Help - Best Dogs with Parrots?
GazeHounds
adults, two mellow Borzoi (ages 7 and 9), and Heloise, an African Grey
parrot.
Heloise is a treasured part of the family. She'll be 3 next month, she's
totally bonded to humans (especially me) and her vocabulary is well over
100 words now. She spends lots of her time in the morning and late
afternoon/evening out of her cage and on her playpen in the den or the
kitchen/dining room with us. Right now Stoli and Misha, the Borzoi, must
be outdoors (we have 5 fenced acres) when Heloise is out of her cage;
both dogs (especially Stoli, my bitch) have a *very strong prey drive.
Could the right dog be indoors, and share those hours with us, when
Heloise is out on her playpen? Not that I'd ever leave dog and bird
unattended. Keeping Heloise in her cage, which has been suggested by some
well-meaning non-parrot folk, is not an option.
Gordon, my significant other, adores terriers, but they do seem to have a
very high prey drive. LOTS of terrier folk have advised against any
bird/terrier mix; they feel I'd be looking for trouble, and <big sigh> I'm
afraid they're probably right.
I just met a Border Collie that "herded" chickens but never harmed a
feather. I don't think a BC is the right breed for us, but that got me
thinking about herding breeds, that *maybe they'd be a better fit.
Might a bright and trainable Golden Retriever settle into our household
well? Or would the hunting instinct take over?
I'd like a wonderful companion dog (I work at home). I hope to compete in
obedience and agility. I have NO desire to breed, and probably wouldn't
show, so I'd spay/neuter. My preference runs to big dogs (big surprise
;-), but I'm keeping a VERY open mind. I really want to make a good match
for us, for our next dog, and for Heloise.
Really hoping some of you (especially those with birds and dogs) can share
your experiences, shed some light on this issue, and help me find the next
member of our family.
Thanks to all in advance!
Karen Green
Gabrielle
How about an Irish Wolfhound? VERY laid back, and non-aggressive.
Gaby
--
amy young-leith
GazeHounds <gazeh...@aol.com> wrote:
>I'm trying to find the best dog for our household, which now includes two
>adults, two mellow Borzoi (ages 7 and 9), and Heloise, an African Grey
>parrot.
>Could the right dog be indoors, and share those hours with us, when
>Heloise is out on her playpen? Not that I'd ever leave dog and bird
>unattended. Keeping Heloise in her cage, which has been suggested by some
>well-meaning non-parrot folk, is not an option.
>I'd like a wonderful companion dog (I work at home). I hope to compete in
>obedience and agility. I have NO desire to breed, and probably wouldn't
>show, so I'd spay/neuter. My preference runs to big dogs (big surprise
>;-), but I'm keeping a VERY open mind. I really want to make a good match
>for us, for our next dog, and for Heloise.
I'll tell you a bit about my family!
We have a 9 month old German Shephard (GSD for short) pup, female and
spayed. When we brought Pepe, our blue crowned conure home, Bijou
didn't know what to think/do. She'd act all concerned when Pepe would
scream, and she'd run to her cage and look at her, then us, then her,
then us... as if to say, "Well... is she alright? What are you going
to do?"
She was VERY curious about the bird, and would get overly excited if
th bird flapped or perhaps landed on the ground (of course she's
clipped but she still jumps off of things). After just one or
two incidents where we made it clear to her that she was to always be
GENTLE with the bird, she loves her, and vice versa. The dog sits
below the cage while Pepe eats breakfast, and Pepe will give her
seeds. =-)
We were at a friend's house this weekend and Pepe was in the living
room, on a perch on a table and we were in the kitchen. Pepe decided
she'd had enough of this, jumped off the perch, waddled across the
huge hardwood floor, down the hall, past the dog, double backed to go
up to the dog and kiss/lick her nose, then walked into the kitchen and
started climbing up Scot's leg. The dog just sat there and looked at
her.
As you say, I'd never leave them all alone but Bijou knows the
"status" of the bird in the pack.
amy
--
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\ Amy Young-Leith Bloomington, Indiana Lifetime Student
\ /\ (That thing to the left is a bunny!)
