Dog with high prey drive + bird with a VERY large beak = NOT GOOD

[ShinyAndNew]

Except what the dog failed to realise is that there was only ever going to be one winner in this and it was never going to be the dog.

Don't worry, the dog was kept away and no serious damage was caused to either dog or bird. My ear drums took a bashing but that is about it.

I took my dog to my mums. It was her Macaw the dog was after.

The trouble is, I'd like to be able to take the dog to my mums and not have to keep him leashed.

Any training tips to stop the dog going for the bird even when the bird is deliberately winding up the dog?

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No idea but my Lab keeps jumping all over my mums CKCS which him being about a fifth of the size does not seem to keen on. Hoping whatever answer you get I may be able to use.

Only you could Shiny!

It may be worth trying the same approach as you would with a cat and a dog. Put the smaller (was going to say more vulnerable, guess Mum's Macaw doesn't come into that category!) creature in his cage/carrier on the floor if possible, bring the dog into the room on a lead and pull him back with a loud, firm NO when he gets too OTT with small creature. Repeat, repeat, repeat, do it for 5 or so minutes a few times a day - or as often aspossible in your case, without going over the dog's boredom/over-excitable threashold. Keep at it until the dog is calm, then praise with treats, distracting if he again lunges at small creature (or pulling bac with a NO if too OTT).

It normally takes a week or less to see great improvement and you take it from there to having the dog off lead, treats to hand, standing close by to distract/admonish/reprimand as necessary.

Works for me with all but 1 foster dogs, all my own dogs and for various others I have suggested it to (with cats anyway!).

Not as sure about birds as I don't have one. My bloody cats would kill the poor soul if I did. I'd love to own a Macaw!

Does the dog have a good 'leave' command? If so, keep dog on lead, when it pays undue attention to Macaw, say 'leave' firmly and when it does, give it a treat. Repeat as many times as needed. Sounds very basic and it really is. Our dogs have been taught to behave around our cats and more recently our chickens this way. (chooks were other side of a fence, but we have since learn they can get through said fence and will happily mosy past the dog's noses, much the same as the cats do really. The dogs are interested, but in a 'polite' way)

Very similar to what Valhalla has said really.

He has an 'off' command. And he is good at that. He was getting 'off' the bird's cage/enclosure thingy when he was told to. But about 2 minutes later, he was back.

Val, I will keep you in mind when I inherit him. He is only 16. He will outlive my parents. I am to have him apparently. I am the only one not scared of him .

DH is not happy. Especially since I have told him we will be keeping the bird for as long as it takes me to find an experienced owner, with the space/time/money to dedicate to him. I will not be donating him to Flamingo Land, which was DH's suggestion

We are working on 'leave'. He is getting better. He no longer has any interest in jumping at passers by and doesn't dive all over other dogs in a flurry of excitment, thus causing a fight. His recall is still terrible. Recall is what we are working on atm. I'd say he is about 10% better, than when we started.

I still cannot get him to stop barking in the window. I have been removing him from the room every time he does it, for months, as I was advised to do. He just not get it. The excitement is too much for him.

Val, between a cat and Macaw, the bird would win every time. My mums ex feral has a bit of her ear missing after messing with the bird.

I will try the tips suggested with the bird. Stoopid bloody bird kept shouting 'dog' at him and 'fuck off' (babysitters taught him that last one, not us)

" Stoopid bloody bird kept shouting 'dog' at him and 'fuck off'"

Am laughing so much that my GSD thought I was crying and came over to give me his usual response to tears, a wet nose in my face!

Clever Macaw to shout 'dog'.

Macaws are very inteligent and if he sees he can wind up the dog, he will.

Is your mum's bird caged when the dog is there? If so I would be inclined to take the dog over to the cage and let him see the bird/let the bird see the dog. Macaws can be bloody intimidating birds and most dogs will learn the lesson very quickly if one gets down to their level and screaches at them.

Sometimes leave is the best way, but sometimes the less has to be taught by the object of the attention ie cat/bird.

My dog chased my cats and although he would leave them when told, he always went back, it wasn't until he cornered one of them and she hissed at him, (she didn't even get her claws out, so he is clearly a wimp) that he learned. Equally I have an african Grey parrot, and the dog only went near his cage once. He's not at all agressive but he climbed down the cage to look at the dog, fluffed up his feathers and squawked at him and the dog hasnt been bothered by the bird since, even when he's out of his cage.