Dog question

[Saminmo@hotmail.com]

Dogs in the country mostly don't ever seem to stray from the farm but I keep reading about dogs that are such a nuisance. In all my years I have only had one run in with a pack of dogs causing trouble. My dogs are always mutts and usually rescues. I don't pen my dogs but I would not allow them to leave the place. I don't recall ever training my dogs. the only dog I ever had a problem with about leaving now lives at my neighbors 3 farms down. It's a long story but as Deanna said sometimes you don't pick a dog sometimes the dog picks you. How is it that I and all my neighbors have dogs and nobody strays. My dogs are not ever in the house (except one that is afraid of thunder). Is my part of the world that different from everywhere else?

[goatlady]

Sometimes I think dogs are like children - Make the home place nice, comfortable, loving - they NEVER leave! LOL. Basically it's how you interact with the animals, dogs, goats, etc. Spend time with them daily and they have a tendancy to stick around. My 3 never leave the property, seem to find enough "adventure" at home to not get bored and start wandering.

[kelee877]

I work at an animal shelter and I am dealing with dogs on an almost daily bases...

We had one dog that would come in to be bordered he was a pomeranion(sp) and Rottweiler mix..he was known as the spawn of you know who..what crazy person would mix breeds like this...I shake my head..

The dog was put down last week it was biting in the face and trying to kill the owners cats...I think it was about 2 years old

breeding has alot to do with a dogs disposition also some breeds have rare disorders that will happen in rare cases...that will cause it to have behavioural problems just like some children...:-?

Other then that all 14 dogs we have in the shelter that are up for adoption are easy going and live by the routine we give them....I have not had a problem yet..knock on wood...

Also; upbringing of a dog will say alot about its behaviour and cats too...I have seen some pretty mean dogs and cats that have been abused by previous owners( I actually foster 2 cats that were abused) they do not trust at all...but they learning what love for a pet is...

Have to go to work now..dogs are probably crossing their legs waiting for me to let them out...:mrgreen:

[Summerthyme]

Different breeds have different tendencies as far as "roaming". My English Shepherds are so territorial it isn't funny. They know precisely where the farm boundaries are, and they stay HOME. Even unneutered males don't go "visiting"- and our neighbors have breeding females.

OTOH, our Akitas used to roam our entire farm, hunting woodchucks and other varmints, but once they ran out of prey here, they began roaming farther afield. No amount of "training" would change that... they always came home- with their prey- but they were bred to be hunters. We had to finally kennel them, or they likely would have been shot. No, they NEVER bothered livestock (well, they never went after stock- but just the sight of a large, strange dog is a problem for sheep).

Mostly, it's the fact that country people know full well that their dogs will be shot if they aren't kept home that works. Around here, we'll occasionally have a problem with dogs bothering our cows- last winter, we had what we're sure was a couple of wolf crosses chasing our heifers through gates and fences. We never got a clear shot at them, but they disappeared and haven't been back. No one had any idea where they belonged... once we put the alert out (they were also potentially aggressive towards people- one stopped and snarled at hubby when he was on the tractor one day)... well, I suspect someone exercised their S-S-S rights.

BUT... many people who "think" their dogs always stay home are actually being fooled. I've seen my neighbor's three- two aussies and a Jack Russell- "packed up" and hunting just like a pack of wolves in our woods. The difference in the attitude and movement of those dogs at those times compared to the "nice, domestic doggy" behavior at his farm was...startling.

We CHECK on ours... when Bandit first began insisting on staying outside to guard every night, I checked him at odd hours for weeks... even setting my alarm for 3 am to sneak out and see where he was. I never once went out where he wasn't either on the back step or the front deck, quietly alert for any danger to the stock or us.

I suspect that is the key- the dog needs to be a working part of the family, to the point where they feel they are abandoning their post if they roam. They also need to have more loyalty to the family "pack" than to any other "pack" they might find. Folks in suburban neighborhoods often think it's "cute" when a bunch of the neighborhood dogs get together and play, but they can too often turn into a potentially dangerous pack through those dynamics.

Summerthyme

[goatlady]

Like I said, Summerthyme, like Kids! Got to check on them periodically ESPECIALLY if things are TOO quiet of they are NOT in sight from a window.

[Beaners]

BUT... many people who "think" their dogs always stay home are actually being fooled. I've seen my neighbor's three- two aussies and a Jack Russell- "packed up" and hunting just like a pack of wolves in our woods. The difference in the attitude and movement of those dogs at those times compared to the "nice, domestic doggy" behavior at his farm was...startling.

We CHECK on ours... when Bandit first began insisting on staying outside to guard every night, I checked him at odd hours for weeks... even setting my alarm for 3 am to sneak out and see where he was. I never once went out where he wasn't either on the back step or the front deck, quietly alert for any danger to the stock or us.


Yes! Lots of people think their dog stays home, but it doesn't.

Kayleigh

[grower]

I think Summerthyme made some really good points. We have 3 dogs. The yellow lab almost never leaves the immediate vicinity of the house (and she's one of those that comes in when it thunders!), but she is incredibly smart and the best dog I've ever had. The little "foxy" dog loves to romp in the bushes and deep grass, but won't leave the yard unless she's with one of her humans. But the Anatolian...she's another case altogether. She too is very intelligent, but these dogs were bred to be independent, protect their "family" (whether 2-legged or 4-legged) and hunt for their own food. Normally she stays around the house, but she will patrol the perimeter of the property once or twice a day (if allowed to be loose) and if she smells an intruder -- usually a deer or raccoon -- she will follow the trail. So, she has to stay on a chain. I walk her once or twice a day.

It depends mainly on (a) what breed the animal is and (b) whether or not there is activity around the homestead on a regular basis. If they get bored, they can get in trouble.

[Little RedRidingHood]

They run inside a ten acre, totally fenced, area around the horse barn. They are always with the horses. I have one who stays with the milk goats at all times.
When we lived in Montana our biggest male left and went down to the neighbors. He refused to let the neighbor out of his house to go to his barn one early morning. The neighbor went back inside for his gun and when he came out my big male was gone. That same day his dad came to visit. His dad noticed that one of the geldings was missing from the herd of 10. They went looking for the horse and found that a cougar had killed it during the night.
That same morning, before I knew about the cougar killing the neighbor's horse, I saw a big cat down at our lower gate to the road. At that same time is when our dog was guarding the neighbor's front porch!
Yes, this breed of dog is use to being on it's own. I've owned and raised them for over 20 years now. I no longer breed for puppies due to the average sheeple people have no understanding of what it takes to control and train this type of guardian dog. I have no patience anymore for idiots that think they can just turn this type of dog loose and hope for the best.
My big male was fine in Montana but down here ... he keeps jumping the fences when anyone walks on the road. So he is now inside the hot fence with the goats that sits inside the cattle panel fence that runs around the whole property. Better safe than sorry!

[firebird]

Sometimes I think dogs are like children - Make the home place nice, comfortable, loving - they NEVER leave! LOL. Basically it's how you interact with the animals, dogs, goats, etc. Spend time with them daily and they have a tendancy to stick around. My 3 never leave the property, seem to find enough "adventure" at home to not get bored and start wandering.

I agree. Our 3 outside dogs rarely leave the property. How much property you have might also be a factor. When they do get out, they are seldome any further than shouting distance. Interaction is definately a key.