The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: plumseverywhere on December 08, 2012, 03:26:59 pm
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How do I get the sheep used to having a dog around please? Just took the pup for a walk and while 4 sheep quickly walked away, my bossiest tame ewe ran at him and it could have been quite nasty. Is it just a case of everyone getting used to one another and how would you approach this please? he had no interest in chasing so it was quite unprovoked (but I guess she felt threatened)
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Plums I am no expert on this and I am sure others will be along with the 'proper' way to do things but with mine I just found it was a case of them getting used to each other. The dog has always been on the lead when in with the sheep, albeit a long lead, and after a while they all ignored each other.
Mine have all been away with the tup for 2 months and I am due to get them back next week so I will probably have to go through it again.
Sally
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Have always run our pups in a field of ewes - the easiest way to stop them becoming chasers - they quickly learn that ewes are to be to avoided whilst they're still very small. A bossy ewe is quite useful, they'll come froward to the pup, if you're worried have it on a lead and pull it out of the way. Most of our pups have been gently butted by a bossy ewe - they're made of rubber at that age, and soon learn !
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Thanks both, that is reassuring. The ewe really landed on him and he yelped which terrified me! thought some damage was done
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Pups are quite resilient in the same way that little kids seem to bounce.
Is the pup a pet, or to be a sheepdog?
If a pet, as people are saying, it doesn't hurt it to know to leave sheep alone and a bossy ewe will do that effectively when a pup.
If a sheepdog, it doesn't need to learn to be afraid of sheep, in that case, you need to turn very scary and frightening and yell, wave things around and generally frighten the sheep when you've got the pup with you, so that they back off the dog and they associate the dog with scariness - and it feels 'powerful' and effective around the sheep.
My silly un-dogged sheep all ran up to my neighbour's sheep dog to see what it was! And we quickly had to 'turn scary' and back the dog up, so it didn't lose confidence.
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Just keep him on a lead and walk him with the sheep all the time, I would be scared too but a pup is better off having a scare than killing a sheep or lamb......I go to dog training and my dogs are fine with sheep but the man who has the land has a tup that will tell any dog off and he suggests those dogs go into that paddock supervised and learn a lesson from the tup!!! Good luck!!
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He's to be a pet Jaykay so would like to be able to walk him quietly within our own land sometimes. She kept trying to get to him to attack him - shall i just walk him near the fence a few times to get them used to seeing him before venturing in there again do you think?
he's a Samoyed crossed with terrier (don't laugh!!) so not sure if the samoyed herding instinct will kick in or not. Am hoping the terrier in him will see a few rats off though ;)
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I would walk him by the fence then, so she gets the idea he's no trouble, and he understands that sheep are big scary things that you don't chase.
Sheep do get used to 'their own' dogs and are calmer round them than strange dogs, so it must work, getting to know each other.
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OK I will try that for a bit. Today was pretty horrible and I don't want a repeat of that, I thought she'd broken his back! reassuring in a way that she'll put up a fight though against a bad dog I guess :-\
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I think that will acclimatise them a bit more, without him being in danger.
She sounds as though she'll be a good mum, protect her lambs well :thumbsup:
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I would walk the pup on a lead every day near the ewe and, when she comes close, I'd feed her some nuts. That way, she gets used to the presence of the dog being a good thing.
My sheep baffle the neighbours, because they run towards my dogs, because they associate them with me - and food. However, the dogs did have a couple of nasty shocks when I had goats a couple of years back. One headbutted one of the dogs so hard in the ribs that he rolled over three times down a hill. After that, he gave the goats a wide berth!
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My Springer runs in with all my ewes and I am sure they think she is just another sheep - even at feeding time. The only time they get protective is with new born lambs - which is fine.
He needs to respect them and keep out of their way, just get him used to them gradually with you there to back him up if necessary.
Enjoy your puppy :thumbsup:
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Thanks all. Well I've been taking him alongside the fence where the sheep feeder is so that they see him and they get nuts same time. Soon I'll be brave enough to maybe go in again with him (with nuts in my pocket...)
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Our soay sheep used to stamp their feet at our puppy sheepdog but she's bigger now and although she behaves completely around them they don't come near her, just within a few metres. Our take no nonsense pygmy Aunty Gherty pins her up against the big tree though ;D dog doesn't go near her.
