Aggressive Huntaway.

GenuineRisk

Member
Location
Somerset
I've kept a LOT of dogs over the last 65 years and never had one run off after bitches in heat, probably because I believe working dogs should be kept locked up or chained up unless working or under supervision. If you let dogs run around loose and out of control, what do you expect?

Couldn’t agree more and I had real hassle when I first moved here, as I breed and work Weimaraners, so obviously have one or sometimes, two bitches coming into season regularly. My garden is well fenced now but wasn’t as we are quite out of the way and my bitches then were steady and older. So I wasn’t best pleased to keep finding a ****** collie dog outside by back door waiting for my bitches to be let out to be clean etc.... I knew whose dog it was, so, in the interests of getting on with my farming neighbours, I’d call and let them know..... fast forward a few years, my homebred bitches are younger, my neighbour has a new collie dog and the whole annoying process starts again, although this time, my garden is property fenced but dog waits by garden gate into yards... it also starts appearing in the middle of the night, howling ! Waking my lot up, of course. Patience by now is wafer thin, I couldn’t give a four x about uosetting said neighbour, as by now I’ve learned this is a long family tradition, it being something to brag about how many litters the current so-called working dog has sired locally.

Luckily for me, the owner now has a small family and so I took great pleasure in ringing them up at 02:00, telling them their dog is outside my gates, waking my lot up and me, so I thought I’d share the joy..... after that, the dog was kept on a chain. However, the real last laugh was owner decided he’d like to breed his own replacement working dog, so buys in a puppy bitch to breed to said dog,,,of course, they then learned of the joys of trying to keep an entire dog with a young bitch - and the noise from a dog that knows what breeding a bitch is all about and at least one unwanted litter... no surprise dog then gets castrated... Karma does eventually catch up..
 

Dry Rot

Member
Livestock Farmer
Couldn’t agree more and I had real hassle when I first moved here, as I breed and work Weimaraners, so obviously have one or sometimes, two bitches coming into season regularly. My garden is well fenced now but wasn’t as we are quite out of the way and my bitches then were steady and older. So I wasn’t best pleased to keep finding a ****** collie dog outside by back door waiting for my bitches to be let out to be clean etc.... I knew whose dog it was, so, in the interests of getting on with my farming neighbours, I’d call and let them know..... fast forward a few years, my homebred bitches are younger, my neighbour has a new collie dog and the whole annoying process starts again, although this time, my garden is property fenced but dog waits by garden gate into yards... it also starts appearing in the middle of the night, howling ! Waking my lot up, of course. Patience by now is wafer thin, I couldn’t give a four x about uosetting said neighbour, as by now I’ve learned this is a long family tradition, it being something to brag about how many litters the current so-called working dog has sired locally.

Luckily for me, the owner now has a small family and so I took great pleasure in ringing them up at 02:00, telling them their dog is outside my gates, waking my lot up and me, so I thought I’d share the joy..... after that, the dog was kept on a chain. However, the real last laugh was owner decided he’d like to breed his own replacement working dog, so buys in a puppy bitch to breed to said dog,,,of course, they then learned of the joys of trying to keep an entire dog with a young bitch - and the noise from a dog that knows what breeding a bitch is all about and at least one unwanted litter... no surprise dog then gets castrated... Karma does eventually catch up..

:LOL::LOL::LOL::LOL:

Been there, got the T shirt! I was told to hand neighbour's 'stray' in to plod as there is a fee when the owner picks it up from the rescue 30 miles away. A visit from the dog warden eventually did the trick! No amount of polite hints worked until then. Some people are slow learners. Fringe benefit is he doesn't speak to me now!;)
 
Have young (9 months) Huntaway. Had from a pup, brought up in family house with two young girls till about 5 months then out to a kennel in the yard with open run so always able to be outside seeing everyone going about. Great nature with me and the family, keen on the sheep and so far not a grip in him and showing fair bit of potential. He will stand in the mornings on the feed passage and let the cows clean him up.

Last six weeks or so has become extremely aggressive to any strangers that come onto the farm. Never thought much about it when he started as was just a bit of barking. Now pretty sure he would bite if he got out of his run, hair stands up on his back and look a real nasty bugger.

