It has been a thrill to watch our two miniature dachschunds, Doc, and his son, Blaze, gradually get used to the domesticated birds here. One of the things that has helped, of course, is that the peafowl, guinnea fowl, geese, turkey, ducks and chooks, are all bigger than the dogs now. Even our one remaining pheasant is around the same size!
When these birds were smaller, it was far too dangerous to let the dogs anywhere near them. Now that they are not only outnumbered but also dwarfed, they have lost their bird-hunting confidence, which is a great relief. Before, when they gave chase, there was no stopping them and we lost one young peacock, one young turkey, one young chicken and a pheasant that way. So, for the months it has taken for the birds to grow big, Doc and Blaze have been confined to one yard while the birds are free-ranging, and vice versa – not an ideal situation at all. It’s lovely now because they even seem to understand that it is okay to kill the wild rabbits (of which there are hundreds!) but not okay to kill the birds.
So the mingling together has well and truly begun and, as long as I am there to supervise this extraordinary reconciliation between the hunters and the hunted, things remain calm. The main thing Doc and Blaze now growl at each other about (they do this a lot!) is the feathers that are everywhere. Now I’m sure they don’t want to eat the feathers because it would be a bit like eating salt and pepper without the steak, but they do like to sniff and lick them – go figure!
They even do this hesitantly! Especially if they know I am watching – ha!
jmgoyder 
That’s great news! Sadly our two Cocker Spaniels at 6 would still kill our chickens given the slightest chance 😦
I thought Cocker Spaniels were gentle dogs!
Bred to catch Woodcock on a shoot and bring the birds back – they have gentle mouths 🙂
ahhh!
Our neighbor adopted a miniature dachshund who loves to chase anything that moves, but her favorite are chipmunks. We’re not allowed to have any big birds in the neighborhood, due to zoning regulations. Sierra, the little dachshund, figured out that chasing small wild birds will give her no benefits so she just watches them.
They are bundles of energy, aren’t they?
They’re such wonderful dogs but real hunters! Doc and Blaze are getting a bit old now (in dog years). That Sierra sounds like a character!
You mentioned chipmunks – I so miss them and feel nostalgic for my childhood years in Canada.
We love chipmunks also, but we have to relocate them every year. See blog on 5/14/11. Don’t let the cute little guys fool you. They are very destructive.
Ha!
They react mostly to their instinct embedded in their genes. It’s nature at work with their own laws. Nice story Julie. 🙂
Thanks, yes, I believe we silly humans bred them to hunt for underground rodents???
Like you said, you watch them. I wouldn’t turn my back too long. Instinct is pretty hard to overcome. The feather licking is cute. Wishing….
Oh yes – I keep watch all right!
Cute! They are learning where their boundaries are.
Your dogs are smarter than my dogs. Mine EAT the feathers! (Ahem, among other things…)
Cute pups! ~ Lynda
And I thought our dogs were weird!
What sweetie pies! I am so glad that they are learning to leave the birds alone. That must be very, very hard for them!
They’re the best dogs!