[Closed] Sheep worrying idiocy

perhaps she's related to the woman last week who, when her ferocious (and off the lead) Alsatian was giving it all that, told me 'he's more scared of you than you are of him'. Was it ****. 10 seconds later she had to bellow at it again to stop when it ran round behind and sprinted towards me like it was about to attack. Sigh.

I have a dog. Frequently he digs, jumps, sniffs, wees, poos and runs maniacally across land upon which sheep doth graze. In 10 years he hasn't worried a single ram, ewe or cuddly little lamb.

Are you sure you're not being a bit Won't Somebody Think Of The Children?

Sheep psychologist ^

Regardless of how lovely your dog is, to the sheep it is a predator running loose in their home. Any respect for any other creatures than Cuddles?

I have a dog. Frequently he digs, jumps, sniffs, wees, poos and runs maniacally across land upon which sheep doth graze. In 10 years he hasn't worried a single ram, ewe or cuddly little lamb.

😡 I have a dog too and she frequently digs, jumps, sniffs, wees, poos and runs maniacally across land but if there's sheep in a field i still put her on a lead regardless...always better safe than sorry

Mrmonk 🙄

I have a dog. Frequently he digs, jumps, sniffs, wees, poos and runs maniacally across land upon which sheep doth graze. In 10 years he hasn't worried a single ram, ewe or cuddly little lamb.

When the sheep see him running through the fields they see a predator. The worry can cause them to miscarry or abadon the lambs.

^ +1

Are you sure you're not being a bit Won't Somebody Think Of The Children

Are you sure you are not being a bit stupid?

Even if your dog doesn't attack the flock it can cause them to panic, run into fences, rivers all sorts, it is someone's livelihood you are being cavalier with.

My dog is completely ambivalent about sheep, doesn't give them a second glance. We ALWAYS put him on a short lead in fields containing them though, and if we are walking close to fields with lambs and their mums in. Not worth the risk. Plus, I'd hate someone to see me with him off the lead & use that as an excuse to leave their dog uncontrolled.
Anyone who leaves their dog off lead around sheep deserves to be shot. Their dogs could then be refhomed with owners who have some sort of clue how to behave with basic decency.

I had a lamb trot upto my fairly big dog before and try and get milk out of it, deffo surprised my dog.
He was a farm dog so didn't give a shit about sheep normally.

Apparently a good few dogs up here have been shot by farmers in the last few years. I'm told the stress caused to a pregnant ewe can cause them to abort unborn lambs.

I live on the edge of open hill grazing in the Brecon Beacons and have always been wary about dogs mixing with sheep. Once, when young, Willow ran off and I genuinely thought that i'd find her shot by a farmer. She was penned into the corner by an old ewe who (fortunately) scared her silly. Willow has been great ever since but I always have her on a lead if sheep are anywhere nearby.

I guess I don't need to point out the stupidity of the third post then!

Big problem in the peak district at the moment with a few lambs being reportedly killed recently.

Only yesterday I was running up kinder and watched a spaniel trying to round up some ewes while the two owners blew on a whistle and flapped their arms around with absolutely no effect. Apparently the dog has a 100% recall normally after speaking to them!

My dogs are trained to the nth degree regarding sheep and wont go near them but I would always put them on a lead in a farmers field I don't know or on moorland where there are sheep.

When the sheep see him running through the fields they see a predator. The worry can cause them to miscarry or abadon the lambs.

Sheep will either run from a dog or not they wont wait to see if its on a lead and then decide

Anyone who leaves their dog off lead around sheep deserves to be shot.

If you want to see real aggression watch a sheepdog they dont mind nipping sheep that are reluctant to move

I never walked my dog on a lead when I lived on the sheep farm as she ignored them at all times but i shall leave this debate to the experts

As for stress causing loss IME every time a ewe lost a lamb a farmer blamed a dog for it or a loud party [ estate about 1/2 mile away, or car exhausts or well anything really but it was certainly someones fault bit like when foot and mouth was about

Having lived on a sheep farm its amusing to read townies descriptions of them and what could happen.
Sheep will either run from a dog or not they wont wait to see if its on a lead and then decide

I'm from many of a generation of sheep farming. 🙄

I just have a sheep farming uncle, no direct line I'm afraid, sorry.

