Post by justin on May 23, 2022 6:38:28 GMT -5
Good morning,
Cowboy is an 18 month old Anatolian Shepherd/Great Pyrenees mix, intact male, we have had since he was 8 weeks, always stays outside and has been great at guarding the 32 acres we are on.
Recently we noticed we don’t hear him barking near as much as before but thought maybe he has chased most things off and has the property under control.
Over the past two weeks we have lost 7 chickens and i have been trying to figure out the cause. Cowboy is chained during the day because he is not yet safe with chickens so i know isn’t him. It happens during the day so i have thought it was birds of prey though it was happening in a wooded area which gave me pause. Another thought i had was that it might be a fox but passed that off as i thought they were nocturnal and that cowboy wold keep them off the property.
Last night we went outside because we heard the sound of a fox in heat, truly one of the most awful and distinct sounds that exist, she was on our property in the wooded area where the chickens often go during the day, they are locked up at night, only 50 yards away. My wife and i were asking “Where is Cowboy in all this, isn’t this what we got him for.” He was nowhere to be seen and no where to be heard.
A few moments later, while the fox was still carrying one, cowboy comes running over from that general direction. He was closer to her than we were, certainly heard and did noting. He came over to us sat down before us and wanted to be petted all while the fox was carrying on like crazy near by.
He is a great dog in many ways but this is a huge problem. It appears even if he was roaming freely during the day while the chickens were out he would not protect them, as there was not even a single bark or indication that he cared about the fox last night.
Even as we walked back inside in dismay he did not bark or run in that direction.
Any way or thoughts on improving this?
Thoughts on getting rid of the fox in the meantime?
Cowboy is an 18 month old Anatolian Shepherd/Great Pyrenees mix, intact male, we have had since he was 8 weeks, always stays outside and has been great at guarding the 32 acres we are on.
Recently we noticed we don’t hear him barking near as much as before but thought maybe he has chased most things off and has the property under control.
Over the past two weeks we have lost 7 chickens and i have been trying to figure out the cause. Cowboy is chained during the day because he is not yet safe with chickens so i know isn’t him. It happens during the day so i have thought it was birds of prey though it was happening in a wooded area which gave me pause. Another thought i had was that it might be a fox but passed that off as i thought they were nocturnal and that cowboy wold keep them off the property.
Last night we went outside because we heard the sound of a fox in heat, truly one of the most awful and distinct sounds that exist, she was on our property in the wooded area where the chickens often go during the day, they are locked up at night, only 50 yards away. My wife and i were asking “Where is Cowboy in all this, isn’t this what we got him for.” He was nowhere to be seen and no where to be heard.
A few moments later, while the fox was still carrying one, cowboy comes running over from that general direction. He was closer to her than we were, certainly heard and did noting. He came over to us sat down before us and wanted to be petted all while the fox was carrying on like crazy near by.
He is a great dog in many ways but this is a huge problem. It appears even if he was roaming freely during the day while the chickens were out he would not protect them, as there was not even a single bark or indication that he cared about the fox last night.
Even as we walked back inside in dismay he did not bark or run in that direction.
Any way or thoughts on improving this?
Thoughts on getting rid of the fox in the meantime?