Wow, Geese are BOLD!

[EeyoreD]

I'd heard that geese can be "guard geese" but that's really more just alerting everyone to danger or the mailman... (they seem to really have no mechanism to determine "danger" from "different")

BUT! I was a bit startled this morning. The large fowl (geese, turkeys, scovies if they feel like it) have free reign of the yard. And usually to keep things calm I let the dog on the tie out after they're done eating or in a place away from where I'm scattering.

This morning with some snow and some extra chores I just dug out the tie out and tied the dog up and dealt with the birds. As I was filling the duck spa up I caught a goose in the corner of my eye totally wingspread out. It's sort of spring and I just thought he was posing... No. I turned a bit more and that gander was RIGHT in front of my 65 pound border collie mix (maybe with pit) and experimentally picking at her neck looking for a bill-hold to then beat the crap out of her with his wings.

To my dog's credit she knows that she can chase and play with stuff but she doesn't get to hurt stuff. So there's this poor dog half standing half squatting with her head turned as far away from that goose as can be without her turning her back on it. Meanwhile the goose is nibbling at her neck/shoulders wondering if it's worth grabbing on and giving a wing beating or not. Eventually the goose decided that the poor dog wasn't a threat and strutted back to the rest of the flock like "Hey Who's the MAN!"

I can't tell who I'm more impressed with - the goose for taking on the dog or the dog for knowing that she'd be in trouble if she engaged.

But really, I knew geese were bold I just didn't know they were THAT bold.

(I routinely give them chest punts so they don't do that with me)

 

[wildpeas]

My two cattle dogs are terrorized by the geese. Well, mostly it's Greta who goes after them. If they get too close to her she makes a big, dramatic fuss and she never passes up an opportunity to body slam or pinch one who happens to be looking the other way. She can be a real tyrant. My dogs are taught to run away from the big mean goose since they could easily kill her if so inclined and the dogs are never allowed around the geese or ducks if we are not there to supervise.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'd heard that geese can be "guard geese" but that's really more just alerting everyone to danger or the mailman... (they seem to really have no mechanism to determine "danger" from "different")

BUT! I was a bit startled this morning. The large fowl (geese, turkeys, scovies if they feel like it) have free reign of the yard. And usually to keep things calm I let the dog on the tie out after they're done eating or in a place away from where I'm scattering.

This morning with some snow and some extra chores I just dug out the tie out and tied the dog up and dealt with the birds. As I was filling the duck spa up I caught a goose in the corner of my eye totally wingspread out. It's sort of spring and I just thought he was posing... No. I turned a bit more and that gander was RIGHT in front of my 65 pound border collie mix (maybe with pit) and experimentally picking at her neck looking for a bill-hold to then beat the crap out of her with his wings.

To my dog's credit she knows that she can chase and play with stuff but she doesn't get to hurt stuff. So there's this poor dog half standing half squatting with her head turned as far away from that goose as can be without her turning her back on it. Meanwhile the goose is nibbling at her neck/shoulders wondering if it's worth grabbing on and giving a wing beating or not. Eventually the goose decided that the poor dog wasn't a threat and strutted back to the rest of the flock like "Hey Who's the MAN!"

I can't tell who I'm more impressed with - the goose for taking on the dog or the dog for knowing that she'd be in trouble if she engaged.

But really, I knew geese were bold I just didn't know they were THAT bold.

(I routinely give them chest punts so they don't do that with me)

I give your dog the Kudos for not going after that goose, my gander use to bully our dogs till I finally put a stop to it, then he came to the back door one day and my one dog grabbed hold of his chest through the dog door, thank goodness all she got was feathers[which were all in the house] since then the gander hasn't messed with her but I think she had enough of his bulling moral is they will take so much then watch out. This was my fault for not being consistent in my training of the geese now I take out a long pole and when the geese feel like intimidating the dogs they get stopped by the pole being placed in between them. It's working out real good.

 

[Going Bhonkers]

My geese terrorize my dog too. He's not a fan of the goose pecks.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My geese terrorize my dog too. He's not a fan of the goose pecks.

I have been working on Me leader. dogs second in command then geese bringing up the rear.

 

[EeyoreD]

Yeah she really is a good dog. I think it helps that her best friend is the cat - they run around the house full speed, the cat's head inside the dogs mouth. If the dog stops too soon, the cat goads her into playing some more. So she's at least familiar with the idea that she's not to hurt anything around here. I'm actually a little hesitant about moving her up the dominance ladder for this reason. OK, I confess, it's also pretty funny to watch an 11 pound cat back the dog up all the way across the room when he's had enough.

Wildpeas, yeah I do the same. Usually I just keep them separate, I just happened to have them out in the same region at the same time yesterday. Though the geese do come up to the slider and tease. I try to stop it when it happens but they don't seem to get the picture. I just had no idea that the stinkers would be so bold when there wasn't anything between them.

Going Bhonkers aww that picture of your poor dog giving the geese a wiiiiiide berth with the worried look. Poor thing.

 

[goose4]

We have 4 geese and between us and Mom next door we have four dogs. Last summer when they would see a dog they would all line up put their wings out and charge the dog. I wish I would have taken a picture. Mom's dogs got zapped by the electric fence we put aroung the chickens sleeping quarters and they have not been back. We have to watch Molly around the birds. She killed one chicken last year and tries to get the geese and ducks to play with her. She has not figured out that they don't want to play.

 

[wildpeas]

Yeah she really is a good dog. I think it helps that her best friend is the cat - they run around the house full speed, the cat's head inside the dogs mouth. If the dog stops too soon, the cat goads her into playing some more. So she's at least familiar with the idea that she's not to hurt anything around here. I'm actually a little hesitant about moving her up the dominance ladder for this reason. OK, I confess, it's also pretty funny to watch an 11 pound cat back the dog up all the way across the room when he's had enough.

Wildpeas, yeah I do the same. Usually I just keep them separate, I just happened to have them out in the same region at the same time yesterday. Though the geese do come up to the slider and tease. I try to stop it when it happens but they don't seem to get the picture. I just had no idea that the stinkers would be so bold when there wasn't anything between them.

Going Bhonkers aww that picture of your poor dog giving the geese a wiiiiiide berth with the worried look. Poor thing.

When we are all outside together (dogs, ducks, geese, people) I try to keep an eye on everyone, luckily the dogs stay pretty close and the geese will move away if I point my finger at them. On occasion, one dog, Maizy, will get tired and lay down and then she isn't as vigilant. If I happen to see Greta stalking towards her I will say "Maizy look out!" and she will look all around her and run in the other direction. I always make sure there is an escape route. It's a delicate balance to maintain peaceful relations among such vastly different animals.