My dog killed 3 of my geese :(

[azzy]

I have a 4 month male african and a 3 week old african female (i think). I was wondering if I should replace them with older or younger geese. I think waht happened was that the dog and geese didnt grow together and the dog started to attack back after it couldnt take the geese pecking at it. Im not sure if to intoduce the dog to new geese would be easier or just introduce some older geese.

 

[Windchyme]

Quote:
My dog did grow up with them and they still nip him. What needs to happen is some training with the dog to teach it that it CANNOT harm the geese (maybe scare em a bit though once he gets the do not harm lesson- mine protects us from the males now without actually harming them). I'm not sure if that will even work now that he has killed the geese and knows he is capable of doing it. The only other way is to keep the geese up away from the dog or the dog away from the geese. He's definately capable of killing babies but he's also very capable of killing adults if he really wants to.

 

[henpeckedacres]

so sorry! My dog is OLD and raised with the Geese. They all lay together and the Geese are only out when we are home to supervise. The Geese early on wanted to "taste" Yeagar and I firmly got between them and him and said "NO" and chased them off.., several times. Now they know this is not acceptable and leave him be..,

so sorry for your loss

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

we got a mature gander and wow he is the dickens. my big GSD's are afraid of him! see my signature.... the one thing i'd say is that if you get older geese they might be aggressive.... i love that old galoot but if he could get in the house we're pretty sure he'd shiv us in our sleep!

my advice on the dog is to train him so he knows that the poultry are 'yours' and not to leave him alone with them.

 

[Kim65]

I'm sorry to hear that

I lost my favorite goose to dog attack, and the dogs definitely grew up with her. She undoubtedly attacked THEM first, and then they got the ultimate revenge

I personally never trust a dog with poultry. The two together are basically a carnivore with free and easy food. Dogs can't help it, and geese can't help being obnoxious and defensive.

I did train my Basenji/Sheltie mix to leave the poultry alone, by busting him in the act of eating a cockerel. I scared him and yes, whacked him and chased him all over with the dead body. He leaves them alone now, because he knows they are mine.

However, no dogs could be expected to remain ladies and gentlemen when a goose decides to get in their faces.

I had a great Pyr who would growl and turn on them with a big WOOF when they got to yanking on her lips and face too much, and she was VERY patient with all the critters. I trusted her more because of her genetics/temperament. Any other non livestock dog? I wouldn't trust very much at all.

 

[Windchyme]

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I disagree to a degree being a dog trainer. I trust my purebred german rotty with my poultry completely. We moved to this property with the rotty before we had poultry. This dog was a wanna be bird dog (as in the hunting sense LOL). Of course he came here with lots of training already. I had to then work with him on the fact that the birds were MINE and to try to eat them was a direct violation of my rights as a pack leader and would be addressed harshly.

He did kill a chicken once early on before he was convinced, he didn't quite believe I meant it when I said leave them alone. I did what you did, smacked his bottom good, shoved the bird in his face, chased him around and basically made his life miserable. He never touched another bird to harm it again after that.

He knows the geese nip and he tries to keep an eye on them and not engage unless neccesary or asked to. There have been times they have snuck up on him and they like to bite his "back equipment". He'll whirl around with a snarl and instantly have them by the neck. Anyone looking on would be sure there is going to be a blood bath, but no, he holds on for a couple moments to let them get good and scared, lets them struggle a bit then releases them a little slobbery but completely unharmed. They run off honking indignantly. He is also the greatest goose control when collecting eggs (and with what I have I usually have to leave my backside exposed without the ability to get out of the way quickly to collect from one of the nests). I'll be collecting eggs and the cranky male will be getting closer and closer from out of nowhere and I get sure I am going to have to defend myself and out of nowhere my rotty will just appear and leap in between me and the gander and start pushing the gander back away from me until I can get done. The kids won't collect goose eggs without him.

The point here is many dogs can be ok around poultry but it isn't going to just happen in many cases without some kind of training. Yes having them together is a carnivore with food, but if the food clearly belongs to the pack leader to do with as they wish then it's neither free nor easy. They may not understand why everyone isn't chowing down right now and keeping the dang things alive but they do understand by genetic programming that they can't have any part of a kill or potential kill unless the pack leader allows it.

It can be done with many if not most dogs with a sound healthy mind and temperament given the right training. Basenji's are really primal little headstrong, independant dogs and even a basenji mix was succesfully trained not to mess with the birds. That's an accomplishment to me.

 

[Pretty Pony]

I feel your pain. When I first got my geese and a couple of chickens, my Rottie and Bullmastiff went after them, killed two geese and a couple of chickens. I went after the dogs with a buggy whip, they got it good. I have even tried the electronic collar on the Bullmastiff (she is the stubborn one). That was last summer, things have been better this summer but I still don't trust the dogs completely.

 

[azzy]

I replaced all the 4 geese and a duck i had. they killed 2 of the new geese im so sad. I dont know what to do with the dogs anymore. Ive hit them and tied chickens around their necks(chickens they also killed) one has learned but one is just stubborn.

 

[aaangelll17]

do not hurt your dogs it int nice just tie up the goose to his neck

 

[chixie]

is there anyway you could keep your dog penned up away from your birds? I am sorry for your loss... I have lost one chicken , and a mallard to the dogs this year... the mallard flew out and inot the dogs area... I clipped everyone elses wings