# My dogs and pigeons get along together.



## PapiZ28pigeons (Jan 17, 2013)

So i own 2 miniature pinchers and 1 rotweiler, when i let my pigeons out the dogs don't bother the pigeons. They do get curious and sniff them a little bit. The pigeon just walks away. my female min pin sometimes help me round up the one that can't fly. I can even let the dogs into coop and the pigeons just sit there. Does any one else have similar experiance?


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## abluechipstock (Nov 26, 2010)

only takes one chomp to kill a pigeon, dogs that have shown no signs of aggression towards them can still snap hen instinct kicks in, it's better to be safe then sorry later


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## PapiZ28pigeons (Jan 17, 2013)

I never leave the two unattended. The one pigeon in particular seems to be ok with being around the dogs. Sometimes walking up to the dogs as they are laying down.


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

Bear in mind also that a dogs saliva contains bacteria that can be lethal to birds.
Not necessarilly a bite, but even a transfer from close proximity to a birds feathers means the bird can ingest it when preening.


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## PapiZ28pigeons (Jan 17, 2013)

Good to know thanks. The dogs don't really care enough about the bird to get really close. My rottie has absolutely nothing about the pigeons. Its like they are not even there. The min pins will lay in the corner of the yard just watching.


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## Siobhan (Dec 21, 2010)

My pidge sometimes lands on the back of my Lab, who gives me this look like "get her OFF, please???" but would not harm my pidge for anything. I keep a close eye on the dogs when the birds are out, but they've been trained to ignore the birds and they do, other than picking up dropped food and eating it. And all mine are flighted. Maggie (the rest are parrots and a starling) is the only one who's willing to get anywhere close to the dogs.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Did it ever occur to you that if they don't have any fear of your dogs, and should meet up with a different dog, that the lack of fear could be to their detriment? The natural fear they should have of a predator, which they don't have, could get them killed.


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## Siobhan (Dec 21, 2010)

For my birds, that's highly unlikely. They're all indoor birds and won't be meeting dogs that aren't part of the family. Perhaps the OP has an outdoor coop and hers fly free and might encounter other dogs?


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## PapiZ28pigeons (Jan 17, 2013)

I do have an outdoor coop, but right now i only release the one that's injured and can't fly.this way he can still get out and exercise. The others I've only had for less than 1month and don't want to attempt release them for fear they won't come back.im still new to pigeons and only started keeping them when i rescued the first.thanks for the advice about fear of other dogs. I didn't think about that.


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## PapiZ28pigeons (Jan 17, 2013)

Jay3 said:


> Did it ever occur to you that if they don't have any fear of your dogs, and should meet up with a different dog, that the lack of fear could be to their detriment? The natural fear they should have of a predator, which they don't have, could get them killed.


So as it turns out my pigeons are able to differentiate between my dogs and dogs they don't know. A neighbors dog had gotten out of their yard and i took him in until the owners returned from work that same day. Although the pitbull had no interest in the pigeons what so ever, the pigeons quickly saw him as a predator or as a threat and panicked as they watched him through the cage. Needless to say i had to put the dog in another part of the yard to calm them down. I thought it would be a good idea to post this encased anyone else ran into the same situation
As far as cats go they know enough to stay away.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Well that's great. Thanks for sharing.


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## hamlet (Oct 26, 2004)

hello. Pigeons are smart. they get used to things. My birds panic from dogs. And they do not like strangers. Once i got a few birds to become friends with a nice cat. My friends' rottweilers protect the pigeons from hawks. Thanks.


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## The Pigeon Girl (Jul 3, 2010)

I have a blacknose pitbull named Ty, and i can let out my birds to fly and he protects them. Even tried to go after a hawk or two. i trained him at 7 or 8 months i believe. We also think he may have learned from our 9 year old lab who has had them around him snce he could last remember.Hes use to having pigeons ducks and any type of animal i had. lol My birds i guess feel safe around ty, because they love to all be around him while they walk around. none of my birds are scared of our dogs.


