HanzoHasashi
Member
Hey all. I have a 9-month-old sulcata and a 2-year-old Russian. My sulcata is in an indoor closed chamber but my Russian is currently outside in her outdoor enclosure enjoying the warmth and 55-70% relative humidity of the Midwestern summer season.
I have two yorkies, 4 and 6 years old respectively (about 9 pounds each, on the smaller side). They initially showed no interest in my tortoises, but Cece (4-year-old, female, high prey drive) has become fixated on the Russian lately. She's too small to get into the enclosure (which also has a secured top), and I've used long black pet gates to fence off the enclosure so she can't even really see into the enclosure anymore, so that problem is solved.
That said, she's gotten savvy to where the sulcata (Buddha) is. Cece is eager to get into the room and sniffs around the table on which the enclosure sits, and follows me in there when I go to give Buddha his daily soaks, and it's clearly a hunting reaction, not simple curiosity.
Buddha is eventually going to need the entire yard. Cece has an incredibly high prey drive. She has, unfortunately, claimed the lives of several critters that frequent the backyard. I can't even begin to describe the cunning this dog demonstrates when she sees something she wants. She is fast, she is clever, she figures out when to sneak, stalk, and whatnot. I say this to impress just how strong her prey drive us. We've done nothing to encourage this and in fact, we've tried discouraging this drive, but we haven't had much luck. She's been this way since we got her when she was 4 months old. I don't want to implement a half measure, like dividing the yard, or portioning off a small section for the dogs, since the backyard is a big part of their enrichment. The Russian tortoise has the benefit of a closed and secure enclosure, but Buddha won't, since he's going to need all the space he can get.
I wish this weren't an issue, but these dogs are going to live a long time. I was hopeful when the dogs didn't show any interest, and believed we could make it work (still hope we can).
My questions are:
- is there a world in which Cece can somehow be trained to overcome her prey drive as it relates to the tortoises?
- will Buddha's eventual bigger size allow him to, I don't know, discourage Cece from messing with him? Like, is a little yorkie with high prey drive going to go after a large reptile three or four times her size? Pretty sure this is wishful thinking on my part.
@Tom I know you're a pro dog trainer so your input would be appreciated here! Ultimately, I'm going to do what's in the best interest of the animals. I'll surrender Buddha if it becomes clear there's not a good solution, but I also don't want to do that unless I have to, since I'm skeptical of anyone's ability to give him the proper care (and it will be at least two more years before Buddha would be outside anyway, so it's not at all urgent).
I have two yorkies, 4 and 6 years old respectively (about 9 pounds each, on the smaller side). They initially showed no interest in my tortoises, but Cece (4-year-old, female, high prey drive) has become fixated on the Russian lately. She's too small to get into the enclosure (which also has a secured top), and I've used long black pet gates to fence off the enclosure so she can't even really see into the enclosure anymore, so that problem is solved.
That said, she's gotten savvy to where the sulcata (Buddha) is. Cece is eager to get into the room and sniffs around the table on which the enclosure sits, and follows me in there when I go to give Buddha his daily soaks, and it's clearly a hunting reaction, not simple curiosity.
Buddha is eventually going to need the entire yard. Cece has an incredibly high prey drive. She has, unfortunately, claimed the lives of several critters that frequent the backyard. I can't even begin to describe the cunning this dog demonstrates when she sees something she wants. She is fast, she is clever, she figures out when to sneak, stalk, and whatnot. I say this to impress just how strong her prey drive us. We've done nothing to encourage this and in fact, we've tried discouraging this drive, but we haven't had much luck. She's been this way since we got her when she was 4 months old. I don't want to implement a half measure, like dividing the yard, or portioning off a small section for the dogs, since the backyard is a big part of their enrichment. The Russian tortoise has the benefit of a closed and secure enclosure, but Buddha won't, since he's going to need all the space he can get.
I wish this weren't an issue, but these dogs are going to live a long time. I was hopeful when the dogs didn't show any interest, and believed we could make it work (still hope we can).
My questions are:
- is there a world in which Cece can somehow be trained to overcome her prey drive as it relates to the tortoises?
- will Buddha's eventual bigger size allow him to, I don't know, discourage Cece from messing with him? Like, is a little yorkie with high prey drive going to go after a large reptile three or four times her size? Pretty sure this is wishful thinking on my part.
@Tom I know you're a pro dog trainer so your input would be appreciated here! Ultimately, I'm going to do what's in the best interest of the animals. I'll surrender Buddha if it becomes clear there's not a good solution, but I also don't want to do that unless I have to, since I'm skeptical of anyone's ability to give him the proper care (and it will be at least two more years before Buddha would be outside anyway, so it's not at all urgent).
