Dog Training - Kiwi and Weka Avoidance

Dogs and their owners are invited to participate in kiwi and weka avoidance training in Hokitika on 21 and 22 September 2019.

This event is part of Conservation Week 2019 - www.conservationweek.org.nz

Dog owners wanting to register can email fanderson@doc.govt.nz with their preferred booking time between 9.00am and 4.30pm on either Saturday 21 September or Sunday 22 September. $10 per dog is required to cover the cost of the facilitator.

Pet dogs can wreak havoc on kiwi. Dogs are curious and the strong smell of these birds can be irresistible to their sensitive noses. Dogs are also a major predator of our flightless weka. It’s only natural for dogs to be interested in a moving target. We are lucky to have good numbers of weka on the West Coast.

These charismatic thieves are attracted to human activity, where they raid vegetable gardens, steal chicken food and eggs, and even sneak dog food from the bowl. Unfortunately, weka are not as robust as they appear, and have become extinct over most of New Zealand. This has been attributed in part to predation by ferrets, stoats and dogs.

Dogs and birds don’t mix. But with some simple training (around 15 -20 minutes per dog) you can train your dogs to avoid kiwi and weka. Training will be delivered by qualified dog aversion specialist Lynne Maguire (wild4evakiwi.com) and will use a small electric shock to deter dogs from reacting to kiwi or weka carcasses, nest material or scent.

Within a year of the initial training, dogs are invited back to test for learned avoidance. If your dog shows an interest in the lure, it's re-trained and invited back for testing next year. It can take multiple training sessions before a dog consistently demonstrates avoidance.

When: Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September
Where: Hokitika – Goldsborough Campsite
To register email: fanderson@doc.govt.nz