Dogs And Magpies

[BarbedWire]

I have just taken my two dogs for a walk and Missy got swooped. She has been swooped before. The magpie actually connected with the side of her head but I can't see any damage. How do you protect your dogs from the magpies? Are there special hats that you can buy?

[Bjelkier]

Can't say I've ever had that problem but if a magpie swooped mine I can't be sure it would be leaving, my dogs have been known to catch birds mid flight.

Perhaps if you carry an open umbrella over you both on walks and keep the dog on a shorter leash? Might help...

[Dory the Doted One]

I do the 'ridiculous walk backwards and eyeball the b@$tard ' routine. Then remember to avoid walking that way again. I also avoid walking near schools.

I'm lucky, the maggies in my area don't appear to be that angry or determined......yet.

[mita]

Lily, the tibbie next door, kept getting dive-bombed by a persistent peewee... in her own yard. Not humans, only Lily.

She's a quiet living, calm little dog. Couldn't figure out why only her.... it didn't dive-bomb our 2 gold tibbies in their yard.

We wondered if it had anything to do with her colour... bit like a possum. Someone who knows about birds told us that pee-wees are actually magpie-larks.

Lily's family tried dangling rubber snakes from the clothesline. The peewee eventually gave up.... but it really gave poor Lily a very bad time.

[grumpette]

Not just magpies but plovers as well at the moment.

With Zeph just give him a ball and he is totally oblivious.

[YippeeGirl]

The magpies around here absolutely hate me and my dogs. I have this particular magpie that swoops me even outside of breeding season.

I find the magpies aim for me rather than the dogs, possibly because I am the tallest target. I was bailed up by a plover in the reserve near our street and my dog was completely oblivious to the fact this bird was trying to get her. In the end I got away just by throwing sticks at it and waving the end of the leash around my head.

I think just being vigilant goes a long way towards preventing your dogs from being swooped. If I hear or see a baby magpie and its parents I won't go any closer unless they are magpies that are familiar enough with me that they are not threatened. Other than that, I take a tennis ball on a rope and swing that around and it sort of deters them from getting in close enough to make contact.

Then I just eyeball them and walk backwards as fast as I can to get away.

[grumpette]

I have heard wearing a hat or cap with eyes on it works. The eyes are facing backwards.

[Sandra777]

Can't say I've ever had that problem but if a magpie swooped mine I can't be sure it would be leaving, my dogs have been known to catch birds mid flight.

:laugh: same here.

I was going to reply "not twice"

Mine do a fine line in crow-catching too

[Yonjuro]

It would certainly have to be a kamikaze bird to swoop Ronin, at 12 weeks he snapped a wattle bird out of the air in the backyard much to my horror

[BarbedWire]

In the past I have owned dogs who much to my horror have taken care of the magpies themselves. Missy is not very big and she actually ignored it. She has been attacked before so maybe there is something about her that the magpies do not like. I am afraid she might get hurt. Unfortunately magpies seem to come from nowhere and don't warn first. They go past me and straight for her. I will be walking a different way for a while but magpies are everywhere at the moment.

Bjelkier, thanks for the suggestion but I have two dogs so I don't think I could manage an umbrella as well plus it might spook my dogs. They do walk about a metre in front of me unless specifically being told to heel.

I was thinking a hat with eyes on it. It would have to be small and I am not sure how you would keep it on a dog.

[Yonjuro]

I wonder it you could carry a thin tree branch that you could wave when they come - it should work if your dogs are only a meter in front. One of those hiking poles you can get would be excellent.

The eyes would be what I would be most worried about, so I suppose you could try those doggy sunglass goggles if you could persuade you dogs to wear them??

[grumpette]

The hat is for your head as you are the highest object. You just keep the dogs close to you as you walk past :D

[Mumsie]

Yep, we are having trouble with plovers at the moment, thankfully the Magpies in our area don't bother us. On dogs catching birds, my JRT caught a racing pigeon a few years ago. I had to ring the association and report the number of the bird, it was only about 2km from it's roost. The owner wanted to come and collect the bird but I told them I just found it in the yard and put it in the bin because the kids were upset. I didn't want them to see how mangled it was and that it was caught in flight.

[Ranga]

I wonder it you could carry a thin tree branch that you could wave when they come - it should work if your dogs are only a meter in front. One of those hiking poles you can get would be excellent.

Or one of those folding walking sticks you can buy from the chemist. They're very light and fold up small when not needed :)

[Yonjuro]

I wonder it you could carry a thin tree branch that you could wave when they come - it should work if your dogs are only a meter in front. One of those hiking poles you can get would be excellent.

Or one of those folding walking sticks you can buy from the chemist. They're very light and fold up small when not needed :)

Yep, that might work

or something like

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ANTISHOCK-WALKING-TREKKING-POLES-HIKING-STICKS-SILVER-i-/140892079227?pt=AU_Sport_Camping_Hiking_Hiking_Equipment&hash=item20cdd2847b

[Dame Aussie]

It would certainly have to be a kamikaze bird to swoop Ronin, at 12 weeks he snapped a wattle bird out of the air in the backyard much to my horror

My Aussie did the same at 4 months but it was a pigeon!

[BarbedWire]

Thankyou for all the suggestions. I don't really want to carry a stick because I have problems with those people who carry sticks to ward off any dogs they think look aggressive. Don't they know it can make some dogs aggressive to be threatened with a stick wielding human?

I will try wearing a hat myself but it is not me the magpies are after. It is my dear little dog. I wonder if they think she looks like a cat, a big cat. This morning after the attack I did pick up a branch and waved it vigorously over my head and got out of the area as fast as I could. I find that the problems with magpies is that you don't know they are there until after they have swooped.

[Yonjuro]

I never considered a walking pole to be aggressive but I understand the sentiments. With any luck it will only be a couple more weeks before swooping season is over??