Dog and New Dangerous Behavoirs.

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cattledogowner
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Apr 05, 2008 5:51 pm

Dog and New Dangerous Behavoirs.

Post by cattledogowner »

Hello, I have a one year old Australian Cattle Dog. Her name is Hannah and she's a wonderful dog. She's recently picked up some bad and dangerous behavoirs.

First of all, she has recently started chasing cars. She's an outside dog and has never had problems with vehicles passing the house. We're in the country so there's lots of tractors, 4-wheelers, etc. I'm afraid if she keeps doing this she'll get hurt or killed. I really don't want to have to keep her in a pen or on a chain for the rest of her life.

Also, she barks excesively at things such as a wheel barrow, weed-eater, lawn mower, etc. As long as it sits still and not moving she's fine, but as soon as you move it or make a noise with it she circles and barks. If you stop she stands there and looks from you to the object with her tail wagging and eyes wide and cheerful as if your fixing to through a ball or play tug-a-war. And things with tires she'll bite at the tires.

I'd really like some advice on how I could help this. I love her dearly and don't want her to get hurt. Thanks for putting aside time to read through this.
Me and my dogs
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 12:40 pm
Location: California

Post by Me and my dogs »

You have a dog that needs a job. I love the herders just for that reason.

In your case, you haven't given your dog a job so she's giving herself one.

You own one of the smartest breeds out there and you do NOT want to leave it up to her to figure out what to do to entertain herself. Better to put her smarts to good us vs the evil she could get into.

What training have you done with her and how often?

Here's just an example of one amazing cattle dog named Skidboot. I guarantee - it's the best you'll ever see!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYczb_I7QKk

or:

http://current.com/items/76417962_the_best_of_skidboot

Now in looking up info about old Skidboot I found out he'd passed away. I hadn't realized that. He was a wonderful dog and though he wasn't mine I feel like I have to go get some tissues now.

Please get you and your wonderful dog into some training and find out how the two of you can "work" together on a daily basis.

My last dog was a lab w/ border or cattle dog (or both) and her work was goofy obedience tricks, agility, frisbee, flyball and just stupid pet tricks (I'm sure she thought they were stupid human tricks). One trick was our trick where I told her "paws against the wall where I can see them" (you know, cop talk) and she'd go up w/ both paws and place them against a wall or a tree or in the air if I hadn't qued anything to touch. Then I'd shoot her (w/ two fingers of course) and she'd drop to the ground and play dead. All my cop friends hate that one - they say it's bad PR for them. Now I have my Akita/shep mix doing that trick.
The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience. ~Eleanore Roosevelt
Me and my dogs
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 12:40 pm
Location: California

Re: Dog and New Dangerous Behavoirs.

Post by Me and my dogs »

cattledogowner wrote:Hello, I have a one year old Australian Cattle Dog. Her name is Hannah and she's a wonderful dog. She's recently picked up some bad and dangerous behavoirs.

First of all, she has recently started chasing cars. She's an outside dog and has never had problems with vehicles passing the house. We're in the country so there's lots of tractors, 4-wheelers, etc. I'm afraid if she keeps doing this she'll get hurt or killed. I really don't want to have to keep her in a pen or on a chain for the rest of her life.

Also, she barks excesively at things such as a wheel barrow, weed-eater, lawn mower, etc. As long as it sits still and not moving she's fine, but as soon as you move it or make a noise with it she circles and barks. If you stop she stands there and looks from you to the object with her tail wagging and eyes wide and cheerful as if your fixing to through a ball or play tug-a-war. And things with tires she'll bite at the tires.

I'd really like some advice on how I could help this. I love her dearly and don't want her to get hurt. Thanks for putting aside time to read through this.
I'm sorry.

I just read part of your post again and I'm sitting here alternating between big smiles and laughing.

There isn't anything in your post that surprises me. Sounds like a very typical cattle dog (if you didn't want a barker you got the WRONG kind of dog!)

Now you just have to go to school so you can learn all the stuff she already knows so you can both be on the same page.

Sounds like she'd make a great herder. Here people are doing it for sport and there are plenty of places to train. I'm sure if you look it up you can find a place to go train too.

There's nothing prettier than watching one of these dogs do what it was bred to do.

