Farm Dogs Deployed to Patrol Sydney Harbour and Combat Seagull Menace

On a sunny afternoon, hundreds of patrons sit at the bars and restaurants lining Sydney Harbour.

However, the seagulls are quick to swoop in, stealing a chip and ruining an otherwise pleasant moment.

Luckily at Circular Quay, Opera Bar and several other seagull hotspots, an unlikely crew provides a special kind of security.

A team of more than 30 farm dogs has been purposely trained to shoo seagulls.

The dogs can target one specific bird over another, growl or bark at them on command and sneak up on them between tables.

James Webb, who owns a dog walking business, spent several years perfecting a unique training regime to prepare the canines for the job.

He was originally approached by the Sydney Opera House team in 2018, who had already tried drones and resorted to serving food with wire covers.

They asked if he could train dogs to scare away seagulls, and he got to work.

"It's really become like a science, how we do it," he said.

Finding the right dog for the job

Mr Webb said there were a few key elements to training a successful working dog, the first of which comes down to breed.

For this job, he used herding dogs because their instinct was to chase the seagulls without wanting to hurt them.

However, it also came down to their personality.

"The reward is getting to chase the seagulls, so we get dogs that just love doing it and then we work backwards with training from there," he said.

Mr Webb has also learnt that just as the dogs can be trained, the seagulls also quickly learn where and when the dogs will appear.

To combat this, he teaches them how to creep up on seagulls.

"They have to not know where the dog is going to appear from."

They have been lovingly dubbed the 'seagull patrol', growing a following of more than 15,000 fans on social media.

Each dog works a maximum of one four-hour shift per week, spending the rest of the week at home with its owner.

And word of their effectiveness is spreading, with the patrol now working at up to five locations depending on the time of year.

'Seagull patrol' expands

Two recent additions to the roster are Melbourne's Federation Square and the new Sydney Fish Market.

When organising the market's move to its new waterfront home in Glebe, head of asset Tanya Lambert said a business case was made for hiring the dogs.

As well as selling wholesale seafood, the market has large outside dining areas and several high-end restaurants.

She said before seeing them in action, some members of her team were unsure if they would really keep the seagulls away.

"I think there was skepticism about whether they would be successful or a gimmick."

But feedback from restaurateurs had been "tremendous", with many telling Ms Lambert the dogs were very helpful.

Similarly, reviews from several customers eating lunch at the market last week were glowing.

Dina, a patron who recently visited the new site for the first time, noticed Tilly the Australian Shepherd growling at the seagulls.

"I was looking around thinking this is amazing, there's no seagulls trying to steal my chips," she said.

Fellow patron Peter, who visited the market to eat some grilled octopus, said Tilly had been very well-behaved.

"Fantastic job, I haven't got any signs of seagulls on me, I haven't seen one since I've been here," he said.

"Well done canines."