I make him wait and we feed ourselves first. I'm very sorry about this behavior you are experiencing with your Aussie. well my dog did it. Those are getting less, so room for hope. I'm not saying it will work for all, but if your dog loves a ball try it out. The trainers did suggest electric collar but we've never resorted to that. Get tips and exclusive deals. Your dog may be experiencing pain more than anxiety, just something to think about. We love him and are attached to him don't want to get rid of him but we are so worried he will get loose and hurt someone badly. It took a few weeks for him to heal and she has gone after him 4 times since then. Because of this, it's not a viable option for dogs who are only afraid of certain stimuli like thunderstorms. I am so happy she is out of the anxiety and can be by our sides with a smile on her face! He had "nipped" at the previous owners 5 yr old child, who had cornered the dog. He purposely jumped up onto my 11yo daughter and tried to bite her which he knows not to jump up. Prozac should mellow her reactions..take the edge off her anxiety,in order to learn a different response that works as well as aggression. I will take suggestions also. I got him neutered. It's been a nightmare for me. It can also be prescribed for other types of anxiety and behavior issues, such as compulsive chewing, circling, self-mutilation (pulling fur out or . puppy years i found difficult but we always used a yard until he calm down a bit (roughly age 4). My Aussie is extremely protective and will growl and bark to warn me of any perceived danger. Has anyone tried Prozac and seen ZERO changes? Standard Australian Shepherds are a medium-sized, solidly built breed, with adults weighing between 40-65 pounds. Also it takes him extra long to bathroom, turning easily for 3-5 minutes, lowers his head and waves it side to side like a trapped tiger. But she makes progress all of the time in small steps. I adopted the most amazing dog about eight months ago and she has really made my house a home. Did they solve the behavior issue? You most likely have to look within yourself. And definitely get tat breeder to give your money back and taken that dog back. Aussiedoodle has a life expectancy of 11 to 12 years, which is shorter than that of larger breeds. My dog will bite son hard enough to draw blood if my son is too close to me, hugs me. I am no expert, my AS is the 1st i have had except for a rescue. We have a 6 month old lab mix. The Australian Shepherd is one of the best herding dogs, both skilled in herding livestock and dedicated to any assignment. He cries and shakes to go thru the doorway. We did. Even so, we have a wire fox terrier and I dont know what the breeder did to him hes a smart, sweet and loving dog, always snuggling and kissing, but when you pet or stroke him for too long, hell suddenly snap at us, fortunately not actually biting, as if he were reacting to a scary situation. Over time, Ollie has seemed to "overcome" his rocky beginning with my husband. You must must be the alpha so he/she knows you're in charge, that you will handle the situations that he/she sees as a threat. They saved me. She recommended a DVM that specializes in behavioral medicine. My dog started a dose of 10 mg of Prozac on Friday. Thank you so much for your comments, as you really do feel like something went wrong, when you know you have socialized and exposed them and trained them to the best of your ability. In fact, these dogs are the happiest when they are physically stimulated with various dog tasks. She is a wonderful dog, that loves to go on daily adventures and loves other dogs. How do I stop her from biting the other dog? He is 2 weeks older than her and both are 18 months old now. He discovered Ive been giving it to him in wet food, so he stopped eating it. directions aussies love to work. Everything we tried to stop his behavior was like a challenge to him and it got more intense. Our Australian Shepherd started "nipping" around a couple months of age, and then uncontrollably digging into the ground, in a way that I dont think he could hear me. It appears to be happening more often. He would wiggle his way between us and stare at my husband. We had a very difficult time with him a couple of weeks after we got him. My 14 lb. It took about 8 months to accept human touch, still he seems to have ptsd moments when he clicks out and just trembles. My house was secure with him home. Was she like this with them? We got that fixed after a month. I have a miniature australian and she likes to bark at people and other dogs when we walk depending on who they are. Also, he watches TV like a human, barks at animals on the screen, and gets upset if theres shouting or violence on Midsomer Murders, our favorite show. This is similar to the issues we have with my corgi. Keep going Aussies Rule!!!!!! I have to remind her to leave her feet alone. It was a hard decision to make but I let my family know that I didnt blame them for saying they wouldnt come around anymore but I felt I needed to do right by my dog. (Michael Swensen/Getty . He is the best loving dog ever. While on vacation (I brought one Aussie), I went to a restaurant with a (definitely not dog-friendly) patio. but i can't let her kill one of my other dogs and now i'm at the end of my rope. Hi