Looking For Some Advice . . .

[Ideation 8,216]

I'm sticking this post up because I genuinely need some advice. I've got a problem with my young bitch that I just cannot fathom, and it's got me at my wits end. It's really doing my nut in.

 

A bit of background -

 

I got Bree at eight weeks old, she is collie/whip/grey x collie/grey/sal/grey/bull/whip, basically lurcher to lurcher. She was born in June, so her first real season has been this one, coming into it at 15 months. Her first winter she was 3-8 months, so just did a little at the back end. So anyway, i've had lots of time to work on the dog and train her. Did all of the usual stuff, and learnt a lot from the mistakes i'd made in the past. Her only fault would be that she is a funny f****r, very smart and a bit 'touchy' very loyal with me, but protective to a fault, and always thinking / watching.

 

Started this season with a 25" 26kg bitch, fit and fast, but having seen very little due to being puppy ish and having f**k all game about. When I got her as a pup rabbits were rife, we were catching 40-50 a day regular and good bags at night often. By the time she was ready to enter I had 1000's of acres of near barren land. But we scratched about and she had a couple here and there, not ideal runs, usually hard, but she has never lost heart of yapped.

 

This season started like that, but she was picking them up well all be it few and far between, spotting well, retrieving either to me or to ten yards away, tail wagging. Running the beam like a pro. Had a few do's with the gun and was happy with her abilities on other quarry, no dramas at all there

 

With a total lack of rabbits, often shed have a two hour or so walk on the slip and maybe one or two runs. I decided enough was enough and the lack of work could seriously affect her development, time was ticking . . .and she was at a level now where i'd be happy taking her out with other folk and dogs (she had her manners and no bad habits to learn). We had a few nights out, she ran well, hunted up a bit as she had never been in fields with multiple rabbits, but generally ok. The last normal night out was five weeks ago, me and a member on here went out and had a handful, not the best conditions but bree had five tough rabbits, all caught and mostly retrieved to me. Recall good.

 

Went away at xmas for a week.

 

Came back in Jan and too her out on an invite with a mate. First rabbit, ran well, picked up. . . .running back to me, straight around me. . . . to the hedge, and SHE BURIED IT! Next rabbit, another catch and straight off and buried.

 

Since then, that's been it, worse and worse. She will retrieve balls, sticks, rabbit skin dummys, even cold rabbits on the lamp (although she has even started burying these at times). But any rabbit caught on the lamp is immediately buried, same with ferreted rabbits. As soon as it's covered she runs straight back, as normal, tail wagging. If you go and pick the rabbit up and place it on the ground she will either totally ignore it or go and bury it again. . . . today we were sat drinking tea and she nosed grass over the ferret box, because there was a dead rabbit in one compartment she could see.

 

I've pleaded with her, shouted at her, and done everything in-between, and I've spoken to and shown her to a few folk who's thoughts I respect and they are non-plussed.

 

So short of shooting her or putting her in a pet home, does anyone have any suggestions of what I can do to stop her doing this? And has anyone ever encountered this before. I'd like to get it sorted as in all other ways she is a very good bitch for her age.

 

Thanks in advance.

Edited February 1, 2015 by Ideation

[paulsmithy83 567]

Just from what you wrote i say lack of game in front of her so shes protecting what shes caught. I'd say with some serious game put infront of her it will channel out of her. Last thing how ever much it.getting on your tit dont shout. I had a coursing bitch very simular to what you described. After the birth of my girl she didbt.have the normal bounty she was used to retrieve went to shit. Loads of game back in front of her and ironed it out. Plenty of catches and confidence is needed. So she doesnt think there few and far between. Jist my take

[paulsmithy83 567]

Also for a while only take her out on own so no other competition for bunny on the retrieve. Till she back to normal then go from there

[bird 9,872]

Just from what you wrote i say lack of game in front of her so shes protecting what shes caught. I'd say with some serious game put infront of her it will channel out of her. Last thing how ever much it.getting on your tit dont shout. I had a coursing bitch very simular to what you described. After the birth of my girl she didbt.have the normal bounty she was used to retrieve went to shit. Loads of game back in front of her and ironed it out. Plenty of catches and confidence is needed. So she doesnt think there few and far between. Jist my take

yeh, in simple terms it called flooding them , she got as above catch catch catch etc no rest in between runs to think about her little party trick . she got ether get thsat fed up catching and not hiding the catch , or just catch and leave the rabbit there, either way you got push her so she carnt do whats she really wants to do . and ive heard similar from gundog blokes with springers, ok not a lurcher , but the instinct to berry its game was the same

[mhopton 807]

Mate sounds to me like she's close to comming into seson my jackrussel molly buries the guts after I've finished them ,

She's just getting used to her hormones

[Qbgrey 4,089]

Yes was going to say some sort of mothering instinct.never heard of it before burying them.

