My dogs have been...hunting... in my yard... help?

Question

i have 2 dogs.

Alias, 1/2 tundra wolf, some malamute, siberian husky, akita...

and Dakota- Alaskan malamute, and siberian husky..

lately, Alias has been hunting in our back yard... she has gotten birds, mice, squirrels, a neighbors pet chicken, and today, a rat (we have rad a recent problem with rodents.)

is there a way i can get her to stop hunting in the yard? we live in northern california, in a normal house, not a huge yard, but big enough for 2 large breed dogs plus some.

its just a huge hassle to go in the back and worry about finding something dead...

help?

Answer 1

They are doing what comes natural to them.  Most people would be glad to have a dog that gets the mice and rats.  

Answer 2

your dogs are doing what nature intended and you're surprised??!!  put up a fence and get them inside of it.

Answer 3

Umm i missed the part where its supposed to be a bad thing? They are both primitive dogs if not wolves and its 10000000% natural!!!!

Answer 4

I doubt it, it's all part of the prey drive they have.  

Answer 5

They are doing what dogs do by instinct - you can't change that and you shouldn't want to.

Take them for long walks, keep them in the house with you, play with them more then they won't be left to their own devices so much and won't have so much time and urge to hunt in the yard.

What do you expect your dogs to do out there - play tennis?

They obviously have to have some way to amuse themselves, don't grudge that unless you spend more time with them so they won't be on their own.

Answer 6

No. There really is no way, especially the one that's half wolf. Siberians and malamutes have very strong prey drives and they get it from wolves. Anything smaller than them is prey and they will go at any length to get it even when they are not hungry. This is also a large source of pride for them as THEY caught it. It is now theirs. They are very protective of their catch, so be careful when retrieving and disposing.

Answer 7

There are many ways to stop the animals from "hunting" in your yard. One, these dogs need plenty of exercise! Minimum one hour walk per day. Every day! You could always train them for the treadmil and run the heck out of them. A tired dog doesnt' want to hunt.

next, what toys does the dog have to keep them mentally challenged? A kong with a treat in it gives them a chance to work their minds. Teach the hide game. Hide the treat with the toy and tell them to find. They learn to sniff out and look for the toys. These dogs are working breeds and probably have little to keep them busy during the day and evening.

Putting your dog out into a big yard does not give them exercise. Unless you are out there making sure they are running around for quite some time. You should also work on training your dogs some new tricks, this also mentally stimulates them.

This hunting is a way for them to show you that they are bored, and bored enough to hunt down a rat. Clearly they didn't do it before hand. And killing a pet chicken can lead to the county putting your dogs down. Go get some training books, advanced ones if your dogs already got the basics. work them, play with them as well. your dogs need a job to deal with. And play time separately from that.

You get them the proper exercise and the work and then the play time, your dogs won't even look at a rat in the yard. They'll be too tired too.  

Answer 8

Amanda, darling, Alias is doing what comes naturally to her. She's a wolf hybrid. In many respects its just like owning a wolf. You would be wise to treat her that way. Keeping her entertained with exercise and toys is not going to override her natural instincts. Advise your neighbors to keep their chickens and other domestic pets out of your yard. And get used to seeing a dead critter or two. Other than the chicken, you're talking about very small animals anyway. Sad and yucky as you may find it, its nothing to make an issue over, a domestic cat would do the same thing. And again, Alias is not a dog. She is a wolf hybrid. A rather high content hybrid at that. You can't recondition her natural instinctual behavior, its not only nearly impossible, its wrong. Half of her genetic make-up is wild animal. I'm not saying its wrong to have her, I have full blooded wolves myself, but I'm afraid you can't expect her to be just like a domestic dog in every area of her behavior and personality. You're going to have to be really on your game about making sure your neighbors know to keep their critters out of your yard and making sure Alias doesn't wander into theirs. All part of being a responsible hybrid owner. And you're just going to have to get over the ick factor of finding a dead bird or rodent in your yard. Not what you were looking for, I'm sure, but its the most practical advice I can offer you having had experience with hybrids and full blooded wolves.