Canada Geese Chasing Dogs

A resident flock of Canada geese can be protective, messy, and surprisingly hard to move once it settles on a property. Goose-chasing dogs solve that problem by tapping into an instinct geese cannot ignore: the fear of a predator. Birds & Geese Beware, Inc. has run trained Border Collie programs across New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut since 1991, giving property owners a humane, hands-off way to keep geese from taking over a site.

Border Collies are bred to herd, not to catch or harm, which makes them well suited to geese work. Facing a Border Collie, geese see a crouched, stalking outline holding a predatory gaze, and the flock responds exactly as it would to a fox or coyote: it leaves. The dogs never make contact with a goose.

A lasting result comes from consistency, not a single visit, which is why the work is built as a program rather than a one-off.

1. Site survey. We map where geese feed, loaf, and nest, along with exit routes, wind direction, and how much pressure the property is under, then put it in writing with costs and timing.
2. Initial Clearing Program. Handlers bring the dogs through daily at random times during the first weeks, so the flock gets its first, most forceful impression that the site is dangerous.
3. Habituation check. Handlers keep varying routes and timing so geese never learn to predict or wait out the dogs, since a static schedule is the one thing that lets a flock habituate.
4. Maintenance or On-Call Program. Once the flock has relocated, most sites shift to scheduled Maintenance visits, with an On-Call Program in reserve for whatever pressure shows up outside the regular schedule.