Dog took off half my goats ear.... help!

[RemudaOne]

So glad to know she's on the mend . And so glad to hear YOU sound so much happier! These animals are so resilient and it's hard to know who it's more stressful for....them or US . The dog and the goat are both lucky to have you.

 

[bonbean01]

Your dogs are both beautiful...yes..also the offender. Darling little goatie...she'll be fine Thanks for the pics!

 

[Roll farms]

The offender looks to have Malamute in it.......I love, love, LOVE that breed but know better than to get one since they have such a huge prey drive and I have soooo much prey (goats, rabbits, chickens, cavy, prairie dog, etc).

Your wounded doe looks JUST like my doe, Derri.

Glad she's feeling better.

 

[BlondeSquirrel04]

Prey drive and dog aggression have nothing to do with human aggression. They come from different parts of the brain. Keep the dog and let him do what he was meant to do: work.

Hope the goat's ear is on the mend. Poor thing!

 

[redtailgal]

If you are going to keep the dog, why not try some intensive training with him? With just a little behavior modification, the dog will not be such a liability to have around livestock.

Aggression is aggression, it comes in many forms and for many reasons, but MOST dogs can learn to control that aggression. Sure, this is a high prey drive dog, but high prey drive does not mean untrainable.......as a matter of fact, it's my opinion that high drive dogs are smarter and make better dogs when they have a little education.

 

[bonbean01]

RTG that is very good advice! I thought our wild hair streak Crazy Maizey could not be trained at all...but this spring I began with her when I moved the sheep and lambs from one pasture to another and used only my tone of voice with her...of course on a long rope to avoid any injury if it didn't go well. To my amazement, it only took one break from her lie down command and me asking her sternly what it was that she didn't understand about my talk to her...she acted like I'd beaten her (which I have never done...don't believe in that kind of training), and since then she has been awesome. I would never trust her alone with them ever, but am so pleased that she is now an asset and not a liablility when moving the sheep She looks forward to it and I see that with more training I can keep her protection instincts that I value, but also teach when and where to use that. No luck with the chickens yet...will have to work on that

 

[Hillsvale]

We haven't decided what to do with him yet. I didn't want to make any decisions in the heat of the moment.

He was turned over to the vet hospital where I used to work at for attacking a chihuahua.

He was raised on one of the local indian reservations where I have heard they let their dogs go wild like wolves. I wouldn't be surprised if he has wolf in him.

We've had him for almost 4 years now. Problem is that he attacks and kills everything, chickens, rabbits, turkeys, cats, some other dogs, coyotes, and now apparently goats. I didn't think he could get them since they were separated by a fence plus he is on a cable.

He is a REALLY good guard dog though and keeps away all the predators.

Other than than the fact of his 'wild streak' he is an amazingly well behaved dog. He LOVES people and is housebroken, leash, voice command trained etc.

He would need a home where there is NO other animals at all AND would have to be watched around other dogs when walked.

Sorry... be he IS a predator. I get that he is good with people and all but if it is killing livestock you need to remove him from your farm. I hope your girl feels better and you... we had a rescue shepherd that killed young livestock, the day it killed a new born piglet snatched through the fence he went on a leash every time he went outside and we waited for a foster home for him... he was a wonderful people dog as well.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

RTG that is very good advice! I thought our wild hair streak Crazy Maizey could not be trained at all...but this spring I began with her when I moved the sheep and lambs from one pasture to another and used only my tone of voice with her...of course on a long rope to avoid any injury if it didn't go well. To my amazement, it only took one break from her lie down command and me asking her sternly what it was that she didn't understand about my talk to her...she acted like I'd beaten her (which I have never done...don't believe in that kind of training), and since then she has been awesome. I would never trust her alone with them ever, but am so pleased that she is now an asset and not a liablility when moving the sheep She looks forward to it and I see that with more training I can keep her protection instincts that I value, but also teach when and where to use that. No luck with the chickens yet...will have to work on that

I did the same thing with him, as I mentioned I walked the goats by him every day, tone of voice telling him to leave it, we were fine for 6 months, I thought he was being really good... and then when no one was looking early in the morning he grabbed her through the fence.

I don't know what kind of training it would take to break him of it, since he grew up hunting on the indian reservation I have a feeling he can't be "fixed"...

 

[redtailgal]

It's rare to find one that cant be "fixed", even one that grew up hunting like this one has. It's VERY intensive though, and you'd need to do what I call the umbilical method where the dog is physically attached to you by a lead that gets longer and longer as he progresses, or be restrained in a small area when not attached to you. I've used this method on many problem dogs, both fearful and aggressive. I've even used it to "re-program" retired police dogs. Its intensive, but it works.

Only you can decided the "right" thing, either working with him and keeping him, or re-homing with full disclosure or euthanasia. A good rescue may take him, if they have a foster home that can work with his habits. Honestly, if he was on my farm right now.......the right thing for me to do would be to euth him. I dont have the time it would take to educate him and "problem" dogs frequently end up abused when rehomed. Now, this time last year, I would have had the time to work with him and would have done so rather than put him down. Its so different for each person, from farm to farm, etc.

Granted, the dog is a predator, and he is acting on instinct, but the basis of this problem is that he hasnt been taught otherwise. He isnt behaving like just a dog or just a predator, he is behaving like a dog that has no education on these matters. When dealing with dogs, we all realize that it's their instinct to hunt, kill and protect. But its an often forgotten fact that it's also a very strong instinct to please the "master" or leader of the pack. Dogs that chase, hunt and kill, do so because their natural instinct tells them this is what the leader wants them to do, but with a little education that instinct can be molded. Dogs are intensely social animals, and the instinct to please their leader is a much stronger instinct. We just need to show them what they need to do to please us.

If you decide to keep him and work with him, feel free to come to me, if you wish, for some help. We can PM or talk publicly, your choice.

 

[terrilhb]

If you are going to keep the dog, why not try some intensive training with him? With just a little behavior modification, the dog will not be such a liability to have around livestock.

Aggression is aggression, it comes in many forms and for many reasons, but MOST dogs can learn to control that aggression. Sure, this is a high prey drive dog, but high prey drive does not mean untrainable.......as a matter of fact, it's my opinion that high drive dogs are smarter and make better dogs when they have a little education.

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