( ) The views expressed within represent only my opinions.
.( o ). http://nickel.ucs.indiana.edu/~alyoung
Darla Sharp
>
> I'm trying to find the best dog for our household, which now includes two
> adults, two mellow Borzoi (ages 7 and 9), and Heloise, an African Grey
> parrot.
>
I have an indoor dog, a miniature poodle. While poodles used to
be retrievers, they are now companion dogs, but do have a retrieving
instinct. Anyway, got the parrots after the dog. The dog LOVED to
chase birds in the yard (still does), but she is so smart, it
took less than 1 hour supervised training with each bird to have
the poodle TOTALLY trained. Now, if I am in kitchen and my pionus
is startled and flies to the floor, my poodle just watches, or walks
over to her and watches as the parrot makes her way to me.
I have found poodles to be one of the greatest dogs in the world --
they have a horrible rap for being an old lady yapper type dog, but
all of the poodles I have known (from super reputable breeders) have
been stupendous. They are incredibly smart, trainable, affectionate,
playful, and not as destructive as other breeds. My groomer has a
standard poodle (plus about 7 other small dogs) and a scarlet macaw.
There
is no contest between any of the dogs and that macaw! However, a grey
is no macaw and I am not saying it would happen naturally that the
dog would ignore the bird.
I got a mini because I had just lost a large
dog (diff. breed) and was "worn out" on big dogs. To do it over,
I would not hesitate at getting a standard poodle. I really miss
having a larger dog and the standards are super temperament wise.
(Not that my mini is not great!)
The only real
drawback is that they do require grooming on a regular basis.
Some men have a real thing against poodles, but if they are ever
around one they flip for them. I cannot begin to describe how
people oriented these dogs are. My husband still does not care to
take the leash when walking our dog, but he is the first one to
call her up on the couch to watch a show with him and to keep his
legs warm! They are also not super food driven like many other
breeds. They thrive on praise from humans.
My dog still likes to chase birds outside, and she had a little harder
time learning that the cockatiel was not for her personal
enjoyment, but she seems to
know the difference between our indoor pet family and what is up for
grabs outside. I can let both birds walk around the house with no
problem with the dog. I have to add though, that my dog was 18 months
old when I got the birds and so was somewhat settled -- I think poodles
act excited like puppies for ever, so I may have had an easier time
training her than if she were real full of puppy gusto. I would not
underestimate your grey's ability to assert dominance over a dog --
though not in an uneven floor situation (I am not advocating leaving
2 animals together to duke it out!). My Pionus has taken nips at
the poodle when the poodle came too close and she now generally hangs
back from the birds and just watches.
As to border collies -- they are so popular right now -- my obedience
club is exploding with them. I think that show and book on the
smartest dogs has helped with their popularity, but what I can't
get over is how strong their instinct is to herd and work all day!
They are really smart, but they also really want to work for a
living. That show said poodles are the second smartest dog and
they have been bred to be companions for so long that being around
someone all day is their preferred mode. For a pet companion dog
I just don't think they can be topped.
Good Luck!
Darla Sharp
Heidi Wulfraat
Hi Karen,
I thought I'd drop you a happy line about my bird/dog family, just for fun.
"Farmer" is an Austrailian Cattle dog X Lab. She's the greatest! I'm a
zookeeper and am involved in rehab. work as well so Farmer is used to helping
me as a care giver while I nurse my patients at all hours of the night. My
own birds include two budgies, a cockateil and a lovebird. I am very careful
to keep Farmer involved as I hand raise my babies so that she does not feel
left out. She has helped out with cage birds, hawks, owls, deer fawns, rabbits
and a squirrel, to name a few.
Farmer is always gentle and attentive; the best. By the way, Farmer is also
a whiz kid in obedience, flyball and agility (she has worked as a therapy dog
making nursing home visits as well) I guess I lucked out!( be interested in
what you've decided on)
Heidi
kee...@nbnet.nb.ca>
>I'm trying to find the best dog for our household, which now includes two
>adults, two mellow Borzoi (ages 7 and 9), and Heloise, an African Grey
>parrot.
