Behavioural differences between three breed groups of hunting dogs confronted with domestic sheep

When running free in open fields, domestic dogs occasionally display predat ory behaviour towards domestic sheep. This has not yet been studied scienti fically. The aim of the present study was to investigate the inclination to chase sheep in three breed groups of hunting dogs that are most frequently used in areas with grazing sheep. We studied 41 elkhounds, 29 hare hunting dogs and 68 English setters. Behaviours indicative of motivation for chasi ng or attacking sheep were examined in three different ways. A path test ex amined functional traits such as hunting ability, contact willingness, reac tivity to sudden noise, and response towards a lone sheep. In a sheep confr ontation test, loose-leashed dogs were observed in a fenced enclosure with sheep and given electric shocks through an electronic dog collar if within 1-2 m from the sheep. A questionnaire to the dog owners supplied informatio n on their dog's previous experience with sheep and behavioural responses t o various types of novel stimuli. No significant sex differences were found . The elkhounds showed the highest interest in a lone sheep in the path tes t, and displayed the highest initial hunting motivation, the highest percen tage of dogs starting a sheep attack, the highest attack severity, and were most frequently given el. shocks. The hare hunting dogs were intermediate, while setters showed the lowest values for these variables. Dogs reported as showing low fearfulness more frequently acted as potential sheep chasers in the tests. Dogs up to 3 years of age showed a more pronounced initial h unting motivation and more frequent attacks than older dogs, although there were no age differences in the number of el. shocks given in the test. The latter may be related to the more frequent abruption of attacks among youn ger dogs. The main factors predicting a high hunting motivation and attack severity were lack of previous opportunity to chase sheep, low fearfulness towards gunshots and unfamiliar people, and general interest in sheep shown when encountering them. Probability of sheep chasing differed between dog breeds and age groups. Previous experience and certain character traits wer e indicative of a high predatory motivation towards sheep. (C) 2001 Elsevie r Science B.V. All rights reserved.