Killing critters.....

• 07-04-2008 7:50 AM

  sillysally Joined on 09-10-2007 Indiana Posts 3,376 Points 0

  Killing critters..... Reply Contact We have had Sally for a little over 3 years now, and got her as a 1 yr old.  She has always had a decent prey drive and tried to chase small, furry critters.  however, I have never considered it an extreme drive because she lives peacefully with our indoor kitties and has since we got her.  Occasionally she will chase them if they go streaking by her, but it's just a sudden burst and she leaves them alone, and even that is rare as she has gotten older.  Our cats actually feel more comfortable around her than Jack, who has less of a prey drive. Anyhoo, in the last couple of months she seems to have taken critter chasing to a new level.  Last month she killed 4 birds in 2 days.  She kept bringing dead birds to the door and since she has never done that before (and because we live close to neighbors with kids that we thought might be shotting the birds with a BB gun) were not sure that she was killing them.  DH sat outside one day with her and watched her.  He said that when she heard bird noises in the back of the yard she ran back there and he heard a noise that he said sounded like a bird being sqweezed and she marched out of the trees with a dead bird that she deposited in front of him.  After those 4 birds there were no more dead critters...until 2 days ago. I was sitting on my porch transplanting and it was late--late enough to be dark.  She and Jack were putzing around in the yard and all of the sudden Sally marches up the steps with a dead raccoon!  It looked like it was not quite a full grown one yet, but it was not small either.  She just dropped it on the stairs.  It was very dead and DH examined it and said that there was just saliva around its middle (were she was holding it) and blood coming out of its nose and mouth.  i think she might have shook it because there were little droplets of blood on her side that I don't think were hers. Is there anything I can do to stop her from doing this?  I realize that it is natural instinct (and she is doing it inside our own fenced yard), but I'd prefer that she didn't kill stuff if possible.  She doesn't seem to have any behavior issues directly associated with the hunting--she is more than happy to give up the prey to us and doesn't seem agitated afterwards (although with the first bird she did lay into Jack for trying take it--since then he does not mess with her when she has something dead).  IDK, it doesn't seem to bother DH and my mom wants to hire Sally to get rid of the raccoon that keeps pooping on their porch--I would just prefer that my dogs not kill things.....   "Some men aren't looking for anything logical. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn."

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• 07-04-2008 9:19 AM

  In reply to sillysally

  mrv Joined on 09-10-2007 west central OH Posts 2,658 Points 745

  Re: Killing critters..... Reply Contact No you can not stop this behavior, you can only manage it.  If you allow her loose in the yard and when  a specific distance (which you determine what that distance is) has passed, prey drive will kick in and take over.  You can train responsiveness to your commands, especially a "stop" movement command.  It will get better but a drop in your vigilance and an opportunity she will do it again.   Some dogs are just very prey driven until the day they die.

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• 07-04-2008 9:41 AM

  In reply to sillysally

  The V.I.P.'S Very Important Poodles Joined on 11-22-2007 Indiana Posts 63 Points 145

  Re: Killing critters..... Reply Contact SillySally This is kind of a funny thing I guess. Tisha our pet poodle has the same problem as Dijon is not interested in small anminals. Dijon may get aggressive with other dogs at times but is not interested in killing things. Now on the other hand Tisha which is soo friendly and loving gets along with all other dogs loves everybody and if a aggressive dog is around she will come to my side and hide. Now this same dog can catch a bird as fast as lighting will kill any small animal that wonders into her fenced in area and goes ballistic if she sees small animals outside the fence. At Petco or Petsmart she goes crazy watching the little critters in the cages. I have a video I  will post later to show how insane she gets. I see you are in Indiana also where abouts are you I am in Bloomingtin I would also like to see a picture of your dog. As far as doing anything about the killer instincts the best advice I can give, is to keep them in a fenced yard if a small animal wanders in the yard all well but I would never punish my dog for what comes natural to them. I would never let my dog hurt anybodys pet or any person or any children but I still want my dog to be a dog all though my dogs are not called dogs as we do not have any children we treat our dos as children and tell Tisha when she kills we go YUCK to her. I just wanted to let you know that there are other dogs out there that do the same thing and Tisha is not my first dog to display this killing thing. Chris the Poodle Daddy.. All doGs make the best people..       MS Tisha Lynn; Sir Elton Dijon

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• 07-04-2008 10:57 AM

  In reply to sillysally

  Ado Joined on 01-10-2008 Posts 131 Points 110

  Re: Killing critters..... Reply Contact Hi; I have very high drive dogs, dogs that have also had their prey drives encouraged by hunting.  Having said that, they can be trained to have an 'off', that is very effective. I trained the 'off', with positive reinforcements.  The only thing I have concerns about is very small children that squeal, it is a sound that is very much like a wounded animal, my dogs do respond it.  Not to the point of focusing on the child or person making that sound and they have never responded to the point of attacking or bitting.  But at that time, I 'off' them quickly and either remove them or at the very least put a leash on them. I had an agility student that as a grown woman could make the most terrible sounds with a high pitch to get her dogs excited, of course her dogs would lose their minds and couldn't focus on the tasks at hand.  I had to keep her from doing this, not only because of the effect that it had on her dogs, but on my dogs and other students dogs as well.  This same person causes problems for the same reasons at their flyball team from what I have been told, the sounds combined with her violent tugging sends the most calm non prey drive dogs over the top.

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• 07-07-2008 3:08 PM

  In reply to Ado

  AuroraLove Joined on 11-26-2007 Posts 1,072 Points 330

  Re: Killing critters..... Reply Contact Oh Sally.....I'm sure in your head your doing your job, LOL.....keeping the yard free of critters but it drives your mama crazy! Maybe its the season because Primo has been jumping in the air trying to catch birds.....which is quite hilarious since he is the slowest moving, most lethargic dog I've ever met. But where on earth did she get the racoon in your yard?

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