Did your dog ever learn to accept your bird as part of the family?

[buurd]

Did your dog ever decide to accept your bird(s) as part of the family?

I have a dog who, almost a half a year later, sighs like she's disgusted, whenever she hears the birds. They dont even make a lot of noises (because theyre Bourke's). I know her, and this means she's annoyed that she has to share a home with such (in her view) weirdo creatures.

How has your dog reacted to your bird(s)? Did they eventually mellow out toward their presence? Or do they still look at you like you're an idiot for allowing a bird in the house?

My guy's a jack russell, so I know better than to ever let them alone with the birds. I've never heard her sigh and make faces when she thinks she's alone; she only does it when Im around, so I know she's expressing her displeasure to me.

 

[T00tsyd]

My last dog that passed before last Christmas went from interest to disdain to ignoring in a matter of weeks. I have said often that he was well trained so I had no doubts about any adverse reactions and would keep them apart when Syd was out of his cage and it got that Bailey (GSD/Weimaraner mix) would head for the door when he saw me approach the cage.

I am currently looking after/training my daughter's 6 month old Labrador who is very interested at present. He has a crate and this morning as I went to fetch Syd from his sleep cage popped himself in his crate before any word from me. So he is getting the hang of it already. Again I would never risk a confrontation of any kind.

I have seen some post that their parrots and dogs are friends and interact but that's a step I wouldn't ever allow. I am happy with a resigned acceptance of the situation.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Yes, indeed... caution, caution, and more caution.

In the Rb's 34 years, three pugs have come and gone, and we now have a cute little red mutt. They've all been scared of the bird, and that's fine with me. I have watched them all like a hawk, though. I've heard so many horrific tales here about dogs who were presumed safe and then did the unthinkable. The anguish of people who must deal with the injury/death of one beloved pet due to another pet's actions... it's almost unbearable, even to hear about, let alone experience, I'm sure. Things can happen so fast. A dog can knock over even a caged bird and... disaster.
One of the many hazards we must guard against, I guess.

Thanks for reading my little rant.

 

[itzjbean]

I have a very well behaved 6 year old Doberman. While I put away the cats when the birds come out (I don't trust them when the birds go flying), the dog is always with us so it was important from day one that he be comfortable around the birds and treat them like family members.

He's more jealous of them than anything. When I'm giving Ember love, he wants to be pet too and will flop his big head into my lap so I have to pet both of them at the same time.

Since he's so big (100 pounds) and could easily step on them, I've taught him to 'freeze' every time the birds take flight. It's really important because Ember is clipped and still flies but can't get very far and lands on the ground. He is a very good boy at freezing.

Ember is scared of him still so I'm still working on that...but the dog for the most part ignores the birds...doesn't necessarily like them but knows birds are not play toys. They're mommy's little flying babies

 

[Sandy19]

My dogs have no desire to interact with the bird, they run away when she's out, like don't let that weird looking thing get near me. The bird on the other hand is not scared of them at all for some reason. She would love nothing more to get a hold of their tails and play in their fur. I dont let her of course.

 

[Laurasea]

I have dogs and Parrots. My dogs are not allowed to look at the parrots, this is part if me claiming them as mine only. A dog obsessively watching a parrot is bad news and in my opinion thinking of eating them. It's not that hard to train them not to look, and also give you space I request five feet radias from me when ever the parrot is out. On the other hand I feed and water my dogs three feet in front of the cage. There are some dogs I would never trust if their prey drive is to high, and there tedoect of you too low. I had an old rescue dog that obsessively drooled and stared at my parrot, that took six months of work to break. So I think with work and respect it can. I also never allow the parrots to harass the dogs. Abd never leave a room with both out .

 

[EllenD]

Gail, I love pugs!!! I grew-up with a pug, and then I got my own as a puppy, Jaeger, who died about 3 years ago now at 14...I still miss that little ball of wrinkles and snorts.

