Spring Wild Canada Geese Control

Spring Goose Control 

    Late February through March Canada Geese start to pair up for the spring and look for ideal nesting properties.  Canada Geese are monogamous and mate for life.  This is the time of year when pairs of Canada geese either return to their place of nesting from previous years or look for a new place.   More times than not they will return to the same general area to nest. They may not nest in the exact same location but they will nest on the same lakes, ponds, parking lots etc..

    Why are Canada geese so habitual when selecting a nesting spot?  We believe, and according to the experts, it has to do with familiarity and safety.  Geese who have had successful hatches are imprinted to believe that they found a good spot free of predators, hunters and disturbances. In essence, they have found a good neighborhood to live and raise their young.

    On the contrary, geese that have had unsuccessful hatches are unlikely to return to that place because it is a bad neighborhood for one reason or another.  Given the choice, geese will nest where there is less pressure from predators and human intervention.  This is why our Nest and Egg Depredation Program is so successful.

    Spring goose control is so important to our  Nuisance Geese Management Program.  Without spring goose control the population of wild geese will continue to grow and flourish. Our humane methods of hazing wild geese with our goose dogs, and other proprietary methods, ensure that when geese leave they know they are leaving an area not conducive to nesting or raising their young.  These wild geese find themselves being chased off lawns, into water, then once in the water, chased out by one of our dogs.  This is too much pressure for them.  The geese leave to find another home where they can roost, nest and raise their young in peace. The loss of  a nest by a wild Canada goose pair, can lead to them leaving town and flying all the way back to the Arctic.

    Recent study, discussed here, in National Geographic,  found more than half the resident geese tracked during a satellite-monitoring project, migrated to Canada when their nests failed. Another study found that 44 percent of geese in New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont headed north when they had no young to care for.

    Researchers tracked one female goose who nested every year in front of the same Toronto office building until it lost its clutch of eggs. Then, it flew to extreme northern Québec, on the fringes of the Arctic. “If it hadn’t lost its nest, it would have stayed in the plaza outside of shipping and receiving all summer,” researchers reported. 

   If you are tired of having Canada geese on your lawn, in your pond, lake or at your place of business all spring and summer, you have to stop the spring cycle of nesting and the fall cycle of pond hopping and roosting by migratory and resident geese.  Resident geese that find your property to their liking in the fall will be sure to return in the spring.

    Rescue Me Goose Chasing employees use all the Certified Goose Management training we received at the National Wildlife Control Operators Association (NWCOA) and our experience to Get Rid of Geese...FAST!  

Call Us for a free consultation  630-926-8962

www.rmgoosechasing.com

   

What's with all the Canada Geese?

Seemingly every year the Canada goose population rises. 

Why are there so many Canada geese now versus thirty or forty years ago?

    Canada geese were almost eradicated by hunting, egg gathering and the draining of wetlands in the early 1900's. The government stepped in and Federally protected them in 1918. They were also raised in captivity by a Waterfowl Research Supervisor named Forrest B. Lee, also known as Father Goose, and spread throughout the U.S. to increase their population in the early 1960's. In January 1962, Forrest had been studying a flock of large Canada geese on Silver Lake at Rochester, Minn., and invited waterfowl experts in for trapping and further examination. The Silver Lake flock turned out to be Branta Canadensis Maxima, the Giant Canada Goose, a species long thought to be extinct. As it turned out, the species was not extinct and additional small populations would also surface later.

    In 1964, the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center was built near Jamestown. Its first director, Harvey K. Nelson, talked Forrest into leaving Minnesota and in 1965, the family moved to Jamestown. Forrest would head the center’s Canada goose production and restoration program. Forrest soon had 64 pens with 64 breeding pairs of screened, high-quality birds. Forrest worked long days, seven day a week and often stayed overnight at the propagation building if it was needed. This large Canada goose production project involved private, state and federal resources and relied on the expertise and cooperation of many individuals. Forrest even worked with scientists in Japan and Russia.  By the end of 1981, more than 6,000 giant Canada geese had been released at 83 sites in 26 counties in North Dakota. 1.

