My dog and the hunt

It is getting close to the hunting season and I know my dog will be distressed as usual.

At the bottom of my garden is a road and behind that is the forest. One day a week there is hunting with dogs. The sound of gunshots do not seem to worry him but as soon as he hears the hunting horns and the baying of the hunt dogs he goes mad. I think it is the baying of the hunting dogs which distresses him most. The local hunters transport the dogs in trailers and the hunting dogs seem to be quite vocal. If one of the trailers is driven down the road then he goes berserk. He runs up and down the garden fence howling and barking and certainly won't come when called.

Last season I ended up keeping him inside on hunt days. I cannot see any alternative but would appreciate any advice.

how long would you need to keep him indoors?

seems like a good idea.

maybe he is getting overrun with his own prey drive and wants to join in?

You must have the hunt kennels at the end of that road then you mean? In which case, they'll be going past a lot more than one day a week I'm afraid. If it's just the hunt, then they have different areas to hunt in each week, they wouldn't stick to the same one week in week out, so you'd only get it once or maybe twice coz they do use the same spot twice during the season sometimes.

If you don't have the hunt kennels at the end of that road at the bottom of your house, then give them a ring and ask them if you can have the dates that they will be hunting close to your home, so at least that way, you only have to keep your poor dog indoors during those times and you're prepared well in advance.

I can't think of any bright ideas I'm afraid Have you lived there long then? You must have put up with this each year if you have, or maybe you've only just got your dog and noticed this behaviour with him. Apart from moving I really don't know what else you can do coz you can't blooming stop them can you Good luck with your dog. What about getting a DAP diffuser in for the hunting season (it's a very long one!), but it might help?

He would have to stay in all day. They hunt until sunset. I usually take him out in the car and away from the area for his afternoon walk.

I have often wondered if it is because he wants to join in.

No it is not dogs from kennels, I think the dogs are usually kept by the local farmers. I can get the hunt dates from the Mairie but they usually stick to every Thursday from now until March. The hunters also put up large signs in the area to warn you the hunt is on. Lovely signs with a picture of a wild boar running.

Just went off to look at DAP diffusers - I think that may be the answer - I will do some more research - thank you

you could tap into his prey drive if that is the case

tug of war, that sort of thing

So sorry, I only just realised you are actually in France, so I suppose it's all very different over there, they seem to do what they like in most instances don't they, just because they can of course.

Yes, look into those DAP diffusers, they could well be your answer, and they also do an actual collar that your little dog can wear which does the same thing as the plug in diffuser, but of course, it's permanently around the dog. Somebody else on here is using a prescription drug for their dog with it's anxieties, and I will look up the name of it for you on that thread. You could always ask the vet if there is something that could help him get through it, but of course, as soon as you say it's to go right through until March, then it might be a different story with any drugs, they could just be short term remedies. Good luck with it all, you must be at your wit's end.

Thank you again - I knew I would get some useful advice on here. I am so glad I found this forum.

I will try Krusewalkers suggestion and take out his favourite toy for a tug of war as soon as the hunt starts. I will see if we can make a game of it. If it doesn't work then I will have a word with the vet and see if she has any suggestions. I am reluctant to try drugs as the hunt is once a week for six months of the year. To be fair to hunters it is not all day. Sometimes they go to the other side of the forest so we cannot hear them. I am sure the vet is used to this sort of query.

Thank goodness he is not bothered by guns - they go off every Sunday morning until noon.

I know what you mean - we used to get the hunt in Britanny. The hounds were kept on a local farm.
All I can suggest that you find stuff to do with your dog that day that he likes and gradually de-sensitise him. Find some good scent games of your own that are as much fun?

My dog was doing really well until yesterday when the hunt came very close to the house

I thought he might be reacting to the guns and the horns but I have now found it is the hunting dogs themselves. Occasionally, by mistake, the hunters leave a dog behind. Whenever we have encountered one of these loose dogs my dog becomes very aggressive, snarling and barking. If the hunt dog comes close then my dog starts to quiver, his tail goes down and you can almost smell the fear in him.

This is odd as he is usually a very friendly dog. One of our walks takes us past a house with a ferocious guard dog. The guard dog will run at the gate snarling, growling and just being ferocious. My dog wags his tail and wants to play with the guard dog. The loose hunting dogs have never been aggressive.

Anyway my point is that it is the hunt dogs which cause him a problem. I know one of the hunters. Does anyone think it would be worthwhile getting my dog introduced to a hunting dog or would that, perhaps, make it worse?

I'm so sorry to hear this is still ongoing for you, and now you've got the additional worry of those loose hounds. I don't know about hounds, but considering they are a pack of their own all the time, living in the same large group, I don't expect they've ever mixed with normal dogs except as puppies when people have taken them on to raise them (a friend of mine did this once). So would that mean, they might consider your dog as "prey" perhaps, and your dog is getting that message from the loose hounds?? It's only a wild guess, but hopefully somebody will be along who knows all about them and the reason your dog might be reacting like this.

If I were you, I would ring those kennels and ask for their advice, explain the situation and see if they have any bright ideas.

Why are you hearing gunshots though with a hunt It must be very different from our hunts. Just interested! Good luck, I know it must be a real nightmare for you at this time of year.