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Best dog breed to get with for a household that has birds?

octangula

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My family is planning on getting another dog soon. We don’t want a lap dog type dog because we already have two; I think what we’re looking for is a medium-small dog. What I would really like is to adopt a dog but I don’t know how it would work out with our birds.

My mom wants a french bulldog but I just worry about their breathing problems. What dog breeds are good with birds/will leave birds alone?
 

aooratrix

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You can never trust a dog or cat 100%, regardless of training. I takes a split second reflex for a tragedy to occur. To reduce risk, I'd avoid a terrier, working, sporting, or herding breed. Look at Olde English bulldogges and shar pei.

Don't every put the animals in a position to make a decision regarding each other. You have to keep them separate to protect the bird. I love my dog, and she's been trained. If reinforce her training almost daily. She complies with my instructions very well; however, dogos were bred to hunt, and she does have prey drive. Just like with my bengal cats, I have to take precautions.
 

Monaco

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I've been thinking about this too, for when Mr Theo passes, I know I will never be without a dog. My lgd breeds and Danes surprised me the most. The Anatolian and the akbash have saved more lives and money than I care to count, including the birds, cats, whatever is part of their herd. The Anatolian once laid down by an injured wild turkey (his alert was to stay with whatever trouble he found until a human relieved him) until I got to it... Same with a goat in a well once. Their drive is reserved for predators, and even try their best to scare away hawks. Both the lgds and the Dane physically brought baby animals to me. The Dane scooped up a Guinea keet, the lgds carried lost goat kids home after waiting over 24 hours for us to find them.

I'm not saying that a close interaction is safe at all. I'm just pointing out that there are breeds whose job it is to keep a herd (which is not a specific linear thing, and can include many species) in tact and defended at any risk to themselves. Even the guardians require reasonable respect for their personal space and food. A swift jerk of the head can result in unintentional injury or death, a playful paw, etc...they are massive.

Any dog you choose will be a threat to your bird, regardless of their intention. Try not to choose any breed with a high prey drive.
 

GoDucks

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Here are some dogs to consider: Boxer, Golden Retriever, English sheepdog. These dogs are certainly not lap dogs and are considered to have a low prey drive.
 

macawpower58

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Low prey drive is the main ingredient. Biddable is another.
You want a dog that wants to please you. Not one that likes a challenge.
A Golden from show or petline breeders pretty much fits the bill IMO.
You do not want a Golden from any working lines as they are bird dogs by instinct.
A Keeshond is another bred solely for companionship on the barges.
Medium size, social and easy going. Lots of fur though for any really hot climates.
A collie or sheltie might also fit the bill if the breeder knows their dogs. They are herding breeds, but usually biddable and gentle.
I've seen many German Shepherds and Boxers in bird households, but once again you must only look for low drive biddable pups.
A good breeder will know what each pup is showing.
Mixbreeds are anyone's guess.
Whatever natural instinct they have won't always show up in the pups, but will become honed as adults.
I also don't like bringing an adult dog into a settled bird home.
Many adult dogs will have that honeymoon period, until the day they begin to show their true colors.
And that again can be anything, from wonderful to deadly.
 

Monaco

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I can't say enough about shelties, but definitely from a breeder who knows them well, like @macawpower58 said. They can be mouthy, I suspect due to their size, despite low herding instinct. Soft mouth only! Another reason I like the akbash. It's difficult to get treats in their mouths, because they don't bite down at all unless it's food on the ground.
 

macawpower58

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The Akbash and Anatolian Shepherd are not dogs for most people, they are working dogs that need knowledgeable handling.
They are a lot of dog.
I'd love one, but would never suggest one for most normal pet homes.
A Kuvaz is another dream dog of mine.
 

Monaco

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The Akbash and Anatolian Shepherd are not dogs for most people, they are working dogs that need knowledgeable handling.
They are a lot of dog.
I'd love one, but would never suggest one for most normal pet homes.
A Kuvaz is another dream dog of mine.
They're a lot of dog, but those traits are not something that requires training. They are very easy to teach basic manners and obedience, but require and do not thrive without some independence. I don't think I've ever been an average pet home, so maybe that's why I am biased about them.
 

taxidermynerd

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Any dog is a predator animal. You can't have a dog that will 100% leave a bird alone. My dog is a working/herding breed (rottweiler) but still has a high prey drive. She'd never hurt Chirp intentionally but I still don't give them the chance to be together.

I have a personal preference for big dogs. I've only ever had rotties, one day I'd like a pitbull (lord knows our local shelter has them), or maybe another large breed. My dad talks frequently about how much he wants an English mastiff.

If you want an "easy" dog, rotties are not a good breed for you. Rotts are incredibly stubborn. They're very smart and if they don't want to do something, they won't. They require insane amounts of training, and you have to be firm with them. If you work at it, you can train them, but it takes weeks upon weeks.
 
