How to Calm a Dog when It Sees Birds

Teaching your Dog to Ignore Birds

Recognize that chasing birds is normal behavior. Like all predatory animals, dogs are stimulated by seeing bursts of motion and creatures—especially prey-sized creatures—running or flying away from them. Your dog may instinctively see the birds as prey, and will consequently bark and chase the birds. You’ll notice that the same instinct kicks into effect when your dog sees other fast-moving or loud animals, including squirrels, rabbits, snakes, and chipmunks.

Train your dog to learn impulse control. Using clear communication, teach your dog to have a level of self-control amongst things they really desire, like chasing birds. Training your dog is more effective than exercising and tiring them out since exercise alone doesn't take away your dog's impulsive desire to chase birds. Exercising your dog is essentially just manipulating the situation, and you likely don't have the time to do that all day. That's why self-control training is a more effective solution.

Decrease your dog’s territorial behavior. Dogs are naturally territorial creatures, so your dog may bark or act aggressively because it’s afraid that the birds threaten its territory. If your dog is barking to defend its territory, teach it to stop barking after 3 or 4 barks by giving the command “quiet” and then gently holding the dog’s muzzle shut. Once your dog remains quiet, give it a treat, and praise and pet the dog. Continue this behavioral training until the dog remains calm once you have given the “quiet” command, or until the birds have left the vicinity. You may also need to restrict your dog’s field of vision when it’s indoors, so that it can’t see out of the windows and feel obliged to protect its “territory.”

Discourage your dog from chasing or barking at birds. You can do this by walking your dog around your backyard, or a nearby park, with a leash on. If there are birds in the area and your dog starts to bark or run after them, simply bring the dog back inside (or back to your car). On the other hand, when your dog is quiet or well behaved around birds, praise the dog and give it a treat or a piece of food to encourage its good behavior. Eventually, your dog will learn that it receives a reward when it is calm and well behaved around birds, and should change its behavior accordingly.

Distract your dog from the birds. If you can capture your dog’s attention and direct it away from the birds, you can help your dog to behave calmly when it is tempted to run or bark. If your dog is barking at nearby birds, instead of dragging it away, simply walk over holding a dog treat—or a piece of meat or hot dog—in your hand. Then, lead your dog away from the birds—this will distract your dog, and it should quiet down. Teach your dog a "Look" or "Watch me" command to make this easier. Give the dog the meat once it has quieted down, and praise its good behavior. If you want to bring your dog indoors (or back to the vehicle if you’re on a walk), you can lead it inside once it’s quieted down. Over time, the dog will learn that its calm behavior is rewarded, and will be less inclined to bark at or chase after birds.

Desensitizing Your Dog to Birds

Play a quiet recording of bird sounds for your dog. The idea behind this method is that, if your dog hears birdsongs frequently—especially in locations where the dog is otherwise calm—it will be desensitized to the sound of birds and no longer chase or bark at birds outdoors. Find a bird recording online on a site such as YouTube, and play it around the house at a low volume. If your dog is initially excited and tries to “find” or “chase” the bird, play the recording at a lower level. At this point, your dog will start to acclimate to the soft birdsong and will stay calm while the sound plays.

Increase the volume, and eventually take your dog outside. As you increase the volume of the birdsong, your dog should become desensitized to louder levels of birdsong. Once you can play the sounds at a “normal” level—approximately the volume of birds outdoors—try bringing your dog outside. The outdoor sounds of birds should stimulate your dog no more than the indoor bird recordings. Your dog should be desensitized to the birdsong, since it has heard it so frequently indoors.

Reward your dog’s calm behavior. Once your dog is outdoors and is well behaved, calm, and is less inclined to bark at or chase birds, you should reward the dog. Praise your dog for its good behavior, pet it, and give it treats to reinforce its calm behavior. If your dog continues to act out by barking at or chasing birds, bring it back inside. Vary the types of birdsongs that you play. This will desensitize the dog to a variety of types of birds. The next time that you bring the dog outdoors, it is more likely to disregard the sound and presence of chirping birds.

Rewarding Your Dog’s Calm Behavior

Do not yell at your dog to quiet it. Dogs are naturally vocal animals and, if they hear you loudly vocalizing back at them, they’ll feel stimulated and continue barking and running at the birds. Even if you take an angry tone with your dog, or yell “No!” or other loud commands, your dog will interpret your shouting as a reward. Dogs feed off of your own excitement, and appreciate the attention you’re giving them (even if it’s negative attention).

Give your dog attention when it has quieted down. Wait until your dog’s excitement over the birds has passed (the birds have flown away or your dog has lost interest). Then, wait about five minutes, and pet and praise your dog. Over time, your dog will come to understand that you praise them for their silence and good behavior. The same principle applies when you’re out on a walk with your dog, although it can be harder to implement. If your dog barks at or chases birds while you’re walking, do not yell at or discipline your dog, but keep it close to your side (don’t let the dog run). Then, once the dog has quieted down, praise the dog and give it a treat. This will positively reinforce its quiet behavior.

Bring your dog indoors if it does not calm down. Rather than shouting at a dog that is barking at or running after birds, simply bring it indoors. Wait until the dog has calmed down sufficiently (try waiting 10 minutes), and let the dog out again only once it is quiet. Even if there are still birds outside, your dog will eventually that learn that, in order to be left outside, it needs to remain well behaved.

Repeat the procedure as many times as needed. Dogs can be slow to learn and may have a strong drive to chase and bark at birds, especially if the dog is of a hunting breed. Whether you’re at your home or out on a walk, continue to reinforce quiet, calm behavior. Bring your dog back inside (or back from the walk) as often as needed for it to change its behavior and remain calm around birds. Although at first it may be inconvenient to bring your dog inside the house every time it barks at or chases birds, it will reinforce the behavior and help your dog to remain quiet around birds.