    In one year those 6,000 geese or 3,000 pairs could reproduce an average of 6 goslings. That's 18,000 more Canada geese! With those eighteen thousand pair up and along with the original 6,000 they could produce another 72,000 the following year.  It is easy to see why the Canada goose has become a nuisance not only in the United States and Canada but world wide.  Their survival rate and proliferation is astounding.

    Individual state Departments of Natural Resources have tried to control the goose population through hunting.  Some have extended the goose hunting season or increased bag limits. None of this seems to be working.  To make matters more difficult, us humans have created very nice areas for Canada geese to nest, roost and eat.  We have put in very attractive neighborhoods, golf courses and corporate centers with retention ponds, detention ponds and decorative ponds.  All surrounded by their favorite food, lush, fertilized green grass.  To make it even more attractive to these nuisance geese, there is a lack of a natural predator in these areas. The geese can go about their business without a worry.

   People have become so accustomed to seeing them. Geese have become welcome guests by nature starved city dwellers.  Some people have taken to feeding and claiming them as their own.   Many resident geese no longer have a fear of people and have become friendly.  This is where human and geese conflicts arise. Friendly geese become aggressive and territorial during nesting season. Suddenly what was a good idea in the fall has become a horrible idea in the spring.

    Waterfowl professionals have said that if you were to take any giant Canada goose in existence today, you could trace it's bloodlines back to an egg that Forrest placed in an incubator or a gosling he held in his hand.  It is incredible what started out as a project to save a species of geese has turned into a world wide problem.  I often wonder if Forrest was alive today what he would think of what has happened. Would he do something different?

    In the meantime we are considering names for our next two goose dogs. I think one should be named Forrest and the other Lee.

www.rmgoosechasing.com

1. Bismark Tribune

What will Canada Geese Remember Next Year About Your Property?

  It is that time of year when the morning sunrises and evening sunsets are met with flying flocks of Canada Geese honking overhead.  Ah the sights and sounds of autumn. These flocks often head to familiar places where they safely stopped the year before to graze, rest and roost for days before gaining enough energy and fuel to fly on further south.  The sight of a flock of geese on a soccer field, golf course fairway or backyard is a signal to other migrating flocks that it is safe here to land.  This is why hunters use decoys to great success.  It is a calling card to others.

   A well planned fall goose control program can stop this cycle of migrating geese landing on your property.   Our Certified Goose Management programs put predatory pressure on migrating geese.  They will learn that your property has a very live and active predator on it.  This intimidates the migrating geese to move on and find somewhere else this year and next to rest, roost and eat.  It is very effective because we do not let our dogs stop until the geese are gone.  If the geese run to the pond or lake on your property we will continue our efforts there.  Our dogs will swim after them.  
   
    Our swimming goose chasing dogs are a game changer!  Geese see water as a safe place to go. Typically, a fox, coyote or even a wolf will not swim after geese.  This is why they always fly to the nearest body of water for safety.  But when our dogs get in the water and start swimming after them, the heads start bobbing and they start their distress honks.  It does not take long before they are gone.  Migrating geese are also much more sensitive to a dog's pressure. 
   
 Local or resident geese see people walking their dogs quite often.  Most of the time on a leash.  This gives the resident geese a false sense of security.  Our dogs usually can get much closer to resident geese than migratory geese for this reason.  Most geese coming down from the Canadian tundra see predators often that have dinner on their minds.  These geese do not take chances and give predators and our dogs a wide berth.  

We can stop the cycle of migratory geese in the fall visiting your property with our Certified Techniques, our highly trained dogs (that swim), and a few proprietary methods.  We can put an end to the droppings and the mess the geese make.  If you would like to reclaim your property and improve your lawn, school yard, soccer field etc.  Give us a call.  We would be glad to help.  

Next fall, what will the geese remember about your property? Is it a safe place or not for them to stop?

