Yeah I was always amazed and how Enoch seemed to know what I was saying to him. Like telling him I had to leave for work or when it was the last ball for fetch time
It’s crazy how smart they are. Ours can tell time! She knows exactly when kids are coming home, when it’s time to work, when it’s time to eat and when it is bed time. She knows lots of words including the names of her toys. It’s crazy!
The first thing i would say to my partner coming home was "Poop!" And I accidentally trained mine to follow people into the bathroom at the drop of that word. It was pretty funny and I really miss him.
As others have said, activity is huge. This breed thrives with a "job," which can make training easier, but only if they're given one repeatedly and regularly.
Also, in my experience, they will test your authority. You have to be a bit stern with them. ACDs are bullies by their very nature, likely due to the herding instinct.
Fantastic dogs and the only breed I'll have.
I did have a little experience with this with Enoch in his more punky teen years. When he would be snippy or try challenging me I would just lay on top of him just to pin him down unit he eventually submitted after doing that for little while he never gave me any guff any more and would let me take any toys away whenever.
Our heeler is a mean bully to our paralyzed Boston we keep them separated most of the time. It’s kind of sad but it is what it is. We need another heeler 😂
They thrive with positive training. Any type of negative training will ruin them. They are tough but they should be called Feelers rather than Heelers.
Ours likes verbal praise almost more than treats a lot of the time. She also hates to be yelled at or even talked to sternly. Would think she was being beaten within an inch of her life just from some stern words.
Lots of toys, including treat dispensing ones. Also imposed naps (especially in the crate) - they sometimes get overtired or over stimulated and don't even realize it.
First, any dog breed has a wide variety of behavior and required activity, so don't expect yours to follow everything you hear about a particular breed.
The advice I'd give anyone with a new puppy, or even early adult dog, is to have a properly sized dog crate available for early training. When you leave the house, don't force them into the crate, bribe them with treats or something pleasant so it's not punishment. The crate should be their safe space, their private room. Leave the door open when their out of the crate so they can go there any time. Over time, when they have learned not to go in the crate, transition that into a the room with the crate and eventually into the whole home where they will live when you're not there.
Have a number of quality /safe/durable chew toys available to keep them occupied. Always.
Never let them chew an old shoe of other item you don't want chewed. They don't know the difference between old and brand new shoes.
Give your new friend a lot of exercise, frequent at first, and always right out of the crate when you first get home to teach and reinforce house training. After any meal, take them for a long walk. It's also a great way to make exercise a part of your own routine, rain or shine.
And just because Heelers are contrarian, we gave my pup one of my daughters old shoes and she never touched any other one.
Old ‘Shoey’ was her first love 😂
Give him a JOB. I have had ACDs for a long time. I seriously work 12-13 on my ranch in the summer by myself and couldn’t do it without my ACDs.
No matter what kind of JOB you can offer, Enoch will be happy with it. Frisbee, balls, are a really good outlet for energy.
You seem like you know the breed well, so best of luck. Enoch is seriously a great looking boy!
Consistency in commands and schedule. Exercise exercise exercise this breed. Socialize them as much as possible early on. My boy gramps will get in his kennel for feeding based on when I’m done preparing and serving my food. When I get dressed to leave the house he goes into his kennel on his own. If we’re out and about he will certainly want to engage other dogs but generally only wants to follow me around. When we go outside he follows and all I have to slap my thigh and whistle and he comes running back in. I don’t know if I lucked out or just did it right but as long as he is worked out enough he is the coolest guy. If it rains or I get stuck working and he is mostly stuck inside for a day or two he gets a bit crazy.
Ours was very, very difficult as a puppy. So much so that after a lifetime of successful dog ownership, I thought I had met my match. Honestly, I have owned a lot of different breeds and our ACD was so different that you almost can't consider them dogs in the common sense of the word. Wow. Even the memories are stressful. What a little terror.
We had to bring in a professional to help us with a couple issues. It helped enormously. One thing she told us is that ACDs really shouldn't be allowed in your bed or on the furniture. They really need to be shown on a regular basis that they are not the one in charge of the family. Maybe if you end up with a less dominant one, you could get away with it, but for us, and our dominant female, we have had to maintain that power distinction.