Having lived on a sheep farm its amusing to read townies descriptions of them and what could happen.

I once lived on a Council estate, but I don't know the first thing about running a Council 😉

[quote=Junkyard]Having lived on a sheep farm its amusing to read townies descriptions of them and what could happen.At least davidtaylforth is funny when he trolls. 😆

At least davidtaylforth is funny when he trolls.

He's also better at pickig his target.

The BIL shot two Dogs worrying his Sheep in their fields last year.

It caused hellish angst with both Dog owners and Police (because the owners called the Police) and the BIL, but the Police backed him up and the owners of the Dogs have tried to bring a Civil case against him, so now the NFU have got involved to help out legally, still not settled. It's been a sorry nightmare on the BIL's front, but the first Dog that he shot did attack two sheep which the BIL was in his tractor a short distance from the farm, took him a while to try to get rid of the Dog before he ran into the Farm to get his Rabbit Gun... He did try to get hold of the owner but they'd continued walking and were a field away so couldn't shout loud enough to them. The second Dog was a lurcher of all things, walked calmly into the Farm Lambing Shed and grabbed a newborn and ran down the Field with it..

We've had the Farm in the family for centuries, no one can remember the last time any Dog attacked any of the Farm animals, just so happened last year two in the space of three months.

I'm not apportioning blame, I do wish Dog Owners would understand that essentially Dogs are capable of causing harm and distress to Farm animals..whether the Dog thinks it's playing with them or actually attacking them.

I live in an agricultural area, and am a dog owner. Quite right that they should be under close control on leads anywhere near livestock [i]no matter how friendly the mutt is[/i] (unless you are being threatened by overly curious / aggressive cows, whereby the advice is to let the dog off the lead - no livestock is worth a human getting trampled).

OP, not saying the dog owners was anything but a dumb shit but if the sheep were grazing away I doubt they were bothered.

Doris, this out of control forocious alsation sounds awful, how bad were your wounds? Or are we just talking about a poorly behaved dog with an idiot owner?

Lot of hand wringing on this thread.

Dog was a lurcher of all things

So sad to hear dogs sufferring due to idiot owners..dont trust my lurcher within 1km of anything likely to run away.

Also... you're being asked (hopefully politely) to put your dog on a lead whilst in the field with sheep and lambs. Why the indignation? It's a pretty minor request and failure to comply can have major consequences. The affront that this type of request usually brings speaks volumes about the type of dog owner you are and you as a person. The dog and/or livestock have very little part to play in this senario.

It's a sad fact that fewer and fewer people have any meaningful contact with livestock, the countryside, farming, and any understanding of their impact on it. Mostly, they just go somewhere convienient to employ the dog, walk for 15 mins and back to the car. 'Nature'. 🙄

Read 'A shepherds life' and get a rather good insight a hill farmers thoughts on dogs near his sheep.

Cracking read.

Chatsworth Estate have lost one lamb and had others injured this week. Put out a Facebook request to keep dogs on leads.

I have no problem with out of control dogs being shot by farmers. The owners deserve something similar for being so ****ing ignorant around livestock.

As above it might not look like it to the casual observer but a dog running around stresses them out a lot, to the point if they are pregnant they can miscarry.

Besides, not your field and not your sheep so have the decency to respect the farmer's request, plenty of places to play fetch away from livestock.

I was on the brother-in-law's sheep farm this weekend. We watched an out of control dog worry a small flock from one end of a field to the other. Three ewes dropped from stress, I don't know if any aborted. THere was no dog owner to be seen, & the dog cleared off after the first warning shot.
The thing was a lurcher cross, & could run faster than we could so couldn't be caught on foot.
Anyone who thinks that Fido could never be naughty, needs to know that they should always be on a lead near livestock.

wot, no "fenton" video ? 🙁

Besides, not your field and not your sheep so have the decency to respect the farmer's request, plenty of places to play fetch away from livestock.

