where did my easygoing pup go? Questions

Discussion in 'Australian Cattle Dog' started by thisoldfish, Jun 12, 2020.

  1. thisoldfish

    thisoldfish New Member

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    where did my easygoing pup go?

    Hi all,

    We are about 6 weeks into having Mabel, an adorable/sweet Australian Cattle Dog mix. We adopted her at approx 8 weeks, though they didn't really know since her litter was found abandoned in Georgia. She was driven up to PA with her littermates and we adopted her after a week in a foster home. We have her with our older rescue Walter who is around 8 and very tolerant of her antics.

    She's been a good puppy. Sweet, curious, playful, and (up until this week) amazing with every person and animal she's met. Very excited to meet strangers, jumps up and is a licker (and nipper).

    Then, over the past week we've noticed some new behavior. She's started barking at lots of stuff-- a bag blowing by, a trashcan, etc. Our neighbors walked over to our yard and she flipped, barking and backing up, some growling. We had never seen that in her (she hadn't really met them before). And, most worrisome it's not a brief/transient thing.. she doesn't snap out of it when they interact with us and show that it's ok.

    We've had some good walks since then and we thought she was acting more normal again with meeting people/animals etc. But tonight on our walk she flipped at a woman walking holding her cat-- nonstop barking. I was able to distract her with treats but after that it was as if she was in a scared mood and everything seemed to startle her. Another dog barking. A mailbox. She actually started pulling back as if begging me to turn around. So I did and she basically pulled me back to the house.

    I know puppies have these fear periods, but this seems extreme and I'm concerned that this is something more. We've never had a puppy before (always have adopted older dogs).. is this normal? Someone mentioned these herding breeds can have more accentuated fear stages.. and if that's what this is do they return to their happy outgoing selves again?

    It's like her personality changed in one week.. we want our confident happy little pup back!

    Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

    Brad
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  3. GsdSlave

    GsdSlave Member

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    CaroleC likes this.
    Most puppies, when they see something that startles them recover quickly, don’t make it a big deal just stand still or step back let her check it out and carry on.
    When out and about teach her to focus on you, she should learn that strangers/dogs ect: are not something to focus on.
    When she has a barking episode outside just change direction, again getting her to focus on you.
  4. thisoldfish

    thisoldfish New Member

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    Thanks- yeah it seems to take her too long to recover. So strange.. not sure what happened. We’ll continue to be calm and positive but I hope this is a phase and not her forever behavior...
  5. Tim Stafford

    Tim Stafford New Member

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    Rick McC. likes this.
    Cattle Dogs thrive on rules and regiment! Be firm but fair and give commands in a calm and even tone. Your dog should calmly walk beside you with slack on the leash and eventually without. Do not except less. Everything should be a game with lots of praise. Make a game out of making your dog sit and lay down immediately on first command. Give the command once and correct if needed. The more you demand of your Cattle Dog the more your Cattle Dog give!
  6. Queensland blue

    Queensland blue Member

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    You have to put a lot of time into them, so you can snap them out of it and be the focus of their attention.

    they can be left to their own devices and are strong willed sometimes.

    add to that they are very suspicious of new objects and people .

    early socializing is good and allowing new experiences if you want to minimize the natural instinct they have which is a protective instinct .

    they have a herding instinct , can bite tyres , chase children’s heels etc,

    and it helps to learn good and naughty reinforcement .

    the tsss sound ceases Milan uses is good.

    as they are strong willed you need to be able to be their focus and be able to brake their fixation.

    the more work you do together the more you’ll be surprised by their ability to understand and adapt .

    they need an alpha pack leader ‘you’ or they can be strong willed
  7. Rick McC.

    Rick McC. New Member

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    It sound like yours is going to be easier to work with than mine. She was challenging me about a week after I got her when she was eight weeks old; growling, snarling and showing her teeth. I never lt a challenge go unanswered, and made her my central focus (to the exclusion of all my hobbies) for the next 10 months; all day, every day.

    Kyrie is three years old now, and has been a true joy to have. She loves all
    kids, and generally isn't aggressive towards strangers or other dogs. I've never trained her to arrack or even be aggressive, but when I get angry as I did on one occasion when trying to turn a rabid raccoon away fro our yard, and another time when trying to run another dog that was out in the street back into the yard, she instantly went into full attack mode, up on her hind legs on the leash, all teeth and claws, snarling any trying to get to the object of my attention. We've been very closely bonded for quite a while now.

    Anyway, she is extremely alert, and has a huge vocabulary of words she umderstands, way beyond just her commands.

    I implore you to not lose patience, aa I believe that your heelee will become an amazing god. I cant imagine life without my Kyrie.
  8. Chris

    Chris Member

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    Rick McC. and CaroleC like this.
    When you say you are worried that she doesn't snap out of it quickly, it's wise to remember that the adrenaline rush takes longer to leave some than others. Keep calm and patient

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