How to Train Your Dog to Be Around Pet Birds

Whether you already have a dog and you are thinking to keep a pet bird,or you already have a bird and you are thinking to keep a pet dog.You will need a bit of work to attach them into the same home.It can be challenging to train dogs and birds to get along.But it so not impossible ,all you need is little patience and always make provisions for the safey of both animals.

Introduce Your Pets Slowly

Dogs, like cats, are predators in the wild, and most will naturally see a bird as prey that should be pursued and conquered. Even if your dog is timid with a less prominent prey drive than others, the feeling to hunt a bird will always be there.

Begin at a very slow speed when introducing your dog to your bird. Bring them into contact with each other many times, for few minutes, over the course of a couple of weeks. The aim is that they will ultimately become comfortable together, and you can start increasing their time socializing. Obviously don’t try to rush it, as haste could possibly lead to a stressful experience or potentially serious accidents.

Choose a Neutral Area

When you first introduce your dog to your bird, select a neutral area that neither animal will consider its territory. For birds, this will be a room where their cage is not normally placed, and preferably a space where they spend little time. Getting the animals out of familiar surroundings will lessen the chances of aggressive behavior and make them more agreeable in general.

Reward the Animals

Dogs and birds have one thing in common that is that they are both very easy to distract and bribe with food. Giving them plenty of tasty treats can be a best way to reward each of them for good behavior during the introductory time of their relationship. So,be sure to have plenty of treats for each animal on hand before beginning your sessions with them.

Always Supervise

After several sessions of bringing the bird and dog into the same room together and helping them get familiar to one another, you can start to allow your dog to be off-leash in the place as long as it continues to behave and not harass the pet bird. However, for your bird’s protection, never let it out of the cage while the dog is present, and never leave the animals in the same room together unsupervised. Accidents can always occur, even with the most well-trained and trustworthy canines. The ideal way to reduce the risk for your pets is to simply keep your bird inside the cage while the dog is around.

Problems and Proofing Behavior

It’s important to know that the difficulty of this process will be very different depending on the breed and age of your dog. If your dog is a puppy, the training and introduction are going to take more consistency and time. If your dog has a strong hunting feeling, it will take more struggle to introduce it to your bird. Keep these things in mind as you begin the acclimation process, but don’t get disapointed.. As long as you put in the effort, most pets will eventually figure out how to live amicably in the same space.

Mistakes to Avoid

To two avoid problems and get the two pets off on the right foot, steer clear of two common missteps when introducing your dog to your pet bird:

• Do not have either animal loose in the room during your pets’ meeting. Make sure that your bird is placed securely inside of its cage at all times when the dog is present. Failure to restrain either animal can result in disaster if one decides to charge at the other. Until you’ve established that they’re both comfortable, keep them caged.
• Make sure your bird is in an appropriately sized birdcage and that the door is closed. Also, place your bird’s cage in a place where your dog will not be able to jump up and reach it.

See Also:Safety Tips for Handling pet birds