Cure for Bad Dogs!

Well, after the first week on our homestead, I can honestly say that my threesome didn't do too badly. Yep, first chance they got they barked at passing Amish buggies but didn't try to nip heels. They just followed behind barking.....and wound up tied up. They didn't do any damage but yes, that herding instinct kicked in for the ACD and the Border Collie. I finally took the Border Collie on a walk through the middle of the sheep flock and made her heel the entire time. You could tell she hated it.

I've decided to fence in a portion of the farm yard for them to run in. My husband is of the opinion that they will get used to their surroundings but I'm of the opinion that I don't want them to run sheep to exhaustion and bark constantly at Amish buggies. One horse, tied at our barn, shook a hind foot at one of the dogs and that pretty well cured her of getting too close to horses.

I think good fences make good neighbors. What is funny is that all the dogs Amish and English alike run free up and down the roads but never chase buggies or stock. They have been raised with the 'critters' around them. Better safe than sorry.

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A chasing dog is a biting dog...eventually. As far as the loose dogs not chasing buggies or stock it's because they learned from the mistakes of their deceased buddies...Darwin's theory in action.

Good luck!

underground fence works for my three dogs. one of which is a border collie cross, the other an australian shepard and the third a rat terrier mix. all highly driven to chase things. I bought the best fence I could get, the collars vibrate as well as make a sound as a warning 10 feet before they get to the fence. they have plenty of room to run with 1000 feet of fence and they were all trained to it. for the price there was nothing cheaper to fence such a large area. you must get a good one. after being trained to it and getting to experience a good shock, two of them wouldn't even leave the porch to relieve themselves for several days without me there to accompany them. you have to get a good one that will really wallop them and make an impression. they have chilled out now and know the boundaries.

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A mystery is not an explanation..... on the contrary....no sooner is a myth forged than, in order to stand it needs another myth to support it.

I just dont have any tollerance for a dog that wont do what I expect. Mine are going to obey or they are gonna be dead.

I have a female lab who is 8 and Ive had her since she was 2.
IM just about ready to put a bullet in her head, and she isnt doing anything nearly as bad as your concerns about your dogs.

Mine eats everything, and pukes it up either in the hosue, or in my business. She eats corn, hay, dead animals, and some stuff that looks like carpet when she pukes it up.

IM just about done with her.

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If they chase buggies or stock, I'm sure they disappear pretty quickly. Being raised with critters AND trained helps cut down on that, but farmers and ranchers just can't have dogs chasing or killing their stock. That stock is their livelihood. Your dogs are pets.

I don't recommend underground fences. A driven dog may figure out they can run through the shock with a moment's pain and will just do it and not be able to get back in. An underground fence won't keep the idiots from harassing your dogs, nor will the neighbors necessarily know your dogs are contained, could make for trouble too. Some people have reported that their underground fence malfunctioned and started to continuously shock their dog - nasty.

I'd recommend building a smaller area with a really secure 6' chainlink kennel for when you aren't there to keep an eye on them (be sure it has shade, water, shelter from wind and wet) and a good fence for the larger area. Hot wire can be solar/battery operated and can be used to train a dog (and your other livestock) not to mess with the lower and less secure fences. Hotwire also requires training, so that the dog knows the proper response to the hotwire is to move BACK away from it, not to accelerate through it. (Same with underground fence and shock collars - you have to train the animal what response you want to the stimulus.)

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At this point, I've noticed that they will have a day or two where they just look at the buggies and horses going down the road and ignore them. Then the next day, they are tearing down the road hot on their tails. The border collie is the worst offender. I had to laugh at the cattle dog the other day who chased after the collie and almost ran head first into a buggy wheel...that would have left a lasting impression on him. Part of their problem is boredom I think. We have asked travelers to stop with their mounts and buggies and the dogs do NOTHING! They sniff, they stay a wary distance from those shod hooves, but they don't make any aggressive moves towards the animals or vehicles.

It has been interesting watching them learn about these things. We have talked to our Amish neighbors about them and they assure us that it is bothering us more than it is them. We have been told that their horses are trained to ignore dogs and I have noticed that for the most part that they do, whether they are our dogs or other neighbors.

Funny, the other day, we were driving our van down the road and one of our Amish neighbors, who is a farrier, dog, chased our van...turn about is fair play I guess.

On 'church' days, we have just been pinning them up but I am going to fence in an area and start some heavy duty choke chain and leash training on the border collie. At this point, I'm more worried about her getting her head kicked off or ran over than I am about a runaway. We have low auto traffic on our road, but horse traffic is heavy.

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

Depending how determined the dogs are you might need a big old fence. A farm I stayed on in Zimbabwe, where dogs are used for different reasons than in the West, had a gigantic (I mean he probably stands 4ft high, 3ft wide, all muscle) BoerBoel, the sweetest dog ever when with the owners, but not castrated. So when the local females go on heat, this dog regularly leaps a 10-15ft chainlink fence (with the angled section at the top facing into the yard). So the owners tie a boat anchor to his neck. One morning they come out to find boat anchor hanging one side of the fence, dog hanging the other (Dog was fine). Like I say, sweetest dog ever, but also very very dog aggressive. Training would have gone a long way I think.

You'd last about 2 seconds with a ridgeback LOL!

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This is why the dog cannot know someone is controlling the collar. The dog can never have the opporutnity to do the wrong thing without correction until the habit has been LONG broken. It can be done, I've broke two dogs from killing chickens. Same kind of deal. Think MONTHS.

Border collies are easy dogs. Yea, they got a lot of energy, but they are willing to please unlike SOME dogs.

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Then there's those of us whom our dogs are our kids and our dogs are part of our income and paid more for our dogs then most people do their livestock. LOL

But then, we don't let them roam out of our sight either.

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"Be still sad heart, and cease repining. Behind the clouds, the sun is shining. Thy fate is the common fate of all. Into each life, a little rain must fall." -Longfellow

If you're referring to 'survival of the fittest', it was Herbert Spencer not Charles Darwin who coined that phrase. Darwin is known for "natural selection".

or good pen. Then work with them. We have a large pen. Our dog does not chase but she does get put in the pen for her safety. When we all leave, she stays in the pen. I just saw two of the neighbor's dog dead on the road the other morning. They were good dogs...stuff happens.

Great.

That tells us, and them, what sort of neighbor and dog owner you are.