I knew it would happen one day, one very fast and muscley Weimaraner with a VERY high prey drive meets a rabbit who has made the mistake of running away from Freya into the path of Casper who thought all his Christmas' had come at once  

The rabbits end was mercifully fast and Casper proudly carried his trophy home.  We didn't want to leave it on the field as children play there.

Casper was bad enough on walks before - the scent of something small and furry and he is deaf and blind to everything else - if its possible he could get worse I'm sure he will be now.

Funnily enough though, Casper can walk within inches of ducks and not bat an eyelid.  Freya however loves to chase ducks.  Only because I suspect she knows she isn't fast enough to get squirrels and rabbits and feels she has more chance at getting a duck.

Dogs, eh!  :D

It would be wise to train your dog not to chase any beast or bird. Many a dog has been killed because the owner can not 'stop' the dog from chasing. If you contact the Weimaraner Assoc or the GSPC, they will point you in the right direction for training classes in your area. No pun intended :)

Thanks for the advice Admin! :)

Casper was actually on a long line when he killed the rabbit - we only let him run free in our field which is totaly secure, but when we are on a public field we keep him on a lead.  I will still contact the organisations you suggested though as they might give me some ideas on how to calm his prey drive a little, if its at all possible.  :D

They will be able to help you. They will show you how to channel his natural instincts and control him better. I am sure you will both have alot of fun learning too :D

Who got to eat the Rabbit???

If your dog is always kept on a long line except in certain circumstances the frustration will only serve to increase his prey drive.

Why not go to a gundog trainer who will allow you access to a rabbit pen and teach you how to control your dog around livestock?

Unfortunately I know some in my breed who also have a taste and the speed to catch rabbits!  Luckily I've never been in a field with my dogs where I've seen one, phew!

Two of my dogs are smaller than a rabbit!

you are lucky no one saw it happen you may of been reported for hunting with dogs.
my friends dog killed a rabbit and she was facing a prosecution over illegal hunting with her dog, she was worried sick that she was going to loose her boy, she had to prove it was a one off , which it was he has never in all his 5 years been fast enough to catch one never mind kill it , we think the rabbit was on its last legs so to speak , but someone had seen her dog do it and when she returned to the car park the police where there and questioned her about it
carolann

>the rabbit was on its last legs so to speak<

It seems to me that rabbits already suffering terribly with myxymatosis are very often the ones slow enough get caught.  It's hard to say but if we were rabbits, some of us might actually choose "death by dog" than the suffering and lingering death (no painkillers, no hospital treatment, no family looking after you) brought about by this dreadful disease.

Are you sure about your friend facing prosecution, Carolann?  According to the information about the Hunting with Dogs Act on the DEFRA site, the hunting of rats and rabbits is exempt from the terms of the Act?  I thought this was the case and have just checked on the DEFRA site. 

We have myxamatosis (sp??) around us at the moment, and my dogs and I have been dispatching a lot of very sick and sad rabbits.  Better a quick end than dragging it out - I won't go into any more gory details!

saw her this at training and asked her and she said, yes the police where adament, that she could be prosecuted under the hunting act, it never came to anything but now she runs her dogs on 40ft lines.
i asked her if it was just the police that spoke to her and she said yes, so if it was an over zelous officer who thought of the hunting bill ,but like she said takes no risks now she just can't bare the thought of one of her dogs being taken away and destroyed
carolann

rabbits are exempt from the hunting with dogs bill and in any event the owner has to show 'intent' to hunt before a prosecution can go ahead. I would be very surprised if a policeman confronted her over this (unless he thought it was hare which does fall within the scope of the bill)

We have hare coursing that goes on in the fields around our house and I have reported this on numerous occasions - not once have the police been out to try and stop them !. I now let  my dogs out into our adjoining paddock and this always distracts their dogs enough to stop the coursing from continuing :)

Yvonne

Are Rabbits not classed as Vermin and therefore a dog hunting them would not be contravening the act????

I would say this is a Police Officer who does not support hunting, using the 'ways and means act' to make the lady in fear of prosecution. Thats why nothing came of it.

:o <- embarrassed smiley!
I thought this was going to be a post about a variety of fir trees that are poisonous!!!

>Caspers firs kill<

:D

Thanks for a giggle, HG!