Indeed fox hunts do flout the law – if only us ordinary folks could do that with other laws. However if you are caught and there are people out there watching you could be prosecuted.


Indeed and for a very good reason, you can be prosecuted and a lot of sighthounds do not actually think – oh that’s a rabbit I can chase that but I cant chase the cat sitting next to it – its small its furry its game!


But we are not necessarily talking about good working dogs are we? A sighthound and certainly an ex racing greyhound is not going to trot back with a live anything! They are trained to chase, to catch and to kill, most wont bother coming back let alone bring you their prize!

Why do you feed the foxes – many consider them to be pests as well?


What about foxes and badgers? I must admit I do not consider it the same thing – wild animals hunting etc to survive as opposed to dogs hunting basically for fun.

I always walk mine muzzled I don’t think its cruel, they are perfectly happy with them on so I don’t see a problem with it although I realise others may think its cruel but IMO its more cruel to allow my dogs to kill rabbits, cats etc.

No I certainly don’t eat dog food.




Well I would hope everyone is cautious around livestock! How do you get your dogs to differentiate between a rabbit for instance and hare, vole, deer or pet cat?

If you don’t like your dogs killing why not just call them off?

I must admit Ive met many a cat owner (Im one) who hate their cats killing and go to lengths to prevent it where they possibly can. However you should always be in charge and control of your dogs which unless an inside cat that’s difficult to do, hypocritical maybe to you.

I agree. It is irresponsible IMO. Having witnessed two separate greyhound attacks on small dogs (one a toy poodle, one a Yorkie) led me to believe that when in prey/chase mode, dogs make mistakes. Mistakes that can be fatal for the victim animal. The two separate greyhound incidents I have witnesses have been when the dogs were off lead and unmuzzled. So I don't buy that dogs know the difference between a cat, small dog, rabbit or rodent in that situation. They chase first and ask questions later.

My grey is actually really good around all dogs big and small but i do put her on a lead if i see a small dog just in case.

Depends on your point of view as to whether or not a natural instinct in an animal is cruel - its mother nature at the end of the day. Of course as well the case of ex racing greyhounds its all they know and thats what they've been trained to do so its an even stronger instinct in them.

I haven't got a problem with my dog catching rabbits - she hasn't actually managed it yet anyway in fact she usually comes off worse. last time she chased she ended up in a bramble patch.

What i was trying to say in the case of badgers etc is that they hunt prey so whats the difference when a dog does it, its still instinct albeit not for food.

every dog will chase and probably kill a rabbit if it gets the chance,i certainly wouldnt encourage it but then i dont live in the country where rabbits are considered a pest,however i let the dogs chase cats out of tha garden they have a 100ft head start and will never catch them i just dont want cats in my garden ,when we had a guinea pig and a rabbit the cats were always trying to get at the hutch,but thats nature for cats the same as dogs chase rabbits and cats,the guinea pig and rabbit have died now(old age)but i still dont want cats in the garden.

You'd have thought the cat would have more sense than to come in the in garden with dogs there anyway, cats are treated as wild animals in the law as they can't be kept from wandering. If the cat keeps coming in the garden when it knows dogs are there then it knows it will get chased then thats the risk it takes imo.

Why do you put her on a lead if its in her natural instinct to chase andkill anything small and fluffy - which could be as a small dog, as we have tragically seen on here? You talk about natural instinct and allowing dogsto show their natural instinct but you are now being selective on which instincts you allow.

So I wonder how far you allow your dogs natural instinct to go? For greyhounds they have been trained to chase and kill – fair enough but just how do you stop your girl when she is chasing something you feel is inappropriate – what is inappropriate natural instinct?

One of the reasons I do not allow mine to chase is that they are so bloomin easily damaged if they go into undergrowth, with their thin skins they are very prone to cuts and gashes and damage to the eyes can be quite serious.The same with chasing cats greys have come of worse with those as well so again certainly not something I would be encouraging.

Its my dogs instinct and many more to eat anything it comes across do youallow yours to do that? It’s a dogs instinct to breed at every opportunity, do you allow your dog to do that (or would you if not speyed), its in a dogs instinct to roll in fox pooh and I certainly try not to let them do that because its not the natural instinct to have a bath unfortunately.


But again how would you feel if your dogs did kill the cat, mine (and most greys) would be catching the cat and would kill it. I would never encourage them to chase.

Im confused again re this natural, why would you not let the cats chase therabbits but for dogs its ok?

I cant help but wonder if you will be so blasé when you have to pick up a dead cat and take it round to your neighbours? I understand that there is very little you can do if your dog catches and kills a cat in its own garden only too well but it’s an horrible thing to witness and have to deal with the consequences. Cats are loved pets as well.

I put my dog on a lead because obviously its not the done thing to let your dog kill another ! She doesn't get the chance to chase anything inappropriate as you put it. My dog is spayed but no i would not allow her to mate if she wasn't

Actually - to answer your question yes i have had to take my neighbours dead cat round to her house after my cat killed in in MY garden - satisfied ???? have you ? incidentally i do not encourage my dog to chase cats !

i wouldnt want my dogs to kill a cat,but nor do i want cats in my garden like i said we had a rabbit and a guinea pig and if it wasnt for our dearly departed lab jess then the cats would have killed them(they tried to get into the hutch many times)i understand that you dont like dogs to hunt and kill but you have an animal and nobody can stop their natural animal instincts 100% would any dog let a cat chew its bone in the garden i dont think so.IMHO.

my dogs are chasing cats out of MY garden i do not let them roam the area looking for cats,i know people who have had cats kill their koi carp, a farmer friend of mine has a big problem with cats killing his baby pheasants cats are qouted as being the "perfect killers" in the animal world.i am sure that cats kill more animals domestic and wild than dogs ever will.

I think the original topic was about letting a dog obey its instincts. In fact, dogs have had these instincts shaped by us over hundreds of years. A gundog has been bred to be soft enough to give up the game, not eat it. So to stop a gundog breed killing, you train it.
Other breeds have different traits bred into them, so need different handling. My Hound is not let off lead around game. His instincts and breeding over-ride any training when a prey is in sight.
Dogs are predators and carnivores, so it is normal for them to chase and kill. In their eyes they are not doing wrong. It is our morals that are outraged at the sight of a dog killing an animal because we are so protected from the more brutal side of nature. Maybe if we had to slaughter our own cattle we would feel differently?