My dog Jasper has a bit of trouble with my conure Tsuki. I want them to get used to each other so that I can have Tsuki out of his cage with me without having to let my dog outside or have my brother take him into his room. He hasn't tried to hurt Tsuki but I'm not taking any chances.
When Tsuki climbs to the bottom of his cage or flaps his wings, Jasper jumps up to get a better look and pushes on the side of the cage. It breaks my heart because I would love to get Tsuki out and about the house more without having to force my dog away, I'm not sure what I should be doing.
Does anyone have experience with this?
I have a small dog, and as much as it would be wonderful to have every creature in the house exist in some kind of mutual love, it is a complete lie that they should.
It's complete man-made malarky, the idea that 'the lion shall lay down with the lamb.' [I think even in the bible, it's meant to describe heaven; which is also an unnatural state.]
No matter what you see on Youtube that would tell you different, it is completely unnatural for predator and prey to exist in harmony, and you're putting going to be putting all of your animals in a stressful state, if you ignore this rule of nature. A prey-driven animal, like a dog or cat, has a brain that overrides anything you teach them. Even if they can obey your rules 99% of the time, that 1% comes alomg faster than you know. Because they will be constantly in a state of where they have to deny their natural instincts. The movements, smells and noises of a prey animal , like a bird, are constantly triggering the dog's instincts, and your demands on them to behave unnaturally, clash with that, and are a cause of stress for the dog.
Protect all of your animals by following a protocol with them. Exclude the dog from the room your bird is hanging out in.
Move the birds cage to a place where the dog cant touch it.
It'll stress the bird out by having the dog be in a position where it can even touch the cage. Can you imagine being as small and fragile as a bird and having a prey animal as big as even a small dog, with huge teeth, jumping up at you, bouncing off your home? That would be terrifying
Keep a perimeter of ground around that cage where your dog is not allowed. When he gets close to that area, call him away, firmly. Dont yell at him. He has to learn that that is not his territory, anywhere in that buffer area around the bird cage. When he stares at the bird or shakes with excitement, call him away from there, and leave the room with him. Dont shame him.
When the bird needs to come out, walk him out of the room, first. Take him to another room, or downstairs, or put him in his crate, but give him something to reward him, and that he can play with. Treats. A new toy. Etc.
Walk him, or groom him, or play with him for a bit, and then go to your room to let the bird out (door shut to the dog, or a secure door gate he cant climb over). The dog will learn that that you are rewarding him for listening to you, and for giving the bird and you alone time
Animals dont think like humans, and shouldnt be forced to. Respect their natures, and protect all of them. If you understand them, in their ways, you can live in harmony, under a system that favors everyone.
As an aside, theyre finding that at a lot of nature spots, more people are having accidents and dying unnecessary deaths, because more and more people are not following park warnings that are posted, and are behaving recklessly --all because they want the best pics to post on social media. So they are risking their lives, just so they can impress people on social media.
This is one of the stupidest things to come from social media use. And that's how I feel about seeing people act recklessly with any animals, even pets, on youtube and facebook, etc. The irresponsible behavior toward -and around- animals (and human babies) on these sites and media, normalizes harmful ideas, regarding interspecies interaction.
Everyone loves a clip of a cat nursing a squirrel, etc, But those are outliers of animal behavior, and they usually happen when the animal's instinct outweighs their brain. Eg, the cat needed to lose the extra milk, and the orphan squirrels needed it. But it's barely more natural for a cat to nurse a squirrel baby, than it is for a human to nurse a kitten
It is so tempting to want to see the world in human terms, but it's narcissistic human ego at the root of that. Dogs have learned how to rudimentarily understand, and respect, humans over 15,000 years ago; it's time we remembered that, and did the same, with them.
So anyway, dont let your dog make you feel sad that he cant hang around for bird-time, too. He has a cushy life, and he knows you love him if you take care of him and exercise him and play with him and groom him.
I have to tell myself the same thing, all the time; so I get it ! The impulse to baby your dog is always there, because they are so dependent on you, like children. My dog can make her eyes well up with tears! It's in my human nature to feel sorry for her. But she's not sad; not the way you and I understand sadness. She *learned* how to manipulate humans, by making tears, when she wanted to get her way. I wouldnt let a human child manipulate me with crocodile tears, and I shouldnt let her, either. The one thing children and dogs do have in common, though, is that they want ALL of your attention, ALL of the time. But what happens to kids that get this? They turn into brats, lol Same thing with dogs, sometimes.
But when a dog is truly sad, they show it in other ways. So dont fall for it
