Geese training?

[zooweemama]

I used this with my gander he is totally different towards me now, This should really be a sticky at the top.

I completely agree. Not only is it easy to understand, it's thorough, to the point and unbelievably helpful and useful right away.

 

[weepingfeathers]

Olive Hill and Oregon Blues definitely have the right idea. I am a little concerned about those who seem to sound like the use true force when making contact. "kicking" a goose could do real damage. "shoving" with a foot that made careful contact is totally different. "bumping" with carefully controlled force would be somewhere in between and perhaps called for to simulate a true goose on goose interaction. I prefer to take the high road and avoid getting physical because geese seem to remember where the last fight left off and start the next one at that level of aggression and intensity. In my observations with my geese, any fast motion is perceived as an act of aggression and either fled from or reacted to with aggression. So if you are dealing with a goose or gander who is already getting testy, you need to remain calm - keep your poker face on as I say and move slowly. Now don't get me wrong, I agree 100% that you must always be absolute in your conviction to be top gander. And your birds must know it without a doubt. I have one Sebastopol gander - Wade, the blue in my avatar, that I can feed from my hand with my eyes closed. He has NEVER been the least bit aggressive at any time of year, including when he was raising babies. My other Seb gander, Whiskey, however, is very "snatchy" about taking treats from my hand. I most definitely believe that many, if not most, geese perceive the taking of treats from the human hand to equate to taking away your food. And that, as previous posters have said, is an act of dominance. This, I believe, is why Dave Holderread cautions against feeding from the hand in his Book of Geese. Wade would never dream of trying to be dominant to me or any other human, but you better believe he will defend against other geese. Whiskey has become a Teddy Goose on more than one occassion when I just got too frustrated to pin him on the ground and, instead, picked him up and walked around with him for a few minutes. This was only necessary during the breeding season and usually I chose to pin him promptly on the ground, facing away from me and held him there. La la la la la. OK, now be nice. Once or twice, he did come right back. So he went right back into pinned position. It was all done very quietly and really fairly slowly. And when he had gotten the message, we went right back to chatting, nose to bill as I always do with my buddies. Yes, that's right, nose to bill - just inches apart. But I always face him squarely as I squat down to his level. That's one thing Olive Hill left out - the turning sideways on approach of an aggressive goose. That's part of Whiskey's technique and part of how his gives away his thoughts. I truly believe that if you are good with horses, at reading their body language, you will have little trouble with geese. Both of my ganders were field raised at Holderreads. They are like night and day personality wise. And yet, I don't hesitate to get down on their level every day and exchange little honks with them. I do the same with the youngsters that Whiskey is raising. So far so good. Mostly. One did go after my shoes which are always the same at barely two weeks of age. I pinned him too and he is now very wary of me, but not panicky and fearful. I have also noticed that Whiskey's family is actually rather "touchy feely" with each other. And will often poke each other's backs when greating each other. So I have done the same and am getting away with it. Only time will tell come future breeding seasons whether or not they still respect me as top Gander. If not, pin them calmly and quietly I will do. A couple of the youngsters as well as Whiskey were getting downright brutal about taking bread from my hand, so I quit offering it. But I always wind up hand pulling Lespedeza from their yard this time of year because I can't use weedkillers for fear of killing birds as well. It turns out that they actually like Lespedeza, they just can't eat enough of it to keep it from taking over the yard. I found this out because the pushy ones came and wanted to eat where I was pulling weeds. There's that dominance thing again - but also that's how the youngsters learn what to eat - by eating where their parents are grazing. So I handed them some. And they liked it. Then Whiskey had to have some. He likes it so much that he comes over softly honking and politely asking for a bit. Even he has become gentle about taking pulled weeds to eat. But I haven't tried the bread again yet and probably won't! No point in encouraging bad behavior when we've come so far on good.
Anyway, just wanted to put my 2 cents worth in on this subject since a goose friend and I have spent so much time discussing how to deal with aggressive ganders this spring. His may not be cured ever by these methods, but luckily, he is an experienced goose and horse person and can keep himself calm in the midst of a full body wing flailing attack from behind! Please remember, all geese are individuals. One may need great force, but the next might only require a dirty look and that "uh uh" that Oregon Blues describes. It is ever so much more pleasant to work around animals quietly than to have to yell and beat on them because we allowed ourselves to loose our "cool" and pushed them to a higher level of aggression. So keep your poker face on and stand your ground as quietly as you can. It will pay off in the end.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Olive Hill and Oregon Blues definitely have the right idea. I am a little concerned about those who seem to sound like the use true force when making contact. "kicking" a goose could do real damage. "shoving" with a foot that made careful contact is totally different. "bumping" with carefully controlled force would be somewhere in between and perhaps called for to simulate a true goose on goose interaction. I prefer to take the high road and avoid getting physical because geese seem to remember where the last fight left off and start the next one at that level of aggression and intensity. In my observations with my geese, any fast motion is perceived as an act of aggression and either fled from or reacted to with aggression. So if you are dealing with a goose or gander who is already getting testy, you need to remain calm - keep your poker face on as I say and move slowly. Now don't get me wrong, I agree 100% that you must always be absolute in your conviction to be top gander. And your birds must know it without a doubt. I have one Sebastopol gander - Wade, the blue in my avatar, that I can feed from my hand with my eyes closed. He has NEVER been the least bit aggressive at any time of year, including when he was raising babies. My other Seb gander, Whiskey, however, is very "snatchy" about taking treats from my hand. I most definitely believe that many, if not most, geese perceive the taking of treats from the human hand to equate to taking away your food. And that, as previous posters have said, is an act of dominance. This, I believe, is why Dave Holderread cautions against feeding from the hand in his Book of Geese. Wade would never dream of trying to be dominant to me or any other human, but you better believe he will defend against other geese. Whiskey has become a Teddy Goose on more than one occassion when I just got too frustrated to pin him on the ground and, instead, picked him up and walked around with him for a few minutes. This was only necessary during the breeding season and usually I chose to pin him promptly on the ground, facing away from me and held him there. La la la la la. OK, now be nice. Once or twice, he did come right back. So he went right back into pinned position. It was all done very quietly and really fairly slowly. And when he had gotten the message, we went right back to chatting, nose to bill as I always do with my buddies. Yes, that's right, nose to bill - just inches apart. But I always face him squarely as I squat down to his level. That's one thing Olive Hill left out - the turning sideways on approach of an aggressive goose. That's part of Whiskey's technique and part of how his gives away his thoughts. I truly believe that if you are good with horses, at reading their body language, you will have little trouble with geese. Both of my ganders were field raised at Holderreads. They are like night and day personality wise. And yet, I don't hesitate to get down on their level every day and exchange little honks with them. I do the same with the youngsters that Whiskey is raising. So far so good. Mostly. One did go after my shoes which are always the same at barely two weeks of age. I pinned him too and he is now very wary of me, but not panicky and fearful. I have also noticed that Whiskey's family is actually rather "touchy feely" with each other. And will often poke each other's backs when greating each other. So I have done the same and am getting away with it. Only time will tell come future breeding seasons whether or not they still respect me as top Gander. If not, pin them calmly and quietly I will do. A couple of the youngsters as well as Whiskey were getting downright brutal about taking bread from my hand, so I quit offering it. But I always wind up hand pulling Lespedeza from their yard this time of year because I can't use weedkillers for fear of killing birds as well. It turns out that they actually like Lespedeza, they just can't eat enough of it to keep it from taking over the yard. I found this out because the pushy ones came and wanted to eat where I was pulling weeds. There's that dominance thing again - but also that's how the youngsters learn what to eat - by eating where their parents are grazing. So I handed them some. And they liked it. Then Whiskey had to have some. He likes it so much that he comes over softly honking and politely asking for a bit. Even he has become gentle about taking pulled weeds to eat. But I haven't tried the bread again yet and probably won't! No point in encouraging bad behavior when we've come so far on good.
Anyway, just wanted to put my 2 cents worth in on this subject since a goose friend and I have spent so much time discussing how to deal with aggressive ganders this spring. His may not be cured ever by these methods, but luckily, he is an experienced goose and horse person and can keep himself calm in the midst of a full body wing flailing attack from behind! Please remember, all geese are individuals. One may need great force, but the next might only require a dirty look and that "uh uh" that Oregon Blues describes. It is ever so much more pleasant to work around animals quietly than to have to yell and beat on them because we allowed ourselves to loose our "cool" and pushed them to a higher level of aggression. So keep your poker face on and stand your ground as quietly as you can. It will pay off in the end.

