Cattle dogs are smart...and stubborn. Benji loves to pull on the leash and basically nothing I do stops him from pulling! The much-praised book I have "The Art of Raising a Puppy" tells me to turn around and walk the other. Not only do I look ridiculous in public doing this, but it doesn't work! I find that book a load of bullshit anyways. Sometimes I just stand still and make him do "Sit." I also do this when he jumps at me in the park. But...he doesn't do "sit" outside, only inside.
Of course, this infuriates me. As does his biting. He likes to jump up and bite the hand. We got him a muzzle but he only wears it in the house to prohibit barking (probably for 30 minutes at the most). It's a soft, mesh muzzle. I hate it when he bites and jumps. I think it is dangerous and his WORST behaviour. I immediately left the dog park and went home. He has not had a good day by any means.
We have been working on so many things with him like leaving him in the house alone (successful with muzzle) and "stay" but I haven't found a measure that works when it comes to 'no jumping" and "no biting". He also barks and nothing helps. So, we need a muzzle. I'm looking forward to his obedience classes he is starting in April. I think the trainer can help correct a lot of these behaviours since he obviously has a lot more experience than me with dogs. I just hope he can correct his biting, jumping, barking and leash-pulling and teach him recall! If he does that--I can handle the rest!
Benji was switched on Orijen Puppy Food (from Royal Canin) and it's said to be a MUCH more superior food. The #1 dog food in Canada, apparently. I'm glad it's more nutritious for Benji. But the kibble is WAY too hard and he's been very gassy. His gas is enough to kill a large cow, I'm sure. It stinks! And his poop stinks too. He is still getting used to Orijen so I hope after a month or two, he isn't as gassy and his fur will shine and look great!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Cattle Dogs are Just Different
A lot of online websites with ACD dog owners telling me their tales helps me realize my Australian cattle dog is normal and his behaviour is the regular behaviour of a ACD puppy. It is a HUGE relief to find out I'm on the right track and I'm not a hopeless dog owner. My dog breed is known for biting, barking and jumping and there isn't much I can do about it except give him commands. He is going to do it, and I just have to deter him.
Is there such thing as a well-behaved ACD dog? I don't know....I know if you work them hard enough and their exhausted their good for a time...:)
But I'm not giving up on Benji just because of his dog breed. It's going to take a lot more than that! I am glad to find that reading herding dog specific training helps me find methods to deal with him, train him and spend money on things that keep him stimulated mentally and physically.
Is there such thing as a well-behaved ACD dog? I don't know....I know if you work them hard enough and their exhausted their good for a time...:)
But I'm not giving up on Benji just because of his dog breed. It's going to take a lot more than that! I am glad to find that reading herding dog specific training helps me find methods to deal with him, train him and spend money on things that keep him stimulated mentally and physically.
A Tired Dog is a Good Dog
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| BENJI TRYING TO FIND SOMETHING TO PUT IN HIS MOUTH, AS USUAL. |
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| BENJI RED FUR GETTING LIGHTER |
And strangely enough, he's getting cuter as he gets older. His fur has lightened to white and red. When he was 7 weeks old, he had dark brown, red and white fur. Well most of the brown has disappeared and his fur is getting longer and silkier!
With 2 daily 20-40 minute walks every day, managing my 10 week old cattle dog has been easier. MUCH easier. Now with sunshine and warmer weather, it's actually become pleasant! I have yet to work on his separation anxiety and my annoying neighbours are very rigid about his barking...sending me text messages instantaneously....but I like to look at it from the positive: I have a house trained, cute puppy!
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| BENJI IN THE BACKYARD, EXPLORING. 10 WEEKS OLD. |
Monday, March 14, 2011
Cattle dog in the City
I take it into offense when websites say cattle dogs should not live in the city. It means all city people cannot adequately provide a proper lifestyle for the busy, intelligent breed which I think is incorrect. You don't need to live in the suburbs or in a rural part of town for working breed, high-energy dogs. There are large scores of these dogs living in the city happily.
Why? Because perhaps these websites don't realize people in the city aren't all couch potatoes. They go jogging in the morning and or at night, they live near expansive parks with lots of green space and a ravine or a nice path. They like to spend their time hiking, fishing, camping, skiing, snowboarding--and can bring their dog along. Sure, their might not be a large hill to run up on in the farm but the city offers a lot of wonderful green space for dogs and active dog owners.
In my city alone, there is the largest park High Park (with free parking!) and I'm only about 10 minutes away by car, and a whopping 399 acres. There is the beautiful West Ravine nature trail with hilly paths and trees and dirt galore (and a nice river!). Plus, it's off the beaten path so it's quiet and serene. The Rouge Valley Park has a lot of scenic wildlife that is rare to see in an urban setting and is one of the largest parks in North America. They have rare birds, foxes, coyotes, geese and swan and hiking trails. There is dozens more but these are some of Toronto's great green spaces that honestly, feel like you're in a jungle--not a city.
And furthermore, just because somebody lives in a city doesn't mean they do not leave the city. What about winter skiing and snowboarding? And summer camping? From May 24 (Victoria Day) onward, we are camping! We have our equipment and I know Benji is going to love up North where he can run around, swim and be free. So with regular trips up North and in humungous city green spots which a dog can access every DAY....why wouldn't a dog be suited for city life? Not to mention I live near 5 smaller parks, two of them dog parks with fenced in dog areas and live in a quiet residential area in the city---not a loud area with lots of people and cars. I think Benji loves being here and is suitable to life here, and that websites should taken into consideration the fact many cities have tons of green space, hiking trails and if you live near one, your dog should be well-exercised and happy! So when he returns home, he's ready to rest at his owner's feet and play fetch!
Why? Because perhaps these websites don't realize people in the city aren't all couch potatoes. They go jogging in the morning and or at night, they live near expansive parks with lots of green space and a ravine or a nice path. They like to spend their time hiking, fishing, camping, skiing, snowboarding--and can bring their dog along. Sure, their might not be a large hill to run up on in the farm but the city offers a lot of wonderful green space for dogs and active dog owners.
In my city alone, there is the largest park High Park (with free parking!) and I'm only about 10 minutes away by car, and a whopping 399 acres. There is the beautiful West Ravine nature trail with hilly paths and trees and dirt galore (and a nice river!). Plus, it's off the beaten path so it's quiet and serene. The Rouge Valley Park has a lot of scenic wildlife that is rare to see in an urban setting and is one of the largest parks in North America. They have rare birds, foxes, coyotes, geese and swan and hiking trails. There is dozens more but these are some of Toronto's great green spaces that honestly, feel like you're in a jungle--not a city.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Benji, Apartment Cattle Dog
A red heeler in an apartment is not an easy feat. We live in an apartment that is part of a house so we have the backyard and luckily don't need to fly down a whole bunch of stairs every time he needs to go eliminate. Still, our living quarters is small--under 700 square feet and that poses some issues with an energetic, working herding dog. And no, Benji is not the calm, sweet exception---he's the rule.
Good thing for Benji and our sanity, we live near 5 parks and I have decided he will need 3 hours of exercise a day to cope with living in a small space plus a "job" like agility when he is 6 months old. Until then, 2 walks a day should suffice plus "fetch". Benji is a serious barker and his bark is unusually high pitched and extremely loud. At only 10 weeks, he sounds like any full grown retriever in the neighbourhood! I have a devilish alpha dog and keeping him in an apartment won't be easy but I will try it.
I'm pretty sure Benji could and would easily ruin everything in the apartment including the walls, sofa, chairs, TV and tables. While he's a puppy, my solution is to spray Bitter Apple on alll the furniture where he usually chews and the sides of walls he's bitten. When he's older and trained, he'll be allowed to be in the house for say, 40 minutes, while we grocery shop with a muzzle on so he is unable to destroy everything but still enjoy freedom.
I don't crate Benji much. He is in the crate while I sweep and mop, while he sleeps at night (which helps with house training him) and when he does something bad or he won't stop jumping while we're eating. Unless, he's sleeping, he's in his crate for up to a half hour. He usualy sleeps for 6-8 hours straight and wakes up between 4:30-5:00am. The crate is wonderful but he's not a "Crate" dog. I hope exercising him will help calm him down a lot.
Unfortunately, i cannot show any love to Benji. Everything I do has to be a command to be answered to immediately---from fetch, to eating, to eliminating, to getting a treat. NO KISSES, COOING OR PETTING. Benji takes this as a sign of weakness and manipulates you immediately.
I have no solution to his barking problem or his biting problem Telling him "no", holding his snout and leaving him alone does not help. When I return, he WILL bite, and if I leave to another room, he WILL continue barking. I need new solutions to the B&B problem.
1. How can I get my puppy to stop barking excessively?
2. How can I get my puppy to stop barking excessively when nobody is home?
3. How can I get my puppy to stop biting me aggressively?
4. How can I get my puppy to stop nipping me playfully when I show/tell him "no"?
Seriously, a little puppy shouldn't be so difficult to train. Tomorrow is a new day and I'm going to do two things.
Number one: puppyproof the house (and buy Bitter Apple). This helps eliminate a lot of stress.
Number two: leave him alone in the house and get him to be used to it.
I won't show him any affection tomorrow. It's all "alpha dog". I am not going to show any emotion, raise my voice, reprimand him or anything. I will just prevent him from doing the behaviours that I want to discourage. For jumping on furniture and us, I will leash him to a chair away from us. This way he cannot bite either. I won't even tell him "No jumping" or "Off" which I usually do and then shove him off after he ignores me.. I will simply tie him up, all business-like no anger, no frustration, no eye contact. He will work for his toys--if he wants a toy, he will have to sit/stay. If he wants food, he will have to do a proper down. If he wants to go outside, he will have to sit at the door and wait until I go through the doorway first--each and every time. I guess it's my fault for slacking.
Has anyone else had a difficult puppy to train?
Good thing for Benji and our sanity, we live near 5 parks and I have decided he will need 3 hours of exercise a day to cope with living in a small space plus a "job" like agility when he is 6 months old. Until then, 2 walks a day should suffice plus "fetch". Benji is a serious barker and his bark is unusually high pitched and extremely loud. At only 10 weeks, he sounds like any full grown retriever in the neighbourhood! I have a devilish alpha dog and keeping him in an apartment won't be easy but I will try it.
I'm pretty sure Benji could and would easily ruin everything in the apartment including the walls, sofa, chairs, TV and tables. While he's a puppy, my solution is to spray Bitter Apple on alll the furniture where he usually chews and the sides of walls he's bitten. When he's older and trained, he'll be allowed to be in the house for say, 40 minutes, while we grocery shop with a muzzle on so he is unable to destroy everything but still enjoy freedom.
I don't crate Benji much. He is in the crate while I sweep and mop, while he sleeps at night (which helps with house training him) and when he does something bad or he won't stop jumping while we're eating. Unless, he's sleeping, he's in his crate for up to a half hour. He usualy sleeps for 6-8 hours straight and wakes up between 4:30-5:00am. The crate is wonderful but he's not a "Crate" dog. I hope exercising him will help calm him down a lot.
Unfortunately, i cannot show any love to Benji. Everything I do has to be a command to be answered to immediately---from fetch, to eating, to eliminating, to getting a treat. NO KISSES, COOING OR PETTING. Benji takes this as a sign of weakness and manipulates you immediately.
I have no solution to his barking problem or his biting problem Telling him "no", holding his snout and leaving him alone does not help. When I return, he WILL bite, and if I leave to another room, he WILL continue barking. I need new solutions to the B&B problem.
1. How can I get my puppy to stop barking excessively?
2. How can I get my puppy to stop barking excessively when nobody is home?
3. How can I get my puppy to stop biting me aggressively?
4. How can I get my puppy to stop nipping me playfully when I show/tell him "no"?
Seriously, a little puppy shouldn't be so difficult to train. Tomorrow is a new day and I'm going to do two things.
Number one: puppyproof the house (and buy Bitter Apple). This helps eliminate a lot of stress.
Number two: leave him alone in the house and get him to be used to it.
I won't show him any affection tomorrow. It's all "alpha dog". I am not going to show any emotion, raise my voice, reprimand him or anything. I will just prevent him from doing the behaviours that I want to discourage. For jumping on furniture and us, I will leash him to a chair away from us. This way he cannot bite either. I won't even tell him "No jumping" or "Off" which I usually do and then shove him off after he ignores me.. I will simply tie him up, all business-like no anger, no frustration, no eye contact. He will work for his toys--if he wants a toy, he will have to sit/stay. If he wants food, he will have to do a proper down. If he wants to go outside, he will have to sit at the door and wait until I go through the doorway first--each and every time. I guess it's my fault for slacking.
Has anyone else had a difficult puppy to train?
Puppy Proofing the Apartment
My puppy gets into everything--shoes, stain remover powder, garbage--you name it and he'll shred it, eat it or chew it. I realized I never even bothered to puppy-proof the house before we got Benji so if he is finding things and ruining them (like our boots) then it's my fault. I should have a lid on all garbages and keep the shoes out of sight and it'll be easier to manage him. And above all--never let the dog out of my sight!
.
* 1
Unplug or wrap up electrical cords that are exposed. Move lighting around so that the cord is running behind a piece of furniture that the puppy cannot get to. Where there is a lot of cords such as your television or computer, either block access to the cords or duct tape the cords out of reach. Also, you can use a ceramic planter to put the excess cord inside of and to block access to the plug going into the wall.
* 2
Remove throw rugs that have fringe. It is better just to remove the rug for awhile until the puppy gets older.
* 3
Get in a habit of putting your shoes out of reach. If a shoe does get chewed, do not just give it to the puppy as they cannot tell the difference between a shoe they can chew and one they cannot. It's better to make all shoes off limits.
