Due to medium-density house blocks, my garden in the far flung northern suburbs of Melbourne is small, new-ish (about 5 years old) and a sometime-playground for a few native birds. It's also a corridor and holiday destination for some neighbourhood cats!
Lately, I've been feeling the urge to get myself a companion dog and am worried about the possible effect on the fairy wrens and other small birds that visit from time to time.
I've read the thread here on pets but it mainly addresses issues with cats and doesn't really mention dogs.
- Are birds as afraid of dogs as they are of cats? (Certainly the unwelcome cats will think twice before dropping by.)
- Are some breeds of dogs less bird repellent than others?
- If I keep my garden bird-attractive, will that mitigate the possible negative effects of having a pet dog?
I'd like to have a happy combination of the wild and the domestic but I'm concerned that I may have to choose between the two. Something here about cake and eating it... #*_*#
I think it very much depends on the breed of dog and its training as to whether it will chase off birds. As to whether the dog will be a deterrant merely because of its prescence, I think most birds are clever enough to suss out a dog's behaviour over time and decide whether it is a threat or not (at ground level). The advantage of a dog is that it will keep away the cats that are the biggest threat (again, if properly trained). And yes, maintaining a density of bird attracting plants in the garden will always make a big difference to the number of feathered visitors. Good luck in finding an intelligent and discerning canine companion fladdle!
Thank you, Night Parrot. I am determined to have a well-trained dog, whether I recieve her that way or make the effort to develop obedience. Much less worry on all fronts, I reckon.
Perhaps birds have enough nouse to know when ANY animal is threatening, including us humans, to a point. Now that I think of it, a friend with heaps of blue wrens in her yard also keeps 2 dogs...
I'll keep my eyes peeled and see if others have experience to share.
In all fairness Night Parrot, dogs are just as bad as cats, only there is less public notice of them, and hence less research:
http://www.australasianscience.com.au/news/january-2012/domestic-dogs-are-bigger-problem-cats-our-native-wildlife.html
In a domestic context, as with cats, much depends on the effort and concerns of the owner. If you're willing to put time and effort into a pet, don't let articles like that stop you getting one, whatever it be.
Birds and pets can be successfully combined- they're not exclusive of eachother.
My thought would be that you'd be better of getting a small type of dog that wasn't overly energetic. Maybe a rescue dog with a calm temperament? I don't know much about dog types, but calmness would seem important to me. It'd be less likely to spook and scare the birds, and be less inclined to chase them anyway. Also, that way (depending on the size of your yard) you could partition your yar with something like pool fences, creating an enclosure for the dog to be in. Birds are usually quick learners; they'd work out where the dog can't go pretty quickly.
I very much appreciate the research / report, Lachlan. Yes, there doesn't seem to be much in the literature about dogs as compared with cats.
The article seems to be addressing dogs attacking "wildlife" while they're off leash in more unrestricted areas but I take the point that dogs can be as destructive as cats. I guess the saving grace with dogs is that they can probably be trained more easily than cats. (I like cats - I just don't want one as a pet.)
I searched that journal for other mentions of dog and found a couple of references to dogs killing koalas. I'll make sure that never happens!
Thanks for the link and you thoughts.
Hmm, I can tell you about my dogs. I have a Blue Heeler and a Labrador X, neither of them chases any birds. The birds know exactly that my dogs are no threat to them, the dogs can walk past them very close, and the birds don't even bother.
But recently my daughter and her Jack Russles moved in, they bark , chase and frighten everything that moves.
The Labrador is very relaxed and nothing bothers her.
But I have to tell you, I have fenced off an area to seperate dogs from other animals during the day time that I'm not home. They never roam free without supervision. And all of them come inside at night.
M-L
Try to steer away from the more dominant breeds like terriers, and puppies like to chase things and once they decide its fun its very hard to break them from it so you have to be firm with them before it becomes a game to them.
