Trouble has been living up to her name the last few days. She is determined to rid "Her" house of Scarlet and it has gotten worse since she "got her" yesterday.
First, I should explain the main differences between the mindset of the two dogs. Gunnar has only known two worlds. The world of his mother, milk, and his siblings. At about 12 weeks, he started to learn the world of "me". He's my buddy and is glued to my hip all day, every day. He looks to me for his direction in life and is content and happy.
Scarlet, on the other hand, was about a year old when we got her from the Humane Society. She is constantly savaging for food. It doesn't matter how much she eats. She is always looking for more. She shakes violently at loud noises. Noises that would give most dogs a moment of pause before they go on with what they were doing will cause her to shake and zip to the closest thing she can crawl under. This is usually my desk. Or, if I just happen to be walking by, my feet . In a toy dog this is not that big of a deal, safety-wise. But, when a 50 lbs animal dashes under your feet or through your legs, it tends to be more like a bowling ball versus pins. Not so good when you have some balance issues already.
Ever since we brought Trouble home, 5 years ago, I have been trying to teach Scarlet that, if Trouble was out on the stand, scavenging around it was a really bad idea. Trouble got ahold of the tip of her tail the first week she was here. That "cured" Scarlet for a good 3 months, but after that she was right back at it and Trouble has been stalking her ever since.
At first, there was some amusement that I was very good at not showing. (No smiles/giggles/laughs etc) I corrected behaviors as I caught them. I always told Trouble no and shooed Scarlet to a safe distance. It was like watching "Jaws" upside down. The "shark" stalked it's prey from above, while the unwitting "swimmer/boater/water skier" just wandered about willy-nilly doing their thing until some random cellist begins playing ominous music.
I swear the music was blaring yesterday as Trouble flipped herself upside down faster then a blink and laid one right in the center of Scarlet's back. Scarlet could not have been any more oblivious in that moment. It's not like she doesn't know this bird is out to get her. Every time she gets close Trouble barks at her. It's also not like this is the first time she's been bitten. Trouble lures her close just to bite her! The bird purposely tosses food to the floor at varying distances to bring the dog in close. Gunnar, the resident bone head caught on to this trick with out getting bit once. How does the "smarter" of the two fall for it ever darn time?
I am starting to think the only one with half a brain is Gunnar. Don't get me wrong. Trouble is one smart Cockatoo, but I don't know if I should categorize this thing with the dog as bravery or stupidity. The dog can kill her with out trying, but she is as brazen as can be and seems to get some sort of perverse thrill at chasing Scarlet around the house.
This is the main reason you can never, under any circumstances leave a loose bird alone in a room with other animals. While, I think that Scarlet will always choose to flee when Trouble confronts her, if she were ever to become cornered I have no doubt that she would fight her way to freedom, and that would not end well for either of them.
First, I should explain the main differences between the mindset of the two dogs. Gunnar has only known two worlds. The world of his mother, milk, and his siblings. At about 12 weeks, he started to learn the world of "me". He's my buddy and is glued to my hip all day, every day. He looks to me for his direction in life and is content and happy.
Scarlet, on the other hand, was about a year old when we got her from the Humane Society. She is constantly savaging for food. It doesn't matter how much she eats. She is always looking for more. She shakes violently at loud noises. Noises that would give most dogs a moment of pause before they go on with what they were doing will cause her to shake and zip to the closest thing she can crawl under. This is usually my desk. Or, if I just happen to be walking by, my feet . In a toy dog this is not that big of a deal, safety-wise. But, when a 50 lbs animal dashes under your feet or through your legs, it tends to be more like a bowling ball versus pins. Not so good when you have some balance issues already.
Ever since we brought Trouble home, 5 years ago, I have been trying to teach Scarlet that, if Trouble was out on the stand, scavenging around it was a really bad idea. Trouble got ahold of the tip of her tail the first week she was here. That "cured" Scarlet for a good 3 months, but after that she was right back at it and Trouble has been stalking her ever since.
At first, there was some amusement that I was very good at not showing. (No smiles/giggles/laughs etc) I corrected behaviors as I caught them. I always told Trouble no and shooed Scarlet to a safe distance. It was like watching "Jaws" upside down. The "shark" stalked it's prey from above, while the unwitting "swimmer/boater/water skier" just wandered about willy-nilly doing their thing until some random cellist begins playing ominous music.
I swear the music was blaring yesterday as Trouble flipped herself upside down faster then a blink and laid one right in the center of Scarlet's back. Scarlet could not have been any more oblivious in that moment. It's not like she doesn't know this bird is out to get her. Every time she gets close Trouble barks at her. It's also not like this is the first time she's been bitten. Trouble lures her close just to bite her! The bird purposely tosses food to the floor at varying distances to bring the dog in close. Gunnar, the resident bone head caught on to this trick with out getting bit once. How does the "smarter" of the two fall for it ever darn time?
I am starting to think the only one with half a brain is Gunnar. Don't get me wrong. Trouble is one smart Cockatoo, but I don't know if I should categorize this thing with the dog as bravery or stupidity. The dog can kill her with out trying, but she is as brazen as can be and seems to get some sort of perverse thrill at chasing Scarlet around the house.
This is the main reason you can never, under any circumstances leave a loose bird alone in a room with other animals. While, I think that Scarlet will always choose to flee when Trouble confronts her, if she were ever to become cornered I have no doubt that she would fight her way to freedom, and that would not end well for either of them.
