Dogs

[Kyle]

I have two great danes Im not sure how they will react to a parrot. They somtimes chase birds for fun, other times they just ignore them while they peck at the dogs food. Has anyone had to train their dogs to like birds or had any problems? Thanks.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

You may need to keep the bird separate from the dogs, or at least supervise them carefully whenever they are all "out" together. Dogs can be quite quick, and unless "leave it!" is very well trained, it might be difficult to intervene. The more I think about it, the more I think cats are actually slightly more manageable with birds. They don't just rush in and snap, but rather stalk, and it gives you a lot more time to intervene before somebody can get hurt.

I gather some dogs are very good around birds, but here we are talking about dogs that already have a propensity to chase birds. Dogs are pretty trainable, so you may be able to find a way to instill in them that the bird is totally off limits, but I would definitely proceed with caution.

[sidech]

I think it depends on the control you have over your dog in the house. A dog can be pretty prey drive outside, but if you have control over it, it will react quite differently inside. My Boston Terrier girl is so active it's insane. She's not that much prey driven, but she fights with any dog, no matter how big, she meets. And I'm not talking little girly fights. But in my house, she knows she has to follow the rules, and that my little Chihuahua is part of the pack, which I rule, and she wouldn't dare touch her. She won't even climb on the couch without looking at me first, to see if I approve.

So how are your dogs inside ? If you leave a piece of raw steak on the floor (not that they would view the bird as a steak, it's just an example), do you have enough control that they won't eat it, at least if you're looking ? (none of my dogs would dare touch it). If the answer is no, you have good control. If the answer is yes, you might have a problem...

[Shani]

If you leave a piece of raw steak on the floor (not that they would view the bird as a steak, it's just an example), do you have enough control that they won't eat it, at least if you're looking ? (none of my dogs would dare touch it). If the answer is no, you have good control. If the answer is yes, you might have a problem...

This reminds me - a friend of mine (former neighbour) had a bullmastiff x english mastiff. Big, big dog - and mastiffs have a bit of a rep as an 'aggressive dog'. However, this dog (his name is Lobus), was so well trained it wasn't funny. Dave had a trick he did with Lobby that he would get him to sit, put a biscuit on his nose, and he used the cues "mine" and "yours". Until Dave said "yours" Lobus wouldn't try and eat it. He'd just sit there staring at the food intently. This cue of "mine" and "yours" extended to a bunch of different scenarios as well. It was pretty amazing to watch.

Sorry to go off topic, but what you said reminded me of it Sidech

[sidech]

Ah ! Ah !, I like that, I'll teach my dog that (not my Chihuahua, she doesn't do much, poor thing). But she's so cute !

[Kyle]

Dont know, Ill just slowly introduce them. You are right though, when they escape out the driveway gate I have to catch them as they ignore me. But inside they listen fine.

[MandyG]

Dave had a trick he did with Lobby that he would get him to sit, put a biscuit on his nose, and he used the cues "mine" and "yours". Until Dave said "yours" Lobus wouldn't try and eat it. He'd just sit there staring at the food intently.

My older dog does this trick too! While it's on her nose she gives me a look that could kill though.

I think it depends on the control you have over your dog in the house. A dog can be pretty prey drive outside, but if you have control over it, it will react quite differently inside.

Training definitely is a large part of it. And your dog's personality is a big part too. My dogs know that they aren't allowed to touch the birds, even when Mojo climbs down his perch and walks across the floor my younger dog comes up to me and puts his head on my lap and then looks back and forth at Mojo then me as if to tell me (in a whiny kid's voice) "mooommmmm.... Mojo's on the floor again...! Tell him to get back on his perch so I can play!". When Mojo walks right in front of my older dog's nose when she's laying down she usually sighs then gets up and walks away to find a new spot to sleep.

No matter how well your dogs are trained, never leave them alone with your bird unsupervised. And while you're testing the waters make sure you're always between them and the bird. Especially two big Danes, one accidentally misplaced paw could be the end of your bird! And you never know how your dogs are going to react when something startles the bird and it takes off (clipped or not). Just take your time introducing them and use whatever training method they're used to to teach them that the bird is off limits. When I bring a new foster dog home I leave the birds in their cages for the first night to see what their reaction is like while the birds are inaccessable. If they don't seem interested, the next day I bring Mojo (my Amazon) out and I keep him on the couch beside me, away from the dog and I let them get a good look at him. If that goes well and the dog is still calm and not overly interested I'll let them smell him just to satisfy their curiosity (I keep a good hold on their collar). And at that point Mojo usually tries to bite the dog and makes a lot of growling noises and the dog realizes it needs to stay away from him. The dogs seem to treat Mojo's body language the same as another dog. They understand the growling is a 'back off' signal and they respect it. Every dog I've had has been fine with the birds after that. Even with my conure that doesn't 'growl'. Of course every step of the introduction depends on the dog's reaction. Never introduce them or have them out together if the dog is in an excited state of mind or gets worked up near the bird. Clicker training actually works really well for this type of training too. Just make sure you're always supervising and able to intervene in a second's notice. Some of my foster dogs do get curious and go up to the play stand if the birds are making a lot of noise but after a few stern "no's" they learn really quickly.

Your introduction may go a little easier since you know your dogs. I didn't take nearly as many precautions with my own dogs as I do with my fosters simply because I know them and I can read them. Also they are both very well trained and always obey the 'leave it' command. Actually, while you're waiting for your bird to come home you should take this time to train that command to your dogs if they don't already know it, or to really practice the command if they do know it.

Best of luck to you!

[Mom2Rico]

I'm lucky I guess, my dogs have no interest in birds. I have a Golden Retriever and a Chinese Crested Dog, the crested is TERRIFIED of Rico, my Golden sniffed him and walked away when Rico attempted to bite his nose lol. Both my dogs are extremely laid back. Regardless tho, I still wouldn't leave Rico unattended with them.