Bad Dog

[TreeHugger]

I hate that my first post has to be a problem one. How do you stop a dog from chasing cows? I have a Lab that has decided it's a fun game. I've had Carmen for almost 4 years now & just got cattle this fall. I only have 3 heifers, but all of my neighbors have cattle so it's not like she never saw one. I never had issues with this dog chasing the neighbors cattle or my horses, but she has decided that these heifers are fair game. I cannot let this dog out of my sight or she ends up in the field where they are at barking & chasing them. I think she knows that she is not suppose to chase them since she is well behaved around them until she thinks I am not looking. Any suggestions on how to stop her bad behavior? Better yet, how do you get a 600 lb heifer NOT to run from an 80 lb dog?

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Have you tried scolding the dog and then locking it up for a while afterwards. If it likes it's kennel, dog house, etc. and that's wouldn't be much of a punishment try setting something up where it wouldn't be happy about it-but still safe.

I don't think your going to get the heifer to stop running. Dog=prediator to them so they run.

 

[jhm47]

Buy or rent a shock collar. They work!

 

[wynedot55]

yes you have a very bad prob with the dog.you can try whats suggested.an if that dont work give the dog away.i got my lasy cow dog because she started chasing horses real bad.an yes she chases an works cattle here.but i can put up with it.because we know how to handle her.

 

[beefy]

get a shock collar.

 

[amysflock]

We have three dogs, one of whom would like to tangle with the cows (or acts like it, anyway), and two cows with their two calves. We don't let our dogs on the cattle side of the fence ever. If we had to (or if we ever get really fed up with my foxhounds charging-the-fence behavior), we'll probably invest in a SportDog collar. They're spendy, but I tell you what, both of my DH's siblings have boxers (brother and sister boxers) who are completly insane, and the SportDog has made them both into angels. Not that I would trust them WITHOUT the SportDog, but I'll tell you Daisy (BIL's) is here in our kennel to keep her safe from flooding in our town, and the only way that's ok with me is because she's wearing and trained to the SportDog.

 

[TreeHugger]

Thank you for the responses. I have scolded the dog for chasing the cows & locked her back up. I think she knows what she is doing is wrong, which is why she only does it when I turn my back. There are quite a few places where she can squeeze through the fence so complete seperation is impossible. My main fear is that she will end up in the neighbor's cattle & I will end up with major repair/vet bills & one dead dog. I am gong to get the shock collar. I will give you an update & let you know how it goes.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Good luck!

 

[Thewife]

Good luck Treehugger!
Just keep on it! Scold, even if she looks at the cows!
I recently had a dog that would go after the cows with a vengance! We watched it get kicked, fly and roll a good 20 feet, only to get up and go back after the cow!
I got him to leave the cows and the goats alone with a shock collar! Just be sure to follow the directions, you want her to think it's the heifers causing the pain!
Sadly that dog killed a fawn, and I just could not watch him close enought to protect the deer too!

Another method, some may frown on.
A PUMP BB gun! With a simple piece of paper and some pratice you can figure out how many pumps it takes to dent the paper at different distances, a shot in the behind does wonders! Just don't let them hear you pumping the gun.

 

[Little Cow]

Another option is to get one of those invisible fences. Run it along your property line excluding the cow pasture and viola. That would ensure no chasing of anyone's cattle, even when you aren't there. The fact that it's already a habit concerns me.