# Avoid Chasing Deer



## Cetan (Oct 8, 2011)

Kind of an interesting "How do I?" question I'm asking. We live on a farm in the hills of Oregon. 22 acres. None of it is securely fenced (primitive wire and treeline fencing), but that really isn't a problem with my German Shepherd, since he is pretty much a velcro dog, and has a good recall sense built into him.

My issue is with deer. He used to not pay much mind, but now that he is getting older, some of the "Guard Mode" instincts are kicking in, and when he sees them (especially at night), his hackles raise, lets out his deep "wuff" short barks, and chases them off. So far, he's done good when I've shouted out his name and given my recall whistle...

...but is there a way to curb this from even happening, and to just ignore the deer? It's probably a small possibility that he would tear off and ignore my recall, but, any possibility is worrisome for me.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I know folks who raise goats and the dog gets used to ignoring the goats who are much like deer - the goats are just for that purpose.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i'm in the woods a lot with our dog
and we see deer, chipmonks, geese,
ducks, people riding horses, joggers,
walkers, bikers, dogs, cars and one couple
walking their cat. i didn't train my dog
not to chase deer specifically but i think
in training him not to chase all of the above
he doesn't chase deer.


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## Ucdcrush (Mar 22, 2004)

doggiedad said:


> i'm in the woods a lot with our dog
> and we see deer, chipmonks, geese,
> ducks, people riding horses, joggers,
> walkers, bikers, dogs, cars and one couple
> ...


Is that information supposed to help the OP? If so, how? Rhetorical questions.

He is in the "How do I" section, asking how to prevent his dog chasing deer. All you have said is that you taught your dog not to chase things. So you are suggesting he teach his dog not to chase things.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

what i'm saying is; by teaching my dog not
to chase things i think he learned not to
chase deer. we were on a farm and we walked
through 100 chickens and he never reacted (not leashed). i
never specifically taught him not to chas chickens
i'm thinking by teaching them not to chase things it'll carry over to deer. 
the OP said he can call his dog to him when he does react to deer
so he has controll over his dog when it wants to chase deer. 



doggiedad said:


> i'm in the woods a lot with our dog and we see deer,
> chipmonks, geese, ducks, people riding horses, joggers,
> walkers, bikers, dogs, cars and one couple walking their cat.
> i didn't train my dog not to chase deer specifically but i think
> in training him not to chase all of the above he doesn't chase deer.





Ucdcrush said:


> Is that information supposed to help the OP? If so, how? Rhetorical questions.
> 
> He is in the "How do I" section, asking how to prevent his dog chasing deer. All you have said is that you taught your dog not to chase things. So you are suggesting he teach his dog not to chase things.


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## kennajo (May 20, 2011)

*How *did you teach it? We have a fenced yard front and back. We have goats (he was raised with them). Yet he reacts everytime he sees them. I also took Rocky off leash hiking and he had great recall until he reached a year old. Now he is being a challenge child! Maybe you got lucky with your dog or maybe you taught him without realizing it. I don't know but the ones of us who have reactive dogs can get fraustrated with this situation.


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## Ucdcrush (Mar 22, 2004)

Even in your response you have not indicated how to train for this, all you said is that you did it.

Do you really believe anything you have written in this thread will clarify for the OP how to go about training his dog not to chase things? If your final advice is to recall the dog when he starts to chase, you sure took a long path to get there. On top of that, he is already doing that and he is asking how to get to the next step.

If he knew how to train his dog not to chase things, he wouldn't be here asking about it. Telling him he needs to train his dog not to chase things, and that the training will carry over to deer, is useless.

In most of your replies you suggest getting a trainer, and in the rest of them, you are saying how well trained your dog is without any attempt to explain how to deal with behavioral issues. Good for you and your dog, but that doesn't help anyone or their dogs.


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## holland (Jan 11, 2009)

I don't have an answer either. They say in training you should make yourself the most fun thing for the dog. and training a reliable recall and stay. When I didn't feel confident that my dog would come back I used an e-collar-didn't have to use it often but it helped. Its also good to have someone show you how to use it properly


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## kennajo (May 20, 2011)

I've considered an e collar but the expense(at the moment) is a hinderance.


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

I hate to give the answer that most would disagree with, but I recently watched dome dog training show on TV, and it was about your problem...

The trainer used an E-collar. It was brief, and very effective. He put the E-collar on the dog, and as soon as the dog gave the attention to the deer, he vibrated the e-collar. The dog made an immediate u-turn. He used it under various, similar conditions, and in a brief time, the dog knew not to chase animals.


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## kennajo (May 20, 2011)

how does it work with other "issues". Dog aggression....playing to rowdy etc...I actually saw a episode of Dog whisperer where the dog chased farm equipment and it worked on retraining that dog not to chase tractors.


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

kennajo said:


> how does it work with other "issues". Dog aggression....playing to rowdy etc...I actually saw a episode of Dog whisperer where the dog chased farm equipment and it worked on retraining that dog not to chase tractors.


I saw that episode too. It's also a perfect example for your situation.

