Geese training?

[Cottage Rose]

I have used the show them whose boss method with great success.
The lady I bought my first Sebastopols from taught me how to do this.
It wasn't uncomfortable for me since I've always disciplined and trained
my animals and not treated them like fragile, spoiled children.
One thing I would add is if you have an extra aggressive gander that doesn't
respond to the dominating him exercise is to daily go after him and dominate him
even if he doesn't go after you on that particular day until it gets to the point where he see's you coming and doesn't charge you or runs in the opposite direction.
This usually pursuades overly aggressive ganders into respecting you when he knows you mean business.
Done properly this does not break their spirit but teaches them to respect you.
I don't do this method if a gander merely hisses at me or just mock charges and never attempts to bite me ~ but ~ I always watch my back even with those types.
A side note on overly aggressive ganders...in my experience they tend to be the most fertile ganders so its a good thing
if you are using them for breeding.

 

[sianara]

I have used the show them whose boss method with great success.
The lady I bought my first Sebastopols from taught me how to do this.
It wasn't uncomfortable for me since I've always disciplined and trained
my animals and not treated them like fragile, spoiled children.
One thing I would add is if you have an extra aggressive gander that doesn't
respond to the dominating him exercise is to daily go after him and dominate him
even if he doesn't go after you on that particular day until it gets to the point where he see's you coming and doesn't charge you or runs in the opposite direction.
This usually pursuades overly aggressive ganders into respecting you when he knows you mean business.
Done properly this does not break their spirit but teaches them to respect you.
I don't do this method if a gander merely hisses at me or just mock charges and never attempts to bite me ~ but ~ I always watch my back even with those types.
A side note on overly aggressive ganders...in my experience they tend to be the most fertile ganders so its a good thing
if you are using them for breeding.

This is exactly what I have taught my 11 year old "animal assistant". At first he was a little timid to go at Freddie and finally I told him, "If you are comfortable with him charging you, hissing at you and honking LOUDLY, then don't worry about charging him. But if it bothers you then you MUST go after him every single time he even starts to come at you". It took him about a week to do this and finally Freddie learned he was not to be pushed around. Now they follow my assistant around the yard just like the follow me

 

[Miss Lydia]

This is exactly what I have taught my 11 year old "animal assistant". At first he was a little timid to go at Freddie and finally I told him, "If you are comfortable with him charging you, hissing at you and honking LOUDLY, then don't worry about charging him. But if it bothers you then you MUST go after him every single time he even starts to come at you". It took him about a week to do this and finally Freddie learned he was not to be pushed around. Now they follow my assistant around the yard just like the follow me

Sounds like you have a great animal assistant.

 

[sianara]

Sounds like you have a great animal assistant.

He is great. He's home schooled and lives next door to me so it's a win-win for both of us. I've taught him how to use an electric drill/screwdriver, he's painted things, he regularly cleans out the animals runs and feeding and watering them and on and on. Like most boys, he loves the "cool" spray nozzle I have on my hose so what usually takes me 15 minutes to do takes him about 35.

But it's worth it to have him as a second pair of hands.

 

[Miss Lydia]

He is great. He's home schooled and lives next door to me so it's a win-win for both of us. I've taught him how to use an electric drill/screwdriver, he's painted things, he regularly cleans out the animals runs and feeding and watering them and on and on. Like most boys, he loves the "cool" spray nozzle I have on my hose so what usually takes me 15 minutes to do takes him about 35.

But it's worth it to have him as a second pair of hands.

Thats so cool, and all this time I was thinking he was your son. It's great he is interested. All my grand kids want to do it hold one of those electronic things in their hands all day.

If they lived closer I'd have them in training too.

 

[sianara]

Thats so cool, and all this time I was thinking he was your son. It's great he is interested. All my grand kids want to do it hold one of those electronic things in their hands all day.

If they lived closer I'd have them in training too.

He's actually been working with me for three years now since he was 9. This is our third spring/fall doing chores together. Actually it's more than chores, he helps me retrofit and build coops and so on as well as chores.

 

[Miss Lydia]

He's actually been working with me for three years now since he was 9. This is our third spring/fall doing chores together. Actually it's more than chores, he helps me retrofit and build coops and so on as well as chores.

