Dog behavior

SevenFeathers

Dagobah Resident
I have read about how mother dogs will sometimes reject the "runt" of the litter and sometimes even kill them. That makes me awfully sad but I realize nature has its way.

The sheep ranch across the road from me has several large sheep guard dogs, Great Pyrenees, I think. One of the females had puppies recently. I think they are a couple of months old. During the time when they started walking around with the mother dog, I would notice how she seemed to "pick on" one of the pups. If it came up to her for any reason, she would growl and bite at it, making it scream (as only puppies can do!). Yesterday, as my husband was out running, he saw several of the adult dogs mauling the little runt, and it was screaming madly. He said he yelled at the dogs, but they were too far away, and too involved in their game of terror. They walked away and left the puppy lying there. My husband thought she was probably dead. We drove back by later to see if we could see it and it was nowhere we could see. The mother and three other pups were there. We figured the attack dogs had just dragged the puppy off somewhere.

This property is all fenced and locked up. Someone comes and works the sheet during the week. I blew my car horn at the gate, but no one was there.

But today, as I was out walking, the runt was back with the mother and other three. She looks awful, skinny and covered with mud. I crossed the fence to see if I could get to her, but these dogs are not people friendly, and they all walked away.

I once again went to the property owner's gate, but there is no buzzer or any way to speak with anyone, so I just left a note for the dog handler to call me. I want to let that person know that the puppy may be killed if it remains with the other dogs, and also I want to tell them that the adult dogs are getting out of the fence and acting somewhat aggressive and getting into people's garbage.

I think there are some people here who are very experienced with dogs. Do you think the big dogs will kill the puppy or just torment it? I am willing to take it if they don't care what is happening. Or am I just letting my heart get the better of me?
 
If the adults wanted to kill the puppy, they surely would have by now as they have the size, power and ability to do so. Would have to see the behaviours to get an idea of exactly what is going on and doggy justice can seem pretty harsh. Mum's can also get pretty full on when they're trying to discourage pups from suckling during weaning and some pups can be more insistent and slower to break the habit than others. Be pretty hard to watch and understand your upset
 
Well in nature I think we would justify that let nature takes its course but these are domesticated animals reliant on humans. Personally I feel it is justified to intervene to save the puppy. Hopefully she is not too psychologically scarred already. Good luck keep us updated.
 
I think there are some people here who are very experienced with dogs. Do you think the big dogs will kill the puppy or just torment it? I am willing to take it if they don't care what is happening. Or am I just letting my heart get the better of me?

Not sure if the big dogs will kill the puppy, and yes maybe your heart is the one taking the charge in this situation, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.

I have a few friends who have rescued pups, and those pups grow up to be truly loyal and a source of happiness, so. I would put it out there and see if you get a response, but do not become overtly attached to the pup before he makes it into your life, mostly to avoid disappointment. But see what happens.
 
I received a phone call from a gruff sounding man yesterday who said he is the one who takes care of the dogs. I gave him the information I had. He seemed more concerned about the big dogs getting out of the fence than about the puppy being mauled. I offered to take the puppy and let it stay in my fenced yard so that it could eat and get some peace. He didn't respond to that, just said he would check the fence for openings that were letting the dogs get out. I thanked him and told him to let me know if there was anything I could do to help.

I did what I could. Whether it helps the puppy remains to be seen.

Thanks for reading.
 
Well, that was an exercise in futility. The puppy is alive. I saw it with its mother and 3 siblings, but it stays back about 10 feet from the others. The big dogs are still roaming the roads. I saw three of them this week in the neighbor's cow pasture, eating something, so I went to investigate. They were eating a dead calf. I don't think they killed it. It didn't appear to be freshly killed. I informed the owner who just said, "well, that's not good".
 
It's tough for we humans to witnesses pecking order in the animal kingdoms. A lot of my pets were selected because they were the runt and turned out to be wonderful animals....Except one cat, she is so tiny and is a terror, when she wants to, towards the dogs and cats! I probably should have handled her more, when she was young, but she was constantly run off by the other cats, including her mother...who was originally feral.

I think a properly trained farm dog would know the perimeter of its domain. It would concern me that they are crossing over land boundaries to eat. These are gigantic dogs and require a lot of food...Makes me wonder if they are getting fed properly.
Eating a dead calf, on the neighbor's land, puts them at risk of being shot.
 
The runt is alive and well. My human emotions got the better of me evidently. In the picture, I think the "runt" is the one on the far left and it's just a little smaller than the others. The mom is resting the middle. But the landowner never fixed the fence, so now mom and pups get out and roam. Since I have already spoken to the owner twice, I don't think it is wise to say anything else.Pups.jpg
 
Those are beautiful dogs. Can you call the animal protection? The SPCA?
Ah, Loreta, if only it were that simple. I live in a very rural area, with no such thing as SPCA. That wouldn't really be fitting in this case, anyway. Perhaps my emotional postings made it seem worse than it is. These dogs are not treated badly. It was mostly my perception, based on having pets who are part of my family. Those dogs are not pets at all. They are working dogs, specifically sheep guardians. The adults seem to love their job. This is ranching country, with hard boiled men and women who look at those dogs, as "just dogs". Not like you and I who love dogs so much. It is pretty common for dogs to wander around the areas here. I was mostly upset that the owner had told me he would inspect the fences and repair the openings, but has not done so. People who say something then don't do it, upset me. That is why I love most dogs more than humans.
 
Yeah it’s difficult to witness improper care of domesticated animals, it does sound like the biggest issue is the fencing at this stage. Hopefully you have been able to reconcile your emotions a bit as the runt of the litter has matured.

I had to leave a job on a thoroughbred stud farm once, because the owner beat the crap out of a yearling filly that was simply nervous of the dark box and needed a little time to adjust her eyes before she walked in. Then the next day the owner traumatised her by beating her with a 10 foot alkathene pipe. I couldn’t cope with it. He was the stud owner, filthy rich and obnoxious, and I was powerless to say or do anything apart from leave.

Anyway I understand how incredibly frustrating these situations are. I always send the animals love in my heart to their essence so maybe they get something from that.
 
Well, even though my Rottie was never trained as a service dog she decided that she would be one for me. Since I fell down and broke my rib, she will not leave my side. she forces herself in the garage when I am going to the store, barges her way into the car and will not leave my side. Not complaining at all but this is truly unexplained behavior for her. She absolutely will not let me go anywhere without her. I am grateful for that and her behavior has really changed, amazing how they just know! What a wonderful girl she is and deeply grateful for her concern!
 

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