What kind of dogs are good with parrots? It’s an ideal situation to live in a household full of loving pets, but making them get along can be a challenging task. All animals have their specific traits and requirements, which is why it is important to make sure that the new pet you’re bringing home gets along with the ones already present there.
What Kind of Dogs are Good with Parrots?
A common combination of pets kept in houses is that of dogs and parrots. The following catalog will provide you with a better understanding of the types of dogs that are good with parrots:
1. Younger Dogs
All dogs have varying traits according to their breeds and environment, which results in them reacting differently to the animals around them. While a large percentage of dogs can be trained to co-exist well with parrots, there are chances that some may behave in a more predatory manner.
In any case, you must test your dogs around parrots before keeping the two in the same environment. Contrary to popular belief, the best time to do so is when the dog becomes a grown adult instead of in its puppy stage.
This is because dogs show their true characteristics when they are fully grown and have developed properly. This allows the owner to judge whether it is safe to keep them around parrots.
Alongside this, puppies of almost all breeds are extremely energetic and playful which increases the chances of them accidentally harming the parrots. So even if your puppies are cute little Cockapoos with their Cockapoo haircuts, you should not take the risk of making them interact with parrots.
2. Dogs Used for Herding
Herding dogs are known to have a better temperament than other dogs which is why they can get accustomed to different environments. This allows them to be more compatible with parrots because they can be easily trained to live with them cordially.
These dogs are also known to have an instinctual ability that allows them to control the movements of the animals around them making them a great choice to be kept around parrots. As a result of this trait, in several parts of the world, herding dogs are used not only to protect livestock but also to gather it, which makes them great companions for owners and other pets.
Herding dogs should be trained properly because they do tend to interact with animals directly, which is why they may cause harm to the parrots. But these dogs are known to be excellent companions because they are easily trained so their interaction directly with the parrots is not a major point of concern at the end of the day.
Several dog breeds come under the category of herding dogs, including Swiss Mountain Dogs and Border Collies. The Bernese Mountain Dog is also a friendly herding dog, regardless of its large size, and can be a great fit with a parrot.
The herding instinct in these dogs is very powerful because they are sometimes considered to herd their owners. Herding dogs, when trained properly, are great with parrots and you can keep both animals in your home happily and peacefully.
3. Terriers
While most dogs can be trained to exist around birds, terrier dogs are not among this lot. They are independent and fierce but these attributes make them unsuitable for environments with other animals.
Most of these dogs are quite small, which makes it easy to believe that they would be a good fit around parrots but that is not entirely true. Terriers, regardless of their size, are fearless animals and can act aggressively around other animals and can easily cause harm to them.
They tend not to get along with other animals because they are fond of chasing their peers. Alongside their chasing habits, they have a predatory instinct and hunt small animals.
Their ability makes them ideal for killing rodents but extremely unsuitable to be around parrots. If you are considering adopting a terrier, you must know that you cannot keep other pets around, especially easy targets like parrots.
Terriers have a variety of breeds, including the Welsh Terriers, which are infamous for hunting Otters. The Airedale Terrier was popular in England because keeping one in the house was a popular solution for the rodent problem.
If you do plan to keep a terrier in your home, it is best that you do not own a parrot around it. You may be unable to keep the terrier from chasing around the parrot and getting its hands on it.
4. Dogs in the Sporting Group
Dogs in the sporting group are great with humans but are also a good fit to be kept around parrots. They are infamous for being loving dogs, which is why they are often used as therapy dogs.
They are extremely friendly and interact well with other animals around them, regardless of their type and breed. With the correct training, these dogs can be affectionate toward parrots.
Sporting dogs include breeds like Labradors and Golden Retrievers, which are extremely friendly and trainable. Both these breeds are great pets and are great with parrots.
Sporting dogs are very active and athletic, which is why you must make sure that your particular dog can get well acquainted with parrots. You can do this by monitoring their reaction in the initial meeting.
If your dog appears interested but distracted at the same time, there are chances that it will get along well with the parrot and they will be friendly. However, acts aggressively and shows any signs of its predatory instincts, you should keep it away from the parrot.
Regardless of them being large and athletic, sporting dogs are some of the easiest pets to train to exist around parrots. Once you are sure that your dog interacts well with parrots, you can use the right means to correctly train your dog and make it accustomed to an environment with birds in it.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, if you want to incorporate multiple animals into your household, you must make sure that they are the types that get along. If you bring in a dog that isn’t friendly with your parrot and vice versa, you will put both animals at risk.
Finding out which dogs will be good with your parrot isn’t a very difficult task. You can keep the aforementioned points in your mind when looking for a dog that won’t cause harm to your parrot.