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macawpower58

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Too many Rotts are also badly bred. You'd be paying a pretty penny to find a breeder with proven stable dogs.
With a Rott's size and strength, you'd want a sound and stable temperament!
Also agree, not a beginner's dog.
 

taxidermynerd

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Too many Rotts are also badly bred. You'd be paying a pretty penny to find a breeder with proven stable dogs.
With a Rott's size and strength, you'd want a sound and stable temperament!
Also agree, not a beginner's dog.
Yes, for sure. The breeder we got Roxie from was a bad one but I couldn't bear leaving her there. Her mother was too young, she was a known jumper, she crushed 3 of Roxie's 6 littermates to death. Roxie had giardia and roundworm when we got her. The dogs were kept in crates and not socialized. Should we have given that breeder our money? No. But I couldn't live with the idea of leaving her there.

Roxie is very sweet, many of the people we meet (including Roxie's trainer and her vet) say she's the nicest rott they've ever met. She just wants to be friends with everyone, especially older people, babies and young kids. She's also comfortable around people with mobility aids (my dad has a cane, but she is also fine with crutches, wheelchairs and motorized scooters).

But she has also inherited much of the hyper-ness of her mother. I think it helps that we were pretty calm with her when she was little, though. And she still has some time until she's an adult.
 

JoJo&Loki

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Roxie sounds amazing :swoon:
I’m glad you took her out of there too, and that she has such an awesome family!
 

melissasparrots

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I'm somewhat sold on the typical herding breeds for combinations with parrots. My favorites are shelties and border collies if you have the time to walk them, train and work their brain. I might also consider an australian shepherd. As others have said, never trust 100%. My first sheltie was great with birds except that she was food aggressive. She had a couple episodes of trying to get my hyacinth through the cage bars because she thought the dropped nuts should be hers and the bird was getting too close. That particular dog did have a screw loose mentally though.
My second favorite group would be some of the soft tempered hunting dogs. I also have a field bred springer spaniel who is great with the parrots. Actually, he's the best dog I've ever had with birds. He needed some correction as a pup, but as an adult he works with my hawks as a hunting/falconry dog and is good with the parrots in the house. Vizslas would also be a good choice if you have a hunter in the family but want a dog with good potential to be excellent around parrots with some guidance as a pup. Vizslas were originally bred to work with hunting hawks, are known to be a bit softer tempered than many gun dog breeds.
There are many breeds that will be decent with parrots. Some of the ones that might be harder to get to work with parrots would be the terriers, ratters and breeds originally bred to kill things outright themselves. A lot depends on how you raise it as a pup, but it helps a LOT to get a breed with a less predatory history. The worst dog I ever had with parrots was my yorkie. But, they were originally bred to be ratters.
I also think it helps to get the dog as a pup. Don't play a lot of chase or grab, tug or war games with the puppy. Don't praise it for chasing pets and really drive home that parrots are family from a young age. Then, do not expect them to be friends. Don't take chances even if the dogs has seemed to be perfect for years. Don't have the bird out when the dog is eating, playing etc. Don't let the bird have free reign of the floor and maybe even do some specific training about not chasing birds in the house. Pay attention to what your dog is possessive of if anything and what tends to trigger some attitude from it. Then don't put your bird in a position to be the trigger or be around when something that triggers prey or possession is happening.
 

Mitzi

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I have a mini aussie and she is great around the parrots and the smartest and easiest dog to train I have ever had. If one of my parrots flies off playstand to the ground she will leave the room and come look for me. I hopefully will be getting another mini aussie in the near future and hope she will be as easy as my 8 year old girl is. I'm hoping Chloe will help train the other to be good with the parrots.
 

Danita

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I got my German Shepherds as puppies when I had birds.
They were crated the first three years of their life when the birds were out. It isn't hard to tell when the prey drive comes out, a bird flaps and their ears go way up and they start staring at the bird in question. Crating wasn't the only solution, there was a ton of training too for various things.
It isn't easy, so you need to be 100% invested in the dog to make it work and love your birds more then anything in the world for you to care enough to work hard at it.
Now they are fine but in no way are the birds unsupervised and out with the dogs, ever. I am always watching the dogs for their interest in the birds.
I know I would never survive emotionally if my birds got hurt by one of my dogs.
 

Fia Baby

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I have English shepherds, they're closely related to collies. I trust mine to a high degree, though some have a higher prey drive than others. They want to learn the rules, are highly biddable, and are very protective of flock members. They're also extremely intelligent and need to be engaged. I love them, but some people may find their intelligence a bit daunting. If you don't give them a job, they will often make one for themselves... They're a very healthy breed, and are NOT AKC registerable.
 

Peachfaced

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Shelties and Collies are both pretty good choices. There's always individual differences, but my Border Collie ignores every animal except for other dogs. She really doesn't have much herding instinct in her, either, but she is protective. I suspect my Sheltie would have been pretty similar. She was quite timid.

Training is a must, and like with any animal, you can never leave them alone with eachother.
 
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