Kiwi Aversion Training for dogs

Whakatāne kiwi might be in your backyard or just off the trail – training your dog could save a kiwi’s life!  Kiwi aren’t like other birds – dogs find their strong musky smell particularly interesting.  And, without wing muscles to protect it, the kiwi’s chest structure is easily crushed in a dog’s mouth. It doesn’t take a huge hunting dog to kill a kiwi – even a playful or curious bite can damage a kiwi’s internal organs and result in death. Statistically, dogs are the main threat to adult kiwi.

With many of our breeding birds situated within one kilometre of Ōhope and Whakatāne, one loose dog could decimate the entire Whakatāne kiwi population. For example, in Northland between 1990 and 1995, dogs were responsible for 70% of all kiwi deaths in the region. Of the 135 birds killed over those five years, 29 were killed by family pets – some dogs were with their owners but off the lead, and others were roaming at night.

It only takes ten minutes to put your dog through kiwi aversion training, which is an effective way of deterring your dog from attacking kiwi. The Whakatāne Kiwi Trust organises regular training sessions throughout the Whakatāne District.  You can email us to be kept informed about future kiwi aversion training sessions.