    

 Click here to learn more about Rescue Me Goose Chasing:

http://www.rmgoosechasing.com/Services.html

Canine Goose Control - How does it work?

       Our goose control business puts us in a position where we are often working where other people are out enjoying their day.  Like us, they are enjoying the outdoors. They are often walking their dog, riding their bikes, fishing or just out for a stroll with their kids.  Being able to enjoy the outdoors with our Aussies is something we love to do and why we enjoy doing our jobs so much.  Often, we are asked what we are doing and why we are doing it.  Then, without hesitation, most people will offer up a reason why canine goose control works.  Most of the time they are wrong.

    Some of those reasons are funny, others do not make sense. These are some of the more amusing ones:

1.) By walking around with our dogs we leave a scent for the geese that makes them leave.
2.) Once your dog catches a goose no more come back.
3.) So once your dog poops, the geese do not like the smell and leave.
4.) Geese do not like dog urine.
5.) S the geese know when you are coming.


   Most people are amused and a bit confused when I tell them why it works. Usually their eyes squint, their head tilts and they look a little sideways at me.  Then I explain.

    For Canada geese, it is all about survival.   Geese see our dogs as a natural predator like the fox or coyote that has hunted them for decades.  The presence of a predator in their neighborhood makes it unsafe for them to stay.  That's what our canine service does. We use our highly trained dogs to put predatory pressure on the geese so they feel unsafe and leave.  
    Geese are very family oriented. They choose a partner and mate for life. Often if one dies, the other will die shortly after. If a mate is shot down or injured the other will stay on the ground with it.  If goslings are orphaned, another family will gladly accept them into their flock and raise them all.  We have all seen pictures of the protective geese in the spring attacking people when they get too close to a nest.

    So when a predator finds its way onto a property that is inhabited by these very protective, family oriented waterfowl the geese have to choose between fight or flight.  Geese have wings so they choose to fly somewhere they have not seen a predator.  It is a pretty simple principle. But when you stop to think about it, who wants to raise their family in a threatening and dangerous neighborhood?  Nobody, if they have a choice.  Geese have a lot of choices in today's urban environment.

    In fact, it is well known that geese will visit up to 5 different properties a day. Maybe they are keeping their options open.  But more than likely they are probably enjoying areas that are predator free that offer them nicely mowed and fertilized green grass and water.

   Some people ask why we use Australian Shepherds and not some other breed.  Any dog can be trained to chase geese. We network with companies across the U.S that use Weimaraners, Labradors, Terriers, Cockers and Border Collies.  The breeds in the herding group have a natural instinct to herd and protect their stock.  This makes them ideal for goose control.  Other breeds can be trained to chase geese and return to their handler but it may not be as easy. But people use them, because, as dog owners, we all love a certain breed.

    To us, Australian shepherds are more than a dog and suit our life style, our way of training and what we want to do with our dogs perfectly.  Aussies are loyal companions and have the stamina to work all day.  We love their medium size and their coloring that offers a wide variety and individuality. They are very attentive to their handlers, a bit animated and very agile.

   So it is, with these medium sized, athletic and colorful dogs that we put predatory pressure on geese.  The very family oriented, protective Canada geese feel threatened, unsafe and decide to leave to roost, eat and swim elsewhere.  Now if I can only get that out of my mouth before someone says, the geese leave because your dogs stink, right?

CLICK Here to read more about us!

Certified Goose Control is a War of Attrition

      

    Back a number of years ago when I became interested in starting a goose control company I had the pleasure of being introduced to Pete Rizzo of Hudson Valley Wild Goose Chasers out of New Jersey.   Pete was very generous with his time and spent a lot of time explaining the business side of things to me.  When it came time to discuss the goose control side of things he talked to me about work ethic and effort.

    This seemed like common sense to me. However, Pete drove this thought home with both passion and warning. The phrase that stood out the most to me was "Goose Control is a war of attrition, and I always win".   Not until I secured my first account did I actually know what he meant.  Our initial account had a large goose problem. Geese droppings surrounded this upscale retirement/assisted living complex. The property is about 10 acres with a pond, several buildings and next to a high school soccer and baseball field.  

    Putting predatory pressure on geese with a dog is relatively easy. We give our dogs a command, they run out to the geese and return when they fly off.  However, geese are not dumb. They are actually very smart. It is not easy to predict what they will do. They will test a dog to see how far he will run and how persistent he is. Sometimes geese will only fly about 25 yards away and wait to see if the dog continues the chase.  In large open areas I have seen geese do this 3 to 4 times before they finally get the message and leave the area completely.  Geese will also fly, or if close, run to the nearest body of water for safety. Depending on the size of the body of water, we can employ several different tactics.  Our options are swim dogs, RC Boats, John boats, Bird Bangers and high powered lasers.  Geese will then fly or move from one side of a lake to the other and back again.  Hence the chasing part of the business.

    It is up to the handler to properly direct the dog and use his or her other goose control methods to convince the geese they should go elsewhere.  This quite frequently takes 5 minutes or in some cases 50 minutes.  This is where the "war of attrition" comes in to play.  This is where we have set ourselves apart from other goose control companies.  

    This year we were hired to take over an account from a large goose control chain.  The reason the Park District decided to look elsewhere was because there were 20 geese this company could not get rid of even though they had addled 6 to 8 nests every year and hazed geese every day. This is a 15 acre lake with 40 homes around it.

Surveying the area for bidding purposes, we found a lot of goose droppings, ALL OVER! In yards, on the beach, on piers, on a basketball court and on paths.  It looked like they had no goose control. Yet they were paying a very reputable company good money for a service and not getting a whole lot in return. 

These geese were making themselves at home.( pictured below)

  After sharing our references with the Park District and our pricing, they took a chance on us because and I quote " Things are getting pretty stale with this other company and we are not seeing the results."   

    It took us about a week to get rid of most of the geese. Then, another week to convince the others it was time to go.  It took a lot of effort and work in those two weeks. We chased geese from bank to bank, from beach to yard and back again. We chased in the morning we chased in the afternoon and we chased them at night.  We chased these stubborn geese with RC boats, with our dogs swimming after them, with dogs running after them and staring them down.  It was a "war of attrition" we did not and would not lose. (Thanks Pete!) 

    Through the spring we were complimented on our work by many residents. We heard comments like, "Best ever", "What did you do with the Geese?", " You are doing a good job".  We would occasionally even get the Thumbs Up by passersby.

    Not long after servicing the account, I saw an ad for one of these high volume goose control companies for help. The ad requested people who had good driving records and loved working with animals.  Really?  Both are necessary but how about employees who have a good work ethic, are self driven, know how to work a dog, have a desire to reduce human and wildlife conflicts,  and do not like to lose.  I think this is where we shine. We work and work hard with our dogs.  Higher volume goose control companies set up people that have good driving records with a dog and instruct them to visit a lot of accounts every day. This is why we won this account and will continue to win more. It is a war of attrition, we will not lose! We take the time to service accounts properly because we are not on a time schedule and take it personally when geese show up on one of our accounts. Our hard work, CERTIFIED Goose Management training at the National Wildlife Control Operators Association and our love of what we do with our Australian Shepherds sets us apart.

    One other thing, our goose control methods were so effective we did not have to addle any eggs or destroy any nests. The geese found out that our handlers and dogs would not quit until they left for good. For 6 to 8 pairs of geese to nest there year after year previously, they had to feel pretty comfortable that the lake they chose was  a nice safe place to  raise their young. Not any more. This community will be enjoying a goose free summer thanks to the efforts of Rescue Me Goose Chasing, Canine Goose Control. We Get Rid of Geese .  .  .  FAST!

