Wild dogs worries

[Jack V]

The wild dogs certainly seem to be getting larger . I have only seen about a dozen in my time but a couple were showing signs of German Shepard cross in them.

This is just what I've read, but the bit about German Sheppard supports it.

The cross breeding is a growing problem apparently, here in QLD and elsewhere. Irresponsible owners get dogs they can't handle - the usual suspects, rotties, sheppards, staffies - all big dogs, and when they don't want it any more they abandon it or make no effort to retrieve it when it's lost or runs away.

Breed those with the wild ones and you've got a big ass dog with a proper wild nature. Not something to mess with.

They have these wild dogs in Qld called sundowners because they come out of the Sundown NP , f*cken huge b*stards . I saw some photos on another forum .

A hungry pack of them on your tracks could be dangerous I reckon . When I worked in the bush we would see a few stray dogs now and then that were dumped by local town people . Some people have no conscience at all.

[crush]

Bit off topic but I have to shake my head at the yanks who decide having a pet wolf would be cool.

Half breeds are legal, but apparently pure breeds are sold as puppies with the paperwork saying half/half just so they can sell them.

Then surprise, surprise. Their "pet" grows up into a wild animal. Who knew?

Saw a show on that.

High food aggression issues as you'd expect from wild animal. Everyone reported nearly losing a finger.

[hoogle]

Some people have no conscience at all.

Did you read that one a few months ago where some psycho didn't want his dog any more so he slit it's throat and dumped it in the front yard.

Passers by found the thing still alive and took it to the vet who saved it.

[Jack V]

No I did not see that one but that kind of behaviour is indicative of psychopaths. They start out by killing the family pets in vicious ways. Pretty sick b*stard.

We had a kid in our street that killed most of his pets and I tried to tell the parents he had a real problem that would get worse by 14 he was on the run from the Police for drug dealing , break and enter, assault , cleaning out his younger sisters bank account and threatening to kill his older sisters unborn child.

[hoogle]

The guy was an old guy in that incident, who knows what else was done up to that point?

[Norton]

I tried to tell the parents

All those things only apply to other parents kids though, right?

Not their little snow-flake

[Jack V]

All those things only apply to other parents kids though, right?

Not their little snow-flake

Right on mate.

All I ever got from the parents was, "he's only 8,----- he's only 10,----- he's only 12, ---- he's only 14 and being arrested for B&E.

They had a chance to help this kid very early with the right medical advice and medication but they stuck their heads in the sand. I felt very sorry for the kid as he had no chance with those dead heads of parents.

[Lorgar]

Everyone reported nearly losing a finger.

Off topic but... A friend of mine has a pure rottie girl, placid as but a powerful animal obviously.

They were walking an another owner has his agro dog slip the leash or whatever happened and his dog made a bee-line for her and attacked her.

Owners are trying to break it up and in reaching for her dogs collar from behind while they're both going at it with both hands one of her little fingers made it's way into the back of her rotties jaws.

*snip*

No more finger.

[Gwion]

Nasty! Known people to lose finger the same way in the past.

Hard to know what to do in such a situation, but having hands near snapping dogs heads is dangerous!!!

[headspace]

I've never owned a dog that bit a human, I've had a few that bit other dogs, but that happens. Dog bits human, human shoots dog, the end. There was a pack of wild dogs not far from my place led by something that looked like a Ridgeback. You don't want it climbing over you. Some pigs hunters have lost dogs and guess what they become. No one should have a hunting dog without a homing collar, or whatever you call them. I'm now the local dogger for my little valley.
JD

[Aster]

JD, at least you have a good way to keep your shooting hobby occupied on ferals!

People with hunting dogs going missing and [the very few] ignorant, apathetic hunters who leave them behind and have no means of trapping them are the cause of all the feral dogs in this part of the world. There are a few dumped.run away dogs in there too, i'm sure.

The bloke i mentioned earlier, who used to hunt dogs for Parks at one stage, said they got an abusive call from one old local lady saying that the wild dogs should be left alone because it's part of the local heritage. "Our family has lost hundreds of dogs up there over the years... why do you think they call it Wild Dog Creek!!!???!!!"

Now, not a heap of dog damage to stock around because there are so many Pademelons and other ground dwelling marsupials that are easy meals but the damage they do to native fauna must be immense.

[Warrigul]

A totally incorrect and mis informed post.

See PM

[Gwion]

Abridged form response to PM:

Sorry to have gotten on your wrong side with that post, Warrigal. I have a lot of respect for your knowledge and the way you write and help people out with info.

As for being misinformed. The info is from Parks personnel, and a local to boot. Also, i know plenty of people locally who have lost dogs and just laugh about it. I applaud you for being a responsible dog hunter.

