My bird and my dog.

[Charlottevics]

Hey everyone. I may be getting an African grey at the end of the week, but I've never owned a bird before and there's something I'm worried about. I have a fairly big dog (he's a greyhound/alsatian) and I'm scared he won't accept a bird in the house. He's 8 years old, but he gets pretty spazzy at times and I've seen how he barks and chases birds in my garden (well, he barks and chases practically anything that moves in my garden). I don't plan on ever having the bird out while my dog is in the house obviously, but I'm worried his bark will scare it and maybe even shock it badly enough to kill it. I asked a pet store about this and they said an African grey would be fine around dogs but I've done my research on them and read that they are timid and nervous birds, so find it hard to believe and I'm still worried. Also, I'm afraid my dog will get jealous over it as well. Would he get used to it being there over time? Thanks for any help and advice.

 

[kitt]

I guess it would depend on the bird.....is this a young bird? Is it a bird that has been around other dogs?
You said you have never owned a bird before so please make sure you learn all you can first....they can live a long time and you want it to have a forever home if at all possible.
I have a hahns macaw that barks like the dog. LOL
When we first brought our hahns home he would get really quiet when the dog would bark, now he just barks along....

 

[xreinx]

first of all, its going to take a few weeks, to a few months for them to get along, but it starts the first day you bring your bird home, you MUST have a firm hand with your dog, make sure the bird and the dog are in diffrent rooms for most of the first few days.

Then when your dogs calm, let him in and have a squirt bottle ready, just in case he does bark and paw at the cage, you dont want that, so use the squirt bottle if he trys.

Second, if you have any fears, Whatsoever, NEVER leave them in the same room alone togather.

Third, your going to have to manage this forever, it isnt a one time thing, or a few month thing. you are never going to know what happens when you go out shopping and you leave your animals togather in the same room. thats dangerous and could be unhealthy for either pet.

birds can die of fear, and your dog may need to only once pounce the cage, barking his head off.
you wouldent be the wiser when you came home and the only thing out of place is alittle water from the bowl on the floor, and your bird on the bottem of the cage.

but Then again, you could have the 1 in 1million dog who likes the bird and accually spends most of his time with his buddy until the end of his days and then the bird may need another dog buddy. like my friends cockatiel who NEEDS his guinepig buddy to be happy.

I ask people to think of their animals as kids, THEIR kids, and then I ask them if they would put them in a room with a potentiality dangerous animal and ask them if they will allow their kid to poke at the animal and then politely ask the animal not to eat the poking child while they go to the bathroom. it works to open their eyes.

 

[Charlottevics]

Thanks for your replies.

The bird I'm getting will probably be around 12 weeks old. The problem is I have a small house, and the only place the dog could go is outside or upstairs. I'll try to keep them seperate for as much as possible during the first week. I just don't want my dog standing infront of the cage and constantly growling at it >_<

Kitt, what type of dog do you have? Is he big? And did you bring your Macaw home while he was a baby?

 

[andrea.faerie]

I have a conure and a dog. Toby is an old man so he really isn't bothered by much, but he's learned from puppy-hood that when I bring an animal home, it's not dinner, or a toy, or a snack. Lucy and Toby are still getting to know each other but Toby has never been around a bird he can't chase before, so it's a very slow process. Although he is an old, cooperative, patient man... I would NEVER leave Toby and Lucy in a room together. Toby is a mutt, a mix of different "aggressive" breeds. he's a shepherd, boxer, yellow lab mix. weighs about 65 lbs. Lucy is 65 grams.

 

[kitt]

Thanks for your replies.

The bird I'm getting will probably be around 12 weeks old. The problem is I have a small house, and the only place the dog could go is outside or upstairs. I'll try to keep them seperate for as much as possible during the first week. I just don't want my dog standing infront of the cage and constantly growling at it >_<

Kitt, what type of dog do you have? Is he big? And did you bring your Macaw home while he was a baby?

