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Post by babycakes0707 on Jul 3, 2010 11:41:58 GMT -5
i have a 3 &a 1 year old ferret and a 16month old pitbull who is VERY intrested in the ferret but she plays too rough and she makes the boys really anxious so I cant let my ferrets loose because my dog likes to chase them and they just seem too scared! Does anyone know how I can sort of train my dog to leave the ferrets alone? becuase now they cant get outside of the cage play time
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Post by Heather on Jul 3, 2010 17:42:36 GMT -5
Is there not some place that you can put the pup while the ferrets are out playing? A bathroom, outside in a kennel, a crate. You need to confine the dog so that your little ones can get out and play. A dog that is too excitable around the ferrets (this dog is 16 months, so should actually have all it's obedience training to rely on and make it a good social companion but some dogs just go crazy when around ferrets and other small animals) at this stage of the game should be kept well away from the ferrets. Can you train the dog to leave the ferrets alone...yes, but not with the ferrets and it takes a lot of work. Would I let this particular dog be with my ferrets, from what you've told us here.....NO...is it because you said it was a pitbull...NO I know some of those dogs and they're big lovable bears, but as ferrets excite your dog...no. ciao ciao
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Post by sherrylynne on Jul 3, 2010 19:46:35 GMT -5
The ONLY dog I ever trusted to interact with my ferrets was my pittie. She, however, was quite elderly when they came in, and it was ONLY under extreme supervision. I'd trust no other dog around them, I don't even trust some of my cats with them. And at her age, even just playing, she can seriously injure, if not kill them, just with a paw slap.
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Post by Heather on Jul 3, 2010 21:15:41 GMT -5
The biggest concern I would have with a dog, is the head swipe or head whip. Think of a dog with a rope or old rag or a stuffy. I've seen even small rat terriers kill with that and it's lightning fast. You won't be able to stop it. You only need to pick up the dying ferret or it's corpse. It is absolutely heartbreaking. Worse the dog is only doing what it is natural to do and you as a human guardian were helpless to prevent it. The easiest....don't allow it to happen ciao
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Post by mustelidmusk on Jul 4, 2010 0:28:20 GMT -5
Terriers are sporting dogs. I would trust NO dogs around ferrets because ferrets will "ask for it" by bothering/teasing the dog. There are SOOOOOO MANY stories about how a dog that has lived with and interacted with ferrets for several years with no trouble what-so-ever ends up killing one of the ferrts one day.
Terriers in particular would not be a good match since they were bred as hunters. The chasing/hunting instinct is VERY strong in terriers, and your ferrets can sense this. Putting your ferrets with your dog would be like putting a mouse in your ferret's cage expecting that the ferret would never attack it.
In my opinion, mixing ferrets and dogs is just too risky. I hate to be so negative about this, but every one I've ever known who has allowed their dogs to mix with their ferrets has eventually lost a ferret or two.
-jennifer
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Post by babycakes0707 on Jul 12, 2010 14:37:25 GMT -5
to clear it up a bit, shes a red nose pit bull mixed w. lab (unfortunatly,the only lab part of her is the color of her fur..lol) she is just so intrested by my ferrets though, shes always moving around their cage (which doesnt even have wheels...) and smelling them and well tryin gto steal their food lol.
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Post by rarnold18 on Jul 12, 2010 14:44:20 GMT -5
Terriers have a high prey drive, most small terriers were originally bred to go to ground and dispatch any rats, rabbits, gophers, etc. The larger ones were bred to take down wolves, bear, bulls, and things of that sort. When introduced to a group of moelesser type breeds a terrier would be considered a predator and the guardian breed would dispatch it. That being said, I have three pit mixes. Chaos and Fagan are 8 year old lab pit mixes, they have calmed down over the years and want nothing to do with the ferrets except eat their food. They do however have a very high prey drive and will eat anything that comes into the yard possom, bird, frog, snake, armadillo.... Jezzebelle , is a 20 month old mastiff pit mix who has a very intense prey drive also and will kill anything in her yard that she can eat too. They are not vicious, or mean, they are just doing what the breed is meant for, they don't have the taste of blood nor will they eat my skin kids.... Now the smaller fur babies...that's a different story. The cats were here first and taught all the dogs "cat manners" as soon as the puppies came home. Chaos and Fagan are older and calmer they have no real intrest in the ferrets or hamsters, when out Fagan will actually run away from the ferrets and hide. Chaos will just look at me as if to say...jeeze mom not again... Jezzebelle I wouldn't trust around them because she is still a stupid puppy, if it fits in her mouth and she can chew it she will, it doesn't matter if it's supposed to be eaten or not (she once at a package of quilting straight pins, I swear she has brain damage) I will only let her around the ferrets if I have a hand on her and have complete control. 99.9% of the time the ferrets play time out of their cages is the same time the dogs are outside in the back yard. That way there is no way for an accident between dog and ferret. The off time that everyone is inside, Jezzebelle is put up in one of the kids bedrooms and the ferrets are secluded/barricaded to the 22x11 ft familyroom with no way of escape (that they;ve discovered yet). All of my dogs are well trained and I usually have complete control but I don't want to risk being distracted and have something happen to any of my pets, I wouldn't be able to handle it. Right now we are working with Jezzebelle so that she can earn her canine good citizen certificate. My boys haven't earned it because they tend to be a bit dog aggressive and because of this I don't think that they will pass the test.
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Post by goingpostal on Jul 12, 2010 15:33:12 GMT -5
Just rotate them, put the dog in a kennel or a bedroom they can't get to and let the ferrets out instead. I would never have a dog and a bunch of ferrets running around together regardless of breed, dogs are predators and ferrets are fuzzy prey items, even a dog who gets along with them may still kick into prey drive during chase or get overexcited. One of my pit bulls gets along great with the ferrets but I've had multiple ferrets who were/are afraid of dogs. She is let around one at a time under close supervision only. My other pit is actually quite fearful of the ferrets and runs away from them. Jersey and Precious, she was one fearless ferret!
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Post by rarnold18 on Jul 12, 2010 15:49:08 GMT -5
omg! Jersey is beautiful!!!
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Post by goingpostal on Jul 12, 2010 16:11:28 GMT -5
Thanks! She's also mostly earless thanks to whoever home cropped her as a pup and the ferrets just love to mess with dog ears IME. Hobo and Precious spent a lot of time cleaning and licking poor Jersey. The next 2 ferrets we added were scared to death of her though.
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