Corso attacked baby lamb...help!?

[Tarryn]

Rukiss got out of his fence today and chased my baby lamb, grabbed her by the neck, she got away and he repeated the process until I could grab him by the collar and hold him to the ground. He would have killed her, he was vibrating wanting to get at her again and I couldn't snap him out of it. He is good around chickens and mini horses and our goat, I'm thinking it's because the lamb ran? How can I get him to stop this? Any training advice? Thanks for any help or advice. My lamb appreciate any training advice!
Tarryn

 

[AKBull]

Has he ever been introduced to the lamb before?

 

[Tarryn]

No he has not, the lamb just got big enough to roam a couple days ago, her mom died so we are taking care of her for another family.any suggestions on an introduction? My confidence has wavered now.

 

[AKBull]

I'd have to let others with more knowledge on the subject chime in. Don't know if you do it the same way as introducing them to another dog.

 

[Tarryn]

Ok thanks!

 

[DennasMom]

I'd probably go the same route as introducing to any other livestock or pets (i.e. cats).

I'd put the dog on a leash and calmly walk him out to where the lamb is... letting the lamb wander at will.

Only get close enough to where your dog will still listen to you, so you can have him do things for you and get rewards - all while 'near' the lamb. You might have to start out on the other side of a fence to make sure the lamb doesn't come to close to you and cause a reaction.
Practice sit, down, look-at-me, shake, speak, etc. any and all his 'tricks', so you can provide lots of praise and treats.

Put him in a heel and walk around the lamb - feed treats for that, too, and praise.
If the lamb runs, and he lunges, just tell him 'no', have him sit, and treat/praise for the sit.

If he stops listening to you... remove him from the area to where he can listen again, and start over.

Hopefully some more knowledgeable people chime in - I know we have some here that have done this sort of thing before... my experience is pretty much limited to introductions to cats.

 

[Tarryn]

I will do that, thanks so much for the advice, ill let you know how it goes!
Thanks again : )

 

[E1kpo]

For me..Is pretty normal..It was the nature of the breed doing that..Taking care of the she eps,cows and livestock in general..And what you said was the method that dogs used to command on the other animals
I should find a vid,or a img of a corso doing that on a cow in a small town near my city..This is an example

 

[khplaw]

How old is Rukiss? I think E1kpo may have hit it on the head. And Deannas Mom. With as dramatic as the event sounds, was there any injury to the lamb? Sophie knows the command 'mine', which is applied to just about everything. If you look for the post from another member about first time with sheep you can see it is instinctive. I believe that if Rukiss meant to hurt the lamb it would have happened in that single event.

The corso jaw is unbelieveably strong. My Sophie will occasionally 'mouth' one of the Bostons she shares her home with, seemingly as a reminder that she is Queen. Never aggressive. She plays so gently with me , roughly with my husband, and my 3 year old grandson asked us 'where are her teeth?' because he has never seen them or felt them despite multiple treat giving events. "She has no teefies Gramma".

I would keep Lamby close by, or a close eye on Rukiss or both. The Corso is the kind of all they survey and will do what is required to keep everyone in line. Show Rukiss that this is a precious little life, hold lamby, and then do the same with Rukiss!

 

[DMikeM]

I don't think introduction will work at this point. This comment is not breed specific but is is pretty standard for any prey driven dogs to attack a new animal. A young lamb might be considered food by a large dog and now that he has bit the lamb he may just have a mind set now to finish the job. Some of our mastiffs have a determination to keep after something until they feel they are done with it.

 

[khplaw]

I don't think introduction will work at this point. This comment is not breed specific but is is pretty standard for any prey driven dogs to attack a new animal. A young lamb might be considered food by a large dog and now that he has bit the lamb he may just have a mind set now to finish the job. Some of our mastiffs have a determination to keep after something until they feel they are done with it.

Oh that is true. So go forward carefully; can the lamb be rehomed if needed?

 

[Tarryn]

Oh that is true. So go forward carefully; can the lamb be rehomed if needed?

Yes this is all such great advice, it seems to me that Rukiss thought of her as food or a threat somehow.. There was no blood but she slipped away twice and I jumped on his back and grabbed his collar and made him lay down. Rukiss is 10 months now, just started lifting his leg, very gentle with little dogs and kids, when we go to the Dog Park he cries to get in the small dog pen and his "pack" at home is 3 Pomeranians that he is polite and gentle with. He has killed one chicken before so I researched on the stimulation collars and have been working with him on that for a few months, he doesn't bother with them now, no more lunging or chasing when the chickens fight or run, he just notices..then goes about his business. Maybe I should stick with this approach with the lamb? Starting on the other side of the fence of course. He is high prey drive but soft correction generally. The lamb cannot be rehomed until end of August, but I would rather work with him on understanding what I expect of him rather than taking the lamb away. These farmers who use Corsos for their livestock guarding surely wouldn't accept it if their dogs maimed a calf, sheep or what have you.. And I am not willing to accept it either.
Thanks for your great thoughts : )
I'm sure lots of others have had this issue with cats or other small animals so it's good to get good advice, thanks guys, what a great support team.

 

[Mag-Pie]

"I'd probably go the same route as introducing to any other livestock or pets (i.e. cats).

I'd put the dog on a leash and calmly walk him out to where the lamb is... letting the lamb wander at will.

Only get close enough to where your dog will still listen to you, so you can have him do things for you and get rewards - all while 'near' the lamb. You might have to start out on the other side of a fence to make sure the lamb doesn't come to close to you and cause a reaction.
Practice sit, down, look-at-me, shake, speak, etc. any and all his 'tricks', so you can provide lots of praise and treats.

Put him in a heel and walk around the lamb - feed treats for that, too, and praise.
If the lamb runs, and he lunges, just tell him 'no', have him sit, and treat/praise for the sit.

If he stops listening to you... remove him from the area to where he can listen again, and start over."

Great advice. ^^^ I only have experience with introducing pigeons, chickens, and cats to my CC and this is pretty much exactly what I have done and have been successful in getting my dog to stop chasing or bothering them. The whole process took some time, every day for about 2-3 weeks I would spend some time with the dog on a leash around the said animals (I introduced each species at different times) and work with him, slowly and cautiously, moving in closer and closer. Once I felt comfortable with the dog showing little interest in the animal, I kept on with the process off leash, now after 2 months of being consistent and monitoring everyones interactions, the dog knows his boundaries and there is no more chasing nor grabbing at anyone. I would add one more thing, that I think is very important for your dog to do and that is to be allowed to sniff the animal that he is being introduced/desensitized to. Once I was confident that my dog was not going to grab anyone I allowed him to have a good long sniff.

"I believe that if Rukiss meant to hurt the lamb it would have happened in that single event. … Show Rukiss that this is a precious little life, hold lamby, and then do the same with Rukiss!"

Yes. I agree absolutely. ^^^ I firmly believe that proper and supervised introductions are necessary, unless you don't mind what naturally could take place.

â€He has killed one chicken before so I researched on the stimulation collars and have been working with him on that for a few months, he doesn't bother with them now, no more lunging or chasing when the chickens fight or run, he just notices..then goes about his business. Maybe I should stick with this approach with the lamb?â€

Absolutely! I'm sorry to hear about the fate of one of your chickens, if that happened with one of mine I would be devastated, btw my chickens are pets, and I do not eat them... I also use the collar as part of my dogs training, and it has helped immensely. Now I have his attention instantly, and he obeys all commands. However I work/train with him every day. Good luck!!! And please update on your progress.