Cure for Bad Dogs!

I agree with the fence builders
Fence your yard so your animals have a safe home...and can not harm or chase the new neighbors.
Around here free range dogs die a quick death.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWvD6qAaF_A

Fence. I like the underground fencing, but an electro-net will do the job. In fact I would rather the dog not have to wear the instrument of torture.

It might work out better if you could keep the dogs at another location, and bring them one at a time on "training" visits. (That way you only have to keep track of one animal until the "newness" wears off a bit.)

PLEASE don't be my neighbors... I love dogs, and most other animals, but I WILL protect my property (And livestock). We just had a very nice single mother move in across the way with her son and daughter, 16yoa -12yoa.

After 6 months of catching their black lab chasing livestock, walking him back home, (It's a half a mile) leaving him tied to the porch. (with water) they never got the hint.

They no longer have a lab, the little girl thinks I am a monster, and her brother doesn't speak to us. (The fence went up in record time, though).

Not as bad as my neighbors to the other side. He lost 7-8 very expensive retrievers over the span of 3 years before he got a clue. (Or maybe he just ran out of money).

If you do this thing, and it doesn't work, be man (or woman) enough to take the dogs out of the situation yourself. (New homes preferably) PLEASE do make your neighbor (who probably wants to be friends) kill your dog.

Because he will.

I second the underground fence. Mine stops my Mastiff/German Shepherd from going out of the yard.

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I can't believe I deleted it!

Underground fences can work on a dog that is not determined, but neither our neighbors underground fence nor our board / electric fence stopped their dog from coming over and killing chickens.

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Only the paranoid survive.

I carry a gun because a cop is too heavy.

Dispatches From The Conservative Underground

You have two high energy working dogs. You should be working with them several hours every day, plus have full time work, herding, for each one.
If you can't do that, get rid of two of the three. Then focus on making them behave.

It depends on what kind you use. The first one I had did nothing to stop her. She just shook her head a little like it was nothing. I bought a better one & it knocked her down. It took one time with the second one to teach her to stop long before the fence. Like anything, they need to be trained to it.

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I can't believe I deleted it!

Water balloons will stop this. You'll need a person with a buggy and someone riding with them that has good aim (and don't forget to pay them for their time)
as the dog starts barking and chasing, nail them with a water balloon, it'll take a couple times but it'll work,
However, having said that...
Obedience training IMHO is the best first step, get them to sit on command no matter what the excitment is.

This is a very good suggestion. That's exactly the way you snake break dogs.

Ditto Wanderer re: the shock collar-- the remote-triggered kind, not the buried-fence kind. Get a good one, familiarize yourself with how e-collar training works, enlist the help of a buggy-owning neighbor and get the job done. I've yet to see a dog PROPERLY TRAINED with an e-collar not be broken of the undesired habit.

Proper training is the key, but shock collars do work wonders.

The best thing you can do to be a good neighbor is to build a sturdy fence to keep your dogs on your property and out of the shared road.
Not a whole lot you can do about them running up and down the inside of the fence and barking/ attempting to chase the horses and buggies, but any buggy horse that can deal with traffic should be able to deal with a barking dog so long as it's NOT LOOSE.

I applaud you for thinking this out ahead of time before an accident or tragedy occurs.

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"Perhaps I'll have them string a clothesline from the hearse I am in, with my underwear waving in the breeze, as we drive to the cemetary. People worry about the dumbest things!"
by Wendy

Yes, people have posted many ways to 'cure' your dogs breed-specific traits - i.e. herding. I am certain that any one or a combination of them would work. Just like having a child touch something that is hot and getting 'bit' by that item would likely teach them to not touch that item again or to listen to their parent when they said "NO!".

Obedience training for YOU & the DOG(s) is what is needed. If you have zero voice control over your animal when untethered, you have NO CONTROL over your animal. Then they need to remain under positive control by you (and your family).
As someone posted, their cattle dog (or dog they were watching) lept a HUGE fence...Are you willing to have that type of fence for your dogs?

Tying the dogs out all day long is not conducive to good behavior. Worst case, the dog could get caught up and become strangled due to the collar and tether. They will get board and can learn some bad habits - digging, clawing, chewing their tether (regardless of the material), pacing, barking, howling, etc.

I only offer my (strong) point of view and NO judgement.

Blessed Be.

Unfortunately, all dogs are range dogs in our area. No fenced in yards. Just Amish farm country where animals kinda drift in and drift out, visit the neighbors, bum bones, etc. I don't think I've ever seen a dog fenced in anywhere in the area let alone the neighborhood.

Usually when we are at our property 4 miles away, the animals run free without problem but there is low traffic on that road. No livestock.

I really like the water balloon idea along with a good fence. Our groomer recommended the shock collars. She said they worked well with her German Shepherds when it came to breaking them of chasing cars. We already told our neighbors they have our permission to pop their little arses with a .22 if they get out of line. They are friendly dogs, just ignorant and need to be smartened up around livestock. We will have our work cut out for us but are up to the job.

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I'm in my own little world, but it's ok. They know me here!

If your neighbors pop them with a .22 that will solve the problem.............

