Meeting other pets....

Saw the Birds & Cats thread, and while this one is very similar I was hoping for some more info.

My boyfriend has a dog/cat and wants his dog to meet Jasper at my place to see how everything goes.

Of course I'm incredibly weary of this for obvious reasons. His dog (husky) is pretty rambunctious and I've seen him play with his cat pretty roughly (but never hurts it). His cat doesn't seem to care about anything/very docile.

Jasper met my sister's dog once (without my approval, wasn't there....not happy) but that's the only time.

Trying to think what the safest way to do this is. Have Jasper in his cage/all doors shut. Bring dog into room, that's it.

I don't think I'd ever feel safe having them out together given how his dog plays with the cat. But he told me his dog is around ferrets as his parents and doesn't go near them, same with a lizard another time. Would make things incredibly annoying if I ever brought Jasper to his place b/c he'd have to be in a tiny travel cage the whole time.

Never been in this situation before and obviously Jasper's safety is #1. Also, I think I remember reading that dog saliva is dangerous for parrots? If his dog licked Jasper's cage for instance?

His pets are causing a lot of concern

Any info/thoughts would be appreciated

You're right to be wary of introducing him to a Husky. They're generally very high energy, active, and usually have a pretty high prey drive. That he's good with the cat though is a good thing. Some dogs like huskies see a smaller animal of any species and just go after it, there's no stopping them.

I'd do it in steps. I like the idea of Jasper being in his cage first, doors shut, then introducing the dog into the room. That way Jasper is safe in his cage and can get used to the dog this way first. It would be smart to walk the dog first, to get rid of some of that excess energy so as to not agitate Jasper any more than he needs to be. That way the dog will come into the home calm and Jasper can remain calm as well. Keep doing this, until eventually Jasper knows the dog is not a threat, and you can let Jasper out of the cage with the dog in the room. Obviously do not leave them alone, unsupervised. This has worked for me and my birds, they no longer react to our dog as he trots by.

It took our dog several months to finally accept the birds in the house. Up until then she had been "only pet". I still monitor them closely--i will always consider it detente, not passivity. As for the dog saliva...yes, it's very unsafe due to the gram negative bacteria. Same with our saliva. I dont share the dogs toys or leftover food with Wrangler, and always make sure that anything the dog has been around is away from him or has been laundered. As for your boyfriends dog, it's more about the dog accepting Jasper than the other way around. I started with a baby gate to separate the room. Our dog could see/hear/smell Wrangler, but not get close. (ok--so the baby gate lasted 5 minutes until she figured out how to open it---thats a shepherd for you!)Once the dog is aware of the bird, take it in stages. Good luck with it!

Appreciate the replies! I'd die if anything happened to him, especially when it's 100% preventable.

Will keep him in his cage and maybe do a couple "meet and greets" before having him out on top of his cage.

Ty

I would have the dog on a leash. A high energy dog needs to be easily told "heel" or sit or leave it. I had an e collar for one dog.
My shiba has NO interest in my birds but has coexisted for 6 years with them. He was introduced on a leash where I could quickly curb any negative and unwanted reaction. I taught him that ignoring the birds was praised.

It's good that you're wary, Katie. They should definitely be introduced with Jasper in his closed cage. As itzjbean mentioned, huskies are high energy dogs with generally high prey drives. And while it is encouraging to see that he can restrain himself around your boyfriend's cat, it is by no means any kind of guarantee that same restraint would transfer over to Jasper.

Not only that, but even if the dog turns out to behave like the perfect gentleman, you'll still never be able to leave them in the same room together unsupervised.

As for the dangers of him licking the cage, I'd say he shouldn't even be allowed that close to to it. The danger of Gram negative bacteria from mammalian saliva is real, but added to that is the power and speed of a husky. Last thing poor Jasper needs is for the dog to be jumping up against the bars of his cage. Know what I mean?

Thanks guys, a leash is a good idea.

I think it'd be easier to find a new bf WITHOUT pets!! :34:

I personally wouldnt expect or want my birds to share a space with a cat. That personally would be a no-go for me.
I have birds of all sizes ranging from Huge Macaw to Timneh African Grey is my smallest. My situation is not for everyone. And I can knowledge that my situation would result in injury or death for some people for their birds. So please be aware this is my disclaimer that and this may not fit your life style. My birds are flighted and my birds are not caged in my home... ever. Our Aviary is as close to a cage that I own now a days.
So some of my dogs grew up with the birds other ones didnt. I do breed Bulldogs so from time to time I do add an adult Bulldog into my home and when I was fostering for a rescue I would have other breeds. If a dog is not cat safe the dog is not welcome in my home. Since I dont have huge cages for my birds the dog goes into a crate (my dogs are crate trained). I will let them observe a bird on my arm from a distance then slowly get closer. I will let them sniff my bird through the cage. The dog gets a treat every time they seem like they could careless b/c I dont want a dog who likes the birds I want my dogs to co-exist and not care or avoid them. Once the dog is to the point that the birds walking around their crate doesnt result in an excited response or flying over the crate I will let the dog out of the crate on a leash. They get a correction every time they try and engage with a bird. This isnt a day or two thing this is over months... A new dog in my home puppy or adult will be in a large play pen or in my puppy room until I trust them in my home. My dogs minus my Shepherd are all crated when I am not home- I have cameras around my home which I can view my animals while I am away from the home. I work from home so im not away for extended time during the week anyways.
Being the Husky is excited I would ask your BF to run him before he comes over. He needs to have had his energy released before you work with training. I also would never correct your birds for biting a dog. My birds are flighted so they have another way to get away from the dogs but if your bird is not flighted you will need them to always have an out... a way to remove themselves from the situation.

I have let my little 4lb dog meet 2 of the birds seemed ok. till Lilly flew off her cage and was walking to get over to me and I seen the little sneak tryin to come up from behind her. now he has a certain spot he has to go when the birds are out which is ok for him and he minds well. but the birds are never out of sight, and the dog goes under a blanket 90% of the time. funny thing the dog is scared to death of Sammy the U2 and hides when he is out. lol however I do get a kick out of the barking contests Sammy will get started when he is barking at something outside, good thing the dog can't learn to scream like a 2 I would be in real trouble then.

I understand your hesitation. I was sketched at first but have since relaxed a little. We do pet sitting on the side and introduce almost every new animal that comes into the house to 2 of our eclectus. Our birds are very used to dogs, and their cage is tall enough that it allows them to kind of "meet from afar." Our birds absolutely love our pitbull Shelby and vice versa. A bird will occasionally fly from their cage and land on the ground, and the pitbull will run over to whine and "point" them out so we can find them more easily and put them back on their cage top. It really depends on the individal animals. Ours are generally always cool with it, but i'm sure other birds and dogs arent.

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Personally, I'd never allow a dog or cat that close to my birds. Some are less predatory than others, but at the end of the day dogs and cats are predators and parrots are prey animals. All it would take is for their natural instincts to overtake their restraint just once for things to end tragically.