Will barking dogs scare PM's away?

[zoefluf]

I am beginning to worry about the placement of my PM housing. I placed it in the front of my house and that just happens to be where my doggie door is. I was hoping that this would help to deter predators like raccoons and snakes because my dogs are ever vigilant. But I have a Basset Hound, Buford, that just LOVES to bark.

I've seen a PM pair come every morning and go in and out of a gourd but they don't stay during the day. They just sort of visit. Now I am obsessing about whether or not the dog is bothering them. My husband thinks I am NUTS, but I want to do what's best for the PM's.

This is my first year so I am reading and learning and I just don't know all of the answers yet. Please help!

Also, since I haven't noticed the PM's staying overnight, is it a bad idea to turn the gourds around in a different direction. I only have one gourd with a round hole and that is the one that they are interested in, but it isn't on their entering flight path. Should I turn it in the direction that they usually fly in from or just leave it alone.?

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

I agree with your husband... ...Barking dogs don't bother the martins, they get used to them in a day or two..

[RC Moser]

In My Opinion (IMO) no! Unless the dog goes out the the houses and jumps up and down on the poles. I have a dog beside me that barks allot and my dog goes out under the PM house all the time and shes a little yapper. The PM look down with some concern, but rarely fly off.

[~Patrick~]

I don't think I would change the orientation of the gourd at this point. If they're showing any interest at all, the dog won't bother them but the gourd facing another direction might. Don't worry about obsessing. It appears to be the motivation to get you to read and learn all you can and that's a good thing. I have noisy dogs behind me that actually jumped at the martins on the house that was attached to their fence and they have nested successfully there for 4 years. I did move the house off the fence and into my yard this year. They occasionally fly off when the noisy dogs are out or when my own dog approaches the base of the pole, but they come right back. Once nesting starts, they'll be dive-bombing those canines and giving them what for...Good luck.

Patrick

[klcretired]

zoefluf,
In my opinion your dog won't scare off the martins, we have a cat that stays right under my PM housing and when the PM's fight and they fight all the way to the ground the cat is right there on top of it but the martins recover and continue this time after time after time and the cat is always there, also i have neighbor's that have Barking dogs both beside me and behind me ,they start barking everytime they hear my PM's but their barking doesn't make them fly off . I f you watch your martins closely you will see them sitting on your housing and suddenly like greased Lighting take off and then come back , I have been in my yard with everything quiet, the cat gone and observed this with nothing around to scare them and they do it anyway....so in answer to your question , you will be just fine w/ your barking dog.

[zoefluf]

Thanks everyone for the info.

I guess my husband can keep old Buford around a while longer.