My dog is a lab/golden retriever mix........and yes, Dusty (my hahns Macaw) was four months old when I got him......I think that you just need to try and keep your dogs energy at a low point around the bird....maybe you can teach the dog that if he stays in an excited state then he can't be around the bird but reward him if he does stay calm...some dogs are very smart and can quickly learn what is expected of them and the rewards that come with good behavior.....
My dog is ten years old but she still has the energy of a puppy....my hahns would actually be mean to her if I let him...however, Cassie (my dog) is buddies with my caique.............good luck hun and keep us updated.
Have you done much studying about greys so you know what you are getting into? They are amazing birds..I don't own one so I have to live through everyone else that does...LOL

 

[pittiepride]

I personally like to use positive association and reward versus punishment (ie the watergun method). I have (or had) 3 very high prey drive dogs, 2 pitbulls and a malamute. They all know the command leave it. Anyways, I used a baby gate to seperate them at first and rewarded calm behavior, a look to the bird with nothing but NORMAL interest got rewarded, anything else like excitement barking or whining was given a calm removal from the room. They soon learned that calm normal interest got treats and anything else got nothing or worse removal. We gradually introduced them, allowed them to sniff the cage when the bird was not in it etc.
A dog who learns fear of going near the bird will merely supress their drive untill you are NOT there to manage it, creating an attitude of respect will last longer.
Now the dogs love to see the bird come to the stand in the living room because they know that the bird throws food and they get treats for sitting nicely on their blankets. Bird out of the cage means quiet dogs laying around and cookies.
Good luck,
kara

ps. I would NEVER leave my dogs alone with the bird. I go as far as to baby gate the bird cage away from them just in case they do change their minds.

 

[Amber]

pittiepride's got a good point, especialy if your dog has a high prey drive. My parents have a pit bull male and a pit cross god knows what female (my guess is some kind of whippet of sighthound. It gives her double the bad instinct anyway) and although within afew days while visiting I had them calm while around the bird's cage (though they do live with two cockatiels so they are ok with birds usually), I would never take Alex around out around them. All it would take is one snap. They can be so good, and they are GOOD dogs, but they tend to get overly excited and they try to contain it, but they reach this point where it kind of 'bursts out' of them and they just go for it. Our male dog will try to contain his excitement for hours, then all of a sudden it's too much and he's running through the house like a madman. It's the same reason we have them harnessed (and muzzled depending on venue, if at a place with small animals for example) at all times in public. They love people and kids especially, but they can get worked up quite easily and do things they don't mean to in the heat of the moment. You can see the "Oh no, I didn't mean to do that!" look on their face when they do.

Then, of course, their are dogs on the reverse end of the scale. When I was a kid we had a blue heeler and they are notorious for attacking kids and what not thanks to a combination of herding instinct, protective instinct and being part dingo (native Australian wild dogs, kinda our equivalent of a wolf). The same attitude makes them a magnificent working and guard dog, but not so much around kids or in fact anything. However, mum had this dog since before I was born. The story my mum tells me is that one day when we were heading out we slipped out the back door to avoid the dog (mum had never let me even in the yard with her) to go out. Mum sat me on thr ground, turned to lock the door and turned back and the dog was their with her face in my carrier. I'm pretty sure my mother though I was gone at this point by the way she tells this. Turns out the Harley was licking me. Ever since that day we were the greatest friends. I still have photos of me learning to walk using her as a balance. She was the most wonderful dog and accepted every newcomer to our house, whether a human baby or a new pet with no issues despite her breeds nature. So just wait and see, you may be surprised yet! After all, my big old farm cat and tiny little conure are best friends. When I visit my parents where the cat lives Alex can't wait to get out and play with him!

 

[Charlottevics]

It's almost the moment of truth, I'm bringing the bird home tomorrow. Really hoping my dog will be okay with it.

I just found out the bird's gender, and it is a male, 14 weeks old. I am so excited =D Got his cage set up and everything. Maybe I'll post up some photos here. Thanks again for the stories and advice. =]

 

[Amber]

Let us know how you go!

 

[Charlottevics]

I got him home. The ride was long but it was fine. He was calm and let me scratch him pretty much the whole way, but he's pooing a lot and I'm worried about that... is it just because he's extremely nervous and scared right now? I'm going to take him to the vet for a check over eventually. The breeder let me handle him a bit, I wasn't too nervous but he nipped me when I got too close to his beak (hurt so bad xD)

Oh and my dog hasn't even reacted to him. I can't believe it really. He just whines when my mother talks to him in his cage (because he's jealous I suppose. He's closest with her than anyone else.)

Anyway here's a picture I just took. It's a little bit blurry, but I'll take some much better clearer photos tomorrow.

 

[Amber]

Glad to hear the dog hasn't been a problem so far. They can surprise you!

Your grey looks like a very happy little guy (or girl?)