Has anyone got a way to stop a dog chasing deer. I walk my dog in the New Forest and she frequently chases deer. I do play and treat her but not the whole walk and in any case chaing deer is much more fun than me. I also thought to put a muzzle on her, especially now when their are fawns about. She has never come back with blood on her so she has not caught anything but it is a concern. I dont want to keep her on lead all the time as then she would really not get enough exercise and there is nowhere around here without deer.
Hi Sue, as you have probably guessed, this isn't an easy problem to resolve. Once a dog has had the opportunity to chase on multiple occasions the behaviour is highly rewarding. You'll need to work with an experienced trainer, but the first step is to prevent any more chases, which does mean keeping your dog on a lead or long line in areas where a chase is likely I'm afraid, at least until you have made progress with your training. You can find a list of trainers on the Gundog Club website, and on the Association of Pet Dog Trainers site.