Rescue Me Goose Chasing Company Video

This is our first white board type video.  We used a free 7 day trial of VideoScribe to produce it. It is fairly intuitive and easy to navigate around. Importing pictures is easy. It took a couple tries to produce it in a way that it flowed nice from screen to screen but we managed.

I like the way we were able to use it to explain what we do and how it works.

Please give it a watch and tell us what you think.

Thanks,

Your RMGC Team!

Goose Control White Board

    To us, and our dogs, the goose control business seems second nature.  But it only seems that way because we put in a lot of hard work, training and education.  How it works is not always easy to explain.  It is probably the number one question we get when we first visit a client's property and meet them.

    Usually their second question is, "How do you make it look so easy?! We have been trying to get rid of them for years."

    This is where I usually launch into my hyper information overload mode and try to explain everything under the sun about goose control, herding dogs, ducks and sheep :-) .   About 30 seconds in, I can see the glazed look in the listeners eyes telling me I have gone too far.

    Well no more!

Follow the link below to our new RMGC Explainer video!

Watch and leave us your comments.

Thanks!

The RMGC Team


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW0ySi_V33I

Goose Control Product Reviews.

  Through the course of our client dealings, we have found that people try to get rid of geese on their properties on their own.  Clients say that they have tried this or that and it did not work to get rid of the geese.  Sometimes the reason what they tried did not work was a result of not using 'it' properly or using something that boasts false or unsubstantiated claims.

  So we will be reviewing some goose control products that are on the market.  We will let you know how to properly use them, what to expect and how well they work.

Stay tuned for our Product reviews.

Our first review is regarding dog cut outs, 3D fake coyotes and cardboard coyotes as pictured below.
We get calls from people who have tried these fakes to no avail.  They have mean looks, glaring stares or in some cases, just a black shadow with an id tag.

The reason they do not work is because they are stationary. Geese are smart and are not fooled by imitations of a real working dog.  Initially geese may be wary. But eventually they learn that the figure on the lawn does not move when they land or react when they fly above.



Here a gosling is not old enough to realize what a threat is. So when it walks up to an effigy and the effigy does not move, it tells the adult geese it is safe.  There's no fear plastic dog is here!
Another good example is of very protective adult geese with their goslings feeding next to these effigies. We see these driving around our route all the time.

Left:  This customer called and had a pair of aggressive geese chasing employees going to and from work.  Unfortunately the cardboard coyote could not chase the geese! These geese even nested on the roof above.  The male goose is shown here attacking his reflection in the window. He was more concerned about his reflection as a threat to his survival than the cardboard coyote.

Right:  Here is picture from Maverick Detection Services. This is a black cut out of a German Shepherd. It has a very scary ID tag on it.  The many geese surrounding him are wondering why he is there and why his owner has not claimed him. Hopefully he has a chip implanted so he can go back into storage.

There are countless images like this we could post from our experience and others.  Most people spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on various products that do not work prior to calling us to get the geese out.  Once our customers see our goose control dogs in action they say, "Well that was easy!"  Well it is easy because the geese fear for their safety and lives. It is a natural instinct to survive and stay where it is safe.  Once geese realize their on unsafe grounds, they will move somewhere else. We call this putting predatory pressure on the geese.

Our methods are safe, proven and quickly effective. Nothing beats the look and fear of a real predator on your property to get rid of geese.  Our methods are PeTA and HSUS approved and endorsed.  We are Certified Goose Management Professionals and members of the Wildlife Control Operators Association.  We use highly trained Australian Shepherds to put pressure on geese to leave.

CLICK here to read more about us!

The Start of RMGC

  My experience with Comet over the year I had him was educational, frustrating and sad.  I learned an enormous amount about training a fearful dog. I learned a lot about a dog's body language and the different signals a dog will give before he or she lashes out.  Over the years I think quite a bit about him and the relationship we had. He was devoted to me but only me in our home and out. He was a one person dog. The rescue felt he would do better in a single person home with no kids.   We spent an enormous amount of time together on walks, running errands in the car and at training lessons.  He loved the Walky Dog.  It is a snap on attachment to a bike with a spring loaded leash on it. Actually a neat idea. It keeps your dog a good distance from your bike and he can run along side you.  Comet would just run as fast as he could for about 3/4 of a mile.  He had such a strong prey instinct he would pull me as fast as he legs could go when cars past by trying to catch them.