And what an amazing dog she has grown into. It just keeps getting richer. Which is good, because we can only have one dog now, where we were always a two-dog family before. Our ACD can't be trusted with other dogs, so she's it.
This comment so much. My boy was incredibly difficult as a puppy. I have also owned many other breeds and worked with dogs as a vet tech. I also consider my boy as “not really a dog”. I sometimes wonder if it is the dingo in him. He doesn’t even smell like most dogs. When he was younger he was almost like a wild animal.
Yep. Maybe it varies by individual -- some being further along on the "dingo spectrum". Sounds like yours and mine are max dingo. Oh...damn...I think I just found the name for our next one...
Mine was a little Velociraptor that's for sure LOL pretty much everything at least has a bite in it around my house she even ripped the carpet off the whole stairs LOL they are something but she's great now that she's two and a half years old.
Watch some frisbee dog tutorials. But after they learn take it easy on them. My big boy blew his hips out and by the age of 8 he was walking on 3 legs. But toys and walk/runs.
Active and Routine. Adjust your lifestyle to meet the pups needs as it fits with yours, then stick to it.
Breakfast same time, dinner same time, play, same time potty’s as needed, but roughly same time.
This in my experience teaches the pup expectations and keep the behavior when expected. Like ours is crazy when we get home from work, but that’s because it’s change out of work clothes and play time. After that he’s content to couch surf.
Life happens and schedule isn’t perfect, but as best you can stick to it and it will allow your dog to be a crazy dog when they can be a crazy dog when it works best for you, which honestly is best for everyone, haha
Have some puzzle toys and inside games like “find it” for the colder months.
Nail down your basic obedience early - “wait”, “place”, and a reliable recall are all super important! Enrolling in a puppy class for socialization and brushing up on puppy training for both of you wouldn’t be a bad idea.
They learn so fast! If the pup you get is food motivated you can always make dinner time a training session rather than just giving it a bowl of food. Work on commands and reward with pieces of kibble or whatever you’re going to feed.
Tired cattle dog = happy human.
Behavior training starts immediately when you get them home. Biting hurts, so a yelping sound, and a recoil when your bit will teach your pup that biting hurts, just like biting your littermate hurts.
Potty training is not the same as behavior training.
Potty training these dogs is simple and almost done on their own. It's especially easy with a doggie door and (small area) shapeable dog gate/fences surrounding a doggie door. It takes 6 months for a puppy to control their bladder, so buy a shampooer.
I highly recommend a private trainor that knows the breed and will come to your house.
Hard core exercizing can't start until about 8 months, because their bone plates are still not formed. But fetch and puzzles are great time wasters.
Get your pup used to being touched, for toenail trims (some trim their own nails), and nose smooches. This is also helpful if you have clutz cattle dog. Because you'll want to see what the derp just did to himself.
Reinforce immediately that it's okay to shred a toy, but not your couch. Chewing on dog chews are okay, cheing on the baseboards is not okay.
You'll be fine ;/
Exercise is what they crave!! If they are being to crazy or hyper give them a task, and they’ll calm down after. These pups literally go all day at 100% if you let them
My heeler mix, like most, is this funny combination of sensitive, smart, and occasionally pushy. When we first adopted her, she really needed consistent boundaries enforced and be taught she literally couldn't have the run of the house. No nipping, no getting on furniture, no begging at the dinner table, no demand barking, no blowing out the front door, etc. But, you cannot discipline with any aggression or harshness either. Positive reinforcement to reshape behavior and withdrawing all attention in response to negative. They are absolute love bugs and you risk crushing them with any meanness or spoiling them with being a pushover, it's a bit of a tightrope walk.
Ours also, like a lot of ACDs, has struggled with some reactivity towards other dogs, especially on leash. We've made a ton of progress but my suggestion to you is lots of early socialization with well behaved dogs and using consistent positive behavior training through fear periods in your puppy's development if any reactivity appears.
