[Turtle]

My parents always had german shepards. They killed small animals, squirrels and rabbits mainly.
We always kept walkers and AB's for hunting. They killed small animals.
My nieghbor's poodle killed her granddaughter's gerbil.
Any dog, any breed is a predator.
Some have more drive than others, but a dog is a dog.

 

[Yemi]

Neither of my dogs have killed anything. But my cat :shock: she would kill anything she could get her hands on :lol:
She died a few years back but in her time she must have clocked up about 50 rats ( we live near a railway embankment loads of rats yuck) Hundreds of mice and 2 squirrels :shock:
She would bring everything she killed home and put them in the dogs food bowl in the back garden :? It got so I was frightened to open the back door in the mornings for fear of what I might find :?
Thank God we don't have snakes here the stress would have been way too much for me

 

[mndoglover]

killing smaller animals

I had a Pit/Rottie mix that started killing moles in my yard. It worked for me at the time so I didn't think anything of it. Then he started killing cats and anything else that came into the yard. After that, he started killing all my poultry. My poultry are fenced in. He started to break down the fence to get to them. After many fencing repairs to the coop and putting him away in this run..he started tearing a part the run to get to the coop to tear down the coop. I was at a loss. I live out in the country and the fear of him moving onto the neighbors livestock/poultry when he was done with mine was a huge for me. Out here in rural MN, there is no animal control, other than the end of a shotgun. So-after many late nights and much soul searching...(and a blundered adoption-long story)..I came into contact with a nice lady at a no kill shelter. WE both agreed it was best if he came to her and we would work together on finding him a home away from the temptations of poultry/livestock. It was a better alternative than him lying dead or dying in some field. I could not think of a different solution. I often wonder if I did the right thing. I believe I did. Strange thing, though..my other dogs paid no attention to the poultry. In fact, my rotti would jump the fence and eat all the chicken food...but not touch the chickens. very strange...

 

[PaulaEdwina]

It's prey drive. You have a breed that has a high prey drive. I have a breed that has a high prey drive too. IMO leave them alone about it. It's not like it will escalate from critters to people or anything like that.

Paula

 

[puppycop]

its just prey drive, and unless you are there the second they start. you can get rid of the behavior while you are present, but it will never go away when you are gone. They do have rattle snake vaccines, or atleast up here in montana they do. Its not full proof, but it extends the time you have to get to a vet. The snake training they offer out here consists of when the dog gets near the snake they shock with a electronic collar on a very high level shock, so it basically teaches to dog to associate the snake with pain, in return they stay away you hope. I believe the dog knows the difference of when the collar is on their neck and when its off. Good luck and hope that helps a little

 

[Warrior Princess]

However, have you taught your dogs the 'leave it' command? I'd start with that...you can set up bait for them ( a cookie taped to the floor is a great start) ...and when they go to get it...yell 'LEAVE IT'...

LEAVE IT is the best command ever invented!!!! Its a Nobel Prize winner. lol

As for the killing, my dad's 3 Rotts kill everything that moves. Animals don't venture into the backyard like they used to. Birds don't even sing in the trees back there. I've said it before, but its true. That backyard is like the place in the woods that is so quiet and ominous that even a voodoo man or serial killer wouldn't venture back there. lol But that's exactly how my dad wants it. The stress it causes me isn't worth it which is why my dog stays inside.

Plus, I aint picking up dead nothin'.

 

[wayne]

my dogs the same way except he likes biger game, preferably deer, i dont stop him in fact i let him do his thing. hes pretty good at it to. soon as a i find another 22 he is going hunting on 200 private ouned acers with me.

 

[maryellen]

mine have killed rabbits, squirrels , chipmunks, woodchucks, and i have a fenced in yard. there are no holes, i check the fence every week. 2 of my 3 are not pitbulls.. if it comes into the fenced in yard its fair game, i just remove it once the animal has been killed.
its just prey drive..