[forest of dean redneck 11,563]

First off ,sorry but I got to laugh jai,

Second your really busy at the moment,try and chill little bit, she's still young dog,go back to basics bond with her throughout summer,and try again next autumn,then if same maybe rehome her .etc

[Snifferboy 659]

Possibly coming in season like mhopton said...

[skycat 6,173]

I've had this and seen it with a couple of dogs, and it has nearly always been because there have been other dogs around. The dog hasn't felt secure enough, or confident enough, had enough trust in me to deliver the rabbit to me: I'm talking about a dog that has previously retrieved OK.

 

Quite agree that catching a lot of rabbits does seem to sort the problem out, but also not taking the dog out in the company of others. Some dogs are just very possessive and see any other dog as a threat to their catch. In an ideal world the dog should see you as the safest place to 'put' the rabbit, not under a pile of grass or whatever!

 

Have you thought of doing some tug training with her? Getting her physically close to you whilst in the 'zone'. In drive, in prey mode. This also helps the dog to see you as the 'good place', where all its Christmases come at once. It really can help, and it doesn't mean that the dog will then want to rip the rabbit to bits if you put the ground rules in place. I've sent you a pm.

[mackay 3,330]

As folk have said, bombard her with rabbits and runs (not always possible I appreciate) but denying her the time to think and bury them should help.

I tend to simplify things, if this only started when out with other dogs there's a good chance that's the root of the problem, she's being possessive and guarding her kill, there are dogs who as soon as they have caught and killed lose interest, yours is at the other end of the spectrum.

In the middle there's everything from standing over their kill protecting it, dogs that will give it to anyone and dogs that will only give it to their owner.

Your description of your dog indicates she would be the type to give to you and only you and by taking her out in company you've pushed her up a level of possessiveness.

I'm no expert but I think you would go a long way to solving the problem by hunting her alone for the foreseeable future.

Good luck.

[Ideation 8,216]

Just off out the door, so only a quick reply.

 

Thanks for the advice so far - my natural thoughts was bombard her with bunnys, and do it on my own.

 

The problem - there are no rabbits on my land any more or near by, so getting her on lots of game involves either poaching or going out with other folk, but very difficult when you have to go find your dog after every run as she is off burying a rabbit in the hedge. It makes it almost impossible to get her on a lot of bunnys on the lamp.

 

She does it when I am alone with her now.

[fluff 409]

sometimes a breeding trait or she has got into a bad habit , saw greyhounds years ago with live rabbits run back in to kennel and burry there catch in straw , some times but never saw alurcher coursing etc rabbiting burrying there catch , to date usaly to much going on ,for to worry about burrying , does she bury toys etc or anything else

[fluff 409]

maybe leave her of the rabbits and course or flush some thing thatl test her see how she performs then ,

[Ideation 8,216]

- She always takes her food bowl into her bed after she has finished eating, and burys it in the straw.

 

- She has flushed other stuff and performs just fine.

 

I am very much contemplating taking her away somewhere for a week where there is a lot of game and trying to run it out of her. It is almost impossible for me to get her a decent number of runs (more than 3) without anyone else being there, anywhere near where I live or hunt.

[Mick C. 229]

Same thing happened to my dog

I put it down to total lack of runs on the lamp

 

Also running him in tandem with a lad who was using an air rifle

Didn't like the gun so when he caught one he would bugger off then come back without the rabbit

 

Cant stand competition from other dogs aswell seems to hunt for himself when other dogs are on the scene

 

I decided to take him on is own ferreting.

 

He bonded up lovely .Marked up stayed close on. Kept back from the holes aswell but what really impressed me was when a rabbit came to the net,instead of running in he waited until it was clear of the hole before securing it

Theres a fair bit of saluki in this one .

 

My conclusion to the deilema is working alone with the dog brings the best out of him.

 

Wasn't always like that but through a series of events it is now.

 

Will it change back to what it was before? probably not but I will let you know if it does