The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Pets & Working Animals => Dogs => Topic started by: buddyskeeper on January 19, 2025, 09:17:45 pm
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Hello!
I have adopted a 5 year old Golden Retriever and would like to ask experienced people about how I correctly introduce him to being around sheep so that we can take country walks and leave everyone in peace.
We made a mistake when we first got him a couple of years ago; we encountered free roaming sheep and I thin it was his first time seeing one (I can't know for sure but it seemed like it). We had to go past the sheep to get home and while it was mostly okay with the first one or two, there were dozens as we went along and it got progressively worse. At first Buddy just watched them but then we crossed some threshold and he started barking/straining on the lead. It was not nice for anyone. We ended up picking him up and walking him past them so that the sheep knew they were safe; But 27kg is a lot to carry every time you see a sheep on a walk in the UK...
I grew up on a farm and never had a dog bark at any animal and I don't remember doing anything special so it took me by surprise. It's been about 18 months since he's seen a sheep and I'm hoping that the slate will be somewhat clean and I can try again properly.
If anyone has advice on how to do it slowly and properly but with an older dog and I would be incredibly grateful. He doesn't seem to want to chase them, he just barks at them and skips along at the end of the lead. He will always be on a lead when country walking because there's just so much going on so I'm not at risk of him getting a sheep, it's just my goal that we can walk by them without chaos.
Thanks in advance from me & Buddy,
Paula
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You need to be more interesting than the sheep. Get him to focus on you (using whatever treats are his most wanted (egcheese sausage or toy) keep his attention all the time walking past. Start in very small doses ..avoid sheep totally until you can keep his attention through distractions.
One of my previous collies I always waved a stick to keep his attention whilst people walked past when on a walk. Current one I use a frisby to bring her away from sheep (our own sheep)
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Goldies are probably greedy enough that food treats will be more exciting than sheep. Otherwise, if doggo likes playing with a toy, play with that whenever you see sheep, and pretty soon doggo will turn to you to ask for toy when he sees sheep.
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There are numerous stock aversion training groups across the country, try looking on Facebook or googling