• Zombiepirate@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Many professional trainers believe that hard mouth can be a hereditary affliction. When selecting a puppy, by all means check out the parents first. Still, there is really no surefire way to tell if a dog is going to be predisposed to damaging birds once it grows up. That part likely falls in the luck-of-the-draw department. There are, however, precautions you can take while training your retriever puppy that may help prevent the dog from developing hard mouth. Common sense applies in most cases.

      • Itsamelemmy@lemmy.zip
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        10 months ago

        If you don’t know the dog, you’re probably right that it’s not worth the risk. I’d guess those 2 have been friends their whole life though. I know with the golden I had that she was always great with any person or animal she came in contact with.

        • Zombiepirate@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          It only takes one time being surprised.

          It’s always a risk. Would you want your best friend to go into a polar bear enclosure alone even if the bear had never mauled anyone or acted like it wanted to?

          It’s never worth the risk if you value the little bird’s life.