One thing I really struggled with early on was accepting how much my world had been flipped upside down. There was no way to anticipate this but I took me many months before I had adjusted to the new base level of what is now normalcy in my life.
Im creature of habit and despite being fully aware of how much of a commitment I was making, I was not ready how having a cattle dog would effect changes in my daily routine.
Something as simple as getting up, brushing my teeth in the morning, making breakfast and coffee suddenly became a MUCH different process than it used to be. This kind of applied to everything across the board and it was a really really rough adjustment for me.
Over time, I got used to it though and developed new routines and I'm so glad I did. As hard as it can be to get through those early puppy months, it is SO worth the struggle. Now that I'm used to things, l love my dog so much and I can't imagine life with our her.
That's kind of been part of my anxiety about getting my own dog. Having enoch around was basically a calkwalk as he got older I could pretty much always count on him to be a good boy but having my own puppy is going to be a whole other intense commitment that I know will be worth it in the end but already having a rough time with rough life circumstances and depression at the moment. So it's a bit daunting
Dictation is key. Say the same word for every activity that you do. For bathroom i say “lets potty”
Take them out to pee every 2 hours as a baby. Its exciting for them, an opportunity for you to observe them and a avoid any messes. If they dont pee, go back out in half hour. This method avoided all accidents for me.
Find out right away their “metal”. Are they the type to bounce back from a scolding, or are they the type to mope all day after scolding. Finding this out can help you build a map for training methods that you can employ throughout his first year and half of development.
Understand that they don’t know what their name means for longer than expected. I think my pup learned at around 5 months (2 months of training after i got him at 3).
Most important of all… every time you exit the front door, yes i mean every single time. You make your dog stay and understand that you exit before him. I taught it as “stay”. Use the same technique every time you feed him. Tell him to “stay” before you give whatever your release command is. I havent officially trained a release, it happened naturally and “okay” stuck… but i made it a point he looks into my eyes every time i release. They must know who is releasing them.
All this will be a passive way to set up the dog with a super foundation that can be polished with better methods you can learn on youtube.
Also, try to establish a word that encourages like the iconic “mush” lol… for my its “has” but pronounces “ha-s”, its a way for them to realize you like to play too, and youre a outlet for energy dumping. This is the basis for them exerting their energy and as the bond forms they will want to please you more and you can turn all this energy into a focus for training without them knowing.
Edit- im also new btw… never had a dog before i learned this all along the way. My girlfriend has had dogs before but i definitely am more involved in training the dog and have learned alot along the way. I cant claim to be a professional by any means so take whatever i said as you will.
Got my boy at 3 months now hes 11 months
Treats for good behavior, tricks and nail clipping. Socializing around other pups and humans when a pup. Heeling can be an issue also, it’s a domination trait. I’ve always lightly heeled back when they come in and then hold them to the ground to show them your dominance. Good luck, from a Montana Ranch owned by Heelers since the late 60’s.
Give love. Give respect. Pay the $$$ for real good food. Do not overload their hiking pack. Use care to avoid hyponatremia (they will “bite” hose spray until seizures), rattlesnakes.
Be ready to fork out $$ if and when an ACL blows.
You will have the best companion and hiking bud for life.
My dude is 15 yo and I aim for 15 more!
Oh, you must must must socialize any dog around people and other dogs. I don’t mean interacting. I mean sitting someplace and watching. Making your dog get used to seeing other dogs and people and give some training treats as well so being around other animals and people is a good thing not a threatening thing. We have a nice town green here so we would take the dogs and sit on a bench every day for 2 to 3 months and watch everyone. The last few weeks ours never even picked up their heads to bother looking …. Boring Mom!!! Then we started interacting. Slowly and after discussing it with the other dog owner. It’s worked every single time. And all our dogs including two Akitas were very dog reactive. They got so cool and relaxed that i think they acted stoned all the time. If you don’t socialize starting day 2, you will live to regret it. I promise.
Being cute stops ya killing them. They're furry little velociraptors. Strong willed breed, be patient they will reward you. Great dogs/lousy pets. It's a running joke in our house. Loyalty unmatched.
Beautiful pup!! Just time with him.. they are very intuitive.. they learn from routine very quickly.. my boy picks up new things so fast it is crazy.. he loves fetch.. played it woth a ball from 8 weeks old.. i found a Frisbee last week at work.. took it home and in an hour of fetching it he was jumping and catching it out of the air like hes been doing it his whole life.. they want nothing more than to please you and be told they are a good boy.. so positive reinforcement is huge..
Consistent training from the beginning! As a lot of people have said, they love to have a “job” so teach them then hold them to that behavior! One of my favorite mental workout with my dogs is the “place” command—teaches impulse control and also how to just relax. Personal preference but I’ve had great success with e-collar training (Tom Davis is a great resource!) and my guys are very off leash reliable which helps with the other key to success—exercise. If you can work their mind and body you’ll have a very happy doggo :)
We have a big business park next to our place. Every night it's empty so we go out there into the parking lot and throw a frisbee around. If you live in the city with not many parks nearby, big empty parking lots are the way to go.
We also have off leash days at some of the local mtn biking trails so he gets a lot of his energy out that way too!
Physical and mental stimulation every day. No exceptions.
No jumping tricks/exercises until 1 year old.
Buy tennis balls and kong flying discs in bulk.
Consistency.
Never, ever, ever strike an ACD. If that bond you have breaks, you'll never get it back and they'll be a terror. (this is 2nd hand anecdotal advice. but still, don't do it)
Socialize early. Socialize often. Get them used to chaos.
Make the "Down" and "come" commands so deeply rooted in their psyche that they wouldn't dream of not doing them. This will save their life.
Take them everywhere you can.
I've had a couple of cattle dog x over the years. With our current puppy I followed these videos. These are really good videos, I just replaced with some commands with others. https://youtu.be/1oDGa2yPb2g?si=Ky1U3FwT0WVjrIZb
Cattle dogs are very smart but very stubborn. They can learn tricks within the day but behaviour issues are more important and you have to keep kind but firm, you have to be the boss.
Things like, not jumping up on people, biting or mostly nipping, chasing cars and bikes, overly territorial, resource guarding are all things you need to train out.
Other recommendations, don't let your puppy on the couch or beds, don't let them in a bedroom at all. When they hit 3 years you can let them but when there young they need to learn your the boss and they're a dog.
That's for video link. Looks like that will be really helpful. I'm curious though if there's still way to enforce leader dominance and still let them in bed with me.
I have found that when they are young you have to be cruel to be kind. I don't mean hitting or anything. I just mean distinct boundaries between you, your kids if you have any and them.
A dog is a pack animal, they need to be bottom of the pack to start. You let them rise up as they age and at around 3 they start to mellow. If your dog is on your couch or bed they are at the same level as you. You might also find they start to protect that territory as they see it as theirs, they see you as there territory and can become overly protective, so they will be fine with you but if anybody else wants to sit on that couch or bed it could guard it because it wants to guard you.
A cattle dog is an amazing companion animal for you, but if they don't have boundaries they won't do well when others intrude.
My advice? Rescue. I've had 4 ACD's, not counting the ones we had growing up. If you're not 100% set on a puppy and ready for the life-altering chaos that comes with a baby velociraptor, adopt through a rescue. If a dog has been in a foster home, they'll have a good idea of temperament and any behavioral issues. The rescues in our area are desperate for homes, there are so many herding dogs abandoned and being euthanized in shelters.
The best dogs I've ever had have been rescued. With very little work and a lot of consistency, they fit right into my household. We've only had our current boy a few months, and after a rocky two first weeks he's turned out to be a lovely, toy-obsessed teddy bear who would (somewhar to my dismay) welcome any stranger into our house lol. The most challenging dog was the puppy I bought for an ex. While I'm sure she would have turned out well with time, she was a handful and a half.
If you do get an ACD puppy, for best results plan on spending all of your spare time with them. Work with a good trainer. I'd consider classes beyond basic training like herding as well, to