superphred

Thanks for your responses, my grey is clipped, although she loves to flap her wings. so I guess I should try to get the dog used to that if I can. she will leap when she gets startled and depending on how long its been since her last clip she can get pretty far before sliding into the wall. so i'm afraid the dog would get to her before I do. and I expect the bird will be just as curious about the dog as the other way around, so I need to make sure she is the not the one starting it

Hi, My husband and I are going to get a dog, and we are looking at German Shepard/Boxer mix. I have a 9 year old African Grey, who is our baby still, and I need to make sure that I do everything I can to get these two animals to get along with each other. It would just break my heart if the dog someday killed my grey. What great advice do you have for introducing and training both dog and parrot together? We are looking at getting a very young puppy, 2-3 months old, which I can easily supervise interaction with the bird, and of course the bird will be in the cage when I am not around. But I would like to not worry when I have both animals out in the same room. we all know how easily a grey can get startled, jump of the perch, which startles the dog, and it's that startled dog instinct I am afraid of.... My Husbands suggestion : Just let the bird bite the dog a few times when it is young, then the dog will know not to mess with it. (I think he was joking, but you never know..) What experiences and advice do you have regarding birds and dogs getting along together? thanks Phred