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Post by johne on Apr 21, 2005 20:57:45 GMT -5
This is kinda weird because I didn't think that dogs did this, I came home today to find my 9 month old pup having a bird in it's mouth dead.
I didn't think much of it, but then an hour later I guess he ate the bird because there are just 2 pieces of the bird left.
Now is this normal or should I be worried?
I do see birds eating his dog food all day long, this happens everyday, but I've never seen him do anything to the birds at all, he just lays there.
He's a 9 month old pitt bull.
Thanks.
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Post by FlatCoatedLover on Apr 21, 2005 21:13:37 GMT -5
I think this is totally normal. When I was living in a place with feral chickens my dog, Lucy, would catch and eat them. We taught her a catch command and a stop command so she was only allowed to do it when the command was given and not any time she wanted. Any of the animal he ingested should be totally digestable.
I would check the remaining pieces for visable parasites, fleas and the like but if none of those are present I would not worry. Even if they are some present it is probably not cause for concern. The dogs GI tract are about 1000times more acidic than ours and parasites that harm us cannot survive in them.
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Post by Brooke on Apr 21, 2005 21:17:52 GMT -5
Not every dog does this or has interest in birds but no it's definately not abnormal. Dogs are hunters. I wouldn't probably promote eating birds with all the crap going around but I wouldn't worry too much. Just keep an eye on him. If he seems kinda funny take him to the vet but he should be fine.
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Post by Am on Apr 21, 2005 22:30:07 GMT -5
Hi Johne, My Staffy Bull Terrier just loooves chasing birds (ducks, pigeons, seagulls, you name it!) He only rarely catches them though - having no wings is a fairly obvious disadvantage. ;D I think you've got to remember that Bull Terriers are bred to catch and fight other animals (their bulldog ancestors were used to bait bulls, their terrier ancestors caught small pest animals like rats and foxes). It's not really suprising that they still love to chase and catch small animals these days. Remember to practice your dog's recall in the presence of birds. It took me absolutely ages to teach Monsta to come back to me if there were ducks around, but it's proved invaluable for his safety (such as when he's been off leash and spotted chickens across a busy road...) Am
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Post by johne on Apr 21, 2005 23:46:05 GMT -5
Thank everyone! My wife was making me nervous telling me she thinks the dogs not right and stuff, had to ask.
To piggyback on this, I know he's not an aggressive pitt, all the stereotypes and all.
Last month the neighbors paiter hopped my wall and all he did was bark at him briefly, the guy was able to paint the entire fence and the dog didn't do anything.
Is there something I can do about that? I really did want my dog to bite the guy, or at least bark a lot longer than he did but the dog did nothing.
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Post by FlatCoatedLover on Apr 22, 2005 8:38:15 GMT -5
First off,
Why, in the name of all that is good, would you want your dog to bite someone?!?!?!?! I don't care who comes in your yard that is the last thing you want to train your dog to do and to do so is only asking for trouble. This is only made worse by the fact that he is a pit and people already have bad preconceptions of them.
With the barking, all I have to say to that is be careful what you wish for. I had complained in the past that my dog did not/would not bark at anything (except a donkey that entered our yard once). I don't want her to be aggressive but just alert us to strange goings on. Now, since we got our new puppy, they both bark at anything and everything, (thank god only when we are home or the neighbors will kill us) wind, leaves, bugs, people anything.
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Post by Aussienot on Apr 22, 2005 22:25:17 GMT -5
This is one case where you should rely on your dog's instincts and take pride in the fact that he didn't bark. It shows strong nerves and common sense. Dogs will bark and act aggressive when they perceive a threat, and, are either are scared (self defensive) or challenged (fighting to control or maintain a percieved right to possession).
Your dog sussed out pretty quickly that the painter was not a threat, and he does not feel an immediate need to defend the property because he thinks you are doing a good job of leading the pack. Protection is not part of his job.
If he had acted aggessively, either out of fear or dominance, you'd have a problem on your hands. I suspect in a real threat you'd see another side of him. One of the great character features of all the bull breeds is the love of people they tend to display if treated well.
If you really want a property protection dog, you can get one trained that way, but don't try to make a pet of one.
Oh, and yea, Finn is a bird hunter too. He can't fly, but he's got an awesome vertical leap. He dosen't catch them very often, but every once in a while he bags a careless, foolish or slow one. I don't like it, but at least it's honest hunting and a hard earned kill. He could have worse hobbies.
My Lab Sailor couldn't care less about birds. I've see her lying asleep in the grass while cockatoos feed around her. Birds are not as stupid as everyone makes out.
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Post by Laura on Apr 24, 2005 1:02:55 GMT -5
I've got Siberians and lets just say the bird population around my house has been thinned out.
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Post by icygirlie on Jun 13, 2005 6:12:01 GMT -5
You have a dog that has a naturally high prey drive: re, small animals and dogs reaaaaaaaaaally shouldn't be left alone with your dog. In fact, any animal shouldn't be left alone with a Pit due to their high prey drive. They're lovely dogs, just exercise caution, especially given the bad rap that they have.
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