Ducks and dogs?

[bk_blue]

Does anyone know if ducks are compatible with dogs?

I think BK would be ok with a duck, we've had chooks and roosters before and he just ignores them (it's cats he doesn't like, mmm dinner :roll: ). But if anyone has any duck/dog stories to share and if they get along or not I would like to hear them. :)

Please note I'm not about to get a duck or another pet right now, BK is enough to handle! :wink: Maybe in a few years or so, but the thought crossed my mind today which is why I'm posting it today. Thanks :)

[Hobbit]

bk:
Ducks being from the prey catagory and dogs being from the preditor catagory....see where this is going? 8)

Seriously, I have MANY horror stories concerning live fowl and Heelers (Hum...and cats too, actually). They have such a high prey drive that ANY movement is like a moth to the flame, so to speak. Sometimes it starts out as play, then escalates into a slaughter.

It will depend on the dog and his interest or lack there of. Just from personal experiences where fowl vs Heelers are concerned.....the outcome has not been good.

I have even *started* puppies on ducks (herding ducks), works very well, but still would not trust ANY dog with fowl or with any animal of prey unsupervised. ---- Yes, I know you wouldn't just set them both down with a bowl of cereal in front of the TV and walk off...... :o :lol:

[Bensam]

A few years ago, a friend had a duck which hatched babies but left 2 eggs in the nest, he was going to throw them away so I took them home, put them in a box, under some blankets on the spare bed and turned the electric blanket on. 24 hours later had 2 gorgous ducklings hatched. My Border Terrier thought they were great, would sit and watch them for ages, only had to mention 'bubby duckies" and there he was, fussing around them. The Min Pins were intent on having them for lunch, so didn't get near them.As they got older and were put out on the grass for a while (with the Mins safely locked up) Ben would follow them around and if they went different ways would gently push them together again. I wished I had a video camera to film them. Ducklings grew and I made a run with a pond in it for them and Ben would come in to feed them every day. Then one day he was trying to get them together and one pecked him on the nose. From that day on, as far as Ben was concerned, there weren't any more ducks at our place, I could say "where's the bubby duckies" and Ben would look into the distance with the look "what bubby duckies?". Still have the ducks and Ben still ignores them.

[Guest Anonymous]

Lol, this isn't exactly a duck story, but a goose story...

I had my red/rust Dobie(who's almost 3 years old) in the yard doing some down/stays, heels, etc(off leash). We live out in the country and this happened only a couple weeks ago. Toby(Tobasco) was on a down/stay, and I was rounding the corner of the house(to get out of sight), and I heard a strange noise. It was a kind of twirtle. I didn't know what it was, so I stopped and turned around to see what he was up to. A goose(a Canada goose) was walking towards Toby. And of course, my brave, formidable Doberman is cowering down, flat against the ground, looking at me, and then quickly back at the goose. So I start to walk over. of course the goose has to be tame or it would be scared to death, but I've heard how mean geese can be, so I'm not to thrilled with it just showing up. When I finally get to Toby, the goose is only a few feet away. I released him and told him to heel. He did as he was told, but was still keeping his eyes on the goose. I didn't really know what to do about the duck, so I was going to go put Toby inside and wait for it to leave or do something. I figured it belonged in the neighbor's pond and it would eventually go back to it. So I was walking back to the house with Toby walking alongside(not heeling, just normal). He wasn't so scared of the bird now. So we were walking toward the house and the goose honks and starts flapping and running towards us with his head down. My brave, gallant dog turns around, gives a little yelp/bark and flies past me, running full speed, toward the back door with the goose half-running, half flying-after him. I ran after them and found Toby scrunched up against the door with the goose watching him closely. I wasn't very happy with the goose, but the expression on Toby's face was so funny I couldn't help myself! :lol: I shooed the goose away and let Toby inside. It eventually left, but I think Toby is going to be scared of every bird for the rest of his life. Poor boy!

