Dog catching rabbits

dawnie1972

Can I ask a question without getting shot down in flames? If your dog is on a lead how does it manage to catch the rabbits without you a) seeing the rabbit first or b) restricting the dog from getting to the rabbit? At my old house my cat used to go and find the rabbits and bring them into the garden and my youngest terrier would kill them and then the staff x lab would then try and eat them! The farmer (who owned my house and the land it was on) thought it was great as it was culling the rabbit population almost all of which had mixy. What I would also say is to check what flea product you are using as rabbit fleas are different to cat/dog fleas and I believe the only product that kills them is Advantage but might be worth checking with your vet.

Lieja

dawnie1972 wrote: »

Can I ask a question without getting shot down in flames? If your dog is on a lead how does it manage to catch the rabbits without you a) seeing the rabbit first or b) restricting the dog from getting to the rabbit? At my old house my cat used to go and find the rabbits and bring them into the garden and my youngest terrier would kill them and then the staff x lab would then try and eat them! The farmer (who owned my house and the land it was on) thought it was great as it was culling the rabbit population almost all of which had mixy. What I would also say is to check what flea product you are using as rabbit fleas are different to cat/dog fleas and I believe the only product that kills them is Advantage but might be worth checking with your vet.

I don't let him off lead (rubbish recall which is quite usual for malamutes) so he has a long flexi. There are rabbits absolutely everywhere you look around here, and there're no footpaths outside of the main road through the village that aren't bordered by long grass. The first rabbit I didn't see at all until it was in his mouth, and his flexi wasn't 'flexed' as it were so he was right next to me, lunged into the tall grass and pulled out the rabbit. The second time was again long grass by the path, but he was on the long lead and about 2 metres in front of me, leaped into the grass and I pulled him out with the rabbit. He has very good eyesight so he's either seeing them before me, or smelling/hearing them.

He has a dogmatic so I've been using that to walk along the footpaths and if he lunges it'll hopefully stop him from chomping down on anything, but I don't want to keep him on the short lead all the time and there's nowhere rabbit free. I think I'm resigned to the idea he's going to get one now and then. He found a dead one in a field today. I think I'm fighting a losing battle!

teddysmum

My cavalier (not a tiny one but a 22 pounder ) was mistaken by a lurcher. He wasn't badly hurt, but had torn skin, due to being shaken before the other dog realised its mistake and dropped him.


The hound was a fostered rescue of unknown background and the fosterer had ignored the rescue's rule that new dogs must be muzzled.