Big Big Problem - Paw Talk

Kendalle · #1 05-16-2008, 04:43 PM

my parents live on a farm, my dog lives there as i got him when i lived there and he was best friends with my moms dog and is high energy and loves being free to run anywhere he wants (we have over 100 acres)

Well my dad raises sheep and over the years my moms dog is getting old he has arthritis and i think is losing his mind. So he doesn't play with my dog anymore. My dog is a black lab/border collie/ something else mix and we think he is bored.

He killed one lamb, then no one knew if it was him or coyotes so no one did anything the next day he killed another and my dad tried to scare him with it and made the dead lamb guard him in his dog house. Well he has killed another and this time he didn't take it out of the pen (we think he thought it couldn't get him if it was still in the pen)

He has to stop killing them, does anyone have any ideas? My mom doesn't want to get another puppy for him and i'm kind of worried he would kill that too. and we would hate to have him tied up or in a kennel all day.

He used to kill kittens but we yelled at him and told him what a bad boy he was and he has stopped that.

LuvBullyKisses · #2 05-17-2008, 08:45 PM

He is a DOG! You can't let him roam around and then fault him for being a DOG! You need to keep him confined (in the house) when you are at school or can't supervise him... and then take him for walks, interact with him instead of just letting him roam around!

Kendalle · #3 05-18-2008, 06:00 AM

hes a FARM DOG i know a lot of people don't understand that dogs can be happy, healthy, and loved when being out side 100 % of the time but he gets walked for over an hour every day and hangs out with my dad when he's doing chores and things and protects our farm.

He goes to the vet regularly. he has no health problems. he just has been killing sheep.

just because he's a dog doesn't mean it isn't his fault for killing them. He knows better. he isn't incapable of that.

LuvBullyKisses · #4 05-18-2008, 04:04 PM

Dogs do not act out of spite. You are right, he probably is bored and his prey drive kicked in. He's a lab/ border collie..
You need to find a way to keep him contained and teach him a very reliable recall and leave it. Even then, I don't think he should be unattended outside. Simply takes his opportunities away to kill a lamb! Maybe there is a sheepdog/ herder behaviorist in your area who can help you with this issue.

And no, I am not saying to put him inside a house because he is a farm dog- I say put him in the house = confine him when you can not supervise him BECAUSE he has been killing lambs.

Kendalle · #5 05-18-2008, 05:35 PM

i know he's not acting out of spite. he's a good boy, i think most of his problem is my mom lets him slack in his training all the time, she even praises him when he kills pheasants or wild weasels *shakes head*

Kendalle · #6 05-18-2008, 05:37 PM

he may end up living with me. And that sucks because he loves being on the farm but he will have lots of people to play with and i'll walk him and things but he will be separated from his best friend.

**Dragonrain** · #7 05-18-2008, 08:19 PM

I don't know if this would help in this situation - but I was reading the other day on ways to introduce dogs to rabbits. I read that you shouldn't punish the dog for acting aggressive towards the rabbit, because then the dog might learn to associate punishment with the other animal which could potentially cause more problems. The website I read said that you should take the dog near the rabbit(s), if he acts aggressive in any way tell him no and quickly walk him away. If he acts calmly, praise him and give him treats. Reward him for behaving calmly and being gentle around the other animal(s).

What I was reading said that you should introduce your dog to other animals based on how people introduce them to new babies, so maybe you could read up on that and see if it sounds helpful.

Another site I read said that you have to teach your dog that the other animals are "part of the pack" and even higher in the pecking order then the dog. I didn't, however, read how that's done.

If you can't find a method that works, it would probably be best to just either confine the dog when no one is around to watch him, or move him to your house.

Good luck!

Kendalle · #8 05-18-2008, 10:49 PM

thats the thing, he has been with sheep all his life and even took on raising bottle lambs for 3 years he would act like their mother, he'd let them lay on him and try and nurse him and make sure that they weren't fighting with each other and be very very gentle

When he's with you he will act very calm around them, just sniffing them or wondering around in the pen with out much notice to them, and when he's by him self you can see him out the window just laying by them or walking around in the pen not minding them, but...

He killed 1 one night then 1 a few nights after and 1 like 2 weeks later.

Thats why we think he's bored and "playing with them" until he squeezes too hard. he doesn't try to attack big sheep and i don't think he is aggressively killing the lambs

- he doesn't make them bleed
- he doesn't tear them apart
- he doesn't try to eat them

when we caught him killing kittens he was "playing" with them too, but he was too strong for them. and ended up killing them- he killed about 4 over one summer, and we caught him hurting 2 (they lived and healed and were ok, one had a lump on his side though) he wasn't aggressive to them in the way that i think of anyway, no growls, no teeth bearing, no raised hair. His tail was actually wagging... and the first time we caught him he looked at me like why are you upset? we're playing?

**Dragonrain** · #9 05-18-2008, 11:30 PM

Oooh I see, it sounds like he's not meaning to hurt them at all, that he's just playing too roughly with them. Does he play like that with humans and other dogs too? I know when you get new puppies you have to teach them what's to rough and not to bite and such, maybe if he's mostly played with other dogs he never learned that stuff?

I don't know, but I hope you can figure things out!

Kendalle · #10 05-19-2008, 05:59 PM

actually, he doesn't play like that with humans, he doesn't like tug of war or anything he never bites anyone when playing.

HOWEVER, he has a big horse toy called a jolly ball and he picks it up and throws it and catches it and scoots it around and loves it. he also has those little squeeky toys that he plays with, that is how he plays with the kittens at least, he picked them up and threw them up to catch them, but he has gotten over that. I don't know if its the same with the lambs.

I think it would solve alot by getting him a puppy to watch and play with but my mom thinks thats a bad idea... she says these are her last 2 dogs.

"Hunter is 5 years older cooper, and hes going to die and then if we get cooper a puppy he will be 4-5 years older than the puppy and if he dies before the puppy we have to get the puppy a dog... and it never ends"

she's being stupid, all i'm not going to get him a puppy, i'm not going to kennel him, i'm not going to keep him inside.

she thinks if she gets a kong that it will help. i'm guessing not.

I really think that i should take him, but i REALLY don't want to take him from our old already sad looking dog, i don't know long he will keep tickin.

**Dragonrain** · #11 05-20-2008, 12:03 AM

If you think getting another dog would help, what about adopting an older dog from the shelter instead of getting a puppy? You could try to get one around the same age as him maybe.

Kendalle · #12 05-20-2008, 05:59 PM

they would get one from a shelter, he sometimes has issues with some dogs but i think if they went about it right it would be ok for him to be introduced to an older dog,

They think they have to get a puppy because they have to learn what land is there land on the farm. but i think cooper would help with that too, i just wouldn't want to make it worse.

Maybe they would wonder, or team kill or something i don't know

Another problem is the shelter i like only lets people adopt animals to be 100% indoor dogs