Gander Hates Bright Colors?

Goosebaby said:

Yeah I’ve noticed that too, pinning an aggressive gander doesn’t work as well as picking them up.

I think the reason is that when they’re getting pinned, you’re squatting down to their level, and you look smaller, and they actually think you’re an equal challenger and they could probably take you on if they had the chance.

Picking them up on the other hand rocks their whole world and snaps them out of whatever mindset they had, at least temporarily. It really demonstrates to them just how big and strong you are.

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The Dim Side said:

Ohhh, that makes sense! Though I guess maybe it doesn't rock their world as much as it probably does for others. They're kind of used to getting picked up. Sometimes they just don't always go to bed, and it's easier to carry them in. Or when it's been too cold that they don't want to stand up and just stay sitting in the snow, I'll carry them to bed or back into their pen (sometimes they free range), lol. But I hold them differently when they're not worked up. I kind of have to football the gander when he's rowdy to keep his wings closed and then have his head under my arm. It seems to calm him down more being more in a bound position though.

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The goose girl said:

My gander is getting feisty now, too. This is his fourth breeding season, and I've noticed it gets easier to be around him every year. I don't think his temperament is any less than what it was the first year, but I am getting better and better at handling it - both consciously and unconsciously. I'm much more fluent in The Language of Gander.

I now know his protectiveness increases, the closer he is to the nest. I know to let him stay between me and the goose, especially if I'm carrying something (like a bucket or a broom). I know to look for the little signs that he's starting to get riled up, and I stop and greet him and talk to him until he's calmer, and then I sloooowly continue what I'm doing. If he won't calm down, I reach out and ask him "Do you want me to pick you up?" - he very much does NOT want that, so he'll usually back away. And when he turns full gander on me, I know I can pick him up, carry him to the pond and dump him in it. It seems that physically removing him from the situation plus placing him in another element makes him forget what he was mad about. Also, for some reason he never tries to bite my face.

I'm not yet a certified gander whisperer, and I'm likely to get decorated with bruises like last year - he's already dealt me one good bruise on my forearm. But this year I'm hopefull I'll also have patches of regular arm among the bruises.

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The Dim Side said:

I've found it funny that my goose has just always seemed more protective of my gander. I'm not sure if he'll get more defensive of her, but she hates when anyone touches him (I like to give him hugs and kisses--when he's not in a bad mood now at least, lol). So she gets close and just yells a lot. She doesn't attack, but she's super loud and gets worked up, haha. Even sometimes just reaching toward him will start her yelling. I've tested it out where I reach for him and back up and get close to see what she does. She's a really good alarm for him!

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The goose girl said:

My gander is getting feisty now, too. This is his fourth breeding season, and I've noticed it gets easier to be around him every year. I don't think his temperament is any less than what it was the first year, but I am getting better and better at handling it - both consciously and unconsciously. I'm much more fluent in The Language of Gander.

I now know his protectiveness increases, the closer he is to the nest. I know to let him stay between me and the goose, especially if I'm carrying something (like a bucket or a broom). I know to look for the little signs that he's starting to get riled up, and I stop and greet him and talk to him until he's calmer, and then I sloooowly continue what I'm doing. If he won't calm down, I reach out and ask him "Do you want me to pick you up?" - he very much does NOT want that, so he'll usually back away. And when he turns full gander on me, I know I can pick him up, carry him to the pond and dump him in it. It seems that physically removing him from the situation plus placing him in another element makes him forget what he was mad about. Also, for some reason he never tries to bite my face.

I'm not yet a certified gander whisperer, and I'm likely to get decorated with bruises like last year - he's already dealt me one good bruise on my forearm. But this year I'm hopefull I'll also have patches of regular arm among the bruises.

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The Dim Side said:

Hey, all! My gander is about a year old (we estimated his birthday to be yesterday actually! He was around three weeks old when we got him last year), and he's definitely in mating season mode right now for the last month or so. He keeps mounting our other goose (and honking proudly afterward). But he's also just been more aggressive here and there. It's not constant, but he just gets in moods sometimes (at least toward us; with visitors, he always is distrustful now). I'm not sure if it's because of mating season or if he's just becoming more aggressive as he gets older.

But it seems like one thing that really sets him off is anything with bright colors. Like a blue plastic bag, a yellow broom, a pink wrist weight, and he'll attack them and anyone holding them, lol. Recently, I had a yellow purse, and they were both really terrified of it, which was very surprising. But that's what made me realize he might be attacking because of other colorful things. Does anyone else have experience with this? He didn't always used to do this with colors either. Thanks!

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The Dim Side said:

Actually, I think so. I was wearing a bright green shirt the other day, and I think he got a little aggressive then, too.

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