GP tearing into rabbit hutches and killing rabbits and chickens.

[heathen]

Hi I have a friend thats GP has started ripping up her rabbit hutches and is eating the rabbits and chickens out of them. The Chickens that run loose with he are fine but for some reason she seems to think the ones in cages (show chickens) are treats...... Any advice on correcting this problem. She is 7 months old and just randomly does this. She sill be fine for a week or two then rip one open for a yummy night time snack. I was wondering if there was something else going on stray cat or opposum getting on the cage then everyone getting worked up and she just dont get the correct critter. Will GP ever be able to be trusted with rabbits? I have never had a dog I would trust with a rabbit but again I have just stared with LGD. She shows doberman and basenjies in agility and is very good with dogs. She is haveing trouble with AVA because she is so standoffish. thanks for the tips;-)

 

[Grazer]

I'm sorry to hear that.
I would advise your friend not to leave her GP with the chicken & rabbits untenanted and unsupervised until this problem is solved.
The puppy needs to be monitored and every time she catches the puppy going after the chicken/rabbits in the cages, she should correct her before it gets out of hand.
GP's, like all large breeds mature very slowly...so this puppy should be worked with until she's 2 years.
LGD's are not ready to handle predators on their own until they're at least 18 months.
The biggest issue here is that this puppy has already killed and eaten chicken and rabbits, so it will be much more difficult to change this behavior.
And some LGD's will never become trustworthy around poultry & rabbits, because throughout the centuries these breeds sometimes had to fend for themselves when left for days in pasture.
They would then catch and eat rabbits, squirrels, and other small animals. So that's still in their genes and that's why it takes more effort to train an LGD puppy not to chase and eat poultry or rabbits.

 

[lee&lyric]

WHATT? Wow, thanks Grazer. I'm immediately going to share this with Lee 'cause we are in need of guardian livestock and are researching the possibilities. We are breeding rabbits for family meat and this is a need to know for sure.

Lyric

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Lyric, certainly a consideration, that all pups of every breed are going to act like pups. Even the LGD breeds when they are pups are still pups until they mature. It would be a mistake to put any LGD that is not mature and conditioned to livestock out with your birds or rabbits and expect that they would know what to do and what not to do. If you don't have the time to train a pup 18-24 months, then perhaps an adult all ready trainned dog is your best bet. It may take a bit of searching, but they are out there.

Here's hoping you find the one that is perfect for your needs.

 

[ksj0225]

We don't have that problem with our LGD, however our goat's horns have been messing up some of our cages. So we just recently fenced in the area where are rabbits and ducks are... Of course the ducks can come and go as they please and the dog can get around the area to protect it. Maybe a dog moat would be a good idea. A dog moat is when you fence in what you want protected and then you fence that and the dog in. So two boxes.

Our's looks like this

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We did the same thing with our buck fence.

 

[Grazer]

WHATT? Wow, thanks Grazer. I'm immediately going to share this with Lee 'cause we are in need of guardian livestock and are researching the possibilities. We are breeding rabbits for family meat and this is a need to know for sure.

Lyric

You're most welcome Lyric.
Interestingly enough the other day I stopped posting on another LGD forum when their admin got into an argument with me when I tried to make a point at how important it is to know the history of a working dog breed.
So before things could get personal, I stopped posting there. But anyway, I'm just trying to say that knowing where a breed comes from, how exactly were they used throughout centuries and how large the predators are in the country of origin before committing to buying them, is in my opinion very important.
Just as it's important knowing where the parents of your future dog come from, and if they are good around poultry/rabbits. How well the breeder is going to socialize the puppies with the rabbits etc.
Anyway, I hope it all works out for you guys
Good luck!!