Dog that Chases: How to Stop?

terri46355 · #1 09/21/13, 09:42 AM

We were given a 1 year old English Mastiff a week ago. He is a well-behaved dog except he likes to chase poultry, cats, and little dogs. I cannot watch him because I go to work. The chickens are let out of the pen when I get home and and can monitor his behavior. Soon it will be dark when I get home, so the chickens will not be able to go out on weekdays. I don't want to make them stay in.

Any suggestions on training the dog or should I give him back?

Wendy · #2 09/21/13, 10:36 AM

A shock collar properly used will make a good dog out of a bad dog .

CAjerseychick · #3 09/21/13, 11:26 AM

Its better in the long run to teach him not to chase- you just need to be persistent and be aware you may lose a few chickens to start off with.
Basically catch him in the Act (this is important) and tell him NO be clearly displeased-- you need to interrupt the behavior.
There is more positive training method starting with the Leave it command as well (its sort of long, and requires patience but it can be done-- do a search on DogForums) and then you do a Leave IT command and reward dog for backing off on the chickens.

For my Dog, I put a chain and a mini tire on her after catching her in the ACt(she hated that tire and caught on pretty quick, plus it gave the chickens a chance to get away)-- she still chases things like bike riders and joggers though, so I make sure she stays in our fence....

Theres a long thread on this in BackYardChickens.com you may find it useful... Basically you can train a dog to not chase and kill livestock but it takes your time and patience.

credee · #4 09/21/13, 11:45 AM

if he gets away and chases other people's animals, odds are pretty high that he'll either get sent home wth a tin can on his tail, turpentine on his butt, or he'll be snared or shot. So best get him taught.

Conhntr · #5 09/21/13, 11:54 AM

Second the shock collar. Put it on... Let him out and when he chases the bird hit the button. He will learn very fast. Depending on breed you may need to add a positive reward also. With my goldens since they are pretty soft dogs ill give them a shock then IMMEDIaTELY give a recall command and treat/praise when they come to me.

I broke my dogs off the chickens with 2-3 sessions.

Alot of people dont believe in the shock collar but if you want your dog to be under controll off leash in challenging situations it is the way to do it.

SFM in KY · #6 09/21/13, 04:48 PM

You also need to be aware that if he has a very high 'prey drive' he may be difficult to train not to chase and it may hold reliably only when you are there and not if he is unsupervised.

I'vwe used a shock collar on two occasions when I needed to enforce commands at a distance ... it works, but on some dogs they also learn that if the shock collar is not on and/or you are not there ... it's safe.

edcopp · #7 09/21/13, 04:52 PM

Check your insurance, it sounds like you are a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Ozarks Tom · #8 09/21/13, 05:52 PM

Shock collar. We trained our older dog that sheep are electric with the second shock. I know people say shouting "no" or reprimanding them is proper training, but I believe they need to learn without human intervention (that they know about). Wait until the dog starts chasing, and shock him until he stops, wait for him to try again and shock him again. Don't shout, as you won't be there to shout all the time. Also, he might associate your voice with the shock.

We took the collar off after 3 days, several months ago with no problems.

MichaelZ · #9 09/21/13, 05:58 PM

Smart dogs are easily trained with shock collars. Our Aussie was chasing bikers and we put in an underground fence bordering the road. After a few zaps he was trained and did not even have to wear the collar any more. And he got to run free rather than be tied up - so the shocks were a small price for him to have his freedom.

Molly Mckee · #10 09/21/13, 06:58 PM

You can use a battery taped to the dogs collar to make them think the shock collar is on.

DJ in WA · #11 09/21/13, 07:02 PM

It would be nice if dog owners took seriously the problem of dogs chasing bikers.

I was riding my bike home from work the other day and two big dogs came out of a driveway after me. The owner was yelling, "Don't worry, they won't bite!". Just then one of them grabbed my foot. Fortunately no damage to the foot, and it took off, then with the owner yelling at them, they came after me again. I got off with the bike between me and them until he was able to get control.