This, simple. It's another bit of the countryside code. If you can't abide by the sensible request of a farmer then stay away.

But...here's a question (from someone who grew up in the countryside & around farms) Can a sheep tell the difference between 'their' sheepdog & an errant runaround hound? Genuine question.

Nice bit of Noakes there Drac..

Can a sheep tell the difference between 'their' sheepdog & an errant runaround hound? Genuine question.

IME sheep are as thick as mud, until the opportunity for escape, access to food or the one of the farm dogs appears. At which point it's just like an episode of Shaun the Sheep combined with the Great Escape....

Read 'A shepherds life' and get a rather good insight a hill farmers thoughts on dogs near his sheep.

This is definitely recommended. Even if you don't need to learn how to own a dog.

Chatsworth Estate have lost one lamb and had others injured this week. Put out a Facebook request to keep dogs on leads.

I'm sure they lose more to the busy B road they can't be arsed to fence off 🙄

My family are farmers and they have shot dogs off leads near their sheep. A field of dumb prey against and cleverer carnivore that isn't used to them is a stupid idea. Throats can get ripped out. A sheep can cost £80 plus.

Similarly I know people, including farmers whose dogs have escaped, who have had their dogs shot. It's not nice for them or the farmer, so it's not worth the risk.

Can a sheep tell the difference between 'their' sheepdog & an errant runaround hound? Genuine question.

Not really but they sheepdog is highly trained and controlled not running around at random.

They may get familiar with the dog though and the routine, you can open certain gates and they will heard themselves out to where they need to be, not efficently as cows though.

Nice bit of Noakes there Drac..

I was looking for an animated one that use to be on.

mrmonkfinger - Member
I have a dog. Frequently he digs, jumps, sniffs, wees, poos and runs maniacally across land upon which sheep doth graze. In 10 years he hasn't worried a single ram, ewe or cuddly little lamb.

Are you sure you're not being a bit Won't Somebody Think Of The Children?

I'm sure they lose more to the busy B road they can't be arsed to fence off

Lol. Bog standard Agri-thrift; first to moan, last to spend.

EDIT: And if the situation were reversed and one of their errant lambs caused a traffic accident? A dog owner would be taken through the mill in that scenario. Farmer?

2nd EDIT: . . . and they are sure as hell gonna have to pay for their own fencing in future (now that they've 'voted' against their EU subsidies. 🙄 ).

Can a sheep tell the difference between 'their' sheepdog & an errant runaround hound? Genuine question.

Not their sheep dog, but a trained sheep dog rounds them up not just run at them, the sheep certainly react differently.

I suggest you take it through a field with a herd of cattle and their calves, and then see what happens.
I hope you can run. Very fast.
Because the end result of your crass stupidity and insensitivity is likely to be your own death, rather than your dogs.

He'll be fine the cows will be busy chasing the dog!

My dog is let off the lead and kept close to heal as I walk through the field as far from the cattle as possible when I have accidently come across cows. Do my bezt to avoid them as she is terrified of them.

Maybe I could also be hanged, drawn and quartered after being shot and trampled by cattle, why do it by half?

My view is that unless your dog will walk to heel with absolute control you should not walk them off the lead near pregnant ewes or young lambs.

Doesn't matter how good the recall is, most dogs are on another planet once they start chasing so recall will go out of the window.

My dog is subject to an annual stock test due to needing to work her around livestock but I am still extremely cautious around lambing time

[quote=stgeorge ]Out today in sunny Glos, track/bridleway, come to 5 bar gate into field. [b]Approx 50m into this field can see flock of sheep grazing away[/b]. this gate is a red sign warning that dogs can kill sheep, keep on lead etc etc, the usual.
Leaning on this gate is what I can only assume is a brain dead illiterate woman, [b]throwing a ball into the field with one of those ball launchers for her dog to fetch[/b]!
Passing through the gate, I mention that she should perhaps look out for the sheep with the dog, her response "Its ok, she's friendly".
FFS, shoot the owner not the dog!

whilst not condoning irresponsible dog owership.

doesn't sound like the sheep were particulary worried.

