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I am the proud owner of 2 male tiels and they are really attached to me .My girlfriend will be living with me soon and she has just bought a lab puppy.My concern is how compatible are these two species? I know that labs are gentle dogs, but they are hunters too.I have read that to never have them together in the same room unsupervised, which is wise.Does anyone have any experience with other pets , especially labs ?Thanks for your input in advance.Bud

Hmmmmm. You might get varying opinions here, but I will share my story. My sister has 3 grown labs, one yellow, one chocolate and one black. I had on of my tiels around all three of her labs and I never took my bird out around the dogs. They were way too curious and by the way they acted, I knew they would have attacked the bird. Her chocolate lab is the hunter and goes after anything that is small and moves fast, so I knew better. They were all grown when they were around my tiel and her dogs were not raised around birds, so I'm sure that makes a difference. It might be different if a puppy is raised around your two birds. I have heard of people who have dogs and birds who live harmoniously together, so it's not impossible. Just err on the side of caution and introduce the puppy to the birds slowly. I hope it works out!

Although dogs and birds can be bosum buddies dogs carry germs in their saliva and toenails that are entirely foreign to parrots. They have no natural immunity to these germs so it will be a medical emergency if the bird is bitten or scratched. I dunno a lab puppy is pretty rambunctious. They kinda like to pounce on something and then pick it up,Either one of those actions can cause injury. Bear what i said in mind and use your own judgement.-----Yogi

The good thing is that it will be a few months before they are moving in, so they will have time to get aquainted slowly.I definately wont have them out when the dog is able to roam free cuz things can get unpredictable.As far as the dogs being germ carriers, i didnt know that.I thought it was the cats that was the carriers, but you learn something new everyday.

To be honest..not a good idea. Birds are "playthings" for dogs especially hunter dogs.
Yeah, I've heard all kinds of stories how 'they are best buds" or "my dogs ignores them" etc.. and I've also heard, "I left the room for a minute..the dog never bothered with the birds before and Fido grabbed the bird"
soooooo.....

I have 2 Dachshunds and 1 tiel. My little Cookie was just a tiny puppy when we got her and we already had Casper (the tiel). They used to sleep on my lap side-by-side. Cookie has never once tried to "eat" Casper. But when Casper flies, Cookie will chase her. That is their instinct. Radcliffe, my larger, older Doxie would have Casper for lunch in a heartbeat. If they are all sitting on the couch with me, they all get along fine. But I still act very cautiously. I never turn my back on them, never have my hands full in case one of them does leap at her.

Radcliffe actually went nose to beak with Casper last night and she nipped him on the nose. She is the boss, but she is also the hunted!!

I do love sitting at the computer with 2 dogs in my lap and a bird on my shoulder. Everyone has their space and they usually respect it.

They can learn to get along...but nature is always a bit stronger. We have to keep that in mind.

Has your gf already signed up for puppy training classes? REALLY necessary with every dog IMO. It would be good to tell the trainer of the upcoming move into a bird home and get tips on safety. Even while the birds are caged, it's easy for a large dog to topple most smaller bird cages. Many birds are killed that way

For the first 4 years of Tweety's years with us we had a small dog. For the first two years they were never out in the same room together. They learned to get along, but I did know a lady who brought a dog into her house, and within minutes the new dog had knocked over her tiel's cage and killed it. The dog went back where it came from, she and her husband were devistated over the loss of their baby.

I would keep them completely seperate just to be safe. Remember, dog saliva is dangerous, they just have to lick the bird or get a few feathers that are later groomed to harm your bird.

I agree puppy training classes are in order.I would never leave the house unless one of them were locked in a seperate room and i doubt i would ever take the tiels out while the dog was free to roam.I am gonna be really cautious no matter what.as labs are hunters by nature .I wouldnt want any ything to happen to my birds .The dog will be in a dog crate while we arent at home anyways.

..............and perhaps keep the cage up high (if at all possible) so puppy can't get to the bird
Have fun though, looooooooooove Labradors

Yea, having small dogs is a lot easier. I am sure a lab could knock down most cages. Mine are so short that they can't reach either of the bird cages. And the tables that the cages are on are too heavy for the doggies to knock over.

a bird dog + a bird is never a good mix.

Never get the birds out while the dog is in the room. Being raised with birds helps a bit so they don't knock the cage over.... but that's about it. Take it from me - I've got an assortment of five dogs.

Thanks, and i agree.When the birds are out, the dog will be in his dog cage and visa versa.I also plan on getting one of those heavy metal cages that come on casters so the dog cant knock it over and have a dedicated room just for the birds that i can lock the door when i am not at home or the dog is out.I would never fool myself to think that the dog and the birds can be buddies.

Many of the tragedies I've read about happened when the safeguards were somehow thwarted -- faulty locks, doors that weren't securely closed though they seemed to be, or visitors not knowing the rules of the house. You just can't be TOO careful. It's a bother and chaffs at times, seeming unnecessary after years of no problems. But the accident is always a terrible surprise, and the bird is always the one who dies.