I grew-up with dogs and birds (a lot more birds than dogs since my mom was a breeder, then so was I), and I currently have a male Shar Pei who is 2, and an Australian Cattle Dog who is 4. And never in my 38 years have any of my dogs liked the birds at all. However, there has been a very distinct difference in how the dogs have reacted to certain birds. It's amazing how insightful and jealous they can be.

I grew-up with a "pet" Congo African Gray, an American Budgie, and 2 Cockatiels, and then we had dozens of breeder-birds, both American and English Budgies, BeBe Parakeets, Linnie's, Princess of Wales Parakeets, Cockatiels, and different Conures. And now I have 8 Budgies, a Ringneck Dove, and 4 larger parrots who are all "pets", and then 5 remaining breeder's. And throughout my entire life not one of the dogs ever became even remotely "friendly" with any of the birds. And like Gail said, I'm happy that they haven't, because the minute you let your guard down even a tiny bit, that's when tragedies happen.

However, as far as the breeder-birds go, the dogs have all pretty much totally ignored them and not even acknowledged that they're in the house. My indoor-aviary is right next to my work-out room and my wood-stove, so my dogs are always down there when I'm down there, and they actually lay in front of the aviary and sleep, but they never even look at the birds. And that's how it always was growing up too, the dogs weren't even interested in getting into the breeder's room or the nursery at all. Just not a factor to them at all...

That being said, lol, my dogs show active jealousy towards all of my pet birds on a daily basis, and they did growing up as well. My 2 current dogs have never once growled at, barked at, snapped at, or shown any bit of aggression towards any of my "pet" birds, but they do both show outward signs of jealousy and actually competition towards all of them, especially my Cattle Dog (Heeler's are extremely loyal, 1-person or "family" dogs who fiercely love their owners, almost too much sometimes). I always have at least one of my birds on me somewhere, lol, the 4 larger parrots and the Ringneck Dove are all fully-flighted and free in the house whenever I'm at home (the 8 Budgies get their own block of time free in the house or in a separate room with a latched door). And both of my dogs are constantly whining, crying, and barking at me, not the birds, whenever any of the birds are interacting with me. And my Cattle Dog has a real issue, ANY TIME she sees me petting, holding, cuddling, or even just talking to one of the birds, she whines and rolls around on her back with her feet in the air, making cute little noises, trying to get my attention. I could have just spent hours with her playing in the backyard, on a hike, on a ride in the car, etc., doesn't matter, the second we walk inside the house and one of the birds flies to me, the whining starts and she's on her back in her "begging" pose, like "Wait a minute, I thought you loved me? Stop touching that bird!" She can be totally entertaining herself with a toy or a ball, or really be into chewing a new pig ear or a bone, doesn't matter, the second one of the birds flies to me or I go and pick them up she becomes insanely jealous and starts "begging" for attention. And that's pretty much been my experience with my dogs and my birds. Luckily I've not ever had an accident/attack/injury involving the dogs and the birds, but I still would never risk having them alone together unsupervised for even a second. They all know our "routines" when we're inside the house together, where they need to be and when, etc. regarding the birds. But they're still natural predators, and you always have to keep that in the front of your mind...

I know that there are people who seemingly have a household with birds and then another "predator" pet, or pets, such as dogs, cats, ferrets, etc., where they say that their birds and their other predatory pets "love each other" and "are best friends", and they usually post photos of the dogs or cats laying there with the birds sitting on their heads, or them all laying together on the bed cuddling or playing, and I don't ever mean to offend these people because they really do seem to get along together well and seemingly "love" each other...I see this in my Bearded Dragon forums too, people who swear that their cats (it's always their cat) love their Dragons and that they are "siblings and friends", and they post photos of their cat laying on the floor with their Beardie curled-up beside the cat or on the cat...and I cringe and hold my breath, because I cannot tell you how many cat attacks on Bearded Dragons I've seen on the forums, it literally has to be over 100...and it always happens "suddenly" and "out of nowhere", and they have always "really loved each other", etc. And unfortunately in probably 95% or more of these incidents that Bearded Dragon dies a horribly slow and agonizing death due to the cat either biting down on their head and causing brain injuries, or the cat has grabbed the Dragon in it's mouth and shaken it/batted it around with it's feet/claws, and caused internal injuries and bleeding. And the owners are always absolutely shocked that it happened, because their cats "just aren't like that"...