[gooeydog]

For a while after we got Goo, she was very "anti-duck", which wasn't exactly a good thing because since we live on the water, there are ducks everywhere. She's snatched a few out of the air in midflight (hasn't happened in several years), and used to try to bolt after them if she thought she had 1/2 a chance at catching one. After a lot of training, she pretty much ignores the ducks, but once in a while she just "loses control" and takes a few hops towards them. If you decide to get a pair and have eggs, females can be pretty nasty about their eggs and babies. I've been attacked by several, and had to "save" Goo from one (we were about 20 ft away, but she apparently still saw Goo as a threat) with a death wish that decided to attack her head on (talk about vicious) and tried to peck her eyes out :o We have geese and swans around sometimes too, but the ducks are always around (not as many now though, because the neighbor thinks it's funny when his loose dogs come into our yard and kill them, so they pretty much stay away). In the summer, there was a family of swans visiting our cove, and Goo ended up in a staredown with the male (who probably didn't weigh much less than she does). I had to take Goo up ro the house because there was no way I was going to fend off an angry swan :roll:
I would think that if BK is ok with other fowl, he's probably be ok with a duck, but it might not be a good idea to leave them alone together :lol:

[bk_blue]

Thanks guys, those stories were funny :) No, I wouldn't leave them alone with a bowl of cereal and the TV, may as well leave them alone with a sub machine gun :wink:

IF I got a duck I would get two, they like having a partner so they don't get too lonely. But I've read the males can be quite dominant and will peck you for food, and also can get jealous. BK gets jealous too if I pay attention to another dog, so maybe not such a good idea. He doesn't do anything to the other dog, he comes and bullies his way into me!

Doesn't surprise me about geese, they're really nasty sometimes. Ducks are too, I hope I never come back as a female duck :o

He's good with other birds from what I've seen, he ignored the chickens we used to have and he ignores the canary, I think he's caught about 2 doves in his whole life, too much effort required to catch them :D So his prey drive is not as active as most heelers but having seen him terrorise cats and possums I would be definitely on my guard. Anyway it's going to be a while if ever I get ducks so we'll see how things go. :)

[Hobbit]

Well, girlie.....get brushed up on those duck recipes! Ouchy!! You know I am kidding.....duck is rather good, if prepared properly.

:wink:

[bk_blue]

Yeah, duck is delicious... but would have a hard time eating it if I had one for a pet!!!! It is bad enough with kangaroo kebabs, roast Skippy and all that (but roo is rather tasty)

[ShadyLady]

Hey black we nearly had roast chook the other day one wandered into our yard from goodness knows where and it was pretty quiet so I thought Id catch it but it kept staying just out of my reach (no doubt would have been funny if it wasnt me chasing the bloody thing) so I pull out my dog who is well trained herding I cast him around the chook and world war 3 errupted the chook ran my dog went deaf the dogs snapping at the chook (he thought it was his next meal) feathers went flying and it finally ran into the dog run and I caught it and give it to my sister needless to say I wont be getting chooks in the near future !! A friend of mine trains his Kelpies on ducks reckons they bring out the herding instinct stronger than sheep and they are cheaper to keep . My sister has a Kelpie a big fat pet one and she couldnt figure out why her chooks were going bald she finally realize the dog was herding them and once she got them in a corner she would lay on them and lick them to death poor chooks!!

[bk_blue]

:lol: :lol: :lol:


What a vicious herding dog your sister has... :D

I remember one time a few years ago it was a hot rainy summer night and Blitz had bailed up a possum up in a gum tree, it was about 3-4m off the ground and he was on the ground barking his head off and squeaking in excitement. It wouldn't move at all and every time it did BK was there going insane, every time we did try to keep him back up on the verandah (so the poss had a chance to escape) he would wriggle away and sprint down the yard again, this is all in a horrible downpour of rain BTW, finally the possum managed to get away but he was so wound up he stayed at the tree, in the rain, all night waiting for it to come back :roll:

[ShadyLady]

Fruit loops arent they ! My sisters dog was vicious thats why it took her so long to figure out what was going wrong with her chooks :cry: Its the fatest happy go lucky Kelpie your ever likely to meet but she was unsupervised and this is not a good idea for a herding dog(whether it works or not) to be left with stock :roll:

[ShadyLady]

That should read not vicious WOOPS!

[mouseatthebusstop]

I have walked Paddy and Gladis in a park with a lake with ducks on it they had no interest in the ducks

[ShadyLady]

Mouse it probably depends on the breed of dog black/blue has a herding dog !! :lol:

[bk_blue]

Yes Koolie he is but his prey drive for birds is strangely low... the good thing about him is he keeps all the cats away from the yard so the ducks wouldn't have to worry about cats! :wink: