Early one morning Sam drove down a golf courses path patroling for unwanted geese.When he and a golf course groundskeeper saw geese, Sam let out Skye and Blade.The Border Collies went in different directions around a pond. A pair of geese and several other geese were in the water.The geese flew off quickly after a few persuasive herd-chase moves by Skye and Blade. This golf course has been a client for a few years, but recently we do not visit but a few weeks a year. After those early Spring visits, geese are rarely around, which is unlike what happened before we started patrolling with the Border Collies to control the geese. The golf course superintendent is convinced that early visits in the Spring stop geese from nesting on his golf course and have turned a bad situation into a manageable one. The geese have learned to be wary. I call this training the geese back to their pray instincts which they lose when allowed to take over properties.The golf course superintendent can have his staff efficiently chase the geese when we are not scheduled to visit.
Later in the day, I took the Border Collie team of Jim and Tara for goose control trips to two office parks in Connecticut. The geese pairs had been so bad at these properties that workers could not leave their cars without being attacked by the male geese. Nests would be set up at doorways and geese would also attack anyone going in or out. When we were brought in for goose control visits a few years ago, that behavior from the geese stopped. The Border Collies herd-chase work convinced the geese to stay away from were humans regularly walk. The property managers at these sites are confident that starting goose control visits early in the Spring before geese get to set up nests keeps their landscaping from being destroyed and their staff from being harassed.
The next day on a goose-control trip, I had a job which was suited to one dog. And in this case, it was our mix breed’s turn to work alone while Border Collie Blade rested for the next job.Nash does not use the “eye” that Border Collies do to stalk livestock and geese. Herding instincts are breed from the staking instincts which wild predators utilize to hunt. Nash has learned from the Border Collies to take care in his work; this is nonlethal after all.I stop Nash by saying “there”. Then I call Nashe’s attention to the pair of geese grazing by the ball field. I say “look.” Nash does see the geese who are slightly aware of him by now.Nash pauses, and I say “go on.” Nash runs forward, not in an outrun as Border Collies do, but more direct. The geese sensing what they think is a threat, fly off quickly. Nash stops, sniffs around the area where the geese were, and when I call “come Nash.” He runs back to me with a joyful bounce in his steps and a huge smile on his face. Another goose control job well done. Early Spring work like this will go along way to keeping a park, golf course or ball field more rid of geese through the year.