The pit bull my wife brought home over the winter made quick work of the deer working their way up to the garden this evening. Any downside to this?
Dog chasing deer
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No.
It's in their nature to do so.
Discipline as you see fit.
Keep him well fed and he will have less desire to follow through and will think of the deer as a game,.
It's in their nature to do so.
Discipline as you see fit.
Keep him well fed and he will have less desire to follow through and will think of the deer as a game,.
For the deer or for the garden?
A pit bull doesn't seem like the kind of dog to take off and run deer like some dogs would. I bet he'll be good for everything else that likes the garden also.
A pit bull doesn't seem like the kind of dog to take off and run deer like some dogs would. I bet he'll be good for everything else that likes the garden also.
She hesitated until I told her to go. Then she worked all 4 of them out pretty efficiently for a concrete block with short legs. A come after they were out of sight and she came barreling back out of the woods. May be wishful thinking, but she might be at least part of the answer to the tick bag in the garden problem.
I hesitate to mention this, but I believe most states have laws, believe it or not, against "wildlife harassment." I have heard of people getting cited in many states for allowing their dogs to chase deer. Not saying I agree with those laws, just saying maybe not to advertise it locally.
I've read some forums where folks trade hints to keep deer off their property, and this has come up fairly often. Folks get a dog to chase off the deer, and some neighbor reports it, and then the game warden drops by.
I've read some forums where folks trade hints to keep deer off their property, and this has come up fairly often. Folks get a dog to chase off the deer, and some neighbor reports it, and then the game warden drops by.
Cornell recommends a dog within an invisible fence to protect the garden/landscaping around the house. Seems there is a reasonable line between protecting your property/crops and letting your dog run deer.
ApproximateLEE said:
crop damage laws usually require some sort of lead flying through the air at a high rate of speed, and dinner ending up on my table
Although here in Michigan you have to have bought crop damage permits from the ag department to claim anything as crop damage.
Any time a dog starts chasing deer there is danger in the dog enjoy this game too much and then it is too bad for the deer. This also can bring on unwanted things which can be bad for the owner and especially for the dog. Many places have unwritten laws amongst the rural folks and it is called the SSS program. Some day you dog might not come back.
StackedLumber said:ApproximateLEE said:
crop damage laws usually require some sort of lead flying through the air at a high rate of speed, and dinner ending up on my table
Although here in Michigan you have to have bought crop damage permits from the ag department to claim anything as crop damage.
A friend of mine has a very large garden (has 6 kids). He also has a produce stand in front of his house. Last year he planted about 10 acres of punkins and the deer wiped out half his crop along with a bunch of strawberries and some garden stuff. He called the DEC and they gave him damage permits. I think his freezer is full.
Ja, The wife was some worried when our dog dragged home a deer carcass one Winter. Don't know if the dog killed the deer or found it dead but it was one big mess of hair, hide and bones come Spring.dave11 said:
We live in a deer infested area. Worse, it's heavily populated and too many people take a dim view of hunting (only bow hunting is allowed in certain areas locally). Clearly, predation by "natural" causes is slim to none. We have always had dogs and we're avid gardeners and landscapers. We've never suffered the ravages so many in our community have and we firmly believe it's because weve always had dogs and deer instinctively avoid areas where predation is more than likely.
I do, however, "get" the whole wildlife harrassment thing. Which is not to say I haven't opened the door and turned the dog(s) loose on the occasional doe and fawn I've caught browsing in the immediate woods. I hate the damn things, frankly. Rats with long legs and pretty eyes that make mighty fine eating... . You have to be really careful with dogs. It's in their nature to run prey and they're fully capable of bringing down young or infirm deer. Our dogs have (over the years) brought back pieces of deer in various states of decay, though nothing "fresh".
With a Pit Bull or other more "aggressive" breed, I'd be very, very careful about allowing it to pursue/indulge its more base instincts (pursue and kill). those tendancies are much "closer to the surface" than they are in say, a Golden Retriever or Labrador Retriever. And I can see how aiding and abetting the dog's natural behavior could prove dangerous in the long run. So be warned and be very, very careful.
