It's common knowledge my dogs are nervous creatures. Scout more so than Scott but the last few days have been very strange !!!! :-\ Sunday a sheep from a neighbouring field escaped and ended up on our lane. Before the owner arrived it disappeared to be spotted next morning in our barley. It eventually emerged in next doors paddock. 4am Tuesday morning my dogs started barking and didn't stop. I knew something must have disturbed them by the bark. In the end I got up at 4.50 !!! When I got them out of their pen scout was very nervy going through the yard and Scott sniffing, the same going down the drive and then up the garden. I thought fox there are 3 around us but foxes have never made them nervous before. :-\. When we walked the other way down the lane later they both got nervy. Tail down,ears flat, eyes wide. We then found out that the sheep in the neighbouring field have been being attacked by something and they've lost 20. Im assuming whatever has attacked the sheep came wandering around us as the sheep have been moved. The trouble is scout is still really nervy walking down the lane and in the back yard. Tail down, pulling. Not sure what to do ! Now dont laugh. I've been giving them calm down herbs for about 12 months just incase they work not really expecting them to. I stopped them on Saturday and I'm now wondering if thats had an effect ?!?!
Re: Scared ! Things like that always give me the creeps; the dogs acting weird and then finding out something had happened like you said about the sheep being attacked. It could be a fox but to lose so many sheep in one to says to me a dog, perhaps a feral dog or one with a habit for worrying livestock. With regards to the 'calm down' herbs if you were planning on stopping them personally I would have weaned off over a few days rather than stopping abruptly just to remove any chance of sensory overload when they come off them, which could have been what happened here. Perhaps that, combined with the sheep thing, just built up to more than they could handle. I remember my mums dog got spooked in the field one time, literally just put her tail down and legged it all the way back to my mums house! No idea what spooked her as she walks her there all the time but it's near a badger set so maybe the badgers had been particularly active.
Re: Scared ! Thanks Lauren . It is a bit disconcerting walking down our lane late evening now. Opposite us is an overgrown area massive trees and bushes just right for something to hide in.!!!! Id wondered if I should wean them off the herbs so emailed CSJ to ask and was told I didn't need to. I've still got some left so might put them back on them until the mystery is solved or goes away then try again. :
Re: Scared ! Oh no no wonder Scout and Scott are a bit nervy......I would be too! I would probably put them back on the calming herbs and see if they settle again......it's worth a try Hope you manage to calm them down soon...lots of tummy rubs to both of them from me x
Re: Scared ! I wouldn't laugh at giving a dog "clam down herbs". A lot of the old remedies work. They didn't have the marketing might of the modern pharmaceutical industry behind them. Just word of mouth, so if it didn't work nobody would pass the information on. I'm not knocking modern medicine, it can make a huge difference to the lives of people and animals. I'm just saying "let's hear it for the little guys". For the record, when Molly was little and hyper and driving me NUTS I gave her Chamomile tea and it did take the edge off her.
Re: Scared ! Just out of interest Jen, what did you have them on? I tried Penny on skullcap and valerian by dorwest while we were on holiday but didn't see much of an effect tbh. I want to try and find something for her for when she stays with my parents when I'm on honeymoon in November.
Re: Scared ! I get the herbs fron CSJ who I get my food from www.csj.co.uk I've just had them down the lane and scout is so scared. Scott doesn't seem bothered any more. Scout seems worse. He was walking low, tail down, pulling me looking all around. He was so scared he only had one wee wouldn't even go after Scott ! Our neighbour moved her wheelie bin as we got to my aunties drive he shot up it terrified !!! Don't know what to do !!!! :-\ . Don't think there's anything I can do but it's horrible seeing him like this he's even scared in our back yard !!!
Re: Scared ! Oh Jen, that does sound pretty spooky. Good boys for alerting you to something "dangerous" outside. Do you know if the farmer has any idea what did the killing? Might reduce your fox population at any rate if the farmer thinks its them. Where we live (just before we moved in) there was a large black cat sighting that made the news. :-\ Do you think Scout is picking up vibes from you on this? Maybe if it was less of a mystery you would all be more relaxed
Re: Scared ! I think lots of positive association is probably the way to go. Not rewarding the fear behaviour, but changing the association of that place to something good now. I don't have much experience with this though I'm afraid.
Re: Scared ! The farmer thinks its probably a dog Jac. Foxes wouldn't normally attack a sheep maybe a lamb. I did wonder if a large dog fox might and that's why the scent is bothering scout. We have a female and two cubs around us. We followed one down the lane the other day. The dogs weren't that interested certainly not bothered by it. I take them out again at 9. I can't avoid the back yard or the lane but I'm going to go down the garden instead of the drive and see if walking a different way helps. Fingers crossed. :