He is still has a great nature with the family but not sure how we can sort him out. Never had this problem before as our dogs have always been able to run about the doors without any worry. Realise that it must be something to do with protecting his territory. Any ideas what might cause this or any tips? TIA
Hi we have a full blood huntaway & he’s the same we’ve put down to protecting hit territory, he’s a great bug softy otherwise don’t think he’s got a bite in him.
 

Henery

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
South shropshire
My Huntaway bitch is a terrible barker at anyone in yard or near the house. She can be a nuisance but it’s no bad thing if your known for the big aggressive dog.
She’s never bitten anyone but does a good job of looking like she might.
They are just fantastic yard / house dogs.
 

Dry Rot

Member
Livestock Farmer
This agression behind a fence in dogs is an interesting thing. I give my two female GSDs a run every morning. When they go out, one goes in a grass run and the other goes outside. They both run up and down their respective side of the fence barking at each other. The gate is open and they can easily meet, but they only do this after their morning ritual, then set off with me to continue the walk together, the best of pals!

Konrad Lorenz mentions this, I think in his book "King Saloman's Ring". He took his dog down a path every day and his dog would run up beside the fence at the side with another dog behind it. They'd both bark and snarl at each other. Then, they'd come to a section of the path where the fence was missing and the two dogs would find no fence between them and instantly they'd both look a bit embarased and become friends!

Postmen (and women) are now trained to deal with dogs. They carry packets of treats with them to offer to the dogs. My own dog starts barking in the kennel as soon as a car goes from the tarmacked county road onto the gravel drive 300m away. But if I let him out when the visitor arrives, he is all friends and wagging tail!
 

Bald n Grumpy

Member
Livestock Farmer
Wondering if the dog in the original post that has suddenly changed has been teased or taunted in his run by someone. Not suggesting the owner or their family but maybe someone poking around the yard who shouldn't have been.
Got a hunterway cross here looks a bit intimidating but soft as anything
 
I've a hunterway cross here, when I was training him, when you flicked the switch if he didn't understand what I was getting at, he'd go for me, purely out of frustration at not understanding, quite often drew blood and would really savage you so to speak, he never meant malice and grew out of it, and I think I got a bit sharper at my end, never cussed him for it as he was just saying he didn't understand.
 

Dry Rot

Member
Livestock Farmer
I've a hunterway cross here, when I was training him, when you flicked the switch if he didn't understand what I was getting at, he'd go for me, purely out of frustration at not understanding, quite often drew blood and would really savage you so to speak, he never meant malice and grew out of it, and I think I got a bit sharper at my end, never cussed him for it as he was just saying he didn't understand.
It is a known fault in some working German shepherd lines. Frustration, as you say.

I had a setter that would bite me in the back of the leg when the main lot were let out for exercise in the morning. Sorted that with a piece of alkathene held close to my leg, synchronised with her dive in to bite!
 

Al R

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Wales
This agression behind a fence in dogs is an interesting thing. I give my two female GSDs a run every morning. When they go out, one goes in a grass run and the other goes outside. They both run up and down their respective side of the fence barking at each other. The gate is open and they can easily meet, but they only do this after their morning ritual, then set off with me to continue the walk together, the best of pals!

Konrad Lorenz mentions this, I think in his book "King Saloman's Ring". He took his dog down a path every day and his dog would run up beside the fence at the side with another dog behind it. They'd both bark and snarl at each other. Then, they'd come to a section of the path where the fence was missing and the two dogs would find no fence between them and instantly they'd both look a bit embarased and become friends!

Postmen (and women) are now trained to deal with dogs. They carry packets of treats with them to offer to the dogs. My own dog starts barking in the kennel as soon as a car goes from the tarmacked county road onto the gravel drive 300m away. But if I let him out when the visitor arrives, he is all friends and wagging tail!
Postie here has given my GSD pup a treat since the first time he met her when she was a pup, one on the way in and one on the way out. She’s good as gold with everyone although still can be a bit “jumpy” but she’s still young.
My huntaway looks a beast and many of travellers have quickly ran to their vans when they’ve seen her running towards them, for a hug 🤦🏻‍♂️ I’d trust the huntaway and GSD far more with people than a collie and my collies have always been bomb proof, as we have a lot of visitors here especially children if a dog showed a tiny bit of aggression when not told to on command when working sheep they’d be gone.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


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