Dog owners who let their dogs run in sheep fields should accept the consequences when a farmer shoots their dog.

I'm sure you'll cry and shout at the farmer, but he won't care.

I'm sure you'll cry and shout at the farmer, but he won't care.

Actually most farmers I know love dogs and really dont want to sboot them.

IANASF, but shirley the noise shooting a dog would be more detrimental to the mental state of the sheep.

Totally agree you keep dogs on leads, most of the time if not all the time. If you want them to run around without a lead buy a house with a large garden.

IANASF, but shirley the noise shooting a dog would be more detrimental to the mental state of the sheep.

A single shot compared to a prolonged attack from a dog? No.

Not really but they sheepdog is highly trained and controlled not running around at random.

Plus I saw this documentary where, when the farmer is asleep, farm dogs are bezzie mates with the sheep and even work with them against the farmer. 🙂

hadnt thought of that tbf.

Plus I saw this documentary where, when the farmer is asleep, farm dogs are bezzie mates with the sheep and even work with them against the farmer.

yes but we are talking about dogs, not pigs

A 2.2 rimfire aint much louder than a popgun...

Had to put one of mine down because he went for sheep, not much use as a trail dog if they won't come to heel when you come across livestock, he just wasn't wired right. I got away with it for a few years by using a lead but we moved house and the field right opposite suddenly became populated by sheep shortly after we moved in and he went mad, constantly trying to get them it would only have been a matter of time and since he'd recently failed his not biting the passing school kids test he had to go, sometimes you just can't train them, we didn't get him until 13 weeks, a Doberman, they make short work of Shawn.

13 weeks? Best age to train a dog from especially a Doberman?

since he'd recently failed his not biting the passing school kids test

but it was the sheep thing that made you get rid?

[i call troll]

Yeah **** it if you cant train em kill em!

are you seriously suggesting that the reason you couldn't train your doberman was because you didn't get him until he was 13 weeks?

Wow

theotherjonv - Member
since he'd recently failed his not biting the passing school kids test
but it was the sheep thing that made you get rid?

It was the accumulation, three sheep killed, an 'incident' with an alleged bite of a passing kid, which we suspect was more fear of his barking and maybe a nip, the police could provide no evidence of a bite and trust me if he had bitten the kid seriously would know about it, but dangerous dogs are dangerous dogs in the eyes of the law. The move away we thought would give him a reprieve but when a few weeks later more sheep turned up quite literally on the doorstep, SWMBO who was already in the frame with a 'caution' could stand frayed nerves no longer and personally had I had a gun at the last sheep incident I would have shot him on the spot. It's difficult, a tough choice but as I said he was wired wrong the place we got him from was more a rescue than a purchase, single bloke, small yard full of puppies and as I said it was thirteen weeks(according to him), you really need to train puppies from 8 weeks especially something as powerful as a Doberman, our previous dog was a much loved Rottweiler and this thing was a pale imitation of a dutiful family protector and we've owned and bred German Shepherds, the point here is responsibility to live stock and farmers. The vet only did what was necessary after many attempts at rehoming.

It's never the dog, claiming it wasn't wired up right was an excuse for poorly trained. On top of that you then move opposite a field.

Poor dog.

I'm a sheep farmer. I have also caught an escaped husky mid killing a pregnant ewe.

I don't have a gun but am considering doing so purely for this eventuality which is a sad state of affairs.

Someone from HR in my day job looked disgusted yesterday when this topic came up and i calmly said i would shoot someones dog if i had to. It wouldn't bring any pleasure but neither does losing sheep through the actions of an irresponsible dog owner who thinks they have some God given right to walk their dog where they like.

Another thing that gets me fired up is people allowing their dog to crap in farmers fields and not picking it up. Makes me want to follow them home and curl one out in their fridge!

Sorry for the thread revival, and it's probably out of context as this was probably an unsupervised, untrained dog, but it is a bad thing.

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