>
>totally bonded to humans (especially me) and her vocabulary is well over
>100 words now. She spends lots of her time in the morning and late
>afternoon/evening out of her cage and on her playpen in the den or the
>kitchen/dining room with us. Right now Stoli and Misha, the Borzoi, must
>be outdoors (we have 5 fenced acres) when Heloise is out of her cage;
>both dogs (especially Stoli, my bitch) have a *very strong prey drive.
>
>Heloise is out on her playpen? Not that I'd ever leave dog and bird
>unattended. Keeping Heloise in her cage, which has been suggested by some
>well-meaning non-parrot folk, is not an option.
>
>very high prey drive. LOTS of terrier folk have advised against any
>bird/terrier mix; they feel I'd be looking for trouble, and <big sigh> I'm
>afraid they're probably right.
>
>I just met a Border Collie that "herded" chickens but never harmed a
>feather. I don't think a BC is the right breed for us, but that got me
>thinking about herding breeds, that *maybe they'd be a better fit.
>
>Might a bright and trainable Golden Retriever settle into our household
>well? Or would the hunting instinct take over?
>
>obedience and agility. I have NO desire to breed, and probably wouldn't
>show, so I'd spay/neuter. My preference runs to big dogs (big surprise
>;-), but I'm keeping a VERY open mind. I really want to make a good match
>for us, for our next dog, and for Heloise.
>
LayneDinLA
your birds are out of their cages.
My $.02 on the subject.
Layne
Lori_Gunther
>
> I'm trying to find the best dog for our household, which now includes two
> adults, two mellow Borzoi (ages 7 and 9), and Heloise, an African Grey
> parrot.
>
4 humans, a variety of fish, and 2 'tiels. Cinnamon is sooooo aware
that the birds are off limits that she actually runs in the other
direction if one of them comes over to play with her. I really worried
when we initially got the two birds. Cinnamon had been our only pet
up until that point in time and I was sure that if plain-old jealousy
didn't do the birds in, her hunting instinct certainly would. Turns
out I was quite wrong -- thank goodness! In fact, I would bet that
Cinnamon would defend the birds just as she would any other family
member if they were threatened.
What a life -- neat dog -- neat birds -- hey, we even have OK kids!
BTW, if you're not interested in breeding the dog you get, why not
look to your local shelter? There's always unwanted dogs around that
make terrific pets.
Hope it all goes well with you! Lori
Steven Whatley
: gazeh...@aol.com (GazeHounds) wrote:
: >
: > I'm trying to find the best dog for our household, which now includes two
: > adults, two mellow Borzoi (ages 7 and 9), and Heloise, an African Grey
: > parrot.
: I have two parrots: one cockatiel, one Max. Pionus.
: be retrievers, they are now companion dogs, but do have a retrieving
: instinct. Anyway, got the parrots after the dog. The dog LOVED to
: chase birds in the yard (still does), but she is so smart, it
: took less than 1 hour supervised training with each bird to have
: the poodle TOTALLY trained. Now, if I am in kitchen and my pionus
: is startled and flies to the floor, my poodle just watches, or walks
: over to her and watches as the parrot makes her way to me.
Poodles! I like poodles. They are so sweet. My Mom has had two toy
poodles. Cocoa is 15 years old now and He still is so playful at times.
Yes, they do have to be groomed but at least they don't shed hair like most
dogs do.
The one thing to be careful of is that they can become jealous very easily.
A previous poster sugested a German sheperd. They can be good companion
dogs as well and temd to be very good around other animals.
Once our poodle attacked the GS, named Neko, next door. It was so funny.
Neko was a long haired GS. So there was Coca hanging in mid-air with his
feet off the ground, his mouth was just holding the hair of Neko's neck,
and Cocoa was growling. Neko just stood there and was probably thinking,
"Get this flea of of me." Finally, Neko shook Cocoa off.