* 4
Use Bitter Apple spray on furniture legs, woodwork and other immovable items to keep the puppy from chewing on them.
* 5
Close doors or install a baby gate to keep the puppy out of rooms that they don't need to be in. This can include your child's room as they will chew and possible swallow children's toys and crayons.
* 6
Install baby gates on the bottom and tops of stairs (if the puppy goes upstairs with you.)
* 7
Check your back yard for any dangerous plants (check with your vet for a list) that the puppy may chew and any holes in your fence that the puppy could get through.
* 8
Keep your puppy away from a location where you have used fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides for 48 hours.
* 9
Keep your garbage can locked up or up off the floor, or purchase a heavy duty one. A puppy will be attracted to the smell and if they manage to knock it over will chew or swallow what was in the garbage.
* 10
Keep hamsters or other small caged animals off of the floor until the puppy gets older.
* 11
Remove tablecloths and runners as a quick pull on one of these can bring everything from the table down on your puppy. Also, check any long cords from window shades that a puppy may be able to reach.
* 12
Use a baby latch on your bottom cubbards, particularly any that may have cleaning products or just temporarily remove the products.
Read more: How to Puppy Proof your Home | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2321033_puppy-proof-home.html#ixzz1GGw66C7W
.
* 1
Unplug or wrap up electrical cords that are exposed. Move lighting around so that the cord is running behind a piece of furniture that the puppy cannot get to. Where there is a lot of cords such as your television or computer, either block access to the cords or duct tape the cords out of reach. Also, you can use a ceramic planter to put the excess cord inside of and to block access to the plug going into the wall.
* 2
Remove throw rugs that have fringe. It is better just to remove the rug for awhile until the puppy gets older.
* 3
Get in a habit of putting your shoes out of reach. If a shoe does get chewed, do not just give it to the puppy as they cannot tell the difference between a shoe they can chew and one they cannot. It's better to make all shoes off limits.
* 4
Use Bitter Apple spray on furniture legs, woodwork and other immovable items to keep the puppy from chewing on them.
* 5
Close doors or install a baby gate to keep the puppy out of rooms that they don't need to be in. This can include your child's room as they will chew and possible swallow children's toys and crayons.
* 6
Install baby gates on the bottom and tops of stairs (if the puppy goes upstairs with you.)
* 7
Check your back yard for any dangerous plants (check with your vet for a list) that the puppy may chew and any holes in your fence that the puppy could get through.
* 8
Keep your puppy away from a location where you have used fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides for 48 hours.
* 9
Keep your garbage can locked up or up off the floor, or purchase a heavy duty one. A puppy will be attracted to the smell and if they manage to knock it over will chew or swallow what was in the garbage.
* 10
Keep hamsters or other small caged animals off of the floor until the puppy gets older.
* 11
Remove tablecloths and runners as a quick pull on one of these can bring everything from the table down on your puppy. Also, check any long cords from window shades that a puppy may be able to reach.
* 12
Use a baby latch on your bottom cubbards, particularly any that may have cleaning products or just temporarily remove the products.
Read more: How to Puppy Proof your Home | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2321033_puppy-proof-home.html#ixzz1GGw66C7W
Help! My Dog Bit Me!
My 10 week old puppy’s behaviour hit like a tornado. Everything seemed to be going well. The exercise, the tricks he learnt, house-training. So where did this aggressive behaviour crop up from? His “temperament” said he might be aggressive towards dogs—not his owners! So why is my dog biting me aggressively? No, it’s not scary because he’s a puppy but it sure hurts and seeing him snarl and use all his strength to bite me—and injure me—is not a good thing. I am confused and upset, mostly because I feel it’s my fault. What information am I following that is incorrect? What am I doing wrong?
It isn’t like I have a Rottweiler or something. Benji is not meant to be so vicious. Yes, he’s a tough dog. He’s a cattle dog. But he’s not supposed to bite me and act aggressively. I thought I was doing all the things to make him “submissive” and know his rank like: making him sit and do “down” before his meals, walking in the door before him and making sure he doesn’t walk ahead of me on leash. I don’t give him human food, I don’t let him on the couch or bed and I don’t allow him to nip me—even playfully. I guess training Benji is going to be a whole new dilemma. I’m not giving up on him—no matter how much time, money and effort it costs me. I know he’s a good, smart dog inside and he just needs a strong, patient alpha dog. I have SO MUCH behaviours to correct, I really feel overwhelmed. Like his super loud barking when nobody is home. Even the neighbours are beginning to complain! I’m pretty miserable. But a lot of people have been able to turn aggressive, vicious and abused dogs into pets so I should be able to turn an impressionable puppy into a pet too!
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