If you’re travelling with your dog this summer, it’s good to know they’ll enjoy running around plenty of unexplored countryside. For dogs, pastures new are a stimulating sensory smorgasbord, especially for their strongest sense: smell. (“Ahhh… manure. Delicious!”)
But this novelty also comes with a warning. New territories bring new enticements that can tempt even the most well-trained dog to run riot – and livestock, from sheep to cattle, are top of the list.
The thrill of the chase
Although all dogs descend from predators, some breeds have higher ‘prey drive’ than others and are more likely to chase or attack: sight hounds, lurchers and hunting breeds, such as terriers, pointers and retrievers, spring to mind. The truth is that dogs – at least non-working ones – and livestock, especially sheep, don’t mix.
Even if you think your dog genuinely wants to “just play with the sheep” because “they wouldn’t hurt a fly”, never let them run free. Even chasing can be lethal.
A farmer friend once told me: “Sheep have a talent for walking into a field and just dropping down dead. They don’t need any encouragement from a flipping dog.” (He didn’t say ‘flipping’.) If their hearts don’t give out, they often panic and fatally injure themselves jumping walls and fences.
The law was strengthened in March to include unlimited fines and extra police powers to enter homes and seize dogs suspected of chasing livestock. Since the 1950s, farmers have been permitted, as a last resort, to shoot a dog to prevent further harm. No one – including farmers – wants that to happen. And it’s easily preventable.
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My golden rules
Always have your dog on a lead when walking near sheep or wildlife, even if they have good recall. I use a short walking lead or a ‘locked-off’ retractable. The law requires dogs to be under ‘close control’.
Expect the unexpected. Remember the driving rule that you must always be able to stop within the distance you can see ahead? It’s the same with dogs. If you can’t see what’s around a corner or over the brow of a hill, call your dog back and pop them on the lead. Coast clear? Let them off again – as long as you’re confident they’ll come back when called, even with the lure of new smells.
Build recall. It takes repetitive training, starting before your holiday, but it should still be fun. Start somewhere distraction-free with short distances. Make your call bright and happy; always reward their return (if they’re food-orientated, choose their favourite treat and keep it special by only using it for recall). Increase the distance and distraction level in stages.
Coping with cattle
If you can’t safely and legally detour around them, stay calm and avoid walking through the middle of a herd. If you’re unlucky enough to be charged by cattle (it happens rarely), let your dog off the lead. It goes against the grain, but although cattle accelerate surprisingly quickly in straight lines, they are slow to change direction, meaning a free-running dog can outmanoeuvre them. This gives you time to get to safety, and for your dog to rejoin you.
So go forth and enjoy the great outdoors safely. Let your dog enjoy the smells, not the chase, and everyone’s a winner.
Graeme appears in Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly on Channel 5. Follow him on Instagram.