there. He will try to bite even with a muzzle. My Aussie is about 2 years old and has recently become very protective of me and my mom. We are on year 5. I have had several Aussies and have never had this problemand it IS a problem. Her dog Maisy, a cross between a dog and a Muppet, showed remarkably similar symptoms to Cubas. When he comes charging around the corner, I pretend as though I haven't seen him in years and get all excited and tell him what a good boy he is and hug him. A Confession: Im a Dog Trainer Who Put Her Dog on Prozac. I have noticed when he gets in the aggressive state or has locked in on something I dont think he can hear me. Mine was a difficult puppy, not easy ever! Cuba is 2 years old, and weve trained together every single day. Any suggestions? i gave her back to the owner, who had a family with no other dogs. His personality is the same minus the behavior that just didnt seem to be responding to training. He was a loving and affectionate puppy for about one month after we got him, then he started getting spurs of aggression. Every day, for the past 800+ days, we take him for a walk and use a training harness. He has been with us eight years now. So many times people run out and get an Aussie pup or grown dog at the dog shelter or a breeder that carries a line in the blood that has aggressive behaviour. Hes finally starting to trust us, but its tough. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a serious and frequent pregnancy complication that can lead to short and long-term risks for both mother and fetus. He does aweful in a harness because he pulls and feels the tension and then thinks the situation is bad. One had to have its eye removed and the other had its cornea scratched. He was raised at a dog park and very socialized. She also barked at Black people, so weird. So, I moved to a large property in Nevada. He cant quite get the transition, going out and coming in. Some side effects that can occur are more serious. My Aussie is very aggressive towards lil dogs even the ones he grew up with I have had him neutered I think it makes them worse my Aussie has killed 3 of my other fur babies I need info also I say please help me too thank you. Scares me til she can refocus. Aussies are naturally very protective. I'm sorry you're going through that. He eats everything he can find (dirt, leaves, plastic, rocks, board, wood, cardboard, etc.) one day, he did not want to go outside, he would not budge, we would carry him out, and the slightest noise, car starting to sirens and he would hitail it back to our door, ANY noise! Hello! I want my dog to stop being aggressive. I would do some more looking around behavioral modification and noise reactivity, there are articles about dogs that are noise reactive not just to thunder and fire storms but anything at all. Because something larger is happening. PLEASE contact the breeder you got her from. I had her spayed and then when she was healed, I had her meet our 7 yr old female, spayed Rottweiler mix, Holy cow if we hadn't had them on long leashes she would have tried to kill our totally non-aggressive Rott. We do not want to get rid of her but we have been trying alot of things suggested and so far it isn't working. Wash, look for ticks , trim the feathers in the rear and regular grooming. You have to be aware of all the subtleties. But one day a pit dog got hold of him and my aussie tore that pit dog up. My dog tried that when my husband would sit next to me on the sofa or would hug me. Yet he started backing away when we went to pet him, barks at everything and I mean everything and is now adding fears into his behavior. My border collie rescue has been on Prozac for three weeks. Desensitization and counter conditioning--- you start with giving treats for her looking at people from a distance and not reacting. I read about Aussies being stubborn and clever. 1, Craiova, jud. The breed is also prone to hip dysplasia . I loved him the same tho till the day he died. Lots and lots of room. On a couple of occasions, Ive referred clients to world-renowned veterinary behaviorist Dr. Karen Overall. This model has a vibrate as well as a beep feature and most of the time all he needs is a beep from me and he stops whatever he is doing and runs back to me and a treat! Thats a long 15 years without a vacation. I knew that I would need to offer daily excerise, walks, fetch and puppy training. I sent the dog back to the breeder and she said she would observe the dog for 2 weeks and then place the dog out. This is an athletic dog of medium size and bone; The Australian Shepherd is lithe, agile, and slightly longer than it is tall. Small steps over and over. Good luck. I also read about the traits of hearding and "nipping." He can love on you one minute and the next completely snap and go nuts. That lesson alone has made the time and money worth it. He was severely abused. My pup was an excited jumper. I got my Aussie at 12 weeks old; and he was potty trained in less than 3 days - never pooped in the house and pee'd just once - no accidents after that. When we get home, he runs for that blanket, tail just a waggling! they loved him now they cant even come near him. She is a model citizen and has no problems tolerating the medication. Its a pain and super embarrassing. I have had hercat 3 different trainers & she is still reactive towards other dogs. But she has an aggression PRob that started alittle before a year. Basically it's fear that makes a dog aggressive or seem aggressive. It is a vicious dog! He has tried biting or been aggressive with 7 people total and he is now 1 year old. I'm sorry to know about your situation! Well watch for antisocial behavior and if he growls, well heed that and play it by ear but no reaching for food dishes if he starts growling, and thatll be the sign for weaning off. But the fur pulling was difficult to ignore, an obvious sign of distress. You have most likely and still do give your dog signals that it is in charge each day. If my dog disappears outside, I yell his name once and wait. Any small improvement is worth reward. They are a little crazy, unstable emotionally. I am a vet tech so I followed textbook rules on. Our vet retired and Ive gone to a new one. She is fine with people, unless they try to take her toy. Shes now 8, looking back its been a slow progression to this point. Its put a strain on us as my partner is gone a lot through work and I cant join because we cant be gone more than a few daysthe pet sitter is unable to walk him, hes too aggressive towards other animals and people and bikes and cars (he bit the tire on my Jeep the other day). Aussie's learn your behavior and daily routine so when you put on shoes or work pants they know what's gonna happen next. I look forward to following your post. Cuba is an anomaly in many ways, but hes my anomaly and dammit, I love him! However, this week, he is getting even more "nippy" and "mouthy". It's easy to do. If any do thinks it outranks you in your "pack" then you will have trouble controlling it and it will do as it pleases most of the time. I have such mixed feelings. never happened. Sammy didnt need Valium; she needed a chance to be an adolescent dog. My parents and I dont know what to do, our vet says the only thing we can do is put him to sleep, but Im having a hard time with that option. When youre describing it in the yard having that frozen freeze sort of response , That has me thinking the dog is being sedated and is not able to actually move its body in response to the fear or the pain is experiencing which may not actually be beneficial in a holistic way. I have stressed obedience and pack mentality since we brought ours home. I have to say that these changes happened over night one day he was scared but manageable and normalish lounging around with lots of naps pets and walks and the next he was a hot mess. not at all what we envisioned when we brought her home as a puppy. We wonder if he experienced domestic violence in his breeders home Anyway, we are trying Prozac, in spite of our last experience because I take Prozac for anxiety and my doctor said most dogs are good with it, like many humans, but some, like some humans might aggressive. In hind sight, our puppy displayed aggression upon our arrival to bring him home. Dont let them suffer if there is an alternative! From what we know about him he is about a year old give or take a few months, he was an owner surrender and we are his third owners. There are many Australian Shepherd pages with many experienced owners who might be able to help. She also barked incessently at black people, so awful. But worse is that he is consistently aggressive to the neighbor dog and now the owner to the point where the owner is afraid jake will bite him. We live in the country so she has lots of room to run. She is still a puppy and she attacks my other dogs for no reason. The vet and the animal behaviorist who visited us both suggested many of the same training goals you mention, and noted that Prozac might help in tamping down her flooding-of-emotions reactions so we can get some training done, so she isnt overwhelmed all the time. 7. It makes an excellent companion dog for . Red zone aggressiveness needs training, but don't lose hope! After I have spoke to them in a calm manner she will settle down and even lie down with her front paws crossed while I talk with them. I didnt know this dogs back round and I know about alpha dogs, I have had dogs all of my life. Our vet expressed his concerns that he is so aggressive at such a young age. He is fenced in but it is chain link. They were both unrecognizable to us and they were unrecognizable to each other. I am the "alpha" its me and my 12 yr old son. She eats well, plays and has interest in what is going on around her (not doped). So many people get Aussies without realizing how much activity they need for their mental and physical health. Guide To Australian Shepherd Training & Care, reading his books, and watching his movies, WTOV9 - Shadyside man hospitalized after an attack by his own dog, Australian Shepherd Rescue Listings page here, Join in and write your own page! I really fell in love with her, so smart so loving!! 3 times a day sometimes. Could there be something that is encouraging or stimulating his aggressiveness? My hope is that we can continue his lessons and get him off Prozac but for the moment it is the best decision Ive ever made. I made such a terrible choice in selecting this breed. Australian Shepherd Physical Characteristics Australian Shepherds are solid, muscular dogs. 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