep when I first brought him home. Bull was used as a guard and pig hunting dog, didnt like strangers, other male dogs and would have chased down and killed the pig, sheep, cats and chooks given the chance. My staffie was 8 months old when I got him and like any pup needed to be socialised with other animals and wouldve loved to chase and sheep, chooks and cats had I let him.

BUT all three dogs now live harmoneosly with each other and my other animals on a lifestyle block (horses, sheep, pig, chooks). Coal even sleeps on my 7year old stepsons bed now and is fine with him and my partner despite trying to bite him with I first got him. (Coal even jumped up and bit my father in the butt the first day I had him!) I now also take them out down the river twice a week to meet up and walk with 2 of my friends and their dogs with no problems as well as meeting new people and dogs along the way.

If a dog has had little or no trainig or socialisation it is going to be a problem. Too many people get a dog and end up getting rid of it when they can't handle it. My suggestion is to contact a local dog trainer/behaviourist and get their help. Any dog of any age can be re-trained - it just takes abit longer if the dog is an adult.

Your lab x is just acting out its preditory instinct which is natural but it needs to be taught that its not appropriate behaviour. I would recommend exercising the dog regularly as if it is currently confined all the time its only going to go nuts when you do let it out as it has no where to vent all that energy and will get worse. Since you can't let it run free I would highly recommend getting a treadmill to use in the meantime- my dogs love it and its very useful for rainy days!

First step however would be to ensure you and your family are PACK LEADERS. A dog thinks exactly like a wolf and its human (and animal) companions are seen in a heirachy from pack leader being the most dominant and the one in control, to the omega at bottom of the pack who has to follow the packs orders. In order to achieve anything the dog needs to be at the bottom of that heirachy - but at the moment your dog isnt or it would have stopped the attack the moment it was told not to.

My plan of action would be this:
1. Become pack leader
2. Work on basic obedience commands (your dog will not listen around distractions like other animals if you are not pack leader)
3. Get help from a professional to tackle the predatory aggression


Good luck with your dog and I really hope you don't rid of it and are able to achieve getting a happy, balanced dog that is fine around other animals. It is possible!! Have a look at this site - www.dogbreedinfo.com - it has alot of great advice on training and how to be pack leader. If you can get any of Cesar Millan's books out from the library then that would help to.

Here's a link to one of the cases Cesar has dealt with that is the same problem your having (although i wouldnt recommend copying it yourself):

http://channel.nationalgeographic.c...Two/Killer-Dog-Becomes-Rabbit-Friendly-2.html

 

[BWKatz]

Time to rehome.

 

[Apollo's Mum]

Rehome?

Then your just passing the problem on to someone else and the dog will end up either being rehomed again and again or being euthanised.

If it is to be rehomed it would need to go to someone with the experience to re-train and modify that dogs behaviour and sadly there arent enough people out there like that. If you get a dog it should be your responsibilty for the rest of that dogs life - if you have a problem deal with it and fix it. Only rehome if it is a LAST resort.

 

[just2rosey]

I have a little dog with similar issues. We got her as a pup just 8 wks old from the pound. She is an avid hunter, she keeps the moles and voles out of my garden, catches frogs and fish out of my pond, and chases anything that moves. She is well trained and a delightful dog, except she goes after and has killed my chickens. When this first happened I tried many things to train her not to kill the chickens ( even tried 'the Dog Wisperer's method), nothing worked, so I finally got rid of all my chickens that were still standing. I haven't had them for a about 5 years, but now I am getting back into chickens. I have found the one thing that works for my dog, a remote training shock collar, if she goes after a chicken, I zap her. I got the idea based on how she responded to the radio fence system. It is the only thing I use it for, I only had to zap her twice. Now she avoids them. Just a thought, I would give it a try before I got rid of the dog ( I got a great deal on one on ebay). Another thought would be to put in a radio fence, and isolate the dog to the yard near the house and away from the other animals. Good luck, I know just how you feel.

sorry had to edit the typo's

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

Like the majority have said, the options are: get rid of the dog if you can't safely contain it. Retrain, which works sometimes but not always and requires a huge amount of time, effort and commitment (which we don't always have in huge supply when we have a million other things to do), or get rid of the other animals. The stress your dog is putting on your other animals must be huge right about now. I understand people want to retrain the dog and not pass the problem on or euthanize the animal, but if one of my dogs were acting in that manner and no containment would work, I can just say that as a mom, outside of the home worker, chicken raiser/owner, house cleaner, chauffer for my kids, etc...I simply don't have enough hours in a day for the dog to get a complete re-training. If time effort are something you have a LOT of, I hope you can re-train your dog.