Bird Crazy...help!

[Sprinkles]

Brody is 11 months old and bird crazy. Terrible screeching, barking and pulling on the lead whenever he sees one. I was recently asked by a complete stranger if he was in pain!! It's very loud and very embarrassing! It's starting impact on our walks with us not wanting to take him places due to his behaviour! Birds are everywhere.

If he sees a bird in the garden he barks non stop! I've been going out to get him in straight away but he sees it as a game and runs off barking looking through me to where ever the bird was or still is. Of course I can't catch him and don't want the neighbours to complain. I jump around in the house trying to make inside more exciting than outside and sometimes offering a treat.

He even caught a Thrush yesterday!! I had to pull his jaws apart to get the poor thing out who was amazingly still alive! But probably not today!

I'm off to see a trainer next week who is highly recommended but would appreciate any advice in the meantime. Particularly regarding the garden situation.

[Lily Freya]

Oh poor Brody............he is just doing something instinctive.

It is alien to us, I know......we don't like the idea of our doggies hurting anyone or anything................but, they don't really know it is wrong.

I do hope the trainer can help you.  I would be just like you.

Good luck.  Looking forward to reading how things go. 

[Rats and Dogs]

Just a quick reply on my phone. A long line is useful for leading dogs back inside when they're barking and saves you having to chase him all over the place! ;-) Good luck with the trainer, I hope they can help him to become more focused on you rather than the birds, and using kind reinforcement methods of course!

[Sprinkles]

Thanks!

Fiona re the long line if I do go down that route do I just attach it to his collar and let him pad around? That way if he does start with the birds he's easier to catch by stepping on/grabbing the long line? It's not a big garden so I assume be wont be in any danger from getting tangled up.

Also whenever I do manage to get hold of him (due to undesirable behaviour such as the barking at birds, digging on the sofa  ) he's mouthing me very hard. I've been going back to basics by putting him out of the room but in order to get from a to b his mouthing me all the way and seems to be getting more harder and growly with it, am I doing this right?

[miss holly]

Hi
Don't have an answer I'm afraid but Holly does this also. She's 11 months and obsessed by birds and cats. Like you, a neighbour came out of his house yesterday to ask if she was alright as he thought her yelling was pain. It sounds AWFUL! Nothing distracts her. When she is off lead she seeks birds with a vengeance!
I am seeing a trainer tomorrow and will pass on any tips but I'm hoping that it may be an age thing.

[Top Barks]

What other games or activities do you do with your dog in your garden?
Once they have got the chasing bug and been rewarded for it by actually catching something you are on a bit of a sticky wicket.
can you call your dog back?
If not i would not be letting your dog out off lead and unsupervised before you can train brody to be more steady around birds.
Will he take really yummy food from you in such circumstances?
The long line idea is fine( it should be on a harness) but for me the supervision is even more important until you can get a hold of this.
every time your dog chases a bird the behaviour becomes more difficult to sort.
who is the trainer you are seeing? Are they cocker savvy? What methods do they use?

[Sprinkles]

We don't "play" with him in the garden often. He certainly gets lots of play inside with me and my 6 year old. Would that help if it were outside?

Recall has gone out the window this last few weeks! I've tried being super exciting to get his attention but he ignores me . Not all the time I have to say, but more often than not. He doesn't run away as such. Just a distance in front with deaf cocker ears. I think I also need "more tasty" treat! I use dried kibble and little training biscuits. Do you have any recommendations? I know about cheese and meats but if they're in the fridge the barking is all but over once I've visited the fridge to get the treats. Or am i being naive! They eat horse Pooh after all  so I'm sure warm meat and cheese wont hurt. Forgive my ignorance!!

Thanks for telling me to put the long line on a harness. Wouldn't have thought of that! I'm seeing a gun dog trainer in Oxford (he has springers) and he's of the opinion that I need to get the basics/dog manners right (walking on a loose lead etc) before we can make any real progress with the birds. So in the meantime it's a firm No and a tug on the lead when be sees a bird.

[Top Barks]

I agree you should do more basic training, possibly  in your garden where it sounds like you need it.
Just be careful the gundog trainer does not ask you to get physical with your dog as some are very traditional. Some trainers wait for the dog to make a mistake and punish it but If you go down this route it is full of pitfalls and could be detrimental to your relationship.
Punishment can work although there is so much that can go wrong so be real careful.
I would really work on your basics, and control and prevent him having the opportunity to chase birds PERIOD.
I would also work on a rock solid leave.
You are not teaching him much by yanking the lead and shouting NO I'm afraid.
Why not try taking him out on lead and rather than yanking him back, just stand your ground and wait(It may be sometime to start with) for him to finally turn to you of his own accord and the second he does so Mark the moment with lots of praise and a jackpot of real yummy food.
Use something really high value, something he really likes.
By doing this you are teaching him to look at you when the lead goes tight.

Do a web search for Leslie Mc Devvits Look at That Game, that might help

[Sprinkles]

Thanks T B. I'll pick up with you on my other thread you kindly answered.

[Karma]

Just to add to what Mark has said here....

As you may have read in anything goes, we woke up this morning to a horse in our front garden, which really spooked Honey.
Her response to was sit at the front door barking at it...   

So I got a couple of treats, popped her on the lead and sat at the front door... I asked her to "look at me" which is something we do every walk before she is let off the lead, and in the instance she stopped barking (albeit very breifly) I gave her a treat.  Repeated for a couple of treats, and then was able to keep her quite with praise and fuss... just sitting with her (on the floor) and encouraging her to look at the horse calmly...  so just an example of rewarding the behaviour you want in action, rather than "punishing" the action you don't want.