Frequently Asked Questions:
How do I keep my dog from biting and nipping?
What can I do about my dog pulling on the leash?
How can I keep my dog from jumping on people?
Can I expect my ACD to get along with my cat?
What will happen if I leave my ACD alone?
How do I keep my dog from biting and nipping?
Cattle Dog puppies tend to use their mouths a lot. As a general rule, mouths are a dog’s equivalent to our hands, so mouthing and nipping are perfectly normal, therefore they need to be taught not to do so. An older dog will also nip and mouth if never trained not to do so. Pup or adult, the cure is the same.
First of all, you need to be sure that your pup has learned an “inhibited” bite, that is, not to bite hard — something ALL dogs need to learn. Puppies usually gets these lessons with Mom and his siblings between the ages of 6 and 12 weeks or so. But a human can also teach it — finishing what Mom started. Ultimately a puppy needs to be taught that putting teeth on humans is NOT allowed.
When your puppy tries to put teeth on you, immediately substitute a toy and lavish praise when the mouth is on that. Notice when the puppy is about to bite and move to insert the toy BEFORE the teeth reach you. Be prepared to do keep this up for some time, as it will take a while to get the message across. And remember that there will be backsliding — just keep repeating the lessons.
If the pup does get his mouth on you, yelp LOUDLY! Really convince him that you’re HURT! The pup will drop your hand in surprise if you do this convincingly enough. This works best with younger dogs, although it can work with older ones. Praise and treat when his mouth is NOT on you. Pup needs to get the impression that human skin is EXTREMELY tender and that therefore any contact must be VERY soft! Then insert that toy and praise/treat, as above.
To augment the lessons if needed, every time that Pup tries to bite, you remove your availability to him/her. Fussing, yelling, etc., may just provoke harder biting, as Pup can interpret this as “playing”! Turn your back on the pup and ignore him for about 10 to 15 seconds, then turn back and, before the pup can mouth, present that toy, praise when it’s in his mouth, and give him a yummy treat. Begin teaching a “sit” to greet you and praise/treat for that. When he mouths you, turn away, then offer an acceptable chew toy and praise/reward for mouth on that. For an older dog, it may mean setting up a situation (using gates, etc.) where you can merely step over or shut a door, to isolate the offender. Also, actively teach an incompatible behavior for those times; command a sit, etc., as a replacement for mouthing.
Pup needs to learn that “mouth on person” means that ALL people will ignore him, refuse to play, go away and leave him alone! No fun for pup! Mouth on chew toy makes humans give you attention and goodies. He will probably keep trying at first (fun game!). Try the 3 strikes rule. Remove pup from hand, try to redirect to toy two times, but if pup immediately ignores the toy and keeps grabbing your hand, the third time VERY MATTER OF FACTLY (it is important NOT to be emotional in all training), place the pup in his crate or behind a baby gate, go away, leave him for a 30 to 60-second “time out” or until he calms himself, then return and try again. Do NOT think of this as punishment and do NOT leave the pup alone for a long time when doing this. You want him to connect the mouthing with no contact — getting the idea that “mouthing gets me removed from human contact“, just like “water gets me wet.” There is no “retribution” involved; you are just teaching pup the “laws of the universe.“
Play only when the dog’s mouth remains off humans. Biting stops the play and makes humans go away. Since ACDs LOVE their humans and want to be with them, your dog will eventually learn that his teeth on your skin/clothes does not get good results.
What can I do about my dog pulling on the leash?
To achieve loose lead walking, there are a few things to try: first, you may need to give up your walks for a little while until you’ve had time to do some training. Do NOT allow Blue to practice this behavior; it will make it more difficult to cure.
