Some of our neighbours are farmers and lambing has already started. I can hear the new born lambs bleating in the fields around us and it’s a lovely reminder that spring is here. It’s lovely that the weather is so lovely at the moment for these new born lambs to find their feet.

It’s a nerve-wracking time for farmers in the build-up to lambing, making sure the sheep are kept fed and looked after during pregnancy. Living rurally, like we do, we are all too aware of how important it is to keep our dogs on leads and safe around sheep. And when I say on lead, I mean a short lead, not a flexi extendable lead or long line. Even if you have a dog that is super reliable and comes back to you, you must never take the risk of letting them off near sheep or lambs.

Always anticipate, especially at this time of year that there might be a pregnant sheep in a field, or that there will be new born lambs bounding around. Sheep are prey animals and like to flock together for safety. If a loose dog gets the chance to chase sheep and split the flock up, then the sheep splitting and running will add to the dog’s excitement and ignite that prey drive.

The dog’s chase instinct will kick in and it will get a huge adrenalin rush from chasing the sheep. It is virtually impossible to call back a dog that encounters sheep when it is in the chase zone. It’s also the time when most damage to a sheep can be done as the flock has split and the sheep are pretty much defenceless.

Remember that for a young dog, new born lambs will be very exciting and a dog will get very overexcited seeing a new born racing erratically around, again igniting the chase sequence in a dog. There have been various studies done on how stressed sheep can get when encountering a dog that is too close or off lead. If a dog is off lead, it hugely impacts the wellbeing of sheep. Interestingly sheep also get stressed if unfamiliar people get too close, so always give sheep a wide berth to lower their stress levels when walking your dog through a field of sheep.

If a dog is on a flexi lead it can cause stress to the sheep as the dog is in closer proximity to the sheep. It’s not just a dog chasing sheep that can cause problems, if a dog is too close even on a lead the stress can be enough for a sheep to abort its lamb. Importantly, a farmer can legally shoot a dog that is causing worry or stress to their sheep, if a dog is out of control, and chasing a sheep or lamb, not only could they shoot your dog, but you may also be liable to compensate the farmer.In my mind, you have to take responsibility for your dog and keep it safe and on a short lead and protect the farmers pregnant sheep and lamb.

It really isn’t worth taking the risk.I may be a dog trainer and have had dogs that I would trust around sheep, BUT I would never leave them off lead around them, especially when its lambing time. My dog goes back on a short lead, we try and take an alternative route, or give the sheep and lambs a wide berth, so we are all safe and everyone is happy.For me it’s a no brainer, keep your dog on a short lead when walking through a field of sheep.

Here is a link from the National Sheep Association on guidance in the countryside https://nationalsheep.org.uk/for-the-public/eat-wear-enjoy/enjoying-the-countryside/