I have border terrier problem - chases nearly all animals especially sheep any idea how to stop it?

Question

My border terrier is 5 years old and we live in london so we never brought him up used to farm animals he chases squirels , rabbits , cats and sheep whenever we go camping or to see relatives in the country. He is very friendly to people and loves anyone including strangers he has never bitten anyone or been violent to any humans . He just loves to chase sheep and animals we do tell him off after and he has seem to calmed down as he has got older but he still chases sheep once he attcked one and it had to be put down so i was just wondering if there was anyway i could fix this problem thanks . Please only sensible replies

Answer 1

Border Terriers are herding odgs... He is just fulfilling his natural instincts... try getting him properly trained... And maybe try throwing a frisbee instead!

Answer 2

You need to manage your dog in a kind manner. Ripping his head off as Verminator suggests is certainly a solution, but I assume that you like your dog and don't want to harm him. Instead : Think about what a border terrier was bred to do. Of course he's going to chase prey whenever he can - and no amount of shouting - or worse, punishment *after the fact* - will change that. Telling the dog off after he's gotten the huge reward of chasing his prey will simply teach your dog to not come back to you. Why should he come back, since he gets punished for doing so? Keep your dog on leash when you're out and there's the possibility of him leaving you to go chase prey. He's had many chances to practice this behavior and has gotten good at it. Especially after "being told off", he'll look for any chance to leave you and go chase things. It is possible to teach him that you are more rewarding than sheep etc without inhumane shock collars.

Answer 3

Dogs chasing sheep is a very serious matter - you don't get to see or hear about most of the damage they cause ( pregnant sheep miscarrying etc) and the farmer has the right to shoot your dog off the planet if he sees it happening.
You need to take this dog to training classes before something serious happens and in the meantime keep it on a lead when it is out.

Answer 4

I have a friend who had the same problem with a lurcher. They used one of those collars which you can use to give a very small, short shock when you see the dog think about, or begin to go after whatever it likes to chase.

This way, the dog associates the shock with the thought of chasing sheep, not with you, as the dog won't be on the lead or near you.

In theory you only need to do this twice before the dog makes the association and stops chasing sheep.

There are also calls to have this collar banned - in the right hands it can save a dog, but there is so much leeway for it to be misused.

Answer 5

You must take him to a dog trainer, one that deals with this problem. You were lucky that the farmer didn't press charges and insist the dog was put down, or shoot it himself.
You cannot let your dog off lead around livestock, you must be more responsible for his behaviour. Stop him before he gets the chance. Telling him off after is pointless.
Even just chasing stock can kill them, they can die of shock, they can miscarry, and by that time you're miles away thinking theres no problem.

He needs a proper training program which you'll have to work hard at, and with a terrier you can never stop training him.
Don't try to do it yourself, get a trainer and tackle it properly. Your vet should be able to refer you to a behavioural trainer.

I'm not surprised he's fine with people; he doesn't see people as prey and doesn't hunt them. Don't confuse hunting behaviour with the way he is around people. Its very exciting for him, much more fun than chasing a ball and you're going to have your work cut out fixing it.

Answer 6

have you ever thought of getting your terrier a friend to play with instead of trying to make fun by himself? Those kinds of dogs are kind of hunting dogs so maybe it is the dogs nature to chase other animals, it could be part of the kind of dog he is!!! maybe if the dog could be trained by a professional not to attack sheep. The terrier probably sees the sheep as lunch on legs though. Supervising the dog and keeping the sheep penned away so the dog cant get at them. Good luck

Answer 7

The simple solution is to keep him on a lead around livestock. A farmer has a right to shoot any dog found worrying their livestock so better safe than sorry. You then need to desensitise him to livestock, however, in London this may be very difficult. You need to expose him, in a safe and controlled manner, to livestock regularly so he begins to see them as boring, make yourself much more interesting than the sheep by using his favourite toy or some very tasty treats and hopefully he'll think of you when he sees a sheep rather than think of chasing the sheep. However, consistency is the key and it could take a year or more before you could trust him around sheep. Maybe one of the london city farms may help you with this?

Answer 8

Some training is desperately needed. A sheep was hurt once, your dog could be next. I would suggest putting the dog on a leash and walking him near his obsession---possibly for a long walk in the woods or near sheep pastures. When he starts to give chase, stop him. Whatever works for him to stop him (a verbal command, a firm but gentle tug on the leash, a firm but gentle tap to the side). Do this until the dog is calm and submissive(no tension on the leash, paying attention to you-not the other animals, and sitting down), then congratulate. This may take a little while, but I promise that it should work.

Answer 9

Borders are tough little dogs which need to be worked i.e. hunted.
By rights, your dog should have been destroyed for attacking stock. He will always be a risk. You could try dousing him with cold water when he lunges (on his lead) at farm animals.
However, I would play safe and keep him restrained in the countryside or he may end up dead.

Answer 10

distract his attention with a ball of a game of some kind or keep him on a lead cause if the farmer See's him chasing his sheep he has the right by law to shoot him and unfortunately theirs sweet F,A you can do about it even though its ur fault for not having him on a lead in the first place


IF YOU CANT TRUST HIM THEN DON'T it far his own safety and ur piece of mind

Answer 11

From ex breeder. I know of one certain cure for him but you may not like it or be able to find someone with the time and things to do it with. Whenever I found a dog like that it would be put in a pen with a group of geese, you leave them for a while and not one of them ever chased anything again. Geese are very hard for a dog to fight and the geese will always win but the change it makes to a dog is amazing. And before I get a silly reply to this, no it is not cruel, the geese wont harm the dog or he harm them.