Baby Eclectus and Older (9 years old) Dog

[Amanda1030]

So I have another question! My baby eclectus came home on Saturday and she is doing great! But...my dog is not. She is a little yorkie (only four pounds) and has been babied all her life. She defintely thinks she is the dominant one and that we are her human pets lol She is having a really hard time adjusting to the bird (I know it hasn't even been a week yet). But everytime I pick her up or it's time for a feeding, Molly (my dog) does not stop barking. I am working on ignoring it and rewarding her when she is quiet-the only problem is that she is rarely ever quiet! So it's hard to reward the good behavior. I am wondering if anyone has any experience with introducing an old (jealous) dog to a new bird. I really want them to get along, or at the very least want my dog to tolerate her! I feel bad that my bird has to hear the high pitched bark of my pup while she's getting fed. Not to mention my family can't take it either... Just trying to keep everyone (bird and pup included) happy so any tips would be very helpful!! Thanks

 

[JerseyWendy]

We had a similar story not long ago, but for the world of me, I can't find the thread.

The poster went as far as taking the bird back to the store because her dog was so severely stressed, BUT decided she couldn't live without the bird and got her back. She started obedience training with the dog, and was making GREAT progress.

NO dog is too old to learn new tricks, so perhaps obedience training is something you could look into as well.

 

[Pajarita]

Your dog needs to understand that she is NOT the alpha, you are and, if you allow a new member into the 'pack', she is to accept it.

I recommend you take her to obedience training -not so much because she is disobedient but because you need to learn yourself how to act as an alpha so she respects your decisions. Please understand that I am not scolding you (I well know how easy it is to spoil a little dog), I am sure you adore your little dog and that she loves you back the same way but dogs and humans are much happier when the human is the boss and not the dog.

In the meantime, please keep them separate because all that barking must be stressing out that baby bird something terrible and there are studies that show that birds that were stressed out when babies remain high-strung and nervous Nellies all their lives (and you don't want that with a parrot!)

 

[lpolliard]

Little dogs can be more dangerous to birds than large dogs. Remember most little dogs were breed to be ratters. It only take a second for a tragedy to occur.

 

[Amanda1030]

It's not me it's my mom! Lol. Everytime I do some conditioning with her, the next thing my mom does basically undermimes everything she just learnt. I keep trying to explain to her that when you pick up the dog when she is barking (rather than ignoring it) then all it says to her is that "okay if I bark long enough, they'll eventually come to me." My mom's a sucker for her! lol. But Molly did a little better today with barking. I actually started clicker training with her. And, a couple days ago, after our first training session (the day she was exceptionally bad with barking), she listened to my commands later on without the clicker or treat present. I'm starting off slow with ones she relatively knows, so that she understands what's going on--and then we can move onto the barking. I just have to be able to do this every day without my mom babying her. She's learning too!
Hopefully the clicker training helps, otherwise I'm sending her (and my mom!) to obedience training lol

Taking the bird back is definitely not an option lol But it actually doesn't seem like the barking bothers her or makes her nervous. She kind of just ignores it. I think because she came from a much louder enviornment with constant sqwuaking and barking. She's a trooper! And as far as safety, Lola stays on a high counter where the dog can't reach/see. And if she is out of her tank she is always with me under careful supervision. My mom had something horrible happen to her bird when she was little by her dog So we both take extra precautions for that reason! She knows how devastating that would be.

 

[moni.k]

Hey Amanda, I actually had a very similar situation. I have a dog (5lb shih tzu) she's a senior and about 10 years old. She was the baby of the household for about 8 years. When I got Nalani, Berry (my dog) had a tough time adjusting for the first few months. She would get very jealous of the shared affection and would bark if my mom even looked at Nalani. Now, they're tolerant of each other and mind their own business (although, they're never together unsupervised of course ).

Just like preventing jealousy with new birds, you want to do the same with the dog. Berry's affection hasn't been compromised and she is loved the same way before and after Nalani became a part of the family. It was a slow introduction between the two, and Nalani is actually pretty close in size to Berry so getting along didn't take too long. Luckily Nalani is very bonded to me and Berry to my mom. So everyone get's their "person". It'll be a slow process but make small introductions and let your dog see, sniff and take in the new bird. She may be barking for affection, but also out of curiosity. Just PLEASE be sure to watch for any signs of aggression (from both parties). Wouldn't want any of them getting hurt.

PS: I tend to bring home a lot of pets from time to time (rabbits, reptiles, puppies, kittens) as I work at a vet clinic and volunteer at an animal rescue and shelters. So Berry as jealous as she may get, is a bit used to the craziness of new animals coming in and out of my house. Maybe that's what helped the transitioning and introduction go a bit smoother.

Here's the two rascals. Hehe can't you see the love? or maybe disgust between the two?

And a single shot of our little dingle Berry

 

[Amanda1030]

They are both adorable! Molly's starting to adjust a bit more. It seems to only happen really when my mom's around, otherwise Molly is more passive. So when it's just me home feeding Lola, Molly goes about her business lol but as soon as my moms in the house...a whole different story!

 

[faeryphoebe1]

I have a 5lb yorkie (Phoebe) who's very jealous of my parrots. Phoebe is 7, I think, (I can't remember right now). If the birds are out, then Phoebe is either in my son's room with our cat or she is locked up in her dog crate. I don't ever let them out together because my dog and/or cat could kill them in seconds. It's just not worth the risk.
Anyhow, Phoebe has taken to stealing human food ever since the parrots became part of our family. But, as far as barking goes, Phoebe barks at people she can see through our window, the mailman and she barks when she hears a car pull up our drive-way.
Well now the parrots squawk when she barks, so we have a good alarm system, lol. You should hear what it sounds like in my house at 3am, when I get home from work! It's okay, though. We love our noisy (and nosy) pets.

 

[nicki]

I also have a yorkie, who is almost 3. He gets all shaky and excited whenever he sees ANY bird. Therefore, never are they alone unsupervised. No matter how much you train him, he still is going to have that underlying instinct. It was sort of a sad fact to realize, but, none of my pets, under my care are going to get hurt because of an oversight like this.

Just my opinion

 

[Amanda1030]

Yes, I agree. Lola and me were on the couch and I had her on one side sleeping in her basket, and Molly laying at my other side. When Lola would make noise (she does in her sleep sometimes, it's the cutest thing), Molly would start shaking and stand up to peer over me. I always had my arm around her though just in case. And If she started to move, I'd tell her to sit (which she's listening to now without treats!), but if she barked I'd put her down. I do hope they'd eventually get along but I do realize that it's just in her instinct not to like a bird. Everything was so nice when they were both sleeping though! Lol