# SOO angry



## dwbonfire (Feb 6, 2012)

my shepherd who ive had for a couple months now was out in the yard this morning when one of my very nice roosters came through the gate and into the yard. i hear all kinds of commotion out there and go out to find my dog with the rooster pinned down and mauling him. i thought the rooster was dead. i put the shock collar on him after kicking his read end, and wanted him to go back to it so i could fry the living %^&$ out of him, but the rooster was gone! he didnt kill him but he hurt him bad. might have to finish the job i dont know that he will be ok.
i am SO angry at my dog i already contacted the old owner to possibly take him back. i have spent alot of time with this dog already teaching him what not to chase and he has done sooo good while im out there. as soon as i go inside its a new game. i have tried hiding and shocking him without him knowing im out there. apparently he just knows good opportunity because he didnt have his collar on because he was in his yard. the bird came into the yard and they usually dont, but i dont have time for a dog killing my animals. all my animals are in close contact here, and if someones going to be trouble then they are going to be leaving. i want a dog that can be out in the yard and if a bird walks through hes not going to instantly kill it because im not babysitting him, to me thats a useless dog here. i am just so angry because firstly, i was told he was wonderful with all farm animals. they had chickens, goats and horses etc and said he ran free with them all the time. i think that was a story, because instantly he took chase. he was easily corrected with the collar tho so i thought we'd eventually work through it, and i thought for the most part we had.
its also just a heartbreak because i lost my shepherd who was just the most amazing dog. i never had to worry about her out there with anything at all. i just miss her so much and want and need a dog that i can trust with my animals, and now that this happens the sting of losing her just comes to surface. i dont have the money to invest in a LGD, they are not cheap. and i know a great dog is priceless, but i literally dont have the money to spend on one of those breeds. if i did i would surely do it.
i guess this is more of me venting than anything. ugh


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## Mamaboid (Feb 6, 2012)




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## ThreeBoysChicks (Feb 6, 2012)

I understand your frustration.  It is very hard to deal with.  We have retrievers and it took a while, but they now understand that the chickens are off limits.  Sometimes, they forget, but our St. Bernard mix who is the pack leader of our four dogs, does not allow them to harm the chickens.


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## crazyland (Feb 6, 2012)

Your shepherd is a puppy right?
They go thru phases and just because a small puppy ignores them that doesn't mean when they are an adolescent they won't. They have to constantly taught until they are mature. 
Even so my 4 year old shep is not trusted with adolescent birds. Chicks and adults are fine but for some reason adolescent is not. So I have to be very diligent in keeping them cooped at that age.
Your shep may be territorial about the yard and think that any chicken in the yard is fair game but those outside are ok.
I am so sorry he went after the roo.


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## that's*satyrical (Feb 6, 2012)

I'm sorry  We have a lab (bred to be a bird dog!!) that we got before we got the farm animals. I know he would maul them in a heartbeat if he could get to them. I have to be extra careful to make sure the gates are always closed well & he is not able to get loose. I hope you are able to figure something out that works for you & your roo is ok  poor guy.


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## elevan (Feb 6, 2012)

It may not have been a story about him being good with their chickens.  They were his chickens too.  Your chickens are new to him and may be considered "threats".  That doesn't make it feel better I know but I just hope you don't think that the old owners automatically lied to you.

In regards to guardian animals...just keep your eyes and ears open and to the ground as sometimes things just fall into your lap.  I went to pick up 3 goats last year and saw that they had several llamas who the husband was getting very upset with, so I inquired as to whether they ever sell any.  She told me to take my pick for $100.  I was back the next weekend to get Jerry.  My hope was that he would be a guard and at first he was just a scaredy cat...but when Maggie (goat) was born all that changed.  He's now a wonderful guard of the goats and the chickens.  To be honest the neighbor dog charged the fence the other day and was being faced off on our side by Jerry, Jack (the shetland / mini cross horse) and T-Bone (our calf)....it was a dynamic trio.

I do completely agree with you about not keeping animals that will kill another especially if you don't have complete time and patience to train it out of them.  And some just will not lose the prey drive ever.

Best of luck to you.


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## Beekissed (Feb 6, 2012)

I agree.  Puppy or not, an animal that doesn't recognize your pack leadership, even when you are not in the immediate vicinity, is one you cannot trust...ever.  I had acquired a couple of pups, mixed breeds, to take the place of my GP/mix girl that had to be put down.  

They were sweet...but did not respond to any of the normal corrections and cues that I give my dogs about property and animals.  After a time of giving them chances...and losing two of  my oldest and dearest hens in a _horrible_ way(something that _just doesn't happen_ in my world)...I decided to shoot them.  

Yeah, I could have passed them on to a shelter or other family, but why pass on the grief? There are many, many intelligent, loyal, capable dogs in the world, why let the ones that aren't live and take up valuable resources?  

My sister has one of the sibs of the two I eliminated and she has invested time, money and extensive training into their litter mate and still has a dog that is wildly uncontrollable, cannot be trusted around chickens or even humans, is horribly destructive and is a waste of food, time and money.  Oh, they love her to pieces, despite all the trouble she has brought....but all the neighbors, their family, chickens and other dogs hate the dickens out of her.


