poodlefan Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Things have gone from bad to worse.Yesterday D killed a pet duck - not totally his fault, not sure what exactly happened, but D managed to get hold of it and dragged Drakey into his yard and was munching when I got home from work. I think we only have one option left and it's not something I want to do, but to keep my other pets safe, i think it's now time to PTS - as much as it hurts me to say it.... I need to put my other animals first ;) RIP Drakey. Pure prey drive. Perfectly natural canine behaviour. If you need to put other animals first then I'd be looking to how they're contained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Pure prey drive. Perfectly natural canine behaviour. especially, as D is now 'in solitary' ,effectively ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Pure prey drive. Perfectly natural canine behaviour. If you need to put other animals first then I'd be looking to how they're contained. I agree, any one of my dogs would kill a small prey animal if it got a chance, ducks included. My old bitch will kill a possum in ten seconds if she catches one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everythings Shiny Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 Our ducks have very good containment fencing as another dog is a killer as well. D wasn't happy with me taking the body this time (other times he's though of it as a game) The ducks (hopefully) can't get as close to his yard now, we've put some barriers up around the area we think he got Drakey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnoPaws Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 (edited) I agree, I live with a breed with an extremely high prey drive. I have no advice but I know how you feel. I had a seven year heeler that suddenly became aggressive. ;) to you ES ;) Edited February 9, 2011 by SnoPaws Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everythings Shiny Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 Thanks guys. I had a talk to his vet this morning, who knows him and me extremely well. He's advised me I need to think seriously about what to do with him as it's not just physically that he's hurting me and the other animals, he's also bringing us down mentally and it's not fair to him as I am starting to hate the dog he is becoming. I'm just very lost on what to do atm as I do love him, but I need to put the rest of the animals mental and physical well-being first.... not a decision I want to rush into though ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dee lee Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I really feel for you. ;) Living with a dog that requires such a high degree of management is extremely hard emotionally. Comes a time when you have to ask who is benefiting from it and if it wouldn't be kindest to say goodbye. Hugs. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keira&Phoenix Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Hi Everything Shiny, Just looking through some of your old topics and I notice that you had one about Diesel possibly having cancer due to an irregularity in his blood test, I realise that you afterwards got several clear blood results back but seems like a large coincidence that he had a test come back with irregularities that pointed to cancer around the same time he started to get a little bit aggressive....maybe there is something that is not showing up on the blood tests currently... Whatever you decide to do it will be in the best interested of Diesel and your family (skin and fur) Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I don't know that killing is a duck is aggression though? My dogs killed my rabbits but I don't blame the dogs, I blame myself (and the bunnies for digging out!). They are not aggressive dogs, in the same way a cat killing a bird is not aggressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 (edited) oops Edited February 9, 2011 by Kirty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Having a grumpy dog is a challenge because they're unpredictable. It can be tiring. I think what you need to do is ask yourself whether you want to be super vigilant and hyperaware at all times of his behaviour, the other animals' behaviour, and if you're going to be able to manage it. Can you predict his reactions, for instance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 No further suggestions - but I think you said earlier he was quite keen on the fowl? So killing the duck is nothing new. I've had some lovely dogs (including a wonderful cocker girl) who were instant death to ducks or chooks. This is general information and wont be much use to you ..... I have read a few studies which have concluded that desexing male dogs does lead to an increase of aggression. This is out of sync with bite stats recording etc - but I think it is valid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gayle. Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Benson killed a 6 week old chicken a few weeks ago, my fault because I didn't realise it had escaped it's run before letting the dogs in the gate, I simply didn't see it in the long grass. But Benson did and he picked it up in his mouth, I told him to drop it and he did but it was too late, poor chickie was gone. And I have no illusions that he'd kill the rest given half a chance, he is way too interested in them. It's up to me to be more vigilant. Benson is however, the nicest, friendliest dog ever. He just likes chasing chooks and likes the squawking noise they make when he catches them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 I wouldn't put any chickens or ducks in with dogs unless they were specific guardian breeds, trained to mind them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gayle. Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 My girls have started herding the chooks for me, they are amazing.....they just seem to get it that they have to be quiet and calm and they round up the escapees and put them back in the run for me. Benson, on the other hand, charges at them barking, ears flapping, tongue hanging out looking like a big idiot, the chooks run and squawk and he chases them and it's self rewarding behaviour. Which is why he never gets near the chooks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozzie Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I wouldn't put any chickens or ducks in with dogs unless they were specific guardian breeds, trained to mind them. Our chooks free range with no threat from the dogs. Dogs include terriers, retriever and shepherd. Chooks quite happily peck around sleeping dogs and dogs pay no heed. The shepherd is scared of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Baggins Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 My girls have started herding the chooks for me, they are amazing.....they just seem to get it that they have to be quiet and calm and they round up the escapees and put them back in the run for me. Benson, on the other hand, charges at them barking, ears flapping, tongue hanging out looking like a big idiot, the chooks run and squawk and he chases them and it's self rewarding behaviour.Which is why he never gets near the chooks. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Baggins Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 ES big Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizT Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 This is a very sad situation. I had a similar problem with a mare of mine (who I'd owned since broken in at 3 years old) she went from being a sweetie to dangerously agressive. I spent two years trying to "put her right" a long story which involved Vets, tests, herbs, animal behaviour experts etc. etc. Finally when she viciously attacked my daughter who was 12 at the time (the mare was now 13, I had been going to breed her but decided I couldn't because of this problem) I arranged for her to be PTS. I had no other choice really, sure I had made the decision that only I would handle her and did so but my daughter had gone into the paddock and was patting her, commenting on how improved her disposition was after a course of herbs when BANG...mare ran at her after she had begun walking away, picked her up, shook her and threw her to the ground, reared up and as I came running, waving my arms yelling and screaming at the mare she spun around, just not landing on my daughter as it appeared she would do and took off up the paddock. I had given it my best shot. This kind of thing happens with animals quite often and sometime we have no idea of why really. Kind of coins the phrase "She went mad and we shot her". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animalia Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Maybe as his is getting older the hierarchy in the pack is changing??? This happened with my 3 dogs when they hit a certain age, all 3 had lived together for years together with no fights and then all of a sudden all hell broke loose between my bull terrier and the maltese. The maltese started to tell the bull terrier off and my bully taught the Maltese a few lessons (which cost the maltese an eye). They all still stayed together supervised with no problems but I didn't leave them together by themselves. A few weeks later my bully was diagnosed with an advanced terminal tumour in her bladder, I have a feeling that this is why things started to change in the hierarchy as the maltese new my bully was sick, my bully died not much longer after being diagnosed. I wouldn't worry that he killed the duck, just make sure he can't get to them. As far as D and your female dog goes, I just want to know what you did when D bit the female dog on the face when she came home after being desexed? Often I hear of people telling off the dominant dog for doing something like that and then reassuring the other dog, this can make things worse in their hierarchy. Another story (sorry)- I looked after a male corgi at a boarding kennel I once worked at, this corgi had been coming for around 3-4 years. Then the owner bought a new female corgi to be friends with her male and they got on like a house on fire and often boarded with us. One particular time a new staff member fell in love with the female corgi and gave her a lot of attention whilst at our facility, the dogs eventually went home. However the next day I got a call from a distraught owner saying that her male corgi was attacking the female corgi, the only reason that I could think of why was because the other staff member had spoilt the female. So I told the owner that she was spoilt and maybe this has disrupted the hierarchy so make sure that the male corgi is fed first, patted first, pretty much the male comes first. Once the lady did this the male never bit the female corgi again and they went back to loving each other. I would rule out anything medical and then if his fighting fit, you should be able to curb this unwanted behaviour with the help of the behaviourist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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