dog kills fox cub

[teamtactics]

I am devastated but am I sure my labardor killed and half ate a fox cub? He (our 6 year old Lab) was found with a new kill in his mouth, he dropped the half eaten fox cub and threw up the remains 5 mins later. We have now discovered a fox den up on the banks of our garden. But why did my dog kill such a beautiful thing? Is this normal behaviour?? This cub could have only been weeks old. What can I do to protect the other cubs?

[Vixen]

its not very normal for the breed, are you shore it wasn't already dead, I know labs will eat anything.

Make shore he can't get another, not 100% shore what the law is on this.

[eeyore]

You cant blame the dog for being a dog - and sadly, for your situation, thats what dogs do - you see a beautiful thing, he sees prey.

best thing you can do is keep the dog away from the foxes (apart from the risk of him killing the cubs , foxes can carry mange, fleas, and ticks, and a vareity of other things comunicable to a dog through close association - plus the adult foxes might well bite him in defence of their cubs)

if you need to let the dog run free in the garden you could errect some temporary fence to make him a run.

[stigofthedump]

Hi teamtactics and welcome to WAB.

Echo everything eeyore has said, plus the vixen will hopefully move den now.


Vince

[salukiwhippet]

Heard of quite a few labs that tackle adult foxes, so a cub should pose no problem, it must be in the breed somewhere along the line.

James

[GOW]

Originally Posted by teamtactics

I am devastated but am I sure my labardor killed and half ate a fox cub? He (our 6 year old Lab) was found with a new kill in his mouth, he dropped the half eaten fox cub and threw up the remains 5 mins later. We have now discovered a fox den up on the banks of our garden. But why did my dog kill such a beautiful thing? Is this normal behaviour?? This cub could have only been weeks old. What can I do to protect the other cubs?

Hi teamtactics, I too am new here. Over the years I have have owned a number of dogs and have kept large flocks of ducks geese and chickens.

Dogs on the whole are predators foxes are members of the dog family. In the past I have been horrified by the damage that a fox has done to my flocks of birds, I have watched a vixen steal my POL birds from the hen house to feed her young on the other hand I had a dog from which I had to retrieve a mangled chicken from her jaws and she vomited up a chewed chicken some five minutes later.

Nature is cruel and sometimes we don't help. Your dog will not recognise a fox cub as a beautiful thing, it will either be a threat or something to eat. This is not the fault of your dog nor is it anything that you have done it's just the way it is.

[Vixen]

Originally Posted by salukiwhippet

Heard of quite a few labs that tackle adult foxes, so a cub should pose no problem, it must be in the breed somewhere along the line.

James

not to go off topic to much.

But a gundog should never chase and never kill, your right it will be somewhere deep down, and bad breeding can make things worse. The sad thing about labs is there so popular there over bred and this makes them bad working dogs and there tempriment suffers as well. They where bred down from the lesser newfoundland, not shore what else is in the mix.
Though I do have a gun shy, non retrieving, chasing (rabbit mainly) golden. he is from a show line though.

I be interested in knowing weather this is a show line dog or a working line.

the fence idea is a good one

[The Woodman]

Suzie
My yellow Lab was horrified to hear you say that Labs are bad working dogs!

She tells me that it is mostly down to training, control and a little bit of chosen breeding in her case.

[thunder]

Originally Posted by Vixen

Though I do have a gun shy, non retrieving, chasing (rabbit mainly) golden. he is from a show line though.

I used to take a friend's Golden Lab for walks occasionally. He would try to chase Rabbits, but one day a baby Rabbit leapt up under his feet and he pounced on it with both front paws, and killed it instantly. He was most disappointed that it stopped moving, and he looked at me as if to say "Why won't it run any more?"

henrya

[Vixen]

Originally Posted by The Woodman

Suzie
My yellow Lab was horrified to hear you say that Labs are bad working dogs!

She tells me that it is mostly down to training, control and a little bit of chosen breeding in her case.

I apologise to your girl, I ment show Labs but they can work as well. You got to admit though have have almost become two different breeds, short ledded stocky show labs and the long legged sleck working labs, I rather prefer the working type. I also like the goldens from the 20's.

no your right training has alot to do with it as well, but it sad to see some breeds losing working type because they can be over bred by puppy farmers to meet demand.

opse we gone completely off topic