Lambs good for training pups
Lambing is looming closer and if you have a young dog that isn’t showing much enthusiasm for sheep take advantage of the window of opportunity this season offers.
The two most powerful instincts are reproduction and finding food, which in the case of dogs means killing to eat. If we feed our dogs well and teach them to work stock rather than killing them, disaster should be avoided, but things can go wrong.
Young dogs have energy to burn and they get bored very quickly, so unless they are exhausted don’t expect them to hang around. A dog can go a long way in five minutes. Tie them up if you are going to leave them unattended; it is better to be safe than sorry.
In my friend’s case both his dogs went for a wee wander. On its own the young trained dog may not have gone awry; it had been learning only to work stock when allowed; but the Huntaway pup would have chased after the sheep playfully and his Heading dog mate instinctively joined in. No one was there to stop them.
The sheep would have split up and one would have been chased until it was bailed up. Playful nips would quickly turn sinister as millions of years of survival instinct crazed the young dog’s brains. In the wild the dogs would have fed on the carcass, and only hunted again when hungry, but well fed domestic dogs tend to not eat but go looking for another animal to chase. It’s why you will find more than one sheep mauled when dogs get a taste of fresh warm blood. They don’t kill for survival; they torture for fun.
Once this happens you can never trust that dog again, never ever! It doesn’t matter how much you beat it, electrocute it, set it up and try to teach it not to kill. It has tasted fresh blood and the thrill of the chase, and every killing instinct overrides our years of breeding and training. The dog is not to blame. Mother Nature is the culprit.
It’s possible to teach the dog not to attack when you are in eyesight, and the dog won’t kill without an opportunity. If he works on clear flat to rolling country, he is never worked out of your sight and he is always tied up when not working, it may never occur again.
But picture a couple of scenarios... ‘The killer’s’ chain broke or the kennel door wasn’t closed properly and he is loose. In no time at all he will go off on a killing spree and he won’t stop at one, believe me.
Alternativley, at docking you are taking a mob of ewes and lambs through a gate. A lamb bolts from the mob and ‘the killer’ fails to stop it so takes off after it. Perhaps another dog joins the chase. If you leave the mob you’ll loose the lot. By the time you are able to catch up with the dog the lamb is dead and maybe others elsewhere.
If you are employed on a farm, what will your boss say about your dog killing his sheep? If they are your sheep is it ok for this to happen? And if another dog joins in the fun you will have two sheep worriers. Best not to let it happen in the first place.
• Anna Holland is teaching people dog training. For more information www.annaholland.co.nz or Ph 06) 212 4848 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