Sounds like a really neat kid.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

What an awesome assistant!!!
Really enjoyed reading this thread! Anyone that wants geese needs to read this. I have owned geese, usually embden, chinese or african most of my life. Most of the ganders in this species ARE aggressive and that's what I want here. BUT they will respect me, and not bite any human flock member (hehe!) Big G has been a real challenge and he is huge my biggest gander yet. My daughters both had to learn the hard way and get bit. I only have 1 gander to 5 geese. My girls are 20 and 30, so they are old enough to understand, if you don't want bit, teach him! He is totally fearless, flutters and hisses, head low and WHAM! I agree with the clothing and color issues 100%, shoes with shiny on them set him off. I am small, and less than 5ft tall. My hubby was even afraid of my newest group of geese till he started to watch what I do. He is a big man, 6ft something close to 300lbs. Pick their lil attitude up! If you can't lift em, pin them to the ground, I have to almost sit on him to confine him.. Use your "mad" voice and make it known you are mad! Don't pet them, they didn't earn it. To get control of that biting machine get the neck, close to his head. hold firmly. He won't hurt himself. go under his belly, get your fingers around his legs. FLIP HIM. Then hold him down. It wont harm him and he will be embarrassed, humiliated. His geese will not like it, but.. you win. I don't release him til he stops fighting. when he does i let him go, and go about my business like he doesn't matter. He has not challenged me since and this was months ago. He has got me good once, broke the skin on my foot

(duh hot pink flip flops) I saw red and he got punished. Good luck, show em you are the boss

 

[sianara]

My gander isn't quite a year old yet and he has gone through several "phases" of behavior. He still hisses at strangers and my husband. He recognized me, my helper Caleb, my two college kids even though he rarely sees the last two. I have to say people get a kick out of his hissing and my husband mocks him which is why I think Freddie doesn't like him. I mean who likes being made fun of right?

Currently, Freddie is still respecting me but on occasion tries to "bite" me or anything that is on my person. All it takes are the words "don't... Ut uh!..." or similar chastising sounds/words and he honks right back at me - but he stops. I am amazed at how smart they are. They still follow me around like puppies which I love but once they have seen me for a certain amount of time (changes daily) they are fine with me leaving and go off in the other direction.

jchny2000, that is what I did almost word for word and it really works. Yep I think he gets embarrassed and Beatrice just stands there watching and talking quietly to herself, cracks me up every time. The other day I was trying to remove ice from around a drain spout so the water could flow free and I wasn't paying attention when he came up from behind and almost bit my hand and kind of startled me for a moment (he still tests me all the time). I didn't even think, I just swiped him across the bill and yelled at him to "knock it off". I barely touched him and I'm not into hitting animals or kids but I didn't even think I just did it. Anyway, he ruffled his feathers and when I told him "you need to back off NOW" he actually did (with much pomp and circumstance that is). He is now into what I call his "majestic" phase. He walks around with his head bent down at a certain "swan like" angle, very slowly and looks as though he is just surveying his lands.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My gander isn't quite a year old yet and he has gone through several "phases" of behavior. He still hisses at strangers and my husband. He recognized me, my helper Caleb, my two college kids even though he rarely sees the last two. I have to say people get a kick out of his hissing and my husband mocks him which is why I think Freddie doesn't like him. I mean who likes being made fun of right?

Currently, Freddie is still respecting me but on occasion tries to "bite" me or anything that is on my person. All it takes are the words "don't... Ut uh!..." or similar chastising sounds/words and he honks right back at me - but he stops. I am amazed at how smart they are. They still follow me around like puppies which I love but once they have seen me for a certain amount of time (changes daily) they are fine with me leaving and go off in the other direction.

jchny2000, that is what I did almost word for word and it really works. Yep I think he gets embarrassed and Beatrice just stands there watching and talking quietly to herself, cracks me up every time. The other day I was trying to remove ice from around a drain spout so the water could flow free and I wasn't paying attention when he came up from behind and almost bit my hand and kind of startled me for a moment (he still tests me all the time). I didn't even think, I just swiped him across the bill and yelled at him to "knock it off". I barely touched him and I'm not into hitting animals or kids but I didn't even think I just did it. Anyway, he ruffled his feathers and when I told him "you need to back off NOW" he actually did (with much pomp and circumstance that is). He is now into what I call his "majestic" phase. He walks around with his head bent down at a certain "swan like" angle, very slowly and looks as though he is just surveying his lands.

At least he sounds like he's looking whare he's going, my gander walks around with his head in the air, I keep expecting to see him laying at the bottom of the hill just because he wasn't paying attention. to where is is going