You can use the collar for anything. 

*** BUT it MUST be used properly!!**

Go on Youtube. You'll see some examples of how trainers have gotten the most use out of an E-collar. And it's not only about corrections. There are lots of positive training examples too.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

The ecollar does work.........but it does extinguish over time so you need to do refreshers. I think socialization/desensitization is best if the dogs are younger. (all those walks in the woods - deer are there but not interesting)

Lou Castle crittering protocl is excellent and since we could not get a deer to cooperate we tethered a goat.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

We had the deer chasing problem too, so I've worked hard on 'woah' which means he has to stop whatever he's doing while he's moving away from me. I say it on Patricia McConnell's dvd "Lassie Come". I give a very low almost barking 'woah' sound then a 'here' immediately. Incorporating the ecollar would probably make that go a lot faster. Check out that dvd, it's really good for recall at all levels


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

I remember a photo posted on here a year or so ago with a GSD in a down stay staring at a deer across a field. Wish I could remember the thread that was, or the poster. I was so impressed by that discipline.

Anyway, I agree with the people who suggest an e collar. I am generally anti-shock collar, but this is the one instance when I feel that safety trumps +R training methods.


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

Expose him every day. You might try a long line, and the "WOAH" is good too. 

We have deer that live in our yard practically--they are so overpopulated here it isn't funny. Also turkeys and tons of other things. Over time, I think they become desensitized to them. I've just always used the "WOAH" with Rocket. He will start up if they're right in front of him and he's off leash, but it only takes him a few seconds and he turns around. 

If he's on leash, he doesn't even try. I freaking act like the world has ended when he comes back and shower him with goodies and praise. 

Did you say how old the dog was, or did I just miss it? Honestly, I think over time it gets better, but I'd make time to work on it every day. Does your pup stay out in the yard with you off leash? I let Rocket drag his long biothene lead around but I've never had to step on it once. (Well, except for when our cats come out and do a little "taunting". LOL) He is so used to hanging out in the yard that he doesn't really care what's across the road. In Dec he charged after some deer that didn't see us and came very close, but the woah worked and he came back. He will be 9 months on the 15th, btw.


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

kennajo one of my FB friends is selling an e-collar: "Tri Tronics Sport Junior remote collar. Used in great condition. Needs a new battery. Asking $100."

Interested? I can hook you two up.


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## Ingrid (Aug 29, 2010)

Have been watching this thread closely for ideas too; I like the long line teethering and "WHOA" method. We have not just deer but moose (very dangerous animals around dogs) to worry about here. Any other suggestions besides an e-collar?


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## jennyp (Jun 18, 2011)

Where's Doggiedad? I thought he was going to enlighten us


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

the way i taught my dog not to chase things was not allowing it from the begining. when i was in the woods with my dog i use to leash him and walk through flocks of birds, not allowing him to lunge. to get use to horses
when went where the horses are. i leashed him and moved all around
the horses. i use to have joggers run pass my dog. sometimes
i had them call him while running pass, stop and treat, run into him,
anything to get him use to joggers again he was leashed and not
allowed to react. whatever i didn't want him to chase i exposed
him to it and he wasn't allowed to do it. now with the deer, i think
because he wasn't allowed to chase other things it carried over to
not chasing deer. not being allowed to chase things and having
recall helps. now 

UDcruch and jennyp: other than condemn my post
what have you offered the OP. did you offer a clue, a hint, an idea,
information, what to do? what did you do to help the OP?


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

1 >>>> i'll give more detail.

2 >>>> i'm not sure what's wrong with suggesting
finding a trainer. some people i think can train their
own dog. some people need a trainer or class.
i don't think i've said how well trained my dog is.
when i use my dog as an example i'm thinking
if my dog can do it any dog can do it and if
i can train my dog anybody can train a dog.



Ucdcrush said:


> 1 >>>> Even in your response you have not indicated how to train for this, all you said is that you did it.
> 
> Do you really believe anything you have written in this thread will clarify for the OP how to go about training his dog not to chase things? If your final advice is to recall the dog when he starts to chase, you sure took a long path to get there. On top of that, he is already doing that and he is asking how to get to the next step.
> 
> ...


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## jennyp (Jun 18, 2011)

Doggiedad, I was only joking. Didn't you see my smiley face? I'm interested in this thread because I'm having the same problem and I wanted to know your secret.


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## LouCastle (Sep 25, 2006)

Recalling a dog from chasing deer does not train him not to chase them, it reinforces the recall. Thanks for the vote Nancy. Deer are harder to come by than goats, but if you do a search for "deer farm" you'll find a number of people who raise deer for venison for the commercial market. Usually they'll have a couple of hand trained animals, and some SAR groups have taken advantage of this by renting the deer and a handler to wrangle him, to use my crittering protocol. Many dogs will generalize to deer if they're crittered on goats. But sometimes it takes the prey animal that the dog prefers, to get him to stop. 

My method for stopping this teaches the dog to turn his head away from the prey animal. You can't chase something you can't look at. You can find it HERE.


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