    On occasional walks we would come across a flock of geese around a small pond near our home.  It is a half completed subdivision so there were times there were geese and no people.  Comet had a good recall so I could let him go and he would run out chase the geese away and return.  At the time I though nothing more of it than a way for him to expend some of his Aussie energy.  It was a game he seemed to enjoy and I got a rush watching him do it.  Upon the return of Comet to the Aussie Rescue, they felt that I had done so much for him that they would allow me to adopt another dog, should I desire, in the future at no cost.

Cosmo

   I guess it was the following January that I got the Aussie bug again. Cosmo was a cute Red tri Aussie we discovered and decided to adopt. After a year of obedience training and Comso's excellent recall, we began the game again of chasing geese off a local property for fun.  People would routinely ask us to chase geese from their yards when they saw us walking by as they had seen Cosmo do his thing for fun.

  It was by chance I had mentioned this to a friend of mine who replied that his brother in law uses dogs to  get rid of nuisance Canada geese on the east coast.  His name is Pete Rizzo and his company Hudson Valley Wild Goose Chasers  was doing quite well. After a few informative phone calls with Pete I felt Cosmo was a good fit to be a goose chasing dog.  So it was often that we would visit this neighborhood property to test and hone our goose chasing techniques.  We could not do it too often because the geese would leave and not come back.  So Cosmo and I would set up a routine where we could visit enough to practice but not enough to lose our training geese.  We took sheep herding lessons to fine tune our skills and commands. Soon the geese caught on to us and left. That is when we started looking for other areas to practice that had geese.

    It was in the fall of 2011 that I decided to make the leap and start a goose control company. We chose the name Rescue Me Goose Chasing.  It has a couple meanings. The firs is that we are using Cosmo, a rescue dog, to start with. Second, we are rescuing people and places from the nuisance geese that are ruining their grass, curb appeal and outdoor experience.

Getting started

    Today we are starting our blog.

    We intend to post stories about our dogs, their training, our adventures goose chasing, and encounters with geese and nature.  We will post miscellaneous information about how we care for our dogs and what products we use to keep them in good condition.
 
    I started Rescue Me Goose Chasing because of a rescue dog I adopted years ago. I was interested in adopting a dog that was capable of running with me on my training runs.  I had been training for marathons with our German Shepherd but age was catching up with him and long miles were no longer possible. Actually and sadly running was no longer possible for him.  Zander was a long hair Shepherd.  During his prime he was able to run 15 miles with me.

Zander

   I researched breeds and their different attributes. I decided an Australian Shepherd was the ideal candidate for me as a canine training partner.  I had contacted a local Aussie rescue. They told me I had to pass a three stage process. The first step was filling out an application complete with references. Second was getting approved by a home visit from one of their volunteers and then finally approval to adopt the dog I would request by the foster parents. The application was sent and a date was set for the in home approval meeting.
   When the Aussie Rescue volunteer came to our home she was also in possession of a young Aussie, Comet, she was transporting to Wisconsin.  I told her to let him out so he could stretch his legs and relieve himself. Out popped this nice looking red bi pup. He was mostly a deep reddish brown with some white on his collar and feet.  We took him into our yard where he ran about while my daughter and Stephanie's son got acquainted and played in the yard.  After watching this guy for about 15 minutes I had started thinking this could be the the right dog.  The volunteer asked me several questions about how we care for our current dog, who would be home and how often and several other questions regarding what our intentions were with an additional dog.   Within an hour of arriving they were loaded up and on the road to bring Comet to a foster home in Wisconsin.
    There was something about this pup that struck me. He was about 6 months old, had personality and seemed well adjusted.  He weighed on my mind heavily for the next hour.  I decided I needed to call the rescue and find out what it would take for me to adopt Comet.  She explained that he needed to spend a couple weeks with a foster family so they could get to know him and decide if he was a good fit.  Talk about a nerve wracking time.