Nothing.
The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience. ~Eleanore Roosevelt
cattledogowner
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Apr 05, 2008 5:51 pm

Post by cattledogowner »

Thanks. Well, she knows lots of tricks. She can sit, stay, come, shake, high five, lay down, beg, dance, stand and roll over. I've also taught her to play hide and seek. Also she's taught herself to open screen doors! She paws at it then when it pops open she sticks her head in and comes on inside the carport. She's really smart and stubborn which I know is a quality of the breed.

Her favorite activities are fetch and tug-o-war. I haven't been able to play with her recently since she's chewed up the last ball she had.

There's some cattle not too far from our house, but everytime we go there she acts big and bad until one turns and faces her which I though was strange of the breed. We're supposed to be getting goats soon and I though maybe I could teach her to herd them.

Well thanks for the reply. I really appreciate it.
Me and my dogs
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 12:40 pm
Location: California

Post by Me and my dogs »

Careful of how you introduce your dog to livestock - you don't want her getting kicked in the head.

Have you thought about hiding some of her things around your property for her to find? Stashing bones and favorite toys and some treats might keep her busy. Anytime she sees something moving, however, she may have an urge to chase... it's what they do!

I'm not sure where you are but I use something called a "Buster Cube" to keep my new girl busy w/ her breakfast each morning. I load her food up into it and she gets to push it around and tip it to get the kibble out. There's also an orange ball w/ one hole in it for the same purpose but she figured out how to make short work of that and get most of her kibble out w/ a few good shakes.

I've been thinking of taking her to try some herding.

This new girl to the pack is certainly part Border. That's clear.

The rest of her........ maybe pointer or other hound breed and maybe some kind of terrorist... I mean terrier... possibly fox terrier.

I arranged a herding demo at our last big shelter event just to meet this guy who is doing herding in our area. He came w/ his borders and cattle dogs and some ducks he caught fresh of his pond that morning.

It was a great demo w/ ducks that had never been herded before so it's not like they know the drill- it was all work between owner and dog.

Afterwards I talked to him and was trying to figure out how to word that I was afraid my dog might kill one of his geese while learning to herd. I hadn't quite gotten the words out when he smiled and said "You're afraid your dog will kill one of my geese?"

"uh... yeah."

He said not to worry and that's what all newbies worried about. I'm not sure of how it's done but he works w/ 'em to make sure it doesn't happen.

I wonder if there are any good dvd's on beginning herding?

Hmmmm....

off to go search the internet... I love Google ...........
The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience. ~Eleanore Roosevelt
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Mattie
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Post by Mattie »

Make your own tuggy toys out of fleece, preferably braided but if you can't braid, plaiting will do but it stretches more.

Put up an obstacle course, small jumps, things to go through and round like poles and every so often change the way it is set out and add new ones. This will help keep her occupied mentally as well as physically.
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emmabeth
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Post by emmabeth »

Just picking up something that springs out of your post... you cant play ball cos she ate her last one?

She needs more than one toy! Like you presumably have work/school, tv, computer, other people, various areas of your house, and free access to cinema, shops, bars, clubs etc all for your amusement...

And she has one toy?

Lots of toys, different toys, toys that she has to puzzle out (Icubes!, Kongs, Intellibones), toys to rag and toys to bounce and chase, toys to chew up.

Lots and lots of different toys, make sure you have three or four for each day and you can switch them round so she doesnt have the same ones each day (so say ten toys).

Get her obsessed with a special toy and use that special toy that she would KILL to have a game with, to distract her from chasing stuff.
agilitypassion92
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Joined: Sun May 18, 2008 2:07 am
Location: texas
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canine sports

Post by agilitypassion92 »

Me and My Dogs said "You have a dog that needs a job. I love the herders just for that reason."

shes definitely right

in choosing a herding breed and a typical fun and crazy lovable one such as a cattle dog you've chosen to fill your life with lots of action

try the canine sport of agility cattle dogs excell in it and love getting out to try new things if agility/the equipment is a bit too much cost wise try herding classes you can always take your dog to a herding trial after a while dogs enjoy getting out on the weekends like that herding lifestock may be a better job than herding a car

i hope that things work out and your dog doesnt get hurt reply back and let us know how its going good luck to you and your sweet dog
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