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## redtailgal (Feb 6, 2012)

That bites.

I agree with you DW.  The dog should go.  But, be nice, his previous owners may not have told you a story.  He could have very well done fine on their farm.

The right dog will come along.


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## dwbonfire (Feb 6, 2012)

thanks everyone. its a tough call to make. after i simmered down for the day i feel even worse for just giving up on him right away. at this point im not sure what to do. hes a great dog and i hate when dogs get bounced around from home to home. we really started to bond a few weeks ago, then i got my foster dogs in. i should have never gotten into fostering until i had my dog much longer. he was still fairly new here and then all of a sudden theres two new, and CRAZY dogs here. i bit off more than i could chew. i love to help out and foster but i think we need some more time to work with him and get him settled so he knows his place here. theres an equal amount of pros and cons about this dog. hes very friendly and good natured, listens pretty well, very tolerant of other dogs, and just a happy go lucky kind of guy. for cons, hes not protective like i had hoped. though hes still on the new side here, i think i would have seen signs by now that he'd be protective, and i havent. thats a big fault in my eyes, i want a guard dog, not a dog who will welcome anyone into my yard. the other cons are that he takes advantage of when im not in sight. thats a big no no.
i know shepherds as a rule have a high prey drive. hes really not as bad as some i have seen. one of my fosters is relentless when she sees cats or my chickens. its awful, shes leaving sunday. hes not that way, but hes a sneak which i found out today. he also chased my calf and sheep one day as soon as i ran inside for something. so hes shown that he cant be trusted. i havent had a good opportunity to zap him while hidden, so i need to do that. i should have gotten a puppy to raise up with all the animals here, i think that would have been my best bet but i wanted to avoid the puppy stuff :/ so i stumbled apon him. i also wanted a female because in my experience, i prefer a female dog. no offense to anyone with males, there are many many good male dogs. i got him because of his experience with all the farm animals so i thought i got lucky, no puppy stuff (hes 18 months old by the way) and a dog already exposed to all the animals i have here. now im kind of kicking myself i didnt wait and look around more for a 6 month old female or something in that range.
i found puppies not too far away for a very reasonable price. they are purebred, both parents are registered CKC. i have no experience with ckc registry. if i want to get papers with the pup i have to pay $50 more, which still ends up very reasonable for a papered shepherd. all the pups are females, and the father is a very protective dog, and the mother is a 'big baby'. i asked about the temperaments of the pups so far (they are 8 weeks) and she said one of them is very bold and barks at people already, one is skittish and hides, and one is friendly and comes right up to be petted. im thinking id want the one that is bold and barks, but im also wondering if that might be a sign of too much aggression already. i wouldnt want the one that hides, i dont want a fearful dog. the friendly one might be more like the mother dog and be too welcoming to people. i guess i will just have to see when i meet them. i guess its a gamble no matter how i go about it. i just think if i expose a pup that young to the cats, chickens and everything else around here that ill have a better shot at a trustworthy dog.
im not entirely sure i want to rush and get a puppy, but they wont last long at that price and id need to make a decision tomorrow.. so i guess the big question is, should i work with my dog and not get one of these pups, or should i get one while the getting is good and try working with my dog along with having the pup and see how things go... decisions decisions.


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## crazyland (Feb 7, 2012)

I would never buy ckc registered dogs unless they were Canadian kennel club. The continental kennel club is for back yard breeders and puppy mills, they also allow mutts to be registered. 
The local gsd rescue has many puppies right now, I would rather invest in them. They are fully vetted and temperament tested. 
Not all gsd's have a strong protective nature. One of mine is very protective of the property and the other is just aloof.


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## dwbonfire (Feb 7, 2012)

hmm i didnt know there was a continental kennel club. i assumed it was canadian kennel club.
i foster dogs for a shepherd rescue but after fostering some i see how unattached they are. they have been bounced around and usually hard to handle. i honestly dont have time for all that, and for exposing an adult dog to my livestock because again, as a rule more shepherds would probably _not_ be ok with small livestock than those that are, unless raised with them. id be right back to the same situation i am in with my current dog. i really need to raise a young pup with all i have going on here. also, the adoption fee is not cheap, granted they come with shots and whatnot but im not sure how i feel about being locked into contract that i have to sterilize my dog by a certain age or it could be taken back. if im going to spend that kind of money for a pup i want to get papers with it and also be able to do what i want with the dog, i dont mean to sound rude toward the org. because they have been great to work with and are doing great things for all these gsd's in need but its just how we feel about the situation.


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## crazyland (Feb 7, 2012)

I understand you.  
Maybe a different breed? I know how attached we are to the breed though.