I have not had to actually hit my gander and never will, I have stood up to him I have pinned him to the ground and I have shoved him with my foot, I also have used the broom to make him move by using it as a shove not a hit, All of these things have worked for me. Now would i get down nose to nose with him? I think not. But He isn't trying to bite me at every turn anymore and I forgot i have picked him up by the body and by the neck. They are awesome animals and just need to learn to respect their care taker.

 

[jtallant]

My male goose age unknown was given to me because he was "agressive." He tried just once with me, ran at me, raised wings and going for the bite. I stepped back just a bit to steady myself and didn't say a word to him but when he got close enough I just picked him up and much to his disbelief sat down with him in my lap snug up against me. I held him. He hissed and hissed. I told him all about my day while he scratched me with those goosie claws through my jeans, until he settled down, basically he was still not happy but had begun to realize that I had all the time in the world to wait on him. No, it was not easy to do, he's kinda big. As soon as he settled, I let him up gently. He was pretty vocal about his displeasure while he walked away from me, but he has never run at me again and he doesn't run away from me either, I don't mean that he comes up to me all sweetie pie like my girls do, but he doesn't take off when he sees me, he honks some and watches me. When I put the younger females in with him he did sort of raise his wings and give me the ol' eye, and I told him that I was "going to pet him again" if he didn't just stop with it already, he just walked off in a huff. My females are not aggressive at all, but they were raised here so I've no idea what happened to Mr. Tumnus, but he's got a good life now. I *think* he is a Toulouse cross, but with what I'm not sure.

