The lab and the ducks

[bt03]

We have a poodle mix that I think may be part bird dog

She likes to put baby birds on our bed as presents but she has never once gone after a duck, even when they were ducklings. They see her as a big toy and she for the most part runs away from them

I think we did to good of a job of "leave it" than we had planned. She will go out into the yard with me and when they come up to her she will go around and around me trying to get away because she doesn't want to get in trouble for sniffing their behinds again. Oddly enough she will stay away from them but will still eat their poo

 

[mandelyn]

I used to have a Boston Terrier/Beagle mix that would sleep with a pile of ducklings and play with rabbits. Have never had a dog like him since, he was special. He'd lead them around, follow them, sleep with them, everything. He'd lay down in the grass and let the pet rabbits jump around him when they got free range time in the yard. So cute!

 

[galgo98]

Quote:
I have 2 greys (actually galgos) and 5 runners/1 unknown duck. Although they are never left alone together, I always worry about the dogs' prey drive. So we too spent a good deal of time with the "leave it" command. Now, the ducks usually avoid the dogs. The dogs usually avoid the ducks. However, today one of the greys ran into the far corner of the yard and all 6 ducks ran as fast as they could (little unknown duck had to fly) to keep up with her!! I didn't think the ducks would be able to pace a greyhound, although, she is 13 yr old!!! I was too busy laughing to get a pic... The greyhound found a good spot to "relieve herself", turned around and was startled by 6 ducks!! She looked at me as if to say "how am I supposed to "leave it" if they followed me??" The ducks must not have realized what they were following either, because as soon as dog turned around they bolted back to me!! Do they have runner duck racing anywhere, because I have the perfect trainer!!

 

[lovesgliders]

That is so cute! My big goofball of a Dobie wants to be friends with my chickens but they are terrified of him. He seems to realize that he scares them so instead he goes and lays by the pen, with his back to them, facing the road, and dozes in the sun like a sphinx. We joke that he is guarding "his" chickens. After he's been there for a little while, they seem to calm down and they'll wander around the pen again, but if he barks or makes any movement, they're gone. They're Silkies, though; doesn't take much to send them into heart palpitations.

My ducks are so unafraid of the dogs that I am hoping the Dobie will have an easier time befriending them, though of course he'll never get to really "play" with them.

My husky, on the other hand, is death on everything small. She's the reason we can't free-range.