Dog That Catches Birds.

[Rozzie]

My OH's old GSD used to climb trees after birds. She was also great with the chooks and the magpies.

[Alison03]

There was I thinking my dog was doing something a bit strange, and what I thought was cat behavior. :laugh:

The other day I let her out on the deck, on the back of one of the chairs a bird landed and my little girl leapt in the air, knocked it off the back of the chair, I intervened and saved its life. The bell works really well but it doesn't cover all situations. I'm waiting for Wires to come and arrest her. :)

[Tintin Jac]

A GSD climbing a tree - you win :laugh:

[Rozzie]

I wish I could get to the desktop computer, there are pics. :laugh:

[mixeduppup]

The maremma will kill birds. He's killed a few.

[sandgrubber]

A high power squirt gun is a useful device for un-training this behavior. You can put substances other than water in it (perfume, ammonia, anything your dog doesn't like that won't cause lasting harm).

[Alison03]

A high power squirt gun is a useful device for un-training this behavior. You can put substances other than water in it (perfume, ammonia, anything your dog doesn't like that won't cause lasting harm).

That's a good idea, when I had a cat I used to do that, it works best if they don't know where the water is coming from I found. :)

[Aetherglow]

A GSD climbing a tree - you win :laugh:

Slightly off topic, but when I was a kid there was a tree-climbing staffie that used to lurk at head hight in a particular tree so he could see over the fence and scare the bejeezus out of people walking past minding their own business

Magpies are Tarja's particular favourite, although it's possible she's attempting to herd them rather than catch them, and she has never caught one. Her behaviour towards possums and rabbits is far more predatory-looking, birds seem to be more "fun". The family boxers many years ago caught a young magpie once, but didn't kill it - they were just gently carrying it around alive. The poor thing died of shock and possible internal injuries after I took it off the dogs, it didn't have any serious visible wounds.

[Kajirin]

My 3 huskies used to catch everything that came into their yard, including brown snakes One would go in front of the snake to lure it and the other two would dive in and then rip it apart. Was forever finding dead browns in their yard. They'd also catch birds, lizards...at one time I had to remove an echidna that was trying to get into their yard.

[Guest Clover]

My old girl would leap into the air and snap birds out of the sky. It was pretty impressive seeing her leap into the air, her timing was spot on.

[tdierikx]

Pickles is the only one of my dogs that will go for birds - but she's only caught one to date... probably because her mobility disability makes her so uncoordinated... lol!

T.

[bamboo]

I can't help but suspect that if this topic was all about the wildlife cats are catching in their own backyard the tone would be very different. As in cats should always be inside or in a cat run. Why is it that the dogs are just being dogs, but the cats (in their own property) are slaughtering wildlife? And yes I am aware that many cats are roaming outside of their own backyards and I am not condoning this.

[raineth]

I can't help but suspect that if this topic was all about the wildlife cats are catching in their own backyard the tone would be very different. As in cats should always be inside or in a cat run. Why is it that the dogs are just being dogs, but the cats (in their own property) are slaughtering wildlife? And yes I am aware that many cats are roaming outside of their own backyards and I am not condoning this.

A lot of the animals mentioned here aren't wildlife though?

[The Spotted Devil]

For the OP, try using 2 or even 3 bells on your dog's collar. Cats get very savvy and are able to stop one bell from tinkling by stalking more carefully but it becomes difficult when you add a few more bells :D

My Springer will retrieve anything that moves, including birds, rabbits and lizards but fortunately her gundog (soft mouth) tendencies and training means that everything is delivered to me without a mark on it. I keep her on lead unless she is training or is in a very low risk environment away from wildlife i.e. sports oval. At home she is mostly indoors but she does a lot of training/exercise. She is amazingly sweet with the cats though even during full on games.

[trinabean]

I can't help but suspect that if this topic was all about the wildlife cats are catching in their own backyard the tone would be very different. As in cats should always be inside or in a cat run. Why is it that the dogs are just being dogs, but the cats (in their own property) are slaughtering wildlife? And yes I am aware that many cats are roaming outside of their own backyards and I am not condoning this.

The cats that I had growing up were prolific hunters. They caught vast amounts of birds (mostly native species) and other animals.

In contrast, I guess dogs account for a lot less carnage? My dog has caught one European rat, and two non-native species of bird, in nearly 3 years. Much less of a worry to wildlife than the cats.

And he is contained to our suburban back yard. Which is more than I can say for many of the local cats. It saddens me to see so many cats heading home after a spot of hunting in the nature reserve at the end of my street. An area filled with numerous wetland species, including quendas.

[Alison03]

I can't help but suspect that if this topic was all about the wildlife cats are catching in their own backyard the tone would be very different. As in cats should always be inside or in a cat run. Why is it that the dogs are just being dogs, but the cats (in their own property) are slaughtering wildlife? And yes I am aware that many cats are roaming outside of their own backyards and I am not condoning this.

I did own cats years ago, all rescues that had been strays, I had five at one time, that went to good homes. Their kill rate was phenomenal, they'd lived in the wild at one time so got used to living off the land. Even though they were well fed they hunted constantly. I had bells of all types on those cats, it only dropped their kill rate by a smidgen. They are much better hunters than dogs, as no where is inaccessible to them. I think that's why they get bad press, I had one big desexed male that would take on an adult possum and had the scars to prove it. He went to a farm with a bad mouse problem. I'm talking over 20 years ago before cats were routinely kept inside the home at night. To be honest I lost interest in owning a cat after the last one, I just couldn't take the little dead bodies everywhere and my big male did autopsies too. My dog is five years old and to date she's caught about six birds, (3 rats and two mice) not counting the ones I've rescued. I lost count with my cat.

I understand what you mean, both dogs and cats are predators, I think cats get more pressure because they are better at it.

[Kajirin]

I can't help but suspect that if this topic was all about the wildlife cats are catching in their own backyard the tone would be very different. As in cats should always be inside or in a cat run. Why is it that the dogs are just being dogs, but the cats (in their own property) are slaughtering wildlife? And yes I am aware that many cats are roaming outside of their own backyards and I am not condoning this.

My current dog has only dooshed some cockroaches to death, but that's about it.

[trinabean]

I can't help but suspect that if this topic was all about the wildlife cats are catching in their own backyard the tone would be very different. As in cats should always be inside or in a cat run. Why is it that the dogs are just being dogs, but the cats (in their own property) are slaughtering wildlife? And yes I am aware that many cats are roaming outside of their own backyards and I am not condoning this.

My current dog has only dooshed some cockroaches to death, but that's about it.

Oops, I didn't include 'dooshed' insects. :laugh: Ok, the moth, cockroach and fly deaths brings Bruno's tally up a bit.

[Kajirin]

I can't help but suspect that if this topic was all about the wildlife cats are catching in their own backyard the tone would be very different. As in cats should always be inside or in a cat run. Why is it that the dogs are just being dogs, but the cats (in their own property) are slaughtering wildlife? And yes I am aware that many cats are roaming outside of their own backyards and I am not condoning this.

My current dog has only dooshed some cockroaches to death, but that's about it.

Oops, I didn't include 'dooshed' insects. :laugh: Ok, the moth, cockroach and fly deaths brings Bruno's tally up a bit.

Oh Bruno

[BC Crazy]

Sonny is my bird/mice/insect etc catcher. He is quite skilled at it unfortunately. While I'm not very happy about it especially the birds, they are dogs & it is instinct for them to hunt.