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I've seen the foxes running amongst the goats and sheep and they don't blink an eye at them so I guess they must get used to having canine types around? all down to familiarity I suppose?
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i had a pony that tried to trample my labrador puppy once, was stamping on him like a it would snake, poor thing. a bit of fear of a sheep wont do it any harm, better than trying to stop him chasing them.
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Our last cockrel used to have fights with the boss sheep it was soooo funny.
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Goats and pup have been sniffing noses through fence, won't be letting them mingle especially with vanna's horns! sheep seem to be getting used to the pup, phew. Even the cat is venturing nearer. At one point last week i felt close to tears at what I had gone and done! Starting to really feel relieved now though.
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it took years to stop my dog from chasing my sheep, none of them do now but then they are getting on a bit. what breed is your pup?
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\He's believed to be terrier X samoyed but here's his pic - I have my own theories as to what the dad might have been! (there was a 'who's the father' debate when the litter were born and my friend opted for her samoyed as being dad but....)
(http://i1003.photobucket.com/albums/af154/itsbaaathtime/scarlettandmurphy.jpg)
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hes just gorgeous.
i couldnt imagine what that cross would look like as an adult.
i remember taking our old dog to puppy classes 10 yrs ago when my boy was a toddler. there was an absolutely gorgeous samoyed pup there called blizzard. he was quite boisterous but my son was completely terrified of it. he was convinced it was a bear. funny now but embarrassing at the time!
:roflanim:
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haha! I can imagine that though, they do look like bears! there are japanese akitas where my friend lives and they look like bears too I think!
I still have an inkling that Murphy's dad is a farm collie, not samoyed though ;)
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what type of colour and terrier is the mum?
i thought it was a collie cross at first glimpse, does look quite fluffy tho. big paws too.
:thumbsup:
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Our lot have known nothing but the dogs being part of the flock , When they where lambs this was great because if you wanted them to go somewhere they followed the dogs and actualy played with the wolfhound puppy.
Now its a pain because they now get quite rough with the dogs they show no fear of any dog
Even though the wolfhound is now 7 months old and much bigger than them she is starting to get a bit afraid of them because they wont leave her alone from the minute she goes through the gate untill she goes back out of the field they are crowding around her and the wethers try mounting her :o
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Mum was a ginger type norfolk terrier. Murphy has a gingery under coat.
Sokel, I think we might hav ea similar situation. Ours are bottled raised so have no fear of humans
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Mum was a ginger type norfolk terrier. Murphy has a gingery under coat.
Sokel, I think we might hav ea similar situation. Ours are bottled raised so have no fear of humans
so could be a collie dad with those markings maybe. your daughter looks v proud of her pup.
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She is indeed! In fact, Scarlett in the picture was terrified of even the tiniest dogs until Murphy arrived so was a bit of a gamble but paid off in that she loves him and now they are inseperable. All 4 daughters are loving him as are the grown ups :love:
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One of my ewes floored my landladies (big) golden retriever with one butt. :roflanim: I couldn't stop laughing.
He won't even go in the field with the sheep now ... oops!
Exactly what I would want though, it's all very well the sheep being used to your own dog, but I would want my sheep to protect themselves (and their lambs) from other peoples dogs.
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One of my ewes floored my landladies (big) golden retriever with one butt. :roflanim: I couldn't stop laughing.
He won't even go in the field with the sheep now ... oops!
Exactly what I would want though, it's all very well the sheep being used to your own dog, but I would want my sheep to protect themselves (and their lambs) from other peoples dogs.
I felt the same. was quite relieved to see that Nimble (the sheepy bouncer) could protect herself and any lambs, or at least had the nerve to try.
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Pups do generally learn quite quickly what to avoid - unless they are cattle dogs when they just come back for more ::) . My cattle dogs have a very strong herding instinct and can't help themselves nipping the horses' heels behind my back. One was double barrelled 30 ft across a yard, another kicked square on her forehead which caused her concussion for days :o :o . Did it stop them? No ..... ::)
My little Jack Russell was trodden on accidentally by a horse, luckily it just got his paw but he learned to be very wary after that! Another dog, a Lancashire Heeler, was stamped purposefully into the ground - again luckily for him he went into mud and got way with any serious injury :P
They've all learned to be wary of the horses except the herding dogs who just learned to more nimble with their avoidance tactics after nipping!