Wee jolt keeps dogs away from kiwi

SNIFFING AROUND: Horse the dog takes an interest in the sight and scent of kiwi at Wanganui's Gordon Park Scenic Reserve.PHOTO/ LEWIS GARDNER 170814WCLGAVERSIONTRAINING1

About 20 pig dogs got a nasty shock when they showed an interest in the scent of kiwi yesterday.

Their owners had volunteered them for kiwi aversion training, which took place at Wanganui's Gordon Park Scenic Reserve. Pipiriki Conservation Department ranger Myles Gembitsky was giving the training and had 13 bookings from dog owners.

Some came from as far away as Bulls and Patea, and many had more than one dog.

"Most of the people who are coming along are pig hunters, because they're out [in the bush] a lot with their dogs," he said.

The dogs were fitted with special collars, through which Mr Gembitsky was able to give them a mild electric shock if they showed an interest in kiwi stationed at two points on the reserve's track. The first station had a stuffed kiwi, plus kiwi faeces taken from a burrow and a dead kiwi that was killed by dogs about six months ago in the Mangapurua Valley.

Kiwi have a strong and irresistible scent for dogs. Given an electric shock when they head for it, most of them will avoid taking any interest in kiwi for at least a year.

Horse didn't like the shock, and he gave the second kiwi station a wide berth.

His owner got a certificate to say he had been trained. Showing one is a requirement before taking dogs into some forests.

The first kiwi aversion training lasts a year. If the dog still shows an aversion 12 months later its certificate is extended for another two years.

The training is offered every six months in the Wanganui district. The only cost for dog owners is a gold coin donation to the BNZ Save the Kiwi Trust. Dogs are one of the commonest killers of adult kiwi. The flightless birds are quickly crushed by even the softest-mouthed dog.