BTW, I do know that neko is Japanese for 'cat'. My nieghbor didn't know
this. All of the other nieghborhood dogs must have tease him a lot. :)
One more note, any dog can be good or bad toward other animals (including
birds). Just try to pick a dog with a good termperment.
Good luck,
Steven
__ Do you want . !!! . Steven Whatley, (cats) Willie,
.--~~//~~--. to hear my / \---/ \ Magic, & (CAG) Gospel
///(O)///___ \ - frog noises ' ` swha...@blkbox.com
/////////(___\| again? | <> <> | - No! Houston, TX
//////////___/ \ | * |
/////////// Croooooak! \ ---^--- / - AAAAAEEEEEEIIIIIEEEE!!!!!!!
Terri Bright
when we brought the bird home. I think obedience training helped, because we
immediately made it clear the bird was a no-no. Trixie did figure out that the bird
created an abundance of delicious vegetable snacks on the floow when she was out of
her cage, and I am sure you all have watched your parrot feed your dogs
apples and carrots. But when Trixie got right under the cage, Sylvy had a little rope she
would climb right down, and she bit poor Trix right on the ear. "Yelp!"
And as bull terriers are'nt real smart, it took a while for Trixie to associate
the bird with the terrible ear pain she was experiencing while floor-cleaning.
Eventually she learned to duck, and finally when Sylvy really started baiting her I removed the
rope- it just wasn't fair.
But I never left them alone even for a second, and that's how fast these events
happen! A couple of times, Sylvy has fallen off her cage right on top of Trixie,
fluttering and flapping, and you never saw a dog freeze so fast in your life!
Anyhow, I Anyways, I think any dog that is obedience trained and that has a good temperment
would be great. Sounds like fun.
Terri
Rebecca J. Renn
Lori_Gunther <Lori_Gunther@CL_63SMTP_GW.chinalake.navy.mil> writes:
> >
> > I'm trying to find the best dog for our household, which now includes two
> > adults, two mellow Borzoi (ages 7 and 9), and Heloise, an African Grey
> > parrot.
> >
The woman who gave me my grey had three dogs (1 jack russel, 1 german
shepherd cross, 1 large who knows what) they all got along fine with
the bird and basically ignored him. She said that when she first
introduced the dog an bird, that the dog would just sniff, then she'd
the parrot bite it in the nose and there were no problems after that
with the dog barking at or chasing the parrot. (Of course, I assume
she wouldn't hold the parrot up to the dog's nose until she was sure
that the dog wouldn't bite first)
-jo renn
rebecca...@dartmouth.edu
Liz Schroeder
Rebecca...@dartmouth.edu writes:
>> > I'm trying to find the best dog for our household, which now
includes two
>> > adults, two mellow Borzoi (ages 7 and 9), and Heloise, an African
Grey
>> > parrot.
Ok, I know I am going to sound totally biased! But, my Mollucan cockatoo
(Kita) and y-nape amazon (Gabby) LOVE my dog. When they are done eating
their breakfast (usually roudy bush cooked in something), then they grap
great gobbs of it, walk outside the cage, and drop in onto the platform
below. Maybell, our yellow-lab / samoyed 6 year-old dog comes running!
I can let the dog hang around with the birds out of their cages. Kita
likes to sit on Maybell's back. She does this funny thing where she
grabs great fistfuls of Maybell's coat and kneads her back. Maybell
loves the attention. I have to say that a lab cross is the best medium
to large dog with other animals, with kids, and to bring with you on
back-packing trips (she has her own pack) and in the car to friends'
houses. Everyone loves this dog. I have been asked by people if they
can have her! She and the kitten (Scooter) love each other! They will
wrestle constantly! Imagine a 60 lb. dog with a five pound cat! Maybell
lets Scooter win! (Enough exclamation points for y'all????)
Anyway, Scooter gets along with the birds, too. But, you asked about the
dog...DEFINITELY get a yellow-lab cross if you want a mellow, loving,
gentle, yet imaginative and affectionate dog!
Good luck in you quest.