Dogs and Livestock

I’ve been blogging recently about the importance of keeping your dog under control when out in the countryside. With the rise in dog ownership, this has become a huge issue. Dogs and livestock rarely mix well and land owners are understandably upset about the damage caused by dogs roaming across their land.

Lambing season is in full swing; a dog chasing a pregnant sheep can cause it to miscarry. Unfortunately, we have all seen the pictures of the worst case scenarios, where a dog attacks and kills sheep and lambs. There is also the issue of protecting ground nesting birds, which are becoming endangered due to loss of habitat.

You might wonder whether it is possible to desensitise your dog fully to these environments? The answer is, yes it is. A client sent me a video of her dog in a sheep pen, totally unreactive to the livestock around them. The owner’s family live on a farm and so reacting to sheep is not an option. They have worked hard at this and seen results.

My training grounds are an ideal place to train your dog so they won’t chase livestock or wildlife. In one lesson, a client experienced wild deer running across my fields, three ducks landing nearby and pheasants strutting around. It would have been her worst nightmare if she was anywhere else. It’s important to expose your dog to a wide variety of environments then when you find yourself on a nice country walk, they will know how to behave.

Posted: April 14, 2021