Hi,

If I were you I would introduce them with Sadie on a leash. Have lots of treats with you. Do your regular training within range of the ducks. That means practise her sits, downs etc., rewarding each one. Feed her lots of treats every time she is calm near the ducks. She will start to associate the rewards with the ducks. Having her on the leash prevents her from chasing the ducks and making them nervous. If she starts to chase (while on the leash) call her back to you, put her in a sit and give her a treat. Do this over and over again. Make the treats something of really high value to her (dried liver or whatever her favourite food is). Only give her these extra special treats when she is near the ducks. Use a treat of lesser value for all the other training away from the ducks. Consistency and high value treats are the key to any dog. I suggest several mini training sessions through the day. If she ever lays down beside you and just watches the ducks let her know that she is the smartest, greatest dog ever--tons of praise and treats. Good Luck!

Thanks for the advice--do you have a GP, rescuer??

Hi Genny,

I do have a ten month old GP. He is a wonderful and huge companion. He gets along fine with my four Rouen ducks. My Border Collie just wants to herd them. My mixed breed rescue really just wants to eat them but the GP pup lets her know that isn't allowed and protects them.

AWWW! How sweet of your GP. I hope Sadie protects my ducks like that--I have muscovies.

What is your GP's name? Is it a girl/boy? Are both girls and boys equally good with ducks?? Just wondering, but I'm guessing they are!

My GP's name is Gus, short for Augustus. He's a boy, I don't think the sex of the dog matters when it comes to protection. It took a lot of time and patience to get Gus to where he is today. I'm sure Sadie will get there too. The reason my female mixed breed isn't allowed with the ducks when unsupervised is that she has too high a prey drive. She was wild for her first two years and had to scavenge and hunt to survive. However, since you are raising Sadie from a pup and providing for her you shouldn't have similar problems. Good luck with your Muscovies (everyone who has them seems to adore them) and Sadie. I hope they learn to respect each other soon.

Thankyou rescuer.

Gus sounds sweet :)