Herding Dog Source

Angus, our Australian Cattle Dog, is now done with all of his private dog training lessons.  We have had great success with the desensitization methods that we used with both our behaviorist, and our private trainer at PetSmart.  Angus now has 4 new buddies besides Molly and Emma that he can play with, Bogie and Jasper, Black Labs, Scooter, Bichon-Cocker mix, and Cotton, an Australian Shepherd mix.  He will be meeting Jack (picture on this site), a Mini Australian Shepherd, this weekend. 

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We’ve had Angus now for a couple of months, and it has been a huge adjustment.  Darling as he is, he has been a handful.  We have had some major struggles with fear aggression, and have been taking private dog training lessons to help overcome this.  Just to describe this behavior, he typically will charge any new dog, and snap and growl at his face.  He does not actually bite the other dog, but is just showing that he is tough.  It’s kind of a “fight instead of flight” stance, although if the other dog shows any aggression back, Angus backs right off.  Read the rest of this entry »

I just wanted to insert this post as it relates to a forum that I try to keep up on.  There was a post today on 12 Australian Kelpies that are in danger of being euthanized, and I wanted to give you the link in case you might be interested in adopting one.  The pet shelter is in Charleston, South Carolina.  Here is the link: Noah’s Ark. 

Angus is still having some behavior problems in regards to socializing with other dogs.  We are looking into a behaviorist.  We don’t want him to have problems with other dogs all his life, and actually want him to enjoy other dogs, so we’re looking at all our options right now.  Emma would probably benefit from something like that as well, although now that I see her with Angus, I think we had underestimated her as far as getting along with other dogs.  Read the rest of this entry »

Well, we have now taken our cattle dog, Angus, to a couple of puppy training classes.  He is very smart, sits well, and learns very quickly, like a lot of herding dogs.  He’s having some dog socialization issues.  We think he might have fear aggression.  He barks at other dogs and acts aggressive.  This started on our first day of puppy training class.  He was a little better at the second one, but we’re going to change classes and put him in with older dogs that may not be as shy as other puppies.  We also are going to bring him to a second class so he has more exposure to other dogs.  I am also going to try some calming remedies to help him not be so wired when we go.  I’ve tried them with Emma and they seem to work for short term issues.

Well, I am still slow on the posts this week, but it WILL pick up.  My internet has been down and I’m getting a new modem this week—I have to use other computers.  What a hassle! 

 Well, crate training my new Australian Cattle Dog, Angus, has actually been a very smooth experience overall.  They had started him at his foster home before we rescued him, but they said they were having some problems with him staying in all night.  He’s been very good for us. 

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We have finally found our new herding dog baby.  He is an Australian Cattle Dog and we got him from Seattle Purebred Rescue.  We have named him Angus.  We will be posting pictures soon, so check back. 

We did a lot of research into this, as we wanted to get a herding dog.  We originally wanted a female, but have since learned that there is prevalent same-sex aggression in herding dogs, and cattle dogs in particular.  Emma is part cattle dog, and is an alpha female anyway.  We decided on Angus, and he is a trouble maker, I can tell already!

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We have a very cool off-leash dog park close to our house.  We haven’t taken Emma yet.  Molly has been there and she loves it.  We are going to take Emma and Molly next weekend.  We also found what looks to be a good combination obedience and agility training club that’s pretty close too.  I really think that I will need to take Emma to some obedience classes before I can get her involved in any formal agility training.  We’ve had a few problems with her and other dog socializing, but she’s getting much better.  I have been wanting to take her to the off-leash park so she can get a little more dog socialized.  They are a wonderful place to do that.  I can keep her on a leash either part of the time or all the time if need be.  Now that the weather should start to get a little better, it’ll be prime time. 

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We are still looking for a new dog to add to the family.  I’ve been getting  a lot of good information, and have been to tons of rescue sites.  There are so many homeless pets out there that need homes.  PetFinder.com has an awesome website, and you can really narrow down your choices to the parameters that you need.  They also have a lot of good links to other resources.  I have added a rescue page to my site, so check it out.  They start with ones primarily in the Pacific Northwest, but I have added a lot of breed rescues too.  I’ll keep adding  to make it easier for you to find specific rescues.  I’ll do the research for you!  Find a dog or cat and give them a home—There’s nothing but love!

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I have posted a picture of Emma on a new page, Our Dog Pictures.   I would like to get pictures of all of our dog friends, old and new, to fill up this page.  Okay, even cats, as I have a few feline friends as well.  I have a few names on the page waiting for pictures (you know who you are), and I welcome any smiling canines or felines who would like to show off their beautiful mugs!    You can also download your pet to a mug, T-shirt, sticker, or anything else for personalized pet merchandise!!  Click below to find out how—