Dutch Shepherd Forum

Stella has been a squirrel stalker since we brought her home a month ago. She chases them up a tree once in a while but usually just watches them quietly from the patio door or out in the yard. My husband took her out tonight (fenced in back yard) and he said when she walked over to him she had a rabbit in her mouth! He told her to drop it so she gently set it down and then started chasing it again! It ran under the gate to the fence and Stella ran THROUGH the gate! She hit it with so much force the latch broke and it swung open! My husband finally got her.... Once she snapped out of the rabbit trance she ran back to him... we were terrified she'd get hit by a car or something.

I've heard about a DS's high prey drive over and over but guess I underestimated it! She had her first session with the trainer on Friday and did well! We are teaching her to come when called first with a "game" called "pass the puppy" it's working really well and my kids LOVE being part of her training. We all stand in different areas of the house with treats and call her using the "here" command. Obviously her prey drive will now be next on the list of things to address with the trainer. She didn't seem to hurt the rabbit.... wasn't growling or shaking it.... It's like she just wanted to chase it.

The trainer was just explaining the DS breed to me the other day. He used this example. "If you tell a GSD to jump out a window it will stop first think about jumping, and then jump. If you tell a DS to jump out of a window it will run, jump, and then think about while in the air. I immediately thought of that when my husband told me how she just ran right in to the gate.

We don't really mind that she caught a rabbit.... we're just upset that she got out of the yard! We are beyond attached to her (so are my kids!) and would be heart broken if anything ever happened to her! Looks like Miss Stella will find her self on the 15ft leash tomorrow when I take her out until my husband gets home and can fix the gate!

katm4110 wrote: If you tell a DS to jump out of a window it will run, jump, and then think about while in the air.

That is the desciption of a Malinois

A Dutch Shepherd will open the window and then jump!

Ha ha ha ha Eva!

Schlussdibusti wrote:
A Dutch Shepherd will open the window and then jump!

[/quote]



LMAO!!!!

Schlussdibusti wrote:

katm4110 wrote: If you tell a DS to jump out of a window it will run, jump, and then think about while in the air.

That is the desciption of a Malinois

A Dutch Shepherd will open the window and then jump!

LOL - or in my case - push the screen out.....twice......from the second story.

That is one lucky rabbit to be able to run away!

Rabbits...the appetizer that Mother Nature put on everyone's plates. May have gotten away, but likely had a heart attack (so easy for them to have).

Stella and Thor can compare notes on mending fences. When we first adopted him, he ram-rodded in mad pursuit into the brand-new stockade we put up purposely for him--busted the custom-order gate, lock and broke two hinges off. Aaah...the old days...good times, good times.

I feel your pain. But it gets better. Lots of work (and laughs) ahead.

Schlussdibusti wrote:

katm4110 wrote: If you tell a DS to jump out of a window it will run, jump, and then think about while in the air.

That is the desciption of a Malinois

A Dutch Shepherd will open the window and then jump!

eh... I'm starting to doubt my Ivil's ancestors Maybe I just should not have named her after Evel Knevel

Anyway, the prey drive thing, I know that, yes. Ivil too, does not kill her prey instantly, she just loves the chasing... It is a really hard thing to control.
If Stella has the same drives as Ivil, you may want to frobid the "quitely looking" part too, this is a build up, Ivil is sometimes shaking of tension as she is watching. This is NOT quiet watching...it is hunting Try snapping her out of that, try to recognise the first signs of the hunt, at that point she will still "hear" you, a second later, she will not. Not out of being disobediend, but because she really will not hear you anymore
Start signs can be, lifting a front leg, standing "stiff", focussing, using more nose etc.

Schlussdibusti wrote:

katm4110 wrote: If you tell a DS to jump out of a window it will run, jump, and then think about while in the air.

That is the desciption of a Malinois

A Dutch Shepherd will open the window and then jump!

omg lmao love that!