[freyalouiseb]

Hi my name is Freya and I'm new to this forum,  in real life I'm an animal trainer but thats mostly with domestic pets, I have 2 ponies; a Dartmoor yearling colt and a mini Shetland mare, 2 turkeys that are new and I have lots of questions about, lots of rabbits (I specialised in rabbits during my degree) 4 dogs, a Malamute and gsd a ling coat Akita.and an Akita husky mix, a variety of fish, acat an a beautiful baby boy. I also run doggy daycare and often have animals for Rehoming.

Right I'm off to ask about Turkey's, feel free to pick my brains for ananything behaviour related

       

[Lesley Silvester]

  Welcome from sunny Shropshire. Where are you based?

I love GSDs. We used to have one who was a big softy and I now have a GSD x Lab. My OH has a Retriever x Lab who is his guide dog and a Lab who is his retired guide dog. I also have two goats, which probably won't surprise you when you see my forum name. 

[freyalouiseb]

I'm in a deep dark corner if kent called folkestone, my gsd is a 'special' boy.... Bit of a last chance saloon'

[Bert]

Hi from the Isle of Mull 
 I've only got the OH, dog and 18 chickens 

[Rosemary]

Hello and welcome from  Carnoustie 

You could write a thesis on our collies 

[Eastling]

Hi from not to far away near Dover

[plumseverywhere]

Hello from Worcestershire 

Looking forward to learning more about animal behaviour from you    we have just the one dog, he's a terrier/samoyed cross and only 11 months (currently on a sheepsafe course that we attend each sunday and he's rising to the challenge well)  we also keep goats, sheep, chickens, cat, parrot and 4 human kids

My friend keeps Japanese akitas - I always think they look beautiful
LIsa

[happygolucky]

hello from a not so warm or dry Clackmannan, we keep a B&B, and also now down to 3 chickens due to aiming to sell up, we did have 16 and a pair of Ducks, all re homed now.......I have 3 wonderful Labradors, no real behaviour issues, they must be the easiest breed to train, when I can I go Gundogs training and I. Season beating but my back is not great for walking in deep mud and brambles.....


I love dogs and think Akitas, Husky, Malamute Etc stunningly beautiful dogs, the use a near buy forest to run them with Riggs, it's beautiful...but...they are too difficult for me in our circumstances...oh, I do have a husband
I for one will be asking you some dog related questions......

[Torrin37]

Hi from rainy Oxfordshire 

I only have 2 cats and 2 dogs (a Newfoundland and a lab x viszla) at the moment but I have BIG plans! 

[MAK]

Hi and welcome freyaloiseb !
I have an animal behaviour question  .
In brief one of our large females would push her way through the fence at night abd let herself in of a morning - no tunnel though she had dug a decoy that I had to explore. She refused to go with our large buck and a week after had 12 kittens. The dad was a wild rabbit and visited her and the kittens each night for about 2 weeks. Now we have other wild rabbits that come each night and sit outside of our rabbits run.
These wild rabbits seem not to bother when I go out at night and allow me and the dog to get within 10 feet or so to before they hop away to maintain the same distance ( they never leg it). Our dog is confused between wild rabbits and our rabbits as she considers Roger ( our buck) to be her mate. She won't chase the wild ones.
So given these wild rabbits are not eating the strawberries or other veg just nearby - Why do they visit each night and do you think it likely that I could offer them titbits to catch them ?   

[WhiteHorses]

Hello from West Lothian 

I have 2 Spanish horses, a cat and a collie and a long shopping list for other smallholding essentials 

[Wee Eck]

Hi from Lennoxtown (North of Glasgow) nestling at the bottom of the Campsie hills. 

We have 2 dogs ; 3 cats ; 16 chickens & 4 fish

 Welcome to a very nice wee forum

                  Eck 

[freyalouiseb]

Hi and welcome freyaloiseb !
I have an animal behaviour question  .
In brief one of our large females would push her way through the fence at night abd let herself in of a morning - no tunnel though she had dug a decoy that I had to explore. She refused to go with our large buck and a week after had 12 kittens. The dad was a wild rabbit and visited her and the kittens each night for about 2 weeks. Now we have other wild rabbits that come each night and sit outside of our rabbits run.
These wild rabbits seem not to bother when I go out at night and allow me and the dog to get within 10 feet or so to before they hop away to maintain the same distance ( they never leg it). Our dog is confused between wild rabbits and our rabbits as she considers Roger ( our buck) to be her mate. She won't chase the wild ones.
So given these wild rabbits are not eating the strawberries or other veg just nearby - Why do they visit each night and do you think it likely that I could offer them titbits to catch them ?   

Wow! o.k Rabbits are HIGHLY social species and in the wild, when you see them in a field they are split into sub groups, usually a male and a few females, rabbits being prey species depend on their peers to stand guard for them and watch for predators, it seems that your domestic rabbits and wild rabbits have formed their own sub group. cute, BUT there are lots of diseases that can be passed on, make sure you vaccinate for myxi and vhd and even neuter the females as 12 is a huge litter! they can still go about their 'business' but put less strain on the females as rabbits can be nursing kits AND pregnant at the same time and its a huge drain on them.

If you take the right preventative treatments you could be able to interact with these wild buns, I would recommend clicker training them, sounds crazy but it will work, ALTHOUGH it may be illegal as they are wildlife, but dont quote me on that, just check x

 

[MAK]

Thanks - so the wild rabbits moved in yesterday - they have dug a burrow under my garlic patch next to the strawberry bed. Our meat rabbits are behind their wire fence but I guess that they can still sniff the wild rabbit when they come up to the fence.