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWvD6qAaF_A

Welcome to the NEMO area badlander. I am not too far from you. My dogs are also range dogs and are not fenced in. They know their area and know other dogs areas so there is really no problem. Sometimes I see the neighbors dogs from1/4 mile away but never close to the house because any dog knows the fight is on to invade another's territory. There is always that "gray" area of course where they mark on each other's territory. My suggestion is that you tie them up with a long lead of course just so they get use to their area, (sights. smells, sounds, that sort of thing) After a few weeks you can walk the perimeter of the area you want them to "own" with dogs on leashes yet. They will start marking their boundaries the very first day and learning their perimeter. After a few weeks of this "marking" plus you will be getting exercise, it's time to let the dogs out. If they go out of their boundary, it's discipline time. It will work but patience is the key here. Just remember, some breeds will chase deer and roam the woods during deer hunting season and many never come home. Most deer hunters despise free roaming dogs which make deer skittish. Nothing ruins a hunt faster.
As far as the chasing of buggies with horses attached? Shock collar with a good range and turned all the way up. You will want their attention and want it now. It will also let them know what their marking boundaries are. Good luck in whatever you do.

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We have now officially entered the twilight zone.

A fence is the best way to go. We have 16 dogs and, while they are not a threat to anyone, we've learned the hard way that PEOPLE are a threat to them.

We're a half mile off the road, but have had idiots run over two of our dogs in our front yard. Now we have a locked gate across the driveway to keep the idiots out.

Then, back in January, hubby was walking the dogs and someone stopped on the road and shot two of them...killed one (the dog that is my avatar) and cost another one of her back legs. Now we're afraid to walk the dogs on our own property! We're in the process of fencing in our front yard (about four acres) to keep the dogs safe from idiots (being nice here) driving by.

Our back yard (about an acre) is fenced and has an electric fence running around the inside perimeter. This insures us the dogs won't dig out. We'll be doing the same with the front yard too.

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I'm running so far behind I thought I was first!

http://hickahala.blogspot.com/

I have stockdogs and the first time I see a young one begin to chase a car(moving vehicle) I get my shock collar out. Then every time they even look at a car going by-I zap them...it doesnt take too many times and they learn not to chase a moving vehicle. That's the only sure way I have found to work. Its the only time I use a shock collar but it is better than a run over dog or causing a wreck or in your case run away buggy. Fence wont work very good- a good stockdog will jump it in a heartbeat unless it is 5 or 6 ft tall...at least mine will. Get a good shock collar.dial it up to full power...plan with your Amish neighbor to go by in his buggy and be ready with a shock collar on your dogs and remote control in hand..do that for 3,4 5 days. Timing is everything..do it right and it will work.

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Dennis--TTA Aussies
I plan on living to be 100....so far...so good

Sorry, but there is no permanant solution other than a good fence. I have herding dogs too and though they do not chase the neighbors horse, but when I have had a couple of escapes, I had to retreive them from the dairy farm as they were trying to herd the dairy cows. I was fortunate that the farmer knows my dogs and realized what they were doing and he let them be and watched them work. If he perceived them as a threat to his stock he could have shot them- and I would not have blamed him one bit even though all they were doing was herding, it matters not...perception of the livestock owner is the key here. If you don't have good fences, you can count on dead dogs or injured....ones being shot for harrassment, hit by cars or buggies, poisoned when they are a nusance to others, etc. You have sheep fence already---put a 3-4 strands of hot wire in front of it (one 6" from ground , one at top and 2 in the middle) and train them to the fence. Herding dogs can and will jump or scale a 4 ft fence. Dogs should be under control at all times...if you do not have them in a secure area, they should reliably come and be with an adult. If they cannot reliably come even with distractions, you need to obedience treain them until they are reliable if you want them to have freedom outside of a fence. I have a kennel built like Ft. Knox and still I will occassionally have a dog that can figure out how to escape. When I find I have a dog like that- it is brought up to the house until I can figure out how to keep it reliably contained. I hope to get electric fencing in the near future so when (I say when because it seems my lines are getting smarter with each generation) I do have an escapee, the electric will keep it on my property.

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Willowynd Collies
"A breeder is at once an artist and a scientist. It takes an artist to envision and to recognize excellence, and a scientist to build what the artist's eye desires."

Take the dogs somewhere where there are horses you can bring them up close (leashed) and train them to not chase or go after the horses.

Border collies are bright and will learn quick. the other dogs might need kicked a few times to get the point they shouldnt nip at horses.

Most dogs can be trained to do anything you like, it's the owners who need trained to train the dogs.
LOL

That's the truth. They're certainly bright enough to take a few seconds off from their correspondence-course higher degrees to realise what it means when they are no longer wearing a shock collar.

People are right - you need fences to keep dogs at home, even if only as a reminder that there is a boundary there. You also need to give the dogs something to keep them busy. Herding dogs MUST work or they'll go crazy. If you don't decide what you'll have them do, they'll decide for themselves how they are going to spend their time. Whatever they decide, it's a fair bet you'll be less than happy with it.

The herding instinct is just an interrupted, redirected hunting drive. Herding dogs that go bad can be some of the worst livestock killers - even if they were just playing and ran the stock through a fence, or ran them into a frightened frenzy. There's little worse than uncontrolled dogs running livestock - unless they also go into a killing frenzy, as many eventually will. Dogs at loose, uncontrolled, are dead dogs - as they need to be.

Great advice! I'm gonna try this the next time my rascal sneaks off!