Sorry you misinterpreted the post as i was not including all dog hunters in the "ignorant/apathetic" category; just the ignorant/apathetic few who screw things up.

[scrolllock]

Also, i know plenty of people locally who have lost dogs and just laugh about it.

That's f***ed

[Aussier]

They're just tools for some people mate, not companions

Not my view but it's a fact.

[Warrigul]

Abridged form response to PM:

Sorry to have gotten on your wrong side with that post, Warrigal. I have a lot of respect for your knowledge and the way you write and help people out with info.

As for being misinformed. The info is from Parks personnel, and a local to boot. Also, i know plenty of people locally who have lost dogs and just laugh about it. I applaud you for being a responsible dog hunter.

Sorry you misinterpreted the post as i was not including all dog hunters in the "ignorant/apathetic" category; just the ignorant/apathetic few who screw things up.

I have a copy of your original post, I publicly thank the moderators for having the good sense(and I requested something be done) to edit the parts that could have done so much damage to us down here.

[Lorgar]

Hard to know what to do in such a situation, but having hands near snapping dogs heads is dangerous!!!

What is there to do other than reach on in? Leave it and it can only end with one getting seriously hurt when you're talking about dogs that size.

The problem comes when the other owner won't reach in, in my experience.

All the blues I've ever seen between dogs with owners, the dogs have never tried to bite a person separating them, they're just focused on each other. Each owner grabs their respective dogs collars and separates them. Done.

I've seen a few where one owner just freezes and it's left to the other to try and separate them until the other guy wakes up and grabs his dog.

Learned the details after the incident, but I had it happen once where someone had just gotten a Sheppard which have been a guard dog for an industrial estate. it was kept there for a year or something basically with food, shelter and nothing else. Kept outside while work was on without much interaction. Obviously going to be a problem... Not understanding and not having seen anything of its temperament or behaviour she let it off at the gate to the local part and it ran straight over and bit my girl on the neck. Did it to half a dozen other dogs too before she finally couldn't accept her own excuses for its behaviour and didn't see them again.

I tell ya, it's hard enough to separate a pair of 30kg dogs by yourself. Let alone a pair who are 40kg, 50kg or more... Forget it.

Same thing happened to my brother who had an American Staffie. Can't remember the other dog but something of similar size. This other blokes dog pulled the leash out of his grip and it was on. Not only did he not help, he backed away a few metres to stay out of the way

You hope the other owner is on the ball. Worst case would be a stray starting it when your stuck on your own. Nothing to do but try and hurt the dog enough that it'll retreat. Easier said than dog while protecting and holding your own though.

[Warrigul]

You hope the other owner is on the ball. Worst case would be a stray starting it when your stuck on your own. Nothing to do but try and hurt the dog enough that it'll retreat. Easier said than dog while protecting and holding your own though.

I carry a lead weighted walking stick and have used it to FULL effect before, I would still rather someone elses dead dog than mine. You can't go lashing out at dogs simply because they came up for a sniff- often the bigger rotties etc just look scary as they trot up, often they mean no harm and are just saying gidday. It has to be a full on attack otherwise you are liable for damages .

In my humble experience as soon as you need to go to that length it is best to immediately call the Police as it will not be a pleasant experience.

[Gwion]

Lorgar, i agree entirely. The dogs don't try to bite people but some how the hand gets in side the wrong bit of the mouth and things get chomped.

A mate lost a finger when we were teenagers because he couldn't get his dog (German Shepard) off a little agro yapper. He tried to separate the dogs jaws and snappo. Minus one finger. The vet told him (or his folks who took him to hospital and little yapper to the vet) that best option is keep hands away from dogs mouths when fired up, grab the back leg and drive your finger in between the pads of the paw.

Now, obviously this wont work if two dogs of equal size are going at each other and the other owner a/ isn't there or b/ is standing back freaked out or enjoying the show. In this situation i would be booting the other dog as hard as i can (which is pretty hard) in the guts/ribs and grabbing my dog by the collar while there's a break in all the snapping around the head/neck area.

I've had smaller dogs that have been rushed by larger dogs (and pairs of larger dogs) while running off lead. I just ran full bore at the action yelling like a maniac/crazy dog myself and prepared to kick the crap out of the dogs and they have buggered off before i even get there, leaving my dog/s whimpering around my feet and me abusing the owner standing 50m away.


Just one approach.

Cheers.

PS> NOT suggesting that anyone else try that, just what i'd do. I'm stupid that way!

[Aussier]

often the bigger rotties etc just look scary as they trot up, often they mean no harm and are just saying gidday

Well trained and socialised ones are big sooks often as not.

They trot off around you because they're cautious of you!

