My dog's just eaten a live bird!!

Choccie · Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2005 6:44 pm Post subject: My dog's just eaten a live bird!!

I am very traumatised! Harvey (almost 2) ate a live bird this afternoon. Crying or Very sad

I only let him off the lead for a 150 yd stretch along the river and next thing I knew he had this poor bird in his mouth. I think it might already have been injured.

I couldn't believe it when after me shouting at him to drop it for 10 minutes and him firmly ignoring me that he started growling at me. This was with the bird still in his mouth and me whacking him with his lead trying to make him let go. Mad

He scoffed the whole bird down feathers and all, I could even hear the bones crunching. Evil or Very Mad

Not at all happy with him and have ignored him ever since. I know he's a dog and this is natural to him what with being a gundog but even so, I hope I never have to see anything like that again.

I actually felt physically sick - really can't bear to look at him at the moment.

Shelley

kittie970 · Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2005 6:48 pm Post subject:

our guys eat mice and voles that the cat brings in!!!

SuzanneL · Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2005 7:57 pm Post subject:

Your story is why I dont have cats- that and I live on a main road- I remember as a child coming home to a kitchen full of feathers and a barely alive pigeon..... anyway Jet my 'bestest' Lab ever, was out with my husband in the park after dark and proudly brought back a pigeon he had found. From a very early age we had taught him the differnce between drop and leave-(for the simple reason I am squeamish and wouldnt want to handle anything like this) my husband told him to drop it and he dropped it into my husbands hands. The bird was put into a box and left in our shed surrounded by straw. Nature would have to take its course. The thought of putting the bird which must have been in shock out of its 'misery' was beyond us!
In the morning the birsd was still alive so we left the door open and kept an eye on it from the kitchen. The bird eventually emerged and flew off.
I can only think that it was in his genes to do this rather than eat it.
Dont be too hard on Harvey bless him -he just might have been doing what I or my husband couldnt.

JohnW · Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2005 8:33 pm Post subject:

I'm afraid what happened is perfectly normal and in the wild would make the difference between life and death! Much as you dont like it, he was doing nothing wrong. Their digestive system is set up to cope with the lot including fur, feathers and bone. In fact this was normal fare for a working gundog a few years ago, and still is in some quarters!

For gundog work, obviously we cannot have this. Let's face it, if our dogs ate everything the gun's shot we would not be very popular! This is why the leave is so important, but also why we must stay so calm. Excitement on our part, shouting and fast movements makes it appear that the article, be it a stone, twig, bird or whatever, is of high value to us. To our dog, if it is high value to us then it's high value to him too!

Practise taking things away from Harvey. Try to find things he CAN have. Quietly take them away. I then look at them and say something like, "Oh! Good girl, you can have that!" and give it back to her. If it's something like a stone then it's, "Oh sorry sweetheart but you can't have that one." Always, if at all possible, give the item back and try to make sure there are far more things that you give back than that you take away, even if you have to stage manage it.

After a while it becomes a game. "I pick it up and take it to her and she gives it back." The whole basis of training a working gundog! Remember, When your dog brings you something it must be the most wonderful thing in the world to you, however revolting it is! Amy brought me a live Frog at 7 weeks old. As far as she knew I was over the moon!

Regards, John

Trina · Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2005 3:11 pm Post subject:

Penny got a couple of little chicks this summer that had fallen out of a nest in our garden. My husband was home, not me thankfully. He's not sure if they were alive or dead when she got them, but they were certainly dead by the time she'd finished with them. She didn't try to eat, just kind of played with them he said. Picking them up, dropping them, pawing them as if she wanted them to play with her. He said when he found her with the second one, he was a little distance away and was sure she had something. She's standing with that innocent, 'who me?' expression on her fact, 'I don't have anything' but it wasn't till he got closer he could see the little legs sticking out of her mouth. I have to confess it did sound funny when he related the tale to me but I'm glad I wasn't there. I know it's nature and she doesn't think she's doing anything wrong but it would really have upset me if I'd seen it.

Hopefully next year the birds will have the sense to either nest elsewhere or keep their chicks in the nest until they can actually fly!!!

kirie · Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2005 1:25 pm Post subject:

a few months ago, i let brodie out for playtime. when i went to check on him he had something that look like a bird's tail in his mouth. he would not drop it, i didn't know if it was the whole bird or just feathers and i was scared to death to open his mouth. when i finally did i saw it was just feathers. i walked out further and found more, kira and he had apparently gotten a hold of a bird and killed it. i was upset but i couldn't be mad at them because it is natural.