Is a keen dog always a keen dog?

Steve · Master

Is a keen dog always a keen dog?

Nicki · Big Cheese

Hi Steve

Heres my experience with Janie, she was quite keen when we first got her even hedgehogs set her off. Now though she is getting better we can walk past a hedgehog and she does not go loopy. A rabbit ran out in front of her the other day and wandered about in front of her, ok she was no the lead but she did not bat an eye, didn't even look at it. However deer and squirrels are a whole different ball game, if i take her to a place where she has not been before or if i know or even think there is a risk of her seeing something she stays on the lead. She is too special to me and if anything happened I would never forgive myself.

Not sure that answers your question though, think I'm just rambling a bit, and gives me a chance to waffle on about Janie

Steve · Master

Ta Nikki - I regularly walk past the usual three deer on my early morning walks with Pearly and Harry. Quite often the deer are only 20 yeards away - they don't move since they are used to dogs and people and somehow sense the dogs on on leads and are no threat. The dogs don't bother too much - just stand up, prick up ears and look but then walk on. If Pearly is off lead in her little field and spies a deer in the distance then she's off like a rocket. Rabbits get both Harry and Pearly more interested when they are on the lead.

Now Harry is a diff ball game. He's had his off lead runs a few times now in that secluded field near our house. He's not too bothered about running round mad all the time - but if we let Pearly off then he'll chase like a mad thing and does all the shoulder charges, growling and stoppig here from running. He's muzzled as he;s a rough lad.

A couple of wee doggies walked through the field last night with their owners and I got Harry back on the lead before he spied them as he's showing signs of being VERY interested in the wee ones. One was a wee staffie who Pealry knows well and likes lots - but Harry became very alert with the dog, tail up and following his every move and let out a bit of a growl. He never lunges at them on lead - doesn;t show any signs of bothering - but when he sees them run - oops - let me at em! Suppose he's a young gun at heart!

Jay · Old Hand

They might get a bit better with age, but I think that its either in them or not, and all the training in the world won't get rid of it.

Our Lita was very bad prey wise, and still is really. But I notice that as she gets on in years she is being a little more picky about what she eyes up. Foxes are the current favourite however... Think it must be the smell.

Remember too that some dogs have been live coursed (esp. Irish ones) and that tends, so the trainers think, to make them more keen. However, it is still in the breeding and, depending on the stimulus, even normally "well behaved" dogs can prey...

Leolurcher · Master

quote:

Originally posted by: Jay
"They might get a bit better with age, but I think that its either in them or not, and all the training in the world won't get rid of it"

I agree with you Jason. I think in some dogs the "keeness" is always there. I'd say that training merely controls the urge in a keen dog ...it doesn't get rid of it. I find with one of my lurchers that he needs constant training to pay attention to me when off lead because if I allow his attention to wander or allow him to race about too much and get over excited ...he is offsky to the nearest thicket looking for something to hunt and sometimes the nearest thicket is quite far away Flash doesn't need to SEE something to chase...if he doesn't see anything he goes and looks for things in places where he thinks they might be.

I don't know if anyone else has found this with lurchers or greys....too much racing around at high speed for fun can suddenly turn into what looks like an obsessive hunt for prey unless the dog is called to heel and calmed down before being allowed to run again?

Eleanor.

Teresa · Enlightened One

We have two greys - Dave and Daisy, but we never let either of them off the lead as we don't have a secure area to do so. Dave caught a cat in the garden a few weeks ago - it was as traumatic for us as for the cat. Daisy wasn't too bad with it but we still wouldn't trust her.

Since we've had Dave neutered he has been much better with small dogs - he seems much less interested tho we still have to be very careful. I wonder if his keenness will lessen even more?

We get very frustrated at owners with small dogs who insist in keeping them off leads, they smile sweetly and think they're little angels are safe because their dogs are "good" - if only more of them knew about the strength of the instinct that greys have !!

from Teresa and Neil (daves_mum and daisys_dad)

Amber · Master

IME a lot of them do calm down somewhat once in a domestic home...by that I mean that their actual reactions when they are on a lead and see something can become less extreme. Instead of shrieking and leaping about like they did at first, maybe they will just whine and stare.

Off lead is a different ball game...a dog that is keen to chase will always do so (I think) if given the opportunity.

Having said that, a very strange thing happened with my greyhound Oscar. When I first got him, he was deffo not cat safe. He does not have the killer instinct, but would chase them, i was sure. After around 7 months, he changed completely for a while and became a different dog (following a 3 week holiday I took away from him). I visited a friend with cats and he was absolutely fine! Lay down on the carpet and ignored the cat sitting on the sofa!

However, his behaviour went downhill again when I got a 2nd greyhound, and now he barks like crazy if he sees a cat (even a stationary one) and would give chase again, I'm sure. Weird huh