[squirrelhunter]

The vet told him (or his folks who took him to hospital and little yapper to the vet) that best option is keep hands away from dogs mouths when fired up, grab the back leg and drive your finger in between the pads of the paw.

Gotta say.... Sounds like something from a vet who's never broken up a dog fight

I'm picturing trying to hold the foot of a fighting dog still enough to stick a finger inbetween its toes. It's not going well

It's hard enough to the collar sometimes when it's on.

[KWhorenet]

I was going to add my own experiences with walking my 50kg male happy overly social Rottie where fcuktards freak out and kick at him or almost cause a heated biffo just because he sniffed their obese lab or looked at their yappy aggressive shytzensnapper on many multiple occasions , but I remembered this gem

"Owner stops vicious dog attack with Hopoate-style manoeuvre"

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victor ... 9f43437979

[Gwion]

The vet told him (or his folks who took him to hospital and little yapper to the vet) that best option is keep hands away from dogs mouths when fired up, grab the back leg and drive your finger in between the pads of the paw.

Gotta say.... Sounds like something from a vet who's never broken up a dog fight

I'm picturing trying to hold the foot of a fighting dog still enough to stick a finger inbetween its toes. It's not going well

It's hard enough to the collar sometimes when it's on.

Totally agree. This wasn't a "dog fight" it was one big dog (my friend's) with a hold of one small dog. Make it let go with out putting your hand in or near it's mouth. I can see it working in this case (never known a dog to ignor you pulling on it's back leg) but not in a "fight". Probably wouldn't do it to a dog that wasn't mine, either, may end up with it latched onto your arm!

[Gwion]

Anyway. This is all WAY off topic to Headspace's good work controlling feral dogs in his lacal area, so.... Ciao.

Keep up the good effort, JD.

[Norton]

I had read that you are supposed to pick up the dog’s tail and put a lighter up its behind

God, the f***ing stupid advice people give who OBVIOUSLY have no idea what they're talking about and are making s**t up, talking out of their ass

You couldn't pull that off in a thousand attempts trying to break up a pair of dogs.

(And back on topic good work JD )

[Jack V]

I've never owned a dog that bit a human, I've had a few that bit other dogs, but that happens. Dog bits human, human shoots dog, the end. There was a pack of wild dogs not far from my place led by something that looked like a Ridgeback. You don't want it climbing over you. Some pigs hunters have lost dogs and guess what they become. No one should have a hunting dog without a homing collar, or whatever you call them. I'm now the local dogger for my little valley.
JD

Tracker collars are good but there are also ways to find your dogs or assist your dog to find you , old bushies tricks that most people don't know.
The first basic mistake they make is they think there dog is totally lost after about 4 to 12 hours . Not correct it can take a dog several days to back track it's own scent even over a few ks if the path is complicated . Most dog owners who lost their dogs don't realise that the dog probably came back to the last spot it saw you many hours after you left ! . Dogs don't get lost people loose dogs . There is a difference . First thing is camp on the spot where you lost the dog for at least 4 days build a fire . Most dogs will be back in a few hours to next day but some can go a bit crazy and take much longer as well as rain can hamper the situation .
It is always advisable to have a signal of some kind that the dog recognises to guide them in use it every 5 minutes or so , in case scent is gone . Also you can lay scent trails using the dogs food over a wide area all leading back to camp . If the dog don't come back in a reasonable time then lay your coat or shirt with your scent on the spot and put down some water and food . Come back every morning , midday and evening and in many cases the dog is lying on you coat . There's quite a few more tricks but that's enough for now.

[RoginaJack]

Yeah, Jack V, know what you mean.
We "misplaced' a dog while mustering out back of Walgett some years back. So we lit a fire, boiled the billy and camped there for a few hours but "Fido" (my dad called all me dogs Fido) didn't turn up.
We broke camp and I left my work shirt hanging on a corner fence post and continued on down the Bre road with the rest of the mob..
I came back a couple of days later and low n behold, there was Fido sitting near the shirt with a look on his face as if to say"Well, where the bloody hell have you been?".
He had penned up in the corner of the fence 5 sheep, 6 pigs and 2 stray stock horses that a couple of drovers had lost a few months ago AND even had time to keep the fire going and had the billy just coming to the boil.
Yep, Fido was a bloody good dog, alright.
Cheers.

[Jack V]

Might have believed you except for the 6 pigs, stock horses and boiling the billy .

[headspace]

Hey Rogina, He could count too that little bloke. I suppose he kept the fire going by getting all the sticks back you'd thrown to him over the years.
JD

[RoginaJack]

Might have believed you except for the 6 pigs, stock horses and boiling the billy .

Yeah, i was a bit disappointed that there was only 6 pigs 'cause there are a lot of feral pigs out there!