(owner of a German Shepherd X Bull Mastiff... maybe Great Dane, or Boxer? but definitely a "go-getter" and fully capable of doing signicant damage to any prey object unfortunate enough to be overtaken)
I do, however, "get" the whole wildlife harrassment thing. Which is not to say I haven't opened the door and turned the dog(s) loose on the occasional doe and fawn I've caught browsing in the immediate woods. I hate the damn things, frankly. Rats with long legs and pretty eyes that make mighty fine eating... . You have to be really careful with dogs. It's in their nature to run prey and they're fully capable of bringing down young or infirm deer. Our dogs have (over the years) brought back pieces of deer in various states of decay, though nothing "fresh".
With a Pit Bull or other more "aggressive" breed, I'd be very, very careful about allowing it to pursue/indulge its more base instincts (pursue and kill). those tendancies are much "closer to the surface" than they are in say, a Golden Retriever or Labrador Retriever. And I can see how aiding and abetting the dog's natural behavior could prove dangerous in the long run. So be warned and be very, very careful.
(owner of a German Shepherd X Bull Mastiff... maybe Great Dane, or Boxer? but definitely a "go-getter" and fully capable of doing signicant damage to any prey object unfortunate enough to be overtaken)
A pit bull should never be off the leash unless in the house period... Thems some carzy dudes... and what they will do next is anyone's guess.
I don't necesssarily agree withWoodsman23. I have a friend who's very involved in Pit rescue and we happen to live next door to a Pit Bull who is nearly 90 lbs. of affection. He's a great dog... a bear trap with legs, but a really great dog.
It's more complicated than just "on leash" or "in the house". It's all wrapped up in how a puppy is socialized and how seriously the owner takes obedience training. The way I see it ANY dog has the "prey instinct" hard-wired in their pea brains. It's just a question of how much emphasis the prey instinct is allowed... which is where socialization and obedience work come into the picture.
It's more complicated than just "on leash" or "in the house". It's all wrapped up in how a puppy is socialized and how seriously the owner takes obedience training. The way I see it ANY dog has the "prey instinct" hard-wired in their pea brains. It's just a question of how much emphasis the prey instinct is allowed... which is where socialization and obedience work come into the picture.
I've always had strong 'aggressive' dogs and use a training collar with a 1/2 mile range. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't need to use it with her last night as I don't have a lot of experience with her yet. After seeing what the deer have done to the blueberry bushes over the winter, she is looking like a good resource.
My wife having been attacked down on our driveway by a pack of neighborhood dogs a few years ago, having been chased into my house and the damned monster dog slamming into the door trying to get at me, twice, having been bitten by one of the neighbor's dogs and having had a neighbor's dog try to kill my cat while she was sitting on my lap in a lawn chair I advise all you guys to keep a tight rein on your beloved dogs.
When the one went after the cat sitting on my lap the .44 mag hollow point in a tree five feet from his head changed his mind. The last time the one that bashed the door showed up emptying a clip into the woodpile got the owner yelling for him to come home pretty fast.
All in the middle of five acres of my land. Keep'em at home folks.
When the one went after the cat sitting on my lap the .44 mag hollow point in a tree five feet from his head changed his mind. The last time the one that bashed the door showed up emptying a clip into the woodpile got the owner yelling for him to come home pretty fast.
All in the middle of five acres of my land. Keep'em at home folks.
Don't hunt deer . . . don't mind deer . . . except for the suicidal ones that insist on leaping in front of my vehicle. 
I did have some problems with deer and my garden . . . went to the local hardware store and bought a deer fence . . . it was cheap insurance . . . just string it up every season . . . works like a charm . . . keeps the deer out and my veggies grow without being hassled by the wildlife . . . except when my cat Teddy slips under the fence and proceeds to lay down on the young seedlings.
Dogs . . . don't mind 'em . . . as long as they're other people's dogs and well behaved. My wife however is terrified of large dogs . . . guess that could be due to the fact that she was severely mauled by a German Shepherd when she was a very young kid . . . she always tenses up now when she sees a large dog off a leash.
