'birdyness'

[sandgrubber]

I have Labs who are innocent of any field training. It amazes me how strong their native 'birdyness' is. If one finds a dead bird, they bring it to me, and make no attempt to eat it. I don't much appreciate these, and they get mouthed and dragged around until I trash them. If they catch a rabbit or rodent (I encourage hunting rodents and lagomorphs), it's gone in a few gulps. Take them into a feed store where they sell chooks, ducks or pigeons, and they go to full alert. I had one old girl flush a chook, and escapee from some neighbour's yard. She grabbed it across the back, thus preventing wings from flapping, and brought it to me. The Springer Spaniel I grew up with had a habit of bringing us live, unharmed chooks from the neighbour's yard.

Do all gun dogs do this? Do, say, herding or hound dogs do the same?

[Scarlet]

I agree their instinct is amazing.

I previously had gun dogs who exhibited natural signs of retrieving dead animals including rabbits. So maybe not "birdyness". At this time we lived on a property.

I currently have herding dogs and one in particular looks like he is rounding up the other one, especially when we go to a large space and he has room to "work". He does the whole crouch down, running in wide arches then slowly moving in sort of thing.

[gillybob]

I had a Lab who did the same.

I found him one day in the dam with a dead bird in his mouth.

The look on his face said: he knew it had something to do with water and birds, but didnt know what.

It was so funny.

[jacqui835]

Oh that sounds awesome. I don't think dobermans retrieve anything - mine certainly won't unless you really insist. That said, he doesn't kill things either. He will hunt and catch rabbits, then lie down with them and pluck them a little, but the rabbit is otherwise unharmed.

Before the dobe, we owned a terrier. If he caught a bird, mouse, rat or rabbit etc, it was dead.

[darlingdog]

I have three pointers....all pets only. One is bird crazy, will even try to climb the trees to get to them and so far hasn't eaten any but also won't give then up to me either. My oldest is birdy and good at catching them too...he used to give them to me but I guess he figures that as I'm going to take them away he'll get in first and he now he eats them if I approach him :D ! My other one is not so birdy much prefering the couch LOL!!! I'm thinking they might all be failures in the field LOL!!

[dee lee]

My golden retriever is obsessed with birds, but I'm not sure they would survive her retrieval.

She has a fairly high drive & has killed a rat before- though left it's body once dead.

On the weekend she flushed a pigeon out of a doorway when we were walking onlead through the city!!

It was a freak thing, but she caught it before I could stop it. She dropped it when I intervened, lots of feathers everywhere but it appeared to be fine.

She was on high alert though & I'm pretty sure she would have liked to kill it.

So I think there's some bird instinct there- but its not exactly ideal for retrieving!

Well not for birds anyway! She LOVES her ball & our shoes & both those are always given back unharmed.

Edited September 21, 2011 by dee lee

[Monah]

My spin is very birdy and brings them to me very gently. THey are always fine...apart from slobber so a wipe down and off they go..her mouth is so big I often don't even realise she has one there..

THe viz will creep and point, but never picks them up, she waits for me I'm sure that's because she's such a good girl and only does what she's told, she is also a tree climber too and is incredible at 'find', whereas the spin always thinks she 'knows best'.. ;) Both are terrific and have never harmed anything.

I have had breeds from all groups and love them all, but I do think my heart really and truly belongs to gun dogs..

[aussielover]

My lab is the same.

She does kill rabbits and bring them to me but obviously for her to catch them they were probably already sick/dying anyway.

She also brings me dead birds. She is quite gentle in the way she carries them- natural gundog mouth I suppose.

[SparkyTansy]

by 18 week old weimaraner will stalk and point - perfect. she met some guinea pigs the other week and pointed them very nicely, until they moved and then she ran in the other direction.

if she caught something though, she hasn't quite got the understanding of bringing it back.

her mother, on the other hand, is a hunter and I am sure she would catch anything and keep it for herself if she could, however if i told her to give it, she would. She is a natural retriever and swimmer and her instincts for hunting show if she sees a roo.

Setters - well, mine, do not retrieve... let alone return anything. Both were birdy when young though - it just wore off as they got older.

[Greytmate]

I have greyhounds. Coconut would love to catch a bird, especially a duck. She got a crow once. But Woody doesn't care about birds at all.

Whether or not a greyhound is birdy tends to be unrelated to whether they are small-fluffy oriented. Or whatever the correct terminology is.

