# How to get a dog to be tame with cockatiel?



## ChillPikachu (Jan 27, 2014)

I'm talking about training my dog to be tame around my bird.
I would Really like to know any tips or suggestions on how to keep both dog and bird to get along. I don't need them to be 'friends', but at least have my dog not attack the bird, in case they ever come into contact.

Details:

My dog is an 8 year old Toy Poodle, so she's really small. She chases the wild rabbits outside, and definitely sees my bird as prey. She's also jealous, (so smart) and cries whenever I say my birds' name/praise him/etc. 

My bird is completely tame, 3 months old. His name is Pikachu... and I can hold him and get him to step up no problem. He's not scared of my dog at all, since his previous 'home' had a dog and two cats free-roaming in the same living room as him.


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

Thats a bad idea. Dogs view birds as prey, the idea of training a dog to be nice to a pet bird is too risky. At any time the dog could fall back on instinct. You're best off just keeping them away from each other.

Sent from my SCH-S738C using Tapatalk


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## Double Trouble (Nov 24, 2013)

From someone that has trained their dog to 'ignore the birds'.

My dog (German Shepard/Rottweiler cross, now 8 years old) was actually very hard to train to leave the birds alone (i had just 2 budgies at the time) and it took a very long time... because she likes to chase small animals.

I started in January last year, and even tho she will tolerate the birds (now 14 budgies, 1 cockatiel and a conure) she is still not 100%... and NEVER will be.

If a bird goes towards her, she will walk away. I have always supervised, and always will.

Its a dogs natural instinct to chase small animals.. like birds and cats etc so your dog may never tolerate your birds but every dog is different.

Its not easy but the way i did it was by making my dog sit next to me, and my budgie on my finger.. my dogs natural instinct was to 'sniff' the bird.. but every time she did i would give a very firm, sharp "No. Leave."

Now, the bird is also going to be curious, and or scared and will probably flap if the dog gets near and might fly off... which will make the dog excited because 'oh my god it moves!' and again you need to give the dog the command to leave the bird alone "No. Leave." and it is EVERY time the dog gets close to the bird.

Sometimes a tap on the snout while giving the command helps.

This doesn't always work with everyone tho so just some warning and WILL TAKE A LONG TIME... probably months.. like my dog.

You really need your full wits about you because it only takes a second to go completely wrong.

Now, ofcourse... you could always shut the door to the room containing the bird if you have to go out and leave the dog at home.. which is the more sensible suggestion.

Badger will only go near my dog if i am sitting next to her, most of the time he ignores her and she ignores him... but if she is lying on the floor and Badger walks over to her, she will get up and walk away.

Even if i have a bird on my finger and put it to her face, she will back up and then walk away instantly.


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## RowdyTiel (Jan 24, 2013)

It sounds like your Toy Poodle has a very high prey drive. Personally, I wouldn't trust any dog around my bird.
I have a Golden Retriever who ignores birds, but there's always that chance of an accident waiting to happen. I make sure I'm in the room if they're in the same room together and that all of my attention is on them.
Our toy poodle mix and Bichon mix cannot be trusted around my tiel at all. Their prey instinct is high and they're also high strung which makes Missy nervous to have them nearby.

I can't offer any advice, except to just keep them separate. You could work on teaching a solid (and I do mean SOLID) "leav it". But it may be difficult since your dog's prey drive is so intense.


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## Lulu-Tiel (Jun 3, 2012)

I think a lot of it has to do with the dogs personality. My dog couldn't hurt a fly. She's is the kindest dog I've ever come across. She gets along very well with the birds. If I hold Lulu to her nose and tell her to give a kiss, she gives Lulu a little lick on the belly. Lulu starts laughing and says "good girl" and "thank you." I know Lexi would never chase my birds or ever hurt them. It's just not in her nature, at all. She's the only dog I could ever trust around them. Even still, I would never leave them unsupervised in a room together because that's simply irresponsible. Lucas and Chester don't really bother with the dog, and the dog has never really been interested in either of them. Lulu and Lexi just seem to have a connection. 

Given what you've said about your dog, if it was me I would socialize with your bird in a room separate from your dog, with the door closed.


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## ChillPikachu (Jan 27, 2014)

Darkel777 said:


> Thats a bad idea. Dogs view birds as prey, the idea of training a dog to be nice to a pet bird is too risky. At any time the dog could fall back on instinct. You're best off just keeping them away from each other.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-S738C using Tapatalk


That's what I thought too, but wouldn't it be more dangerous if they Never got used to each other to the point as soon as someone forgets to close a door the dog will instantly attack the bird. I heard that if the dog was trained to not attack it in the first place that whenever someone did accidentally leave the door open, the chances of someone getting hurt was a lot less...at least I read that on a few other sites...


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## ChillPikachu (Jan 27, 2014)

RowdyTiel said:


> It sounds like your Toy Poodle has a very high prey drive. Personally, I wouldn't trust any dog around my bird.
> I have a Golden Retriever who ignores birds, but there's always that chance of an accident waiting to happen. I make sure I'm in the room if they're in the same room together and that all of my attention is on them.
> Our toy poodle mix and Bichon mix cannot be trusted around my tiel at all. Their prey instinct is high and they're also high strung which makes Missy nervous to have them nearby.
> 
> I can't offer any advice, except to just keep them separate. You could work on teaching a solid (and I do mean SOLID) "leav it". But it may be difficult since your dog's prey drive is so intense.


I agree..I'm just worried that if someone (Sometimes my little nephew comes over and he's five) decides they want to play with my bird and I'm not there to supervise, and something bad could happen with my dog and bird. My bird was calm with two cats and a dog at his previous home...since they all walked outside(Pikachu wasn't cage bound) in the living room. I don't want or need them to be friends, i just want my bird to be the safest in all situation..


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## karendh (Mar 25, 2013)

I think you have three things working against you with the dog. Firstly your poodle is already eight years old, would be easier to teach a puppy, secondly your dog sounds excitable and thirdly, the dog is already jealous of the bird. I also think it would be better to have your five year old nephew supervised at all times as he is a little young to be left with your bird.


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## caterpillar (Oct 14, 2013)

Completely depends on the dog (or other pet) and this dog does not sound like it could be easily trained to be tame with birds.

We have a cat and we completely trust her around the tiels. Kitty knows that they are part of the household and does not attack or threaten them (we recently learned that this is because she is visually impaired, which is why she cannot hunt) -- oddly enough we have the reverse problem because our tiel Elvis tries to attack Kitty. So now we have a cat who's terrified of a bird. It's like Sylvester and Tweety in reverse.

I would NOT, however, trust any of our neighbors' cats or dogs around the tiels. We know Kitty and her personality well and the fact that we have a cat who is kind to animals she technically should be trying to eat is a rarity. It's sad that it's because she can't see well enough to hunt, but it does make things easier in a multi-pet household.


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## Gracelyn (Jan 4, 2014)

I have two bird dogs myself, it can be done to teach them to ignore it but if given the chance there natural instincts will kick in. All I did was give them the leave it command, my dogs already knew this. So it wasn't that hard, but my dogs have always listened to me for the most part.


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## Mezza (Feb 19, 2013)

I wouldn't risk it, as the others have said its instinct. I also wouldn't let a five year old play with the bird unsupervised..and its probably going to be easier to teach him to not take the bird out whilst you are not around, than to train your dog.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Its definitely not worth the risk. Making rules for when the five year old comes over is easier. Telling everyone that the dog and bird are not allowed in the same room is the safest route to go. You can train a dog all you want, that doesn't mean that they don't have the desire to chase the bird, they just know that while you're around they can't. For all you know, the minute someone other than you gets the bird out around the dog, the bird is history. Its better to just keep them separate.


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## Hellena (Feb 11, 2013)

you can probably forget it! If your dog is already jealous, chases rabbits, and sees your bird as prey like you say, then it's not going to happen. My dog is fine around my birds only because he is very docile by nature, and has never seen them as prey, even several years later. But a lot of dogs are not like that and never will be. Small dogs can be pretty feisty too. I would NEVER leave these two alone, your poor bird would never stand a chance. 
Just and FYI, an aquaintance of mine had a small dog that was a little eager to chase "prey" (squirrels) and considered her bird "prey" too. She thought she trained the dog to ignore the bird after a lot of training, and so did everyone else. For weeks the dog was fine with the bird. But one day the bird flapped it's wings and the dog went nuts, got a hold of the bird, and literally destroyed him. It was awful. That could be your bird.


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

I let my Jack Russell Terrier (almost 13 years old) and Rocko be in the same room. As the others have said, I wouldn't recommend it, ESPECIALLY after hearing that your dog will chase rabbits and get jealous.

My dog is socially handicapped, I swear. Around other dogs, other animals, and most people. We've always let our other pets around her and she's never harmed any of them. Attacking is the last thing on her mind. She's mostly just massively curious and/or freaked out. She would even play with our ferrets, and Jack Russells are bred to hunt small animals like ferrets.

If anything, she's mostly wanting to figure out whether Rocko is actually alive or not. The first time she realized that the singing noise was coming from him, she was really intrigued... and confused.

But the only reason I allow this is because of her history of acting that way. Since your Poodle has a history of acting dangerously... don't do it.


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## TexTiel (Mar 17, 2013)

I have two terriers......bred to hunt small animals. My male could care less about my Sammy tiel. My female however, tries to get him through the cage bars. Sammy is not afraid of her at all. He also is not tame so I can't get him to come out of his cage. But if I did, I would not trust my Cairn. The best thing is to manage the situation by removing the dog from the house while your tiel has outside time. If I eve get Sammy out of his cage, my Cairns will be out in the yard to chase squirrels.


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## tielsdownunder (Sep 27, 2013)

The birds are what make it difficult. When ever Gizmo sees the dogs he climsntonedgenof cage, looks down, and chirps at them. He always wants to be friends haha


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