Discussion: Birdwatching with dogs (1 Viewer)

[LillyTr]

I'm going camping/hiking with a group in Northern California next week, and I'm taking the opportunity to call this my first official birding trip ("official" in that it's not just looking out my window haha.)

Because this is my first trip of this nature, I'll be bringing my dog with me as a test run to see if it's feasible to take her on future expeditions. If at any point she misbehaves or I feel as though it's something she can't handle, then I'll simply refrain from taking her on trips in the future. It's definitely not an end-of-the-world scenario if I can't take her since I have other options for her to stay at home; I just think I'd like to find out how she does in the field sooner rather than later, especially since this isn't a solely birding-focused trip just yet.

I'm using common sense in regards to taking a dog out in a public space (cleaning up after self, taking supplies, having dog on-leash/under control, etc.), but I'm especially concerned about anything to be prepared for in relation to the hobby itself. I'm aware that having a medium-sized animal with me will, by nature, scare off some birds and lessen the variety I'll see, but I am personally alright with that as a trade-off for being able to take her along for the companionship!

The last thing I would want would be to disturb either the wildlife or other people (birders or otherwise), especially after seeing footage of off-leash dogs harassing fauna and trampling flora. Because the answer to "Can I take my dog birding?" will always be dependent on each individual dog/owner, I thought it would be more beneficial to start this thread as a general discussion and get input from anyone who's introduced their pups to the hobby rather than asking directly. I'm more than happy to read any discussion or experiences on the matter, positive or otherwise!

Picture attached is of Violet, who just celebrated her 7th birthday earlier this month. Photo isn't relevant to discussion, I just like when people get to look at my dog!

 

[Andy Lakin]

Ideally you could do with your dog being well trained whilst off lead. A really well trained dog is quite happy to walk to heel. I would imagine it would be a real pain using your bins while holding onto your dog's lead. Obviously you would need to be mindful of any breeding birds/ young and use a lead where required. As to disturbance if you are walking with a group you will probably be much more of a presence than your dog.
Here in the U.K there are a vast amount of irresponsible/ feckless owners, hopefully the situation in the U.S is better!

 

[LillyTr]

Ideally you could do with your dog being well trained whilst off lead. A really well trained dog is quite happy to walk to heel. I would imagine it would be a real pain using your bins while holding onto your dog's lead. Obviously you would need to be mindful of any breeding birds/ young and use a lead where required. As to disturbance if you are walking with a group you will probably be much more of a presence than your dog.
Here in the U.K there are a vast amount of irresponsible/ feckless owners, hopefully the situation in the U.S is better!

Oh, it would be lovely to have her walking at my side, but it would definitely take some dedicated training before I would be able to trust her enough haha! Luckily, she's always been behaved enough that I can keep her clipped to my bag without dragging me, so I'll be able to keep the hands free for binoculars. I didn't even consider that as a potential issue, thank you for bringing it up!
It's unfortunate that there's such an issue of owners being so irresponsible with their dogs! I've been lucky in that I haven't personally encountered anyone with dogs being destructive, but I've definitely heard enough stories (US or otherwise) that I'm certain I'd never want to contribute to them. It's very disheartening to see, especially as someone who values both domestic animals as companions and wildlife.

 

[Farnboro John]

My mother would take her dogs (sequential, only one dog at a time) birding and most of them (not all) were sufficiently well behaved not to cause issues. Training is key and on the lead when insufficiently trustworthy (which is an owner issue that should cover most situations).

I hope yours proves up to the standard.

Cheers

John

 

[Mysticete]

I'd say there are really only 4 things to consider. Is your dog suitably trained to handle this (which sounds like yes), are any people you are with going to be annoyed by the presence of a dog? Are there sensitive species present or are dogs forbidden? and finally are there certain particularly skulky species you are after that the dog might scare off (a lot of wetland birds, gamebirds, etc).

If none of those things are an issue, I can't imagine a problem.

 

[chipperatl]

Biggest key for my 2 year old Lab and myself was training him to stop, when I’d say “Stop”. Before that my camera/binoculars were getting yanked out of my hands way too much. He is up to about 90% of the time stopping and coming back to me and waiting till I am ready to move again.

Right now he only comes with me outside of migration. He can’t handle the slower pace needed for all the birds.

 

[Mike Crawley]

I used to go birding with my Dachshund but only when I was alone or with the family. I felt it would be unfair to impose his presence on other people in a group.
He was never off his lead if I was birding, despite having almost perfect recall. I attached his (2m) lead to the belt on my trousers or shorts with a carabiner.

Didn't work as well with the next dog, a Yorkshire Terrier/Bichon Frisée cross also never off the lead, he too had really good recall. He was a very intelligent little dog but a proper fidget and if I was busy 'scoping the sea or a lake he would be too distracting.

 

[greer3]

I've got a list of dog free birdwatching walks; places where there's less likelihood of coming across dog walkers allowing their pets to freely wander off path bothering the birds and wildlife; dogs barking loudly disturbing the peace, and owners shouting their name loudly in an attempt to locate them or regain control of dogs running wild. The list is top secret and if I tell you where they are, I'll have to kill you. If anyone has a similar list of the ever decreasing number dog free pubs please let me know where they are.

 

[ClarkWGriswold]

I do take mine with me quite often. He is always on the lead though. He’ll sit quite patiently whilst I scan with bins/scope. My biggest issue is that he’s gone too protective of me since the first lockdown.

Rich

 

[KenM]

I’m afraid as an ex “super” dog owner,
I probably wouldn’t measure up to todays “good housekeeping” dog owners.
He was invariably “off the lead” on public forest land when there were less dogs being “walked” ‘90-‘97.
I can recall that on two “twitch” occasions, he “relieved” himself against birder’s tripod legs! Even the birders found it amusing….especially as he was the “finder”.

Happy Days