Bottom-line is that cats, dogs, ferret and other rodents, some reptiles, etc. are all predators and the birds are always the prey. And all cats are natural hunters, even the most docile, fat, lazy, loving house-cat that has never gone outside and never chased or bitten anyone or anything. So the idea of your bird(s) and your other predatory pet(s), whether they be a dog, a cat, a rodent, a large reptile, etc., doesn't matter, being "friends" or becoming "friendly with each other" is not typically reality, it's just not how nature works. Yes, there will be situations where a dog seems to "like" a bird, or is "friends" with a bird that it lives with, I've seen it and cannot deny it...However, I still cringe and hold my breath...

 

[Scott]

All of my dogs save for one have accepted the birds and show little interest. That said, eternal vigilance is the price of having multiple classes of companions in the home.

To date, multiple Great Danes, a Schnauzer, and Brussels Griffon have proven benign. Tragically, many years ago a Bouvier des Flandres killed a male Citron who ventured from his unlocked cage in an unattended room. I was away from home and a relative forgot to lock the door and apply the usual precautions.

 

[Sandy19]

Also my bird is the one jealous of the dogs, not the other way around. If she sees me petting them she comes right over and demands that I pet her head instead. The dogs automatically look away from her without ever being taught that. My Newfoundland who I recently put down due to old age was especially scared of her. It's funny because they are one of the largest dog breeds and when he was younger I had to stop taking him to the dog park because he would get into vicious fights with other large breed, dominant male dogs. He didn't want no part of the little green dinosaur though. He was terrified of her.

 

[Taw5106]

Well, when I first brought Buddy home, Canelo was very interested.

Now he’s not really interested in them but if they drop something he has to check it out. I do not let the birds and dogs be alone anymore after I came home to this. Understand my dogs have not been aggressive towards the birds, they do respect them but after coming home to this I put that rule in place. Canelo wasn’t after the birds he was after what he could eat, he’s a bottomless lovable pit, lol.

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[buurd]

My last dog that passed before last Christmas went from interest to disdain to ignoring in a matter of weeksI would never risk a confrontation of any kind.

I have seen some post that their parrots and dogs are friends and interact but that's a step I wouldn't ever allow. I am happy with a resigned acceptance of the situation.

My dogs half jack russell, half chihuahua. The j.r. side is what Im worried most about because the prey drive is so high; so I will never (as in never-ever) take any chances with her and the birds being together.

I realize some breeds of dog are more docile, but I've always had terriers, and so I do not believe in mixing dogs and other species.

What Im really concerned about is whether my dogs going to be disgusted with these other creatures, forever. I dont like to see her jealous, and I think she's putting the sad eyes on to get my sympathy (she can tear up at the slightest thing, to get her way. she learned it from her previous home), but Im only human, and it still affects me to see her make the sad faces.

I have a marsupial that she dislikes. So much so, that she will not make eye contact with it. If I bring the marsupial around, she will getup and leave. Ive tried to get her used to its presence in a few safe ways, but her reaction is one of disgust (she acts the same way if she sees a worm or a slug on the sidewalk).

 

[buurd]

Yes, indeed... caution, caution, and more caution.

