At what size and/or age do you allow pups to play out where there are hawks overhead?
I have large open play yards with hawks frequently soaring overhead. I don't want to take any risks but wonder if my 26 lb, 16 week old pup is old enough and large enough to go by himself in a 1/8 acre fenced area with hawks overhead.
I know a local wildlife expert convinced me that a great horned owl family took his family's 7 lb field Golden retriever pups when they were pottied at around 5 to 6 weeks of age.
Although eagles do go along the rivers and shore area of NJ, we don't think of eagles as being a bird of prey in our suburban town. Usually I just worry about our local Cooper's hawk and a couple others. All bets are off if you have an eagle visiting the area. Last month an eagle, rarely seen by local birders, was trying to get our Cavaliers, but they ran under the Labs. A cat bolted and the eagle took that instead, just carrying away an adult black cat with the adult Labs and my teen just a few feet away but on the other side of the hedge. Honestly, I see more wildlife 30 miles from New York City than I did living up on a farm. The cat, which not mine or it would have lived indoors, was around 10 lbs.
Of course, I just watched a documentary on Goshawks. The way they dive through trees and branches makes me think my wires are not going to do anything to prevent them from talking a small dog or older pup. The littles will have to be confined in a covered run if we can't stay out with them while they air. A hungry predator can always just make sushi out of the pup. The Cavaliers are 14.5 to 18 lbs. I think that there are threads on this forum about hawks and eagles where folks talk about them and the sizes of puppies.
We see a variety of eagles here including bald eagles. I was always told that bald eagles are "fishers" and will not pick up dogs/cats, etc. Well a co-worker was helping his family in MN take down a large/abandoned bald eagle nest on their property. He said there were at least 12-15 small dog collars complete with tags in it and this was by a large lake.
We have seen them pick up rabbits here. We do not live by large lakes or streams here and the animals will adapt their diets accordingly.
We put puppies under three months of age in covered ex-pens.
We also have bobcats, coyotes and cougers (occassionally are spotted) so we try to be very vigilent with all of our animals.
I would not have qualms about 30lb. 26 is on the light side. I have eagles. bald and golden fly South for winter over my property. Also have predatory cayotes. and bears who looking for that last meal before hibernation. I also live in bob cat area(not usually a threat), but there have been ,mountain lions spotted. They have gotten some sheep and a mini horse. I live about
4 miles from where Skylands hold their show in the fall. Nature is all around us just supervise you "wee" ones.
I have finally just stopped walking my keeper pup within my dog yard with a large rake in hand. Pup weighs 28 # & is now 14 weeks. We see a rare eagle way up in the sky, sometimes none seen for many months other times twice in a week.
This might be over or under done but it's what I'm comfortable with.