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## secuono (Feb 7, 2012)

My 15lbs dog kills everything and anything she possibly is able to. I just want to throw her under a speeding truck! But her love of people and totally chilled out nature is such a huge difference from my psychotic 85lbs dog that I keep her. I'm always adding to the height of the dog yard fence and trying to close all gaps the stupid birds go through to get mauled. My dog pins them down, plucks them and then rips out small mouthfuls of chicken until it reaches bone or goes straight through the bird. They die from stress, pain, blood loss or sometimes if I catch her before she gets into muscle, then they possibly survive. I've stopped separating chickens because they get depressed, stressed and don't want to battle w/e they have and live. Best, for me at least, is to treat them and toss them back with the flock.


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## Beekissed (Feb 7, 2012)

Maybe a Lab?  There are plenty and they are cheap.  I've had the most fantastic success with Labs and lab/mix dogs!  They are the only breed I've never regretted owning~I call them the Cadillac of Dogs, as training them is such a smooth ride!  

The first I got at 4 years of age, yellow lab, fully trained and the best dog I've ever known in my life.  The owner had got him from the pound and didn't want to have to feed and water a big dog, so I got him.  Best dog around livestock, children, house broken and guarded the property and animals like no other.  Loyal, dependable, trustworthy, lovable.  

The second I got when she was 2.  The owner had acquired her at the pound when she was 1 yr. old, chained her on a 5 ft. chain to a dog house for a year and finally moved away and left her there.  She was fully trained, beautiful, sweet, the best livestock dog, house broken and the second best dog I've ever known.  Loyal, dependable,lovable...never gave me an ounce of worry.  

I got the third one as a companion to Dog #2.  He was a pup and everything he needed to know he learned inside of 20 min. and he knows a lot!  Trained him on chickens in 20 mins and for the last five years he has been the third best dog I've ever known.  Only barks when necessary, good with kids, great with all animals, healthy to the max, housetrained, obedient, loyal, loving.  He's so easy to train~even as a mature dog~ and responds with lightning speed to commands.

All of these were from homes where they were pretty much neglected, poorly cared for and in need of a good forever home.  I haven't regretted one single day of their life with me and the next one will probably be a Lab too.


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## KinderKorner (Feb 7, 2012)

I know your pain. :/

My beloved childhood dog died years ago and I lost interest in dogs ever since. About 3 years ago I finally agreed that we needed to get a dog to protect our farm because we were loosing chickens.

We looked around and finally picked a great pry. puppy that was 1/4 or 1/8 lab. She was beautiful, she had ice blue eyes.

I picked her because she was the most calm of all the puppies.

I started her young and tried to teach her. But no matter what she would jump on people, chase animals, dig holes. She would never come to her name, and she ignored no.

I'm pretty good with working with animals, my first dog did all sorts of tricks. I have goats, horses, chickens, and a pig that does tricks. But for some reason this dog just would not listen. She didn't have any sense, and I knew she would never be able to be trusted alone with the animals. She was a wild child. 

I know LGD are harder to train, but I kept her for a year and she didn't get any better. I should have kept her longer, but I was busy and it just wasn't worth it. I won't have a dog that won't even come to it's name. 

She went to a nice family with lots of kids and no animals where she can run and play like she wants to. 

She is still there and they love her. She takes care of "her children." 

I'm sure I will get another dog sometime. But not soon. I won't get one until I'm sure I can devote a LOT of time to it. I also think I will get a german shepherd or a shepherd mix. I love aussies but I think they would be too active and herding for being a protector.

Maybe a few years down the road. 


Unlike the above poster I HATE labs. I've never seen one I like. Sorry. I know they are America's favorite dog or whatever. But everyone I've ever seen has been dumb as a rock. They are crazy as puppies too. Can't stand them.

My poodle was ugly. But he was the smartest dog I've ever seen. I won't ever get another one though.

I like calm dogs the best, but they have to be smart. There is nothing that annoys me more than going to someone's house and their 100+ pound dog is jumping on you and licking your face and barking. It's just like bratty children to me. lol


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## Beekissed (Feb 7, 2012)

I agree!  I find it very rude but people seem to think it's cute.  I often wonder if my kids did that to them if they would think it was cute...can you see big teenage boys jumping up against a visitor, licking his face and putting his muddy feet on his clothing, scratching his skin with toenails and then finishing off by getting personal with his leg? 

Isn't so cute after all, even if folks consider their dogs their "kids"....  :/


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## KinderKorner (Feb 7, 2012)

Beekissed said:
			
		

> I agree!  I find it very rude but people seem to think it's cute.  I often wonder if my kids did that to them if they would think it was cute...can you see big teenage boys jumping up against a visitor, licking his face and putting his muddy feet on his clothing, scratching his skin with toenails and then finishing off by getting personal with his leg?
> 
> Isn't so cute after all, even if folks consider their dogs their "kids"....  :/




Amen!

I would never let anything, animals or human do that to visitors. 

I'm sorry but If i'm dressed up and at someones house, I really don't appeciate your big shedding dog that has been out in the rain, rubbing it's stink all over me, and snagging my favorite shirt with its claws, thank you.


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## BrownSheep (Feb 7, 2012)

My st Bernard will kill a chicken if it goes in her pen but doesn't even look at them out side the pen.  Personally the strays that show up at our house actually turn out to be great dogs. I think it is because theyre just so grateful to have a home. Try the pound they always have plenty and a great selection.


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