In the Rb's 34 years, three pugs have come and gone, and we now have a cute little red mutt. They've all been scared of the bird, and that's fine with me. I have watched them all like a hawk, though. I've heard so many horrific tales here about dogs who were presumed safe and then did the unthinkable. The anguish of people who must deal with the injury/death of one beloved pet due to another pet's actions... it's almost unbearable, even to hear about, let alone experience, I'm sure. Things can happen so fast. A dog can knock over even a caged bird and... disaster.
One of the many hazards we must guard against, I guess.

Thanks for reading my little rant.

That's not a rant, GG; Im sensitive to animals, too. Id never forgive myself if my dog got to my birds. I have 3 species in the house, and the will never be allowed to interact, because thats how nature intended them to be. I want them to know and get used to the fact that there are other species in the home, especially the dog; be they will never have a chance to interact.

And all the pugs I've met have been laid back little guys! when my last dog was old, in his last year of life, a neighbor's little female pug befriended him and was just the sweetest to him. It was remarkable to see how gentle and loving she acted with him.

 

[buurd]

He's more jealous of them than anything. When I'm giving Ember love, he wants to be pet too and will flop his big head into my lap so I have to pet both of them at the same time.

Since he's so big (100 pounds) and could easily step on them, I've taught him to 'freeze' every time the birds take flight. It's really important because Ember is clipped and still flies but can't get very far and lands on the ground. He is a very good boy at freezing.

Ember is scared of him still so I'm still working on that...but the dog for the most part ignores the birds...doesn't necessarily like them but knows birds are not play toys. They're mommy's little flying babies

My birds dont seem scared of my dog, and are even tolerant of her going off on the odd bark. Which is another reason why they should never be allowed together; I cant rely on them having the sense to avoid her. They watch me snuggle and kiss on her all the time, from their cage, so I dont know if they think maybe shes my baby , or something, and not as potentially lethal?

They are Bourke's parrots, so they sometimes want to walk on the ground, too, so that is also why they can never be together.
My dog does know what it means when I tell her to be "gentle," but that will never be good enough with the birds.

 

[buurd]

My dogs have no desire to interact with the bird, they run away when she's out, like don't let that weird looking thing get near me. The bird on the other hand is not scared of them at all for some reason. She would love nothing more to get a hold of their tails and play in their fur. I dont let her of course.

So true! For some reason, I thought my dog would enjoy the sounds of birds in the house. It's nature! She's heard birds all day , every day, outside. I thought she would like me making the home more like the outdoors, lol

Bourke's have a gentle chirp and song. I get that a larger bird would drive her bonkers. But she acts like the birds noises as annoying. When I sing back to them, she gives me a look like Ive gone crazy, or she sighs loudly like Im being annoying. I honestly didnt realize that some dogs can be so crabby about this.

 

[buurd]

I have dogs and Parrots. My dogs are not allowed to look at the parrots, this is part if me claiming them as mine only. A dog obsessively watching a parrot is bad news and in my opinion thinking of eating them. It's not that hard to train them not to look, and also give you space I request five feet radias from me when ever the parrot is out. On the other hand I feed and water my dogs three feet in front of the cage. There are some dogs I would never trust if their prey drive is to high, and there tedoect of you too low. I had an old rescue dog that obsessively drooled and stared at my parrot, that took six months of work to break. So I think with work and respect it can. I also never allow the parrots to harass the dogs. Abd never leave a room with both out .

Yep; I dont let the dog stare at them, either. She will look away when I tell her to, and go back to her own biz. But when they have a night fright or when she has seen them fly (while I was holding her in my arms), she goggles. So hopefully in time, she will not get triggered so badly. But she's who she is, and terriers have very high prey drives. The birds' cage is up high, but I dont let her loiter around the area, anyway, because as you point out, she needs to know they have their territory.

 

[buurd]

That being said, lol, my dogs show active jealousy towards all of my pet birds on a daily basis....