He apologized, but I told him that was unacceptable, and next time I will be prepared to deal with them.

People think that coming after you is okay if they don't bite, but the fact that people are in fear is unacceptable. Should people really have to wait and find out if the dog will really bite and risk getting torn up?

Its like having someone shooting at you while yelling, "Don't worry, I'm not a very good shot!"

A few years ago, my daughter reported a big dog had chased after her on her bike, but she was able to get away. I didn't appreciate it until the same dog came after me the next day, and I was able to get away. I knew my daughter was on her way behind me, so I got to my car I had left at work, sped back to the place and sure enough, here came my daughter, and here came the dog. I drove straight at him and chased him up the driveway and chewed on the owners and reported to animal control. When my kid is involved, I don't feel like taking chances. No dog is worth my daughter possibly getting torn up.

Like many dog owners, they were upset with me, and accused me of overreacting, because their dog wouldn't bite anyone. Even the animal control officer told me that I shouldn't have worried.

I could give other examples where dog owners didn't care.

By the way, as part of my work in the military, I used to get the dog bite reports from the Emergency Room on base. Of course, I'm sure none of those dogs were ever going to bite anyone.

elkhound · #12 09/21/13, 07:05 PM

tri tronics shock collar

elkhound · #13 09/21/13, 07:06 PM

http://www.tritronics.com/

chickenista · #14 09/21/13, 07:09 PM

You could 'collar hobble' him.
Like the mini-tire thing, you hang something from the collar that prevents them from getting a good stride going.
I know a fellow farmer that uses a piece of 2X4 for their Gtreat Pyrenees when he is not in with the sheep.
He can walk anywhere that he wants, he just cannot run or chase.
Beautiful thing.

Brighton · #15 09/21/13, 08:55 PM

Why don't you just build a run for him, that way he won't chase your animals, people on bikes, etc.

edcopp · #16 09/21/13, 09:30 PM

Most people who own dogs seem to think that they are the exception (to the law), or just above it. In my state the law states that the owner of a dog MUST keep that dog under their control at all times. I presume that the law means what is stated.

I have been bitten a number of times in my life. That will not be tolerated any more.

It is a shame that I MUST carry a .357 MAGNUM at all times to stop a dog from biting me.

That of course is up to the dog owner who is somehow different.

terri46355 · #17 09/21/13, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brighton

Why don't you just build a run for him, that way he won't chase your animals, people on bikes, etc.

We don't want to keep a dog in a run. We wanted a dog to back up our Lab in protecting the cats, little dogs, and poultry from coyotes. He seemed to be a logical choice due to his size. Our yard is 1/4 mile from the road and, so far, he stays close to the house and barn areas.

JasoninMN · #18 09/21/13, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edcopp

Most people who own dogs seem to think that they are the exception (to the law), or just above it. In my state the law states that the owner of a dog MUST keep that dog under their control at all times. I presume that the law means what is stated.

I have been bitten a number of times in my life. That will not be tolerated any more.

It is a shame that I MUST carry a .357 MAGNUM at all times to stop a dog from biting me.

That of course is up to the dog owner who is somehow different.

What exactly does any of this have to do with this post? They asking about training their dog not to chase their chickens. Yes I am sure that if their dog kills their chicken it's a huge lawsuit and they should check their insurance. Congratulations you carry a gun.

copperkid3 · #19 09/21/13, 09:49 PM

Dogs that aren't trained properly

by unconcerned/uncaring owners,

usually pay for it with their lives.

I do not tolerate strays/running unsupervised

that chase, catch and/or kill my poultry or goats.

If caught in the "act", they won't be coming home.

am1too · #20 09/21/13, 10:50 PM

My tolerance is growing thin for visiting dogs without regard to who owns them. If my dog doesn't come home I won't go looking for it.

One of my dogs was picked up on the road. He came back 3 days later. He lost his jewels, got a new rabies tag and collar smelling like a city dog. We went for a little walk so he could start smelling like a dog. He hasn't left since.