Dog Service is a daily service that essentially introduces a trained border collie that is perceived as a predator by Canada geese . This is one way to teach them that the area is not a safe place to nest or feed. This program works best before the geese become attached to the area. It is legal to chase geese without a state or federal permit provided they are not handled or touched by a person or dog.
The most effective results from dog chasing methods come from actively and regularly using a combination of the harassment techniques each time the geese appear on your property. It is critical when carrying out these methods that all the geese have left the property. Geese must continue to feel threatened or they will return to the property, which is why repeated and consistent use of harassment techniques is necessary.
Border Collies Are One of the Most Effective Ways to Get Rid of Geese
We offer complete goose control programs working with dogs and trained handlers to chase, harass, and work to keep geese off your property. Our border collies are trained to chase geese but do not harm them as they effectively disperse the geese from your property. This is one of the most humane and effective means of harassment or hazing.
What Can You Expect from Our Service
We know each property and the goose problems it faces are unique. We do a full evaluation and develop a plan that specifically addresses your conflicts. Initial implementation of goose management programs require daily intense periods of chasing. In the beginning, the geese may just fly away and return as soon as they think the area is safe. This is why it is necessary to continue daily, randomly scheduled daily dog service visits until the geese learn that the area is not safe. This process may take several weeks or months. Then less frequent but regular patrols will be needed as results are achieved.
When handled properly, Canada geese will become exasperated or annoyed to the threat of being chased by border collies and most likely choose another place to spend their time, perhaps even other properties in the area.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why We Use Border Collies to Manage Geese
Working with border collies is the key component in our strategy to keep unwanted geese off your property. The Federal Migratory Bird Act of 1918 clearly states that no Canada goose may be touched or harmed, thereby making the border collie a great fit. Border collies have been bred for three hundred years to manage or herd livestock without harm. They are athletic, obedient and easy to train. In this work, the dog must be sensitive to the geese but also to direction from their handler. Because of their high intelligence and eagerness to please, these dogs can understand and respond to numerous whistles and commands.
Border collies provide the presence of a natural predator on a property through their instinct to quietly stalk with the “eye” and then pursue until the targeted species of unwanted birds leave the area. This is different and far more threatening to the birds than the average presence of a dog on the site. We schedule our service visits so they coincide with the times when the bird activity is high. We also make sure to vary the times of visits throughout the day. This creates the impression of a “resident” predator on the property to discourage unwanted birds from loafing and foraging at these locations or from learning when to expect to be “hazed” by the border collie.
Border collies are excellent for hazing geese because of their wolf-like appearance. Geese see them as predators and will flee, especially as the dogs stalk and chase them. It is important that the dog and handler team haze the geese until they have completely left your property and not just moved from the grassy areas to any ponds or water on your property. That is why we employ the use of kayaks, motorized boats and dogs to continue the pursuit of geese into bodies of water.
Managing geese requires these working dogs to do their jobs at a distance from their handlers. Our dogs have tested and proven obedience track records. They are successfully dispersing geese and keeping them from returning to our client’s properties.
