You know, normally I am not a fan of the alpha roll, but I think in the case it could be appropriate. Presumably the dog is not afraid of the bird - its predatory instincts are out in full force, to the point of injuring the owner. The alpha roll says "I am your boss and I am very angry with you." Dogs really don't like being alpha rolled, so this degree of negative reinforcement might make sense here, since it is VERY important to you that the bird be safe.
The normal problem with the alpha roll is that the owner misinterprets fear-based behavior as aggression-based behavior (they can overlap). So if a dog is growling at strangers, punishing your dog may prove to it that indeed, bad things happen when strangers are around, and they ARE scary and dangerous. This will probably exacerbate the behavior you are trying to squelch.
Anyway, you don't HAVE to alpha roll your dog in this case, but I would be very, very strict. Make your dog lie down when you walk towards the cage, stay lying down when you open it, stay down when you pet the bird, etc.
__________________ If you love something, set it free. Unless it's an angry tiger. |