What types of voice commands do your geese know?

[ThePilgrimGooseHouse]

I was wondering what voice commands your geese respond to. I have had geese going on 2 years and I started by hatching eggs. I was surprised that they can learn voice commands if you are consistent in your use of them.

Here is an example of my Gander walking home from the river.

 

[JRies]

I was wondering what voice commands your geese respond to. I have had geese going on 2 years and I started by hatching eggs. I was surprised that they can learn voice commands if you are consistent in your use of them.

Here is an example of my Gander walking home from the river.

Mine know allot of voice commands. Great post good job. there favorite are...
1- Good Morning. they all take a wing flap run.
2 - Good Job. thats when they take a wing flapping run all together reminding me I forgot to say good morning.
3 - Are you coming? thats when I cleared Pasture from thorns and its now theirs. Its like a street gang all strolling to the ok its ours now. Really so cute.
4 - Inside voice as I wave my hand down - they all including my loud ganders start talking quietly.
5 - BENNY. Yep he is the last to give in but very quietly chatters to me after. Its like he just wants to know he is included.
6 - What did you do - they all look up and go opps. but then continue on till I walk them away from what ever they are doing wrong.

7 - Home. they all line up make sure I put my wings out and Im flapping the tips of my wings as we all walk for home. If Im late for this one they all stare into the front window waiting. If Im really late they line up at the gate.

8 Very Loud "HOME HOME HOME" they run for the barn wings flapping they know something is up.

9 Then there is NO. yep first word I teach

My 19 geese are really smart, they are about flock and family. But they dont have a lick of common sense.. Today I found them in the ash pile from all the pickers I burned so the could enjoy number 3. Gotta love these critters. It was a What did you do NO

Loved the video you need more geese it just gets better

 

[ThePilgrimGooseHouse]

That's a hilarious list of commands with descriptions! Honk was being the bachelor as his females were sitting on eggs. So I took him to the river for the afternoon. Right now I have a total of four geese. I have Honk the gander and three females - Tina, Speckles and Lucy.

 

[telandra2]

POOL: their pond
YARD: the run
BEDTIME: go inside the coop. This one can be a battle as some come right out again. (The ducks have already put themselves to bed.)
GOOSE: Generic call they'll wander over to for supervisory duties when I'm doing yardwork or just hanging out outside. Usually a call-response with the alpha gander's walk-and-talk, but its the hens in the lead.

 

[Goosebaby]

Mine know all of their names plus...

“COME COME COME” when I need them to follow

“Do do do Do, Do do do Do” when I’m trying to squeeze past them but it isn’t necessary for them to move or stop what they’re doing.

“Would you like this?” treats

“Yummy morsels” cat food, the most prized of treats.

“Yummy Crumbles” normal feed

”Sips” water

“Get out of there”

“Let’s go grazing/ let’s get some grasses” they head out to the lawn

“no” for a mild infraction

“NO!” For something extra naughty

“Wha You doing/ Whachu got there?” When they’re messing with something but it’s alight.

“in in in” when it’s time to go in

“Worms”

“Wuzzles” snuggles

“Scoop!” Pick up


Plus they know hand gestures...

“Wiggling my fingers” when I need them out of an area or away from something
“Hand shaking + saying YUK” after touching something I don’t want them to touch usually keeps them from touching it.

 

[JRies]

Keep this going folks I dont think I have found this much joy in reading in a long time!!!

 

[ThePilgrimGooseHouse]

It's amazing the different commands you all have taught your geese! It's hard to believe that they can learn such things. I remember when I had my first set of goslings, they reminded me of a small pack of puppies.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

My gander know get your as to bed lol thats all i need him to do lol him and my ducks wabble there butts to the coop for bed

 

[JRies]

It's amazing the different commands you all have taught your geese! It's hard to believe that they can learn such things. I remember when I had my first set of goslings, they reminded me of a small pack of puppies.

There amazing, When I first started out I got geese thinking they were going to create a presents that would protect my ducks from predictors. Opps that didnt work out to well but fell in love with the geese. Every one of my geese want to have a personal moment with me every day. My ducks have there own warm place in my heart. But there about them.

 

[The goose girl]

As I'm from Denmark, I speak Danish to my two geese. And I wouldn't really call it voice commands; it's rather a hybrid Goose/Danish language that they've come to understand, where tone of voice is at least as important as the spoken words.

The only word they definitely know out of context is "Hov", which translates more or less to "Whoops". That's the word I use when I have a treat for them, as in "Whoops, what was that in my pocket?". Whenever they hear that, they beeline to me. I use it when we go for walks and come across traffic like cars, bicycles, or people with dogs. I take my sweet time getting the treats out of my pocket, and traffic can safely pass while the geese are close to me, impatiently tugging at my pocket, waiting for their treat.

On occasion, other people use the word "Hov" in conversation, and the geese will run to them and tug at their pocket.

If I want their attention, I call "Gåser", which translates to "Goosers". They'll look up, but unless I have treats they'll stay put and take up whatever they were doing after a few seconds.

If the gander gets too feisty, I reach out for him and ask "Skal du løftes?", which means "Do you want me to pick you up?" And as he really, really doesn't want me to pick him up, he usually backs down and steps away. Other people can use that for him, too, but they have to say it in the right tone of voice, and they have to reach out for him as if they mean to pick him up.

I can also ask them if they want to go for a walk "Skal vi gå?" "Wanna go for a walk?"(almost always a yes), or if we're out, if they want to go home (usually only a yes if we're close to sundown).

If we're leaving, I copy the goose's "Hap-hap-hap-hap-hap" to encourage them to go. The more syllables, the more urgency. That also what I say, very loudly and decisively, if I want them to come right here and now, like if a loose dog or a large truck is approaching, and we need to get out of the way fast.

I've taught them to expect a treat at certain points. Like when we're coming home, they get a treat as soon as they've stepped foot on our yard. Even if I'm far behind them, they'll wait at the gate for me to get their treat. If I forget and just walk in, they'll stay at the gate until I come back and give them their treat. It's really useful at the places where they might dally, leaving me to hold the door for them forever.