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Goose
Control: Purpose
Adventure
k9 goose control program is a service that answers the
need for HUMANE and EFFECTIVE control of problem Canada
geese. Utilizing the natural instincts of the border
collie, a highly intelligent, adaptable, and intense
working dog, geese are moved with amazing efficiency
without ever physically touching or harming the target
species.
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| Problem
The
increase in numbers of Canada geese throughout North
America over the past two and a half decades has reached
alarming levels and continues to cause major problems
where people and these birds co-exist.
The
first and usually most noticeable problem is the extremely
high amount of fecal matter produced by geese. An estimated
1-3 lbs per goose per day can result in overwhelming
amounts of accumulation.Without question this poses
the potential of a health risk where people and geese
co-habitat.
It can
quickly cause a beachfront, golf green, or idyllic park
setting deemed unusable. Furthermore, ponds,
and waterways can become polluted and irrigation systems
clogged when goose numbers get out of hand. Geese are
primarily a grazing bird, preferring the nutritious
tips of grasses, making manicured turf an ideal feeding
opportunity. Aggressive feeding in large numbers can
literally devastate and destroy a carefully groomed
and maintained golf green. Magnifying the problem is
the fact that these birds are, by nature, prone to flocking
together, emassing large, and at times MASSIVE numbers
reaching from hundreds into the thousands.
For a
bird, the Canada goose can be a very nasty customer,
particularly during the nesting, brooding and molting
seasons. Emboldoned as a pair, or in a protective gang
brooding group adult geese will aggressively defend
their nest, goslings and their territory. Loud hissing
and neck bobbing often lead into direct frontal attacks
when the public crosses the giant birds' unseen comfort
zone. While they may not have teeth or claws to inflict
injury or fear, they have powerful wings that have the
force capable of breaking bones.
Geese
are resiliant, persistant birds. When they find an area
that is to their liking and meets their physical needs,
such as feeding, roosting, nesting, safety and adaquate
water sources, it can be very difficult to deter them.
Mature and able to find a mate and breed by the age
of three, clutch sizes vary, from 2 eggs to up to as
many as 15, but the average is 7-8 eggs in a nest. Lifespan
for the bird averages 10-12 years, however, some
live as long as 25 years. It quickly becomes apparent
why their numbers have grown so rapidly.
Over
time, the problem intensifies and numbers continue to
swell as goslings that are hatched and reared become
imprinted onto that property and area, preferring to
return there each year with their own mate and rear
their own broods.
As the
overall numbers continue to grow each year, with it
we have seen a steady decline in the numbers of birds
that truly migrate across thousands of miles on
traditional fly routes. Instead, throughout much of
North America extending far north into Canada, geese
are choosing to live year round, even through harsh
winter conditions in some circumstances. As long
as they have some access to open water, they are
managing to tough out Canadian winters. This has much
to do with the over-all out of control numbers. They
have abandoned tradition because traditional flyways
and habitat could never support the current sheer number
of birds. This means property owners, whether private,
industrial, recreational, agricultural or municipal,
are having to cope with soaring numbers of geese
on a year round basis, and with it, property damages,
health hazards, and potential lawsuits.
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| Solution
Anyone
who has dealt with problem Canada geese on their property
can testify to the difficulty in trying to remove them.
Many tactics and apparent "solutions" have
been tried, however, as mentioned previously, geese
can be resiliant and very persistant. They are bold
and will "test" each and every attempt at
deterring them, usually resulting in an habituation
to the type of deterrent used, such as scare guns, scare
tape, fake predator, decoys ect. In other words, they
test the deterrant over time, and if their is no real
threat, they just get down to the business of living
with the deterrant. Let's face it, the goose population
is way out of balance, and only so much suitable habitat
to go around. That means, there's alot of competition
amongst the birds for your real-estate.
For
this reason, in order to effectively and consistantly
deter geese from a specified area, a very real and present
danger must exist. How does one give the illusion of
a continuous life threatening danger yet never actually
harm or touch a single bird? Enter the Border Collie!
When properly trained and handled this breed of dog
can become incredibly proficient at deterring geese,
and, in fact, other forms of problem wildlife as well,
such as deer and elk. The breed is renowned for its
ability to work and takes readily to new tasks when
in the hands of a capable and experienced trainer.
Adventure
k9 has taken this concept and dramatically increased
the overall effectiveness of the border collie thru
its "pack concept". Building a team of six
dogs thru three generations that actually work together
as a pack has produced incredible results.
This
group of dogs working ability and co-ordinated aggressive
team approach is what solidifies the threat of "pack
predation" within the minds and instincts of the
geese. The birds truly believe they are "on the
menu", and the pack is relentless, seemingly always
on the hunt for them, but yet in such a controlled
manner it becomes hard to believe that a team of dogs
could be capable of such a high level of organization.
However, that is the success behind our work, and in
doing so consistantly conditions the geese that the
area they have inhabited for so long is no longer safe
or avaliable to them.
Our
goal on your property is not only to immediately get
the problem birds out, but to maintain a clear property
while reducing the numbers being hatched and thus imprinted
to that specific area. This is done in accordance with
regulations pertaining to the Canadian Wildlife Service,
and is carried out during the spring nesting months.
Nest location and egg addling are carried out under
permit, and serve as a humane and effective way to begin
reducing overall numbers.
Thousands
of hours of collective training has gone into this purely
exeptional family of dogs, and enables Adventure k9
to boast of the only free working team of this size
and force in the industry. This combined with our
unique strategy and field tested experience also
allows us to guarantee our results.
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| Cost
The
costs of this service is dependant upon a number of
factors, including overall bird numbers, size and geography
of property, nesting numbers, property history, time
of year, ect. An accurate estimate and property specific
strategy can be determined upon an on-site inspection.
Contact
:
For more
information about Adventure k9, our dogs or the services
we offer please contact Jordan Gooderham at jordan@adventurek9.com
phone 1-519-463-9725.
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