Bottom-line is that cats, dogs, ferret and other rodents, some reptiles, etc. are all predators and the birds are always the prey. And all cats are natural hunters, even the most docile, fat, lazy, loving house-cat that has never gone outside and never chased or bitten anyone or anything. So the idea of your bird(s) and your other predatory pet(s), whether they be a dog, a cat, a rodent, a large reptile, etc., doesn't matter, being "friends" or becoming "friendly with each other" is not typically reality, it's just not how nature works. Yes, there will be situations where a dog seems to "like" a bird, or is "friends" with a bird that it lives with, I've seen it and cannot deny it...However, I still cringe and hold my breath...

I agree at 100%. I dont understand why people think animals are a total reflection of humans. It's absolute human arrogance or Disney brainwashing or both, lol The clips on youtube of people letting their babies and children stick their faces directly in their dog's face, make me livid at the complete ignorance and plain stupidity of humans. when it comes to animals. The only reason I dont know why basic human v animal interaction isnt taught in schools, must have something to do with the religious idea in this country that 'man is lord over all the beasts,' or some nonsense like that.

I used to metaphorically roll my eyes at people with dogs who got sad when their dogs would tear up over something (usually not getting to eat what the human is eating, lol). I had terriers, and they never stooped to that indignity, lol

But then I adopted a half chihuahua who is a master at the art of filling her eyes up with water in a split second whenever she wants her way, and I'll be darned! I know she's playing me, with those tears. And yet it always pulls at my heartstrings, seeing her tear up, lol
It's ME who's the weakest species, here.
I can reason why she's doing it, and even feel a bit indignant, but I cant not feel twinges of sympathy for her.

Of course I dont give into her wanting to eat human food 24/7, because it would be bad for her health, But on issues where Im giving another animal attention, I do feel somewhat guilty when she turns on the jets. And its not just tearing up, that she does. She makes a sad expression. She turns her default Chihuahua smile upside-down, mimicking human sadness. It's like she was trained to be a master spy ;p

 

[buurd]

Well, when I first brought Buddy home, Canelo was very interested.

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OMG, he is perfectly round, like the chubbiest toddler, ever! Want to HUG!

 

[Lynx]

Of my two dogs, one is curious and one is perhaps a little to interested. When I let my parrot out, both dogs have to be in their crates. The older one has to have her cage covered so she doesn't throw a fit when she sees him, mainly just fussing. The younger dog couldn't really care when I walk past with the bird, but since he's a large dog I'm not keen on pushing my luck. The birds also have their own room the dogs can't get into. The one time the younger dog did, my parrot was trying to bite his nose through the cage. The dog left when told.

 

[Laurasea]

Yes I put a puppy fence in front of the parront cages. Because I found out my parrots through a fit when I leave, and try and stick their faces through. This really got the dogs attention. So I don't want to worry when I'm not home. Because the dogs act differently when mamma isn't home!

 

[IndySE]

I wouldn't say Flower ever embraced our feathery addition. She's a mix of a million things (chihuahua, shih tzu, pomeranian, poodle, daschund, a dash of spaniel, and some undistinguishable terrier breeds) but looks very terrier. She wanted to eat Kermit the first few weeks. We kept her carefully seperated and started doing controlled introductions (one or the other had to be in a cage) to get her desensitized to the bird. After that she seemed over the bird, though maybe a bit curious. Soon we were able to have them out in the same room (with supervision) and the dog wouldn't care. It passed without relative incident, although once the bird escaped her cage, waddled down the hall, and on an urge I went to check on the bird and found the bird and the dog in a Western-style stare-down.... I'm glad we'd done our introductions right, but that piece of horror will follow me.

Then we got a little, ahem, sloppy. We had them both on the couch, and faster than we could react, Kermit waddled down my mom's arm and bit the dog on the nose. The dog wanted nothing to do with the bird after that. Then it happened a 2nd time (I know, bad us), and from that day forward the dog has actively avoided the bird. So... win-win for everyone. The dog wants nothing to do with the 60 gram feather demon and I am pleased with that outcome in the end. I still wouldn't advise my particular methods.