 

[Iain Utah]

weepingfeathers

 

[Haunted55]

I too would like to thank Olive Hill and Oregon Blues for their knowledge in this thread and in others. The posting of the do's and don'ts saved me from making a terrible mistake with my geese. The day after reading this thread wouldn't you know it, one of my geese decided to try biting me. I followed directions and have not had a problem since. Next Spring may be a different story but at least I now know how to handle anything that comes up.

 

[zooweemama]

I think one of the most useful and smart things I have done with my geese overall has been to move slowly and purposefully anytime I am around them. I wish I had been so diligent in this with my ducks. My ducks are fine but I definitely am much better at it now. My geese will usually allow me to lightly pet down their back now without running away or acting skittish at all. I have earned their trust in this manner and that feels good. I can walk among them and they follow me or go on about their business but again- no shyness or skittish behavior. When they grow into adulthood and start testing boundaries- it feels right to take the suggested behaviors in with the same slow and purposeful movement I have been doing with them. I notice even when my geese chase something off- they don't do it ninja fast (usually unless they are feeling outright attacked). They drop their head, stretch their neck, move forward firmly and speed up only if the animal hasn't yet backed off. They are fascinating to watch though!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I think one of the most useful and smart things I have done with my geese overall has been to move slowly and purposefully anytime I am around them. I wish I had been so diligent in this with my ducks. My ducks are fine but I definitely am much better at it now. My geese will usually allow me to lightly pet down their back now without running away or acting skittish at all. I have earned their trust in this manner and that feels good. I can walk among them and they follow me or go on about their business but again- no shyness or skittish behavior. When they grow into adulthood and start testing boundaries- it feels right to take the suggested behaviors in with the same slow and purposeful movement I have been doing with them. I notice even when my geese chase something off- they don't do it ninja fast (usually unless they are feeling outright attacked). They drop their head, stretch their neck, move forward firmly and speed up only if the animal hasn't yet backed off. They are fascinating to watch though!

Isn't it amazing how just a drop of the the head and a slight stretch of their neck and what ever they want to move away does. My gander shows no aggression towards the ducks or chickens all he has to do is what i just mentioned, they respect him. If my ducks want a chicken to move they don't hesitate to grab feathers to get their point across.

 

[sianara]

Finding this thread today came at the perfect time for me. I'm so grateful for all the great goose knowledge on BYC!

My pilgrim pair are now 4 months old and the male Freddie has started asserting himself towards me and everyone else recently. Today when I came into their yard to sit in the lawn chair (which I do every day) he hissed at me and actually charged me while trying to bite at the same time. I stood up towards him and flapped my arms and said BACK UP BACK UP loudly! Well, he decided to NOT back up and he started honking really loud and tried to bite me so I grabbed him by the neck (so fast I didn't even KNOW I was gonna grab him lol

) and flattened him out on the ground. I kept my hands on his back and told him to chill out. The goose Beatrice was standing right by watching the whole thing without making a sound.

After about a minute he was very quiet and still so I let him up and I told him to BACK OFF NOW. He walked away grumbling to himself and she walked beside him chattering quietly. I spent two more hours out there with them doing chores etc but keeping an eye on him each time I had to walk by him. I did have to "flap and yell" at him to BACK UP a few more time and he responded by honking loudly back at me while backing up.

My husband came out on the deck to see what was going on and at this point both geese were quiet but when I started telling him the story Freddie started honking LOUDLY every time I said a word. It was kinda funny it was almost like he was saying "That is NOT what happened!". However, the loud honking started ticking me off too so I did the whole thing all over again and he quieted down and walked away. I was thinking "it's one thing to dominate him physically but I have to do it verbally too? Really?" lol

I suspect this is going to take some time and constant training from me to see permanent change but I am up to the challenge. I've wanted geese for a long time and I'm not going to be bullied by Mr. Blue Eyes himself. I've also been advising my family on how to behave now (2 college age kids and DH). But the kids are leaving for college again soon so they won't be so involved anymore.

The last thing I wish I could change is them honking so loud and long when they see me (or any of us actually) arrive or leave. They are much louder when it's me. It's like they go crazy MUM'S BACK, MUM'S BACK. At first it was cute but now it's just annoying. Is there any way to "teach" them to not freak out when I have to leave???

 

[Olive Hill]

The last thing I wish I could change is them honking so loud and long when they see me (or any of us actually) arrive or leave. They are much louder when it's me. It's like they go crazy MUM'S BACK, MUM'S BACK. At first it was cute but now it's just annoying. Is there any way to "teach" them to not freak out when I have to leave???

Geese are the watch dogs of the poultry world. They're even better at it than most actual watchdogs. Short of fencing them where they cannot see your movements there's not much you can do about it.