Comet

Well two weeks later we were told by the rescue that Comet would be ours if we still wanted him!  He was being fostered about 4 hours away from us in Wisconsin so this meant a family road trip was in order.  My wife Lisa and daughters Christina and  Brianna accompanied us on the trip.  I remember it being a nice summer day, not too hot and not to humid.  It was an easy trip and the 4 hours went by fast.   An older couple that had 2 Aussies were fostering him and they were kind enough to send me almost daily updates about Comet; his personality, habits and attitude. Everything, seemingly, was great with him.
    Upon arrival at the foster home we were greeted and welcomed in. Comet was in the yard playing. Actually he was chasing flying insects and not paying any attention to us.  The other two Aussies greeted us kindly and allowed us to pet them.  We called Comet to greet him but he seemed intent on catching whatever was flying around the yard.  Brianna, our youngest daughter, who was six at the time tried catching him but he did not show any interest in her.  We discussed Comet with the foster parents trying to gain as much information as possible.   After being reassured that he was OK with kids based on their experience, we proceeded back into the home to finish up the rescue paper work, pay the rescue and get his veterinary records.  It was about this point that Bri bent to give  him a treat and he lunged at her.  It startled us all!  The fosters said they had never seen this out of him before and were surprised since he was so good with their grandchildren.
    After quite a bit of thought and discussion with Lisa we decided to adopt Comet based on the assurances of his foster parents that his actions were out of the ordinary.  Possibly due to us being new to him.
    Well needless to say things did not work out well.  It took a few weeks but after getting Comet evaluated by a trained professional dog trainer, he was diagnosed with having fear aggression.  If you have never had a dog with fear aggression I can tell you it is a very nerve racking situation.  You feel out of control and always on the look out for an outburst.  After several training sessions with our dog trainer, I was taught the signs of a nervous and fearful dog and what he looks like prior to an outburst.  Comet and I went to a dog trainer for the better part of a year. ( As a side note and in hindsight I should have done my due diligence on the rescue. After confronting the rescue with Comet's fear aggression issue, they confessed that the fosters were new and he was not properly evaluated.)
   Comet would not allow strangers to approach him at first.  But after about 6 months he accepted treats from strangers.  We were buddies though. He only trusted me. No one else could sit by me when he did.  If Bri would come to sit by me he would growl at her.  Kids could not run in Comet's presence. He would go crazy and try to bite them.  He had some talent. He could run down a frisbee and jump and catch it from almost any angle. He could stand at the base of our 4' deck to our pool and jump up on it in a flash. He would do it to try and catch Bri before she jumped in.  She would tease him in this manner and it was only a matter of time before he caught her in the butt with a nip.
   Comet had come along way.  However, we never felt comfortable ever leaving him alone with Brianna or other children.  It did create tension in our home.  If guests came over I would have to keep him leashed and lead him around the house for fear of an attack.  My brother-in-law is an animated guy. He is friendly and outgoing.  This bothered Comet and he would often lash out at him and others with barking. lunging and gritted teeth.
     Lisa and I discussed at length our ability to keep Comet and decided we had to return him to the rescue.  He was not a good fit and may do better in a home without kids.  It was tough. I had spent the better part of a year training him, learning his fears, behaviors and tendencies.  I knew though that there had to be somewhere or someone better that could handle him.
   The next day I made the call to the rescue.  I explained the situation and the outcome.  I had been keeping the rescue up to date on all our training and his progress.  They were willing to take him back and said they had someone in mind.  So it was with a heavy heart we returned Comet.  In a kind gesture the rescue said they would allow me to adopt another dog based on my experience and training.   I told them thanks but it may take some time.
    Well time heals all wounds and it would be the following January we would adopt our second Aussie, Cosmo.