[aussielover]

I find that most herding dogs tend to have a strong instinct and if allowed will try to round up dogs at the park etc.

Even my show-bred aussie shepherd had quite a decent herding instinct for a dog had come from a line of dogs that hadn't worked for a few generations.

Sadly I think a lot of gundogs, particularly labs and goldies are losing their gundog instinct and water heritage. I know quite a few that won't play fetch and hate water!!!

Personally I think the essence of a retriever is their love of water and their love of a good agme of fetch.

I would be quite disappointed if my lab didn't love water and chasing balls.

[Bjelkier]

My Lab has no interest in birds but he will happily hunt and kill/eat rabbits and the only place he will retrieve is in water

All my Sammie's have a herding streak in them but Dante and Alchemy would be the best.

[SparkyTansy]

I remember once at a show, seeing the pointer breed being judged. there were birds IN the ring. All but one of the pointers were distracted by the birds. Was great to see. Unfortunately, the dog that was put up, was the dog that didn't react at all to the birds!!

[trinabean]

I have greyhounds. Coconut would love to catch a bird, especially a duck. She got a crow once. But Woody doesn't care about birds at all.

Whether or not a greyhound is birdy tends to be unrelated to whether they are small-fluffy oriented. Or whatever the correct terminology is.

A duck would be a tasty prize. ;)

Up until yesterday I thought my boxer was incapable of actually catching a bird. Apparently he ate it too.

RIP little black and white bird. If only you had landed in a retrievers' yard instead.....

[trinabean]

I remember once at a show, seeing the pointer breed being judged. there were birds IN the ring. All but one of the pointers were distracted by the birds. Was great to see. Unfortunately, the dog that was put up, was the dog that didn't react at all to the birds!!

Surely he should have lost points for being Unpointerly?

[SparkyTansy]

I remember once at a show, seeing the pointer breed being judged. there were birds IN the ring. All but one of the pointers were distracted by the birds. Was great to see. Unfortunately, the dog that was put up, was the dog that didn't react at all to the birds!!

Surely he should have lost points for being Unpointerly?

exactly what i thought!!!

[The Spotted Devil]

My young field bred ESS is extremely birdy - live birds send her into an absolute frenzy. She was quite disinterested in swimming until she noticed live duckies on the lake!!! When introduced to dead birds for retrieving her motivation to retrieve went through the roof and had her traversing ground that she was previously hesitant over. That behaviour was maintained when we reverted to throwing dummies although initially she was very disappointed

[Maxiewolf]

Oh that sounds awesome. I don't think dobermans retrieve anything - mine certainly won't unless you really insist. That said, he doesn't kill things either. He will hunt and catch rabbits, then lie down with them and pluck them a little, but the rabbit is otherwise unharmed.

Before the dobe, we owned a terrier. If he caught a bird, mouse, rat or rabbit etc, it was dead.

I tell you after 20 years of owning Dachshunds then switching to a Dobe.... I totally know how that feels lol. My cat escaped the house once, brutus had never seen a cat... the two of them ran up to one another and where like "Whoah... what are you?"

Dachshund? Fluffy Cat that Runs? nuh uh. Instincts are amazing.

[Teebs]

my dogs share their meals with the birds... :rolleyes: Drives me mad

[Simply Grand]

I don't think either of mine are really expected to have strong instincts, although I suppose Standard Poodles are a retrieving breed aren't they? Does it count when it's a

toy poodle x...? He does play fetch quite well. And I suppose Riley is a herder (Shetland Sheepdog) and he does love to chase Saxon, although when he catches up he just grabs the tail and hangs on.

Anyway they certainly haven't proven any instincts in real life. Charlie the cat brings rats and mice in for me sometimes ( ). Usually they're dead and I take them off him and dispose of them.

The other week he brought a rat in, I grabbed him by the scruff and lifted him up, growling at him to drop it. The dogs ran over to check out what was happening. Charlie opened his mouth... the rat ran off to the corner!! Charlie immediately tried to go after it so I was hanging onto his scruff to stop him getting it and trying to grab the rat with my other hand.

Both dogs stood there between me with Charlie and the rat, staring at it boggle eyed, not moving, as though they'd never seen a living animal before in their lives. I was trying to get one of them to herd it towards me so I could grab it. Nope nothing, so poor old Charlie got chucked out the door and I came back to "save" the rat from the dogs... who were still standing stock still staring :rolleyes: