dog around birds?

[IsaDa18]

So complicated situation.

I live in a shared house which contains me, my landlord, her kids, her kids' pets, and mine.

My landlord absolutely loves my dog, whenever I'm not home she takes him downstairs to spend time with the other tennants dogs (she also takes them down I believe,) and basically from time to time he comes into contact with her daughter's free roaming budgies. Generally she and her kids think it's cute that he tries to get them, and while he's with them this behavior is encouraged.

I'm trying to teach him to leave my own birds be (which I have done successfully with every cat and dog I have owned in my life,) but I'm unsure if the positive reinforcement will be a problem. I definietly can't confront her on this because of how kind she has been to me by even petting my dog, much less insisting on walking him and letting him play with the other dogs.

Can a dog learn the difference between chasing a budgie and chasing larger, unsimilarly shaped birds? He definietly knows to leave the bird alone when I'm in the room, but I prefer to teach a overall passive-ness.

 

[greys4u]

Depends on the breed, if its a prey dog it doesnt matter.

 

[IsaDa18]

Depends on the breed, if its a prey dog it doesnt matter.

I can definietly teach him to leave the bird alone (I've taught him to do the same thing with squirrels in about two or three months for service dog work,) it's just I'm not sure if she is reinforcing prey towards small birds or all birds.

 

[Ankou]

I doubt it. A small moving prey thing is a small moving prey thing. Doesn't matter if it's blue and puffy or white and fat.

I wouldn't be okay with any of it.
Will her daughter think it's funny when your dog kills one of her budgies? Does anyone care how the budgies feel about being tormented and endangered for the amusement of a couple of total morons? It isn't okay. At all. Ever. For any reason.
Period.

You can totally confront her, you are just non-confrontational. I understand, I usually am too... right up until someone is endangering animals or doing things I really really don't approve of with my animals.
If it were my landlord I would them "I appreciate the love they have for my dog but please don't have the dog around loose birds, for the sake of the dog, those birds, and my own birds. It's wonderful you want to spend time with her but I will feel awful when it kills one of the budgies and really don't want the dog to learn prey is a fun thing to do. Please if that is the only way you can spend time with him I would prefer he be alone for the safety of my birds."

That said, I also wouldn't rely on just training to keep my bird safe from my dogs. Instinct can frequently trump training, and you dog is learning to listen to it's instincts by chasing these other birds. I personally like to use physical separation, closed doors, cages, other barriers, to keep species apart. My bird has her own room and I split my time between species.
Many people think they have an amazing well trained dog or cat... right up until it totally kills one of their birds or other small pets because the right set of circumstances happened and it went into instinct mode. Some people get lucky and that never happens... other people, not so lucky.
I choose not to rely on luck.
I love Peanut too much to risk her safety, and before they died I loved my old dogs too much to risk hating them forever for what they had done when it would have been my fault anyway. Totally not worth the risk just to have them in the same room.

 

[IsaDa18]

I doubt it. A small moving prey thing is a small moving prey thing. Doesn't matter if it's blue and puffy or white and fat.

I wouldn't be okay with any of it.
Will her daughter think it's funny when your dog kills one of her budgies? Does anyone care how the budgies feel about being tormented and endangered for the amusement of a couple of total morons? It isn't okay. At all. Ever. For any reason.
Period.

You can totally confront her, you are just non-confrontational. I understand, I usually am too... right up until someone is endangering animals or doing things I really really don't approve of with my animals.
If it were my landlord I would them "I appreciate the love they have for my dog but please don't have the dog around loose birds, for the sake of the dog, those birds, and my own birds. It's wonderful you want to spend time with her but I will feel awful when it kills one of the budgies and really don't want the dog to learn prey is a fun thing to do. Please if that is the only way you can spend time with him I would prefer he be alone for the safety of my birds."

That said, I also wouldn't rely on just training to keep my bird safe from my dogs. Instinct can frequently trump training, and you dog is learning to listen to it's instincts by chasing these other birds. I personally like to use physical separation, closed doors, cages, other barriers, to keep species apart. My bird has her own room and I split my time between species.
Many people think they have an amazing well trained dog or cat... right up until it totally kills one of their birds or other small pets because the right set of circumstances happened and it went into instinct mode. Some people get lucky and that never happens... other people, not so lucky.
I choose not to rely on luck.
I love Peanut too much to risk her safety, and before they died I loved my old dogs too much to risk hating them forever for what they had done when it would have been my fault anyway. Totally not worth the risk just to have them in the same room.

I always keep him leashed near birds eegardless of how well trained he is (he's tiny and can't get much further than a foot from me when I have him leashed,) and of course I wouldn't let him near the birds without supervision; but I understand your concern.

Re the landlord; I really doubt she would listen, and I really don't want to risk her resenting me in my situation. One of her budgies has actually been eaten by an old tenant's german shep, and I've expressed my concern that my dog might catch one of the birds some day too, but shes too confident that he would never catch them (there is an average of five dogs downstairs at once, so they have learned not to perch anywhere low enough to be accessed, or to fly high.) I of course worry for these birds, but I can't convince her.

 

[CrazyBirdChick]

"I appreciate the love they have for my dog but please don't have the dog around loose birds, for the sake of the dog, those birds, and my own birds. It's wonderful you want to spend time with her but I will feel awful when it kills one of the budgies and really don't want the dog to learn prey is a fun thing to do. Please if that is the only way you can spend time with him I would prefer he be alone for the safety of my birds."

That ^ sounds perfect!

I would hate to be in that situation cause I hate confrontation too but I think that's a very polite and straight forward way to say it. I agree that a dog can't distinguish one indoor bird from another.

 

[camelotshadow]

Gosh Bad situation.
I hate arrogant pushy, self serving people but when they are your landlord its a double whammy.

Encouraging behaviors in your dog you do not agree with it not good. I think its irresponsible & wreckless & down right sad that this person is encouraging your dog to endanger another animal.

Does she have unlimited access to your dog? Taking him out whenever she wants & doing with them whatever they want?
Can't you stop it? If you want her to walk your dog then guess you will have to deal with it.

Good Luck

 

[Lady Jane]

You cannot train a dog to do what is instinctually hard wired in the brain. You may think the dog is ok around birds but if an opportunity arises instinct will win out. Thanks for addressing this issue. So many people think its "cute" for a dog or cat to be around a bird. Its like playing a game of Russian Roulette.

 

[IsaDa18]

Gosh Bad situation.
I hate arrogant pushy, self serving people but when they are your landlord its a double whammy.

Encouraging behaviors in your dog you do not agree with it not good. I think its irresponsible & wreckless & down right sad that this person is encouraging your dog to endanger another animal.

Does she have unlimited access to your dog? Taking him out whenever she wants & doing with them whatever they want?
Can't you stop it? If you want her to walk your dog then guess you will have to deal with it.

Good Luck

She has access whenever I'm not home. It's not that I don't want to walk him, it's just this way he gets love and attention when I work, which is really good because I want him to be as happy as possible.

Thank you all for the replys!

 

[melissasparrots]

I'd discuss with her how YOU would feel if your dog killed one of her budgies. Encourage her not to take chances with your dog because you would feel terrible. That is a slightly more passive way of getting your point across without implying blame.

 

[WallyLoopey]

In my opinion, no.
A dog is a predator.
You can untrain/teach that.

 

[IsaDa18]

Update:
I've been feeding her bird from time to time and wow I'd forgotten how sweet these guys are.
I nicknamed her Mean Bert
great guy