Kent farmer encourages dog owners to undertake training in order to alleviate livestock worrying 'burden' on farm businesses

A sheep farmer has urged more dog owners to seek training courses like his in order to reduce the 'burden' on farm businesses from livestock worrying incidents.

Tobin Bird, of Woodside Farm in the village of Beneden, started Sheep Proof Your Dog in 2011 - which provides training courses to transform out of control dogs into well-behaved animals - after seeing the impact first-hand of incidents which had killed livestock on farm.

Using some of the farm's 140 breeding ewes during training - which are not harmed during the demonstrations - the Kent farmer said the one day courses provide owners with techniques of effectively managing their pets when near livestock.

The business has trained various dog breeds over the years from spaniels to Bavarian mountain hounds on how to behave around livestock with effective recall procedures.

After feeling frustrated at seeing owners who had failed to control their dogs around livestock, Mr Bird said he had taken all the experience he had developed from over the years in order to transform an unruly animal into a well-behaved one.

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"Going through a livestock worrying experience can be hugely frustrating and devastating," he added.

"It is a burden to a farm business.

"I have experienced it many times and that feeling of pain never leaves you.

"It makes you feel hopeless when you see your livestock dying or killed because of the actions of a dog.

"I have been told by farmers they have sustained injuries during a livestock attack with one farming saying he was bitten in the face.

"Often, the owner of the dog just has no idea how to control their pet.

"In some cases, they just do not care and it is that mindset which needs to change.

"It comes at a cost to the farmer - which will be a sentiment shared by those up and down the country who own livestock which have been injured or killed in attacks of this nature.

"I had just had enough of seeing the damage done to my flock and to others who face livestock worrying."

Mr Bird had self-taught himself how to train dogs on farm and how they could behave effectively around livestock.

"Before starting the dog training business, I had done bits of training with some fellow farming friends who said the transformation had been remarkable," he said.

"They urged me to take it forward as a business idea so I just went for it.

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"I had placed an advertisement in our local free paper and the concept has steadily grown ever since.

"I have also appeared on BBC's The One Show during my time and the mainstream media have really shown an interest in what I do and how I can help not only dog owners, but farmers too who are always on the receiving end of such attacks.

"It is such a relief to change the attitude of a dog and give owners confidence that they can effectively manage their animal not to attack livestock.

"Not all owners are ignorant of this and do not want to hurt animals.

"But some are still oblivious to the above and that is what we need to overcome.

"Because if not, livestock worrying will still be a major problem." 

Mr Bird had acknowledged that there still needed to be more work achieved from a political level to help support farmers in England.

"I think England needs to follow Scotland's line on livestock worrying with greater fines and a prison sentence (Police Scotland said dog owners can be fined up to £40,000 or even sent to prison for up to 12 months for livestock worrying offences)," the Kent farmer added.

"There just is not enough of a deterrent at the moment to stop this from happening.

"Dog owners fail to realise their animals are predators.

"Even when the dog is playing, it is still a predator and sees sheep as prey.

"From past experiences, I have had sheep killed days after a livestock attack because they were bitten and contracted gangrene.

"The cost just piles on the business and it is awful - physically, emotionally and financially."

The Woodside Farm proprietor said seeing the change in both dog and its owner after attending a course had been remarkable.

"I just enjoy the experience when you make an owner click how vitally important it is to have received that training," he says.

"It helps them build confidence and trust to make informed decision about taking appropriate action to stop the most horrible consequences we see far too often when enjoying the countryside.

"Farmers will respect dog walkers much more than what they do which often gets tarnished from livestock worrying incidents.

"The training does not always work out with the results you want, but it shows there are people out there who are willing to change.

"It can only be a good thing in the long-run.

"We need to keep raising awareness of responsible dog ownership and its place in society."

Take the Lead

You can support Farmers Guardian's Take the Lead campaign, in association with the National Sheep Association, to raise awareness of keeping dogs on lead when near livestock.

We can provide you with free signs to place around your farm warning dog owners to keep their dogs on a lead near livestock.

To request yours, send a stamped self-addressed A4 envelope to: FG Take the Lead, Farmers Guardian, Unit 4, Fulwood Business Park, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 9NZ.

We will be able to send up to 25 signs.

Alternatively, you can contact reporter Chris Brayford if you have been a victim of a livestock worrying incident and if you wish to share your story at [email protected]

You can find out more about Sheep Proof Your Dog here.

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