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## DeeDee's Mom (Dec 17, 2011)

I've been wondering something, and since this thread seems to be talking about it, I thought I'd chime in. DeeDee, our ringneck dove, is not at all afraid of our dog. We used to have a 160 lb Great Pyrenees who didn't care for the bird because DeeDee would land on him, or even dive bomb him. He would just run away. But we had to put him to sleep (extreme old age), and now have an 8 month old Great Pyrenees pup. At first, when she was little, she wanted to chase DeeDee and catch him, but she seems to realize now that DeeDee is ours and that she is not to hurt him (not that we don't keep an eagle eye on them when DeeDee is out). My question is...because people keep saying dog saliva is toxic to birds, I kind of worry, because DeeDee will walk up to MIa while she's laying on the floor and will preen her nose. Mia just lies there with this look, like, "Gee, that feels funny", but she doesn't move away. Should I be worried about DeeDee getting sick? He's been doing this for months now, and hasn't gotten sick, but I do worry....


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## Lefty07 (Dec 30, 2009)

I never heard about dog saliva being so dangerous to birds. I thought it was cat saliva that was bad. 

And I thought the problem with any "foreign" saliva was if a bird gets *bitten* and the saliva goes into their bloodstream. The same as with people - people can be licked by a cat or dog and there's no problem - but if you get bitten by a cat (at least) you can get an infection from cat saliva on an open wound.

Can someone post a scientific link where it says dog saliva is actually toxic to birds?

For what it's worth, I found this: http://www.parrotforums.com/general-health-care/16313-myth-about-cat-dog-saliva.html but I also found other links that say dog saliva, while not as toxic as cats, can contain bacteria that is potentially bad for birds. So it's probably like with people and pets - you wouldn't really want to share your saliva with your dog or cat's, but a little lick won't kill you.

My guess is that a little innocent _beak to snout _contact is isn't really that dangerous unless there is biting or bleeding involved, in which case a trip to the vets is a good idea, along with some antibiotics.

My 2 terriers have learned to tolerate my birds but I don't trust them unsupervised and I try to discourage the possibility of them coming in direct contact with my birds. I use a low fence in my sunroom when my birds are out. The dogs stay on their side and the birds have learned to stay on the other side (though some birds push it by sitting *on* the fence!).


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## DeeDee's Mom (Dec 17, 2011)

Lefty aka Ron, the bird above is gorgeous! 

Since we have a very small house and a very big dog, trying to keep her away from the bird can be difficult, so we just watch them both like a hawk when DeeDee is out of the cage. Mia is still young, so I REALLY don't trust her not to lapse and snap at the bird, but under supervision, she doesn't try anything and is actually very patient when DeeDee insists on getting close and personal, so to speak. DeeDee is so totally unafraid of dogs that it's a major worry; he'll waddle right up and hop on top of the dog and begin preening her hair, or peck at her toes, or preen her nose. Mia doesn't seem to MIND, but I have to watch her very carefully so I can rescue DeeDee if necessary, because all that preening and pecking can TICKLE, and even an accidental blow from those pony-sized feet could be disastrous.


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## RockPigeon<3er (Aug 2, 2012)

Lefty, what type of bird is that? It's gorgeous!


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## hamlet (Oct 26, 2004)

Hello. I think Leftys bird is an australian Burkes parakeet.


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## RockPigeon<3er (Aug 2, 2012)

hamlet said:


> Hello. I think Leftys bird is an australian Burkes parakeet.


I suppose it could be, but its a weird color mutation. Not any bourke parakeet I've ever seen.

It's apart of the grass parakeet family for sure...

Edit: is it a scarlet chested parakeet?


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## applecheeks (Nov 1, 2013)

I'm sure my silky terrier thinks the pigeon is a rat or something as she gets quite upset and aggressive when the pigeon makes a noise or flutters its wings at me while I'm putting water in the cage. So, I don't let my dog in the pigeons room much at all. I don't want to scare him any more than he already is. It's only been a couple of weeks since I found him with an injured wing.