I did have some problems with deer and my garden . . . went to the local hardware store and bought a deer fence . . . it was cheap insurance . . . just string it up every season . . . works like a charm . . . keeps the deer out and my veggies grow without being hassled by the wildlife . . . except when my cat Teddy slips under the fence and proceeds to lay down on the young seedlings.
Dogs . . . don't mind 'em . . . as long as they're other people's dogs and well behaved. My wife however is terrified of large dogs . . . guess that could be due to the fact that she was severely mauled by a German Shepherd when she was a very young kid . . . she always tenses up now when she sees a large dog off a leash.
Oh Jake, there is very little that sets me off faster than an untrained, out of control dog! Every time I hear of someone being mauled or bitten the first thing I want to do is dope slap the owner. That's where the blame lies. (how about that attack on the kid up your way recently?)
I have a very large dog and when he came home from the shelter Mum was still living with us (she was about the same weight as the dog). I don't allow jumping, I don't allow incessant intrustions ("looking for attention"), begging for food, etc.. When a command is given it is to be obeyed within 3-5 seconds, if not, it's enforced. He's a handful, but he listens and wants to do what he's told. It's been our goal to have him be the sort of ambassador for large dogs that helps people like your wife realize that not all big guys are dangerous. In fact, you're more likely to be bitten by the little ones; the pictures at a plastic surgeon's office I visited said it all! nearly all bites were delivered by toy breeds that were the family pet!
I have two customers who've been attacked and are very fearful of dogs in general. With time and patience one of them has conquered her fear enough to actually meet our dog. She will even pat him now, but whenever a customer comes here I always have him on a leash. Mr. Leash is our best friend. I always ask a new customer if they're afraid of dogs and tell them that there is a big one living here and exactly how he will be handled upon their arrival. I've never had a new customer "back out" because there was a dog here.
I have a very large dog and when he came home from the shelter Mum was still living with us (she was about the same weight as the dog). I don't allow jumping, I don't allow incessant intrustions ("looking for attention"), begging for food, etc.. When a command is given it is to be obeyed within 3-5 seconds, if not, it's enforced. He's a handful, but he listens and wants to do what he's told. It's been our goal to have him be the sort of ambassador for large dogs that helps people like your wife realize that not all big guys are dangerous. In fact, you're more likely to be bitten by the little ones; the pictures at a plastic surgeon's office I visited said it all! nearly all bites were delivered by toy breeds that were the family pet!
I have two customers who've been attacked and are very fearful of dogs in general. With time and patience one of them has conquered her fear enough to actually meet our dog. She will even pat him now, but whenever a customer comes here I always have him on a leash. Mr. Leash is our best friend. I always ask a new customer if they're afraid of dogs and tell them that there is a big one living here and exactly how he will be handled upon their arrival. I've never had a new customer "back out" because there was a dog here.
I agree 100% with everything in your post Bobbin.
I've delivered MANY loads of wood to customers in 22 years and it is the ankle humpin' little bastages that will nail ya . EspeciaLEE when you turn your back on them to walk away.
I've delivered MANY loads of wood to customers in 22 years and it is the ankle humpin' little bastages that will nail ya . EspeciaLEE when you turn your back on them to walk away.
Bobbin said:
HehHeh . . . a day late for April Fool's . . . but I fixed your thread.
On a serious note . . . in fairness the owner and the dog were not to blame in the attack against my wife so very long ago. She was just a young tyke and was playing in the sandbox or with some Tonka toys and some other, older children a few houses away were taunting a police officer's K-9 that was on a leash. The kids were aggravating the dog by throwing rocks at it . . . until the dog got off the tether and started chasing them. The kids scattered, but my wife never saw the dog until it was too late . . . the dog was just running and looking for those kids, saw her and assumed she was part of the problem . . . and ended up mauling her badly enough so that she had to go to the hospital.
Today she still has a fear of large dogs, but knows that it wasn't the German shepherd's fault . . . and in fact she is a bit saddened since the dog had to be put down after that . . . even though it was the other kids who had provoked the dog into attacking.
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