Dogs find birds can shock

Shock tactics have been introduced to protect endangered native birds from dogs.

Hunting dogs that have not been trained in avian avoidance will be banned from entering East Coast and Hawkes Bay conservation areas from May 1, in a tough new move by the Department of Conservation.

A short, sharp zap of electricity is the weapon used to deter canines from touching vulnerable ground-dwelling kiwi, blue duck and weka.

Whakatane trainer Tiki Hutching has been holding classes to prepare hunters and their four-legged helpers for the new regime, which is expected to spread to other parts of the country.

A Northland pig hunters' group organised similar training yesterday for about 50 dogs in the Waiotama Forest, halfway between Whangarei and Dargaville.

On Saturday, Mr Hutching put 77 dogs through their paces and all are now certified "bird-safe".

In free DoC-sponsored courses he has conducted in the Eastern Bay of Plenty this month, more than 100 hunting dogs have passed muster in avian aversion training.

The trick, said Mr Hutching, was getting the dogs to take an early interest and have a "good whiff" of the bird, followed quickly by a shock through their collar.

"Otherwise the dog relates the shock back to its owner rather than the bird."

The electric collars, which have 15 settings ranging from a mild shock for a small dog to a strong jolt, were "a lot more friendly" than an owner beating a misbehaving dog, he said.

Mr Hutching praised the East Coast Hawkes Bay Conservancy's initiative to halt the increasing number of kiwi and other native birds being killed by dogs.

However, it still boiled down to the owners being responsible and having all the dogs they took out hunting trained in avian aversion, not just one or two.

The conservancy's new requirement for dogs to have bird-safe certification applied to hunters going into any scenic reserve, conservation or forest park, named conservation area or Te Urewera National Park, said the region's DoC community relations manager, Brett Butland.

All pig hunters and deer stalkers using a dog and wishing to hunt on public conservation land must obtain a permit to hunt with dogs as well as a permit to hunt there.

Exceptions were guide dogs, dogs used for special activities such as search and rescue or conservation management.

To be certified as bird-safe, a dog had to have successfully attended avian avoidance training, met a minimum standard of behaviour and be identifiable by a tattoo, freeze brand or local authority microchip, said Mr Butland.