You can try starting with the “Be A Tree“ method. When Blue pulls — when the leash tightens AT ALL — stop immediately. Do not proceed even an inch. Eventually Blue will notice that the two of you are not moving! When he looks back at you, praise; when he moves back toward you to loosen the leash, you can move forward again. (You can also give a treat when Blue stops pulling and looks back at you — he needs to come back to you to get that goody! Do NOT go toward your dog to award it). When the leash is loose and Blue is back where you want him, you can start forward again. Plan on working on this separately from an actual walk, as it will take a bit of teaching to convince Blue that the only way to go forward is by keeping the leash loose. Start someplace where there are fewer distractions for the dog, like your backyard, even inside the house if necessary. As Blue makes progress, move to the front yard, try a few yards down your sidewalk, etc. Soon you’ll be able to resume your normal strolls. Remember to apply the “tree” method whenever Blue forgets and tries to pull.
Sometimes Blue needs a little more convincing than the Tree method provides. If so, move to the “Penalty Yards” game. Again, start where there are few distractions and gradually move to more difficult situations. For this, if Blue pulls, each time he pulls, you go all the way back to where you started and only proceed again toward the goal when the leash is loose. You can teach this deliberately by placing a goal (something Blue wants, like his supper dish?) a few yards away and using the penalty yards system to allow him to get there. Start across the yard or room. When the leash tightens, say nothing (or perhaps sing out in a “happy voice” with a comment like, “Oh, too bad! Again!”), then go back to where you started to try again. (Just walk back there, gently dragging Blue if needed!) It may take a few times for Blue to get the idea, but he will! Those last few inches can be hard, but very effective. Use this method whenever Blue wants to get to something and he’ll learn pretty rapidly that the only way to get there is without pulling!
If Blue continues to be difficult while out in public despite your best efforts, try a head halter. Brand names like Halti and Gentle Leader make a halter-like affair (think horse halter) that will help to eliminate pulling and give you much greater control over Blue’s actions. Be sure to acclimate your dog to the head halter before actually trying it on a walk, but once the dog is used to it, a head halter is a superb and humane control device. It works very well where the dog is stronger than the handler to allow the handler control without a great deal of physical effort.
How can I keep my dog from jumping on people?
The best way to teach a dog not to jump up on people is always to withdraw attention when the dog tries this. Fold your arms, tucking your hands under, turning your back on the dog. Give the dog NO attention. Don’t yell, hit, etc., as this usually only makes things worse. Never pet, speak to the dog or otherwise reinforce the behavior, or you’ll keep it going and make it much more difficult to get rid of. And EVERYONE needs to follow the program. Teach Blue that jumping on people totally loses him/her the attention that he/she is seeking.
If Blue keeps trying while you’re turning away, you may need to remove yourself from his/her presence for just a few minutes and try again. Do this by leaving Blue behind a baby gate, etc., or placing him/her in a crate for a few minutes. Don’t make this “time out” too long as you want to give the dog a chance to associate losing the opportunity to interact with you to the jumping behavior. Don’t fuss, just walk off and leave him/her without a word. The message is, “You jump and people go away”!
At the same time, teach the dog to sit (or stand — whatever you prefer) whenever your pet wants to greet someone. (You may be satisfied as long as Blue has all four feet on the floor — and that’s OK!) ONLY pet, praise, etc., when Blue is in the desired position. Use treats as well to help reinforce the desired behavior. Never allow yourself to praise and pet if Blue doesn’t have all “four on the floor”, even if you’re wearing old clothes. Dogs can’t make those distinctions — they only learn “always” or “never”, so make it “never” to get rid of jumping up.
Remember, it will take a while for your dog to learn any behavior, so keep working on it and use the same treatment for any relapses. It will work!
Can I expect my ACD to get along with my cat?
Some Australian Cattle Dogs tolerate cats well; others never really give up the need to chase.
Make certain that the cats always have a place to escape to from your dog (always = forever, no matter how good the dog eventually becomes with them). Don’t give the pup/dog the run of the house at first anyway. He needs to be crated or confined behind a baby gate when he is not under your direct and CONSTANT supervision for a significant time to come! Only when he has demonstrated that he is trustworthy to be loose and unattended should he be given more freedom.