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## Lefty07 (Dec 30, 2009)

*It is a Scarlet Chested Parakeet*

This bird is a Scarlet Chested Parakeet and this what they look like in the wild.




I also have 2 Bourkes Parakeets - this domesticated variety is called "Rosy" - the wild variety is less colorful.


The nice thing about Bourkes and Scarlet Chested Parakeets is that they are very non-aggressive and do not harass doves - or even finches. I let my keets and doves have "free flight time" together and I have never seen any aggression. Both parakeet species seem to really enjoy flying around my house and sometimes they I find them exploring my back bedrooms - but amazingly they return to their cages before dark! (as do my doves).


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## Lefty07 (Dec 30, 2009)

*My 2 "bird tolerant" dogs*

Here are my 2 dogs - Rusty and Skippy - both are rescues. Both are terriers - I think Rusty on the left is a Rat Terrier and Skippy on the right is at least part Jack Russell. Not the easiest breeds to make "bird friendly"!


Both dogs go crazy over small furry animals like squirrels but they seem to have "gotten it", that my birds are off limits. I don't actually *trust* them but at least I've got it to the point where my birds are loose and they don't chase them (so I guess they are "bird tolerant" and at least_ hesitant_ to attack). But I do use that little fence when my birds are loose in my sun room - dogs on one side, birds on the other - so far, no accidents.

I have witnessed a few funny dog / bird interactions. One time my white dove, Tricksy, was sitting on eggs and Rusty went over and sniffed the bottom of her cage. Being protective of her eggs, Tricksy walked right over and pecked Rusty in the nose (through the cage bars)! And Rusty backed up! Another incident was when the keets were exploring my livingroom floor and Rusty cautiously went over to check them out. My Rosy Bourke Parakeet, Twitter, crouched down with open beak and squawked, in a threatening posture, and Rusty got the message and stayed away! But I don't trust the dogs alone with my keets as that was too close for me! They are too tame and not "street smart" enough to get off the floor - so I either put the dogs out or supervise carefully when the keets are out.

But with 2 little terriers, I don't know if I will ever _fully_ trust them around my birds. But at least, I've gotten them to where they are "bird tolerant" and know not to chase them.

Rusty (he was found roaming the streets of Philadelphia - he was luckily plucked from the pound by a dog rescue group before I got him via Petfinder):


Skippy (was rescued from a hoarding situation in a trailer - puppy mill? She was in the same rescue with Rusty and they asked if I'd take her too, since they were friends):


Rusty barks mostly for treats! My dog biscuit bill alone is killing me!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Very cute, especially the one with the terrier face. Yes, I would never trust a dog alone with them, especially terriers.


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## StanelyPidge09 (May 22, 2009)

Hi everyone!! It has been forever since I have been on pigeon talk and I am very happy to return. I have a 4 & 1/2 year old pigeon named Stanley that gets along great with our 11 year old rescued Shepard/husky mix. 

About 2 years ago we unexpectedly found ourselves hearing about a 9 year old dog that needed a home because his parents were moving to China and did not want to take him. Boomer was gentle and sweet and we were happy to take him in as long as he meshed with the king of the house, Stanley. From the beginning, Boomer was interested in Stanley but refused to make eye contact with him. He never once showed any inclination to hurting him but we were always very cautious and supervised all their interactions. Now 2 years later they pretty much have the same relationship. I actually find I have to keep an eye out for Stanley bullying and bossing the 70 lb dog around!


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## John (May 7, 2001)

Cute! skimpy looks like a wire haired jack russell terrier


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## Lefty07 (Dec 30, 2009)

I believe that Skippy is a wire haired Jack Russell Terrier - but she was a rescue so something else could be in there. She has a tong tail too (which is not Jack-like) but maybe they get normally clipped for pedigreed Jacks?


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