Most dogs will by nature will accept what you do (most) , even a cat , I have a 14 year old tom cat thet lives inside when my dog Sam comes inside they get on fine (except if Sam tries to sniff Kirby's backside there is a loud hiss and he gets his face slapped) but if another cat tries to cross the yard look out !
When we first moved here Sam chased the sparrows because they where new to him ,but a firm NO whenever he even looked like he was going to do it and he soon stopped .
We now have chooks and when Sam first saw them he had that look in his eyes he wanted to get them , but again once he learned to accept them in his yard all was fine , in fact Betty the dominant hen has been known to chase him on occasion.
With dogs its up to you to set the boundres and rules ,and dogs like to please their owners so once they know what the rules are they usually follow them.
Ahh Jack Russles, I heard a rumor that someone was able to train one of them once, but I think it was just one those urban legend thingies !
Was probably started by hallucinations, Sparrow. Caused exhaustion when trying get the Jack Russell to sit still on demand!
Thanks for pointing that out Araminta. Generalising across dog breeds is probably not a good idea. Temperament is more important, and I guess that would differ between dogs in the same breed.
I'm not in a rush to get this dog so I'll be visiting my local RSPCA regularly to see who they have there and I'll wait until the right creature turns up. It's not only my little bird population I'm thinking of, it's me too! I'm totally up for training but I prefer a serene environment so my rescue dog will have a calm way about her / him.
On Saturday I had SIX little wrens splashing and playing in my ordinary bird bath. It prompted me to go out the next day and buy my first-ever digital camera because I couldn't get a decent image of them with my iPad. And because I couldn't properly identify them I'm going to sharpen my Powers of Perception so I can describe them better and figure out what they were.
It's good to know that, if I do my part, I can probably have "my" birds AND my dog.
Good for you fladdle. The birds at my birdbath also prompted me to get a digital camera, just for the fun of being able to capture birds at the moment they are enjoying themselves in refreshment. I don't dream to match the fine efforts of the expert photographers who contribute to this forum. I have a long way to go to get anywhere near that level of skill, but maybe you will have better talents (and patience). In any case I look forward to seeing some of your efforts on the forum.
Everytime I am sitting with birds in the various parks the birds fly away when a dog arrives in the vicinity. When taking dogs for walks on the lead, the birds would always make alarm calls (we used to have two beagles visit our work often and I seemed to be the only one that knew when they wanted to go out, therefore they alway came to me for walks) In some bush parks there are signs stating that dog poo and the smell of dog scares off native animals.
IMO the quantity of pet dogs cannot be justified and are detrimental to our native fauna. (unless they are dingos).
Yes, birds (and other fauna) startle when strangeness and noisiness approaches.
I've been giving it some thought, though, and now I wonder about familiarity: the little wrens who enjoyed the birdbath last weekend knew I was there. They kept an eye out for me. And I'm big, a potential threat and must have my own smell. Still, they continue to visit my yard and I can only assume that they've decided the yard is relatively safe, despite the large animal there.
So I'm pondering on the effect that a calm, non-threatening dog might have in the long-run, especially if it keeps the neighbourhood cats out of my yard.
(I expect that, some time in the distant future, humans will come to the conclusion that pets aren't a desirable thing, that other animals have as much right to freedom as we have.)
Thanks for your thoughts, richman.
I'd agree with the familiarity bit, fladdle. Many of the small birds that come to my birdbaths do so even if I am standing close to them. Even a furtive bird like a rail will allow "a regular" to get within a few metres after a while. I have a skink patrolling the back verandah at night which takes advantage of the light to feast on insects attracted to it. I have walked past him so many times that he just ignores me and doesn't even bother getting out of the way. I can even touch him lightly without him reacting. He comes inside sometimes but I turf him out because I worry that surface spray under the fridge etc for cockroaches might make him sick.
The forum will be interested in the dog you choose; no doubt you will get some comment on your final selection (unless its a bitzer, in which case its temperament may be harder for others to forecast based on breed characteristics). I hope that dogs will never become undesirable in the future. (Hu)Man's best friend is exactly that. It would be a poorer world without them (providing they can be well looked after).