Are foxes more intimated by male dogs?

[TheTwoRoos]

Curious if anyone knows the answer to this.I am having a fox issue,and this issue actually went away for awhile.I currently have a Great Pyrenees,who is a male.I wanted a boy because I feel as if when it comes to predators and other dogs males are more Intimidating.I am just assuming this based off the act,I got rid of my pit bull who was an unfixed Alpha of all the dogs of the house,obvious the fox issue started occur once we got rid of him,only thing left is our female German Shepard who is fixed and has been running the foxes,but their not living,they will leave for that day and show up either the next day or a few days later.I am unsure if this is happening do tot he fact I don’t walk the woods to much at all anymore (usually more in fall and spring then summer,too many spider webs),but the issue doesn’t ever occurr in fall and winter,I cannot hunk of a time a chicken or any animal of mine was getting attacked by a fox,just seems to be in the summer.Anyway,I have started going back in the woods for the sake of my animals,and have found and seen soem pretty interesting stuff.First I seen fox prints in my pond,obviously he has been drinking and leaving around my pond because my dog has been scent marking and specific spots in the woods,have not heard of the fox since she did this.She also rna something off up at the pond that caused a disturbance to the ducks,had to be a fox.I also ran across this scat,I am Pretty for sure my pond and that specific part of my yard is part of the territory,assuming my chickens are the feed.Anyway ,I decided to take the puppy on our daily walks we have now,and am wondering if by doing this will we ward it off,not to mention I’m pretty for sure I have two,a young one who absolutely sucks at catching them,he has had three unsuccessful catches,one he didn’t even grab anyone because of my dog.
Also,is this fox scat?

 

[6sablehens]

Hi @TheTwoRoos!

I didn’t think gender would makes much difference, If the dog looks intimidating and chases after the foxes, however there are a few things that could be the cause of the foxes visiting more often. Despite gender, I’m woundering if the shepherd makes a lot of noise compared to the other dog you had? Barking and growling would help scare the foxes off. I’d say it would be a good thing for the dog to walk around the woods and the pond, marking it’s territory. Now that’s one thing a male might have done more often.
Did the other dog got to the coop on a regular basis? Just a suggestion, do you think if you put a kennel near the chicken coop your shepherd would hang around there more, sort of like she’s ‘guarding’ the coop? Even having her nearby would be helpful... either way best option is to have a fox proof run for them.
Not sure if that’s fox droppings or not. Looks like whatever it’s from might have gotten into some chicken feed.
Hope we can work out what going on!

 

[centrarchid]

Scent or barking alone does not intimidate Red Foxes here. Dogs have to back it up big time by running fox off and mauling it good is even better. The fox likely develops a mental map where dogs are likely to be a real threat or not, and it knows the dogs as individuals by their scent.

 

[llombardo]

I often wonder this myself. I have 7 dogs and 3 are german shepherds. I use them to alert me to predators. The female has got this down pat. Once I know something is out there(it's been raccoons) I switch and put my older male GSD. I think both dogs would engage, but I don't want that. The female seems to really like the chickens, she lays by the fence near them and will stand there for hours watching them if I let her. Never a peep out of her. If the chickens argue amongst themselves the male won't have that and will make sudden movements and it stops the fight. The german shepherds are completely silent--people tell me all the time they would never know they are here. The one dog that I do think would engage and kill is a greyhound/husky mix. No doubt he would be the one. He is fast and has very high prey drive. He is not allowed any access even near the chickens.

Here is my female watching the chickens--we have been outside an hour and they are ok with her being there. The thing is, there have always been wildlife lurking around, only since the chickens have been here has she started alerting. It's like she knows they are dangerous for her flock.

I also think that any wildlife in the area is very aware of the presence of the dogs, they have been here for years. The only animal that really has come in the yard was a rabbit and yes she put her best in the middle of my yard. Stupid spot but I'm guessing she was looking for security.

 

[varidgerunner]

My dogs will stay on a foxes track til they catch him or he runs in a hole. Usually the latter. It is amazing the trickery that they can pull on dogs. Many times I have seen a fox pull some trick in laying down his scent and then find a vantage point to watch and study the dogs reaction. With inexperienced dogs he will play with them for a long time before he gets bored and leaves. It takes experienced dogs with lots of speed and stamina and excellent tracking abilities to pressure a fox or a coyote. When they pull their tricks and the dogs are still right there and gaining they quit pulling tricks and just run. That is the point that he is actually inconvenienced. Most seem to enjoy it when your dogs are slightly out of shape, or you have young hounds.

I don't see a Pyrenees being much of a deterrent for foxes. The barking and peeing will probably make most keep some distance, but with acclimation they will venture closer. In most of the US, the climate is not that of the Pyrenean Alps, and most of the year the huge, fat, and wooly haired Pyrs I see are in misery. I've yet to see one that was physically in shape enough to catch or put pressure on a fox, that was not A. an inexperienced juvenile fox, B. sick or injured C. desperate to get to food for any of the aforementioned reasons to the point of not using natural stealth and caution. In rare cases, it might be possible for multiple Pyrs to use chance and fencing to their advantage to corner and actually kill a fox. Most are capable of only minor inconvenience to healthy adult foxes.

Much of the Pyrs popularity is based on hype. Look at dogs historically used in North America for that purpose, and you will see a dog that is sleek, short haired, light and fast. Not a lumbering giant covered in shaggy hair, laying under a shade tree or in a stock pond panting uncontrollably.

Some people say the large size is advantageous for facing wolves and bears. Maybe for wolves, but in their country of origin, wolves have been very scarce for hundreds of years, and the species that were there were not a whole lot bigger than our coyotes. The actual working dogs of that time period were probably smaller, the larger size being a function of breeding for dog fights, which were used to prove guardian dogs prowess as a wolf protector at a time when wolves had been driven near extinction. (Still happens to this day with Kangals). Probably bred larger for draft purposes as wolves were exterminated by lighter, faster breeds. Later, the dogs were made even bigger, for the show industry.

With bears, large size puts a dog at a disadvantage. The most perfect bear fighting dog in the world, a breed developed in Western North Carolina, is usually around 60 pounds. Any bigger and they are easily dealt with, they aren't agile enough to dodge a raking paw, a dog needs to be light on it's feet to deal with bears. The white coat is another disadvantage of the pyr when facing bear. The white dog becomes a target every time. Pyrs are fat kids playing dodge ball.

 

[llombardo]

Or it can completely backfire and you get this...

 

[TheTwoRoos]

The though of her ending up making friends with it actually crossed my mind,lol.Then I would have to use her to get to the fox,just to shoot it in front of her face.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Anyhow,it’s been a few days since we have seen the fox,he was actually coming up to the chicken run in the mornings so I had to switch times up on him,and etc,think I forced him to go hunt somewhere else.I went and pooped firecrackers and through them all out in the woods,it’s scared the fox and because I heard gun powder deters them?

 

[6sablehens]

Anyhow,it’s been a few days since we have seen the fox,he was actually coming up to the chicken run in the mornings so I had to switch times up on him,and etc,think I forced him to go hunt somewhere else.I went and pooped firecrackers and through them all out in the woods,it’s scared the fox and because I heard gun powder deters them?

That’s a good idea

 

[6sablehens]

Or it can completely backfire and you get this...

Hahaha