When pup first notices the cats, before he can chase or get a mouth on them, redirect to a toy. Or teach him to sit and look at you for a reward. Eventually seeing cat = get toy, look at mom, get treat. Please prevent dog NOW from chasing cats, as that is a self-rewarding behavior that you do not wish to allow to develop. Anytime a behavior is allowed to develop a “reward history” it is harder to get rid of later.
You might want to place the pup in a crate where it can see/experience the cats and they can safely investigate to “desensitize” him. And also try the CATS in a crate where the pup can investigate, but not have the cats run. This helps to teach the cats to be calm around the dog. Running cats are VERRRY difficult for a dog to resist! If he does get his mouth on a cat, get it off by distracting him with something more interesting (toy or yummy) if possible. Don’t try wrestle him off (if a young pup), as that’s a fun game to him! Better to prevent contact in the first place!
And when first allowing the animals freedom around each other, try having your dog drag a houseline that you can use for safety if needed. (Be certain that he only wears a line when you’re there to supervise, as he could get it caught and be injured or killed if unattended.)
It may be that your dog can learn to leave the cat(s) alone — if the cat(s) can learn not to run. But it’s always better to maintain a safe area (baby gate, etc.) where the cat(s) can be free of the dog’s attention. Make certain that there is a nearby safe place (up on top of counters, etc.) in most locations that can be reached quickly for cat safety. That’s just good sense, even if your dog coexists well with your cats.
What will happen if I leave my dog alone?
Particularly for herding dogs, and most especially for young ones, both physical and mental exercise are essential to keep the dog occupied and “out of trouble”. Optimally, the dog needs to exercise to the point of “tiredness” daily. Frequently behavior problems in dogs can be addressed merely by upping the amount of exercise the dog gets. I know this can be a problem when everyone must be gone during the day. Here are some possibilities that others have found helpful in this situation:
For physical exercise, the dog really needs to do some running. A walk around the block — or even several blocks — is in no way enough exercise for most cattle dogs! Fetch games (ball, Frisbee, etc.) when you are at home are a good way to provide excellent exercise. If you have a large area available where distant throws are possible (park, open area), the dog can get a lot of running in without the requirement of too much work on the part of the human. Even short retrieves in a small area, done repeatedly, will work. Indoors, such games played up/down stairs can increase the effort required of the dog in a rather limited area.
You might also consider teaching obedience and/or agility exercises and doing regular practice. These have the advantage of being both physical and mental exercise in one package and can help tire a dog out.
Having someone come in during the day (can even be a willing teenage neighbor, for example) to take the dog out for a walk and play session can help. Some people have found that placing the dog in doggy “day care” a few times a week has made a great deal of difference.
Mental exercise means requiring the dog to think, and this also contributes to a well-behaved dog. Try teaching tricks, scent games, hide and find games, etc., indoors or out.
It often helps to replace the “free-food-in-a-bowl” meals with situations where the dog must work for his daily rations. Try stuffing your dog’s meal into a Kong or two and leaving them for him to work on while you’re gone. Or consider scattering the kibble about widely (indoors or out) for him to hunt down his meal.
Even if you do not feed this way (and it is highly recommended), you can still use stuffed Kongs, etc., and other treat dispensing toys to provide occupation and stimulation for the dog. A RAW, meaty bone will also occupy most dogs for quite a while. All of these also constitute mental exercise as well as occupy their time.
You might also consider hanging a tug toy (from a doorway inside or tree, etc., outdoors) if you dog likes to play this way.
Be inventive and you’ll find lots of ways to keep your dog busy and occupied even when you’re not there. But if your dog is destructive, please consider a crate or ex-pen as confinement while you’re not there to supervise. (Use those stuffed Kongs, etc., in the crate) Dogs do not mind, as they are natural den animals. Just make sure that when you do get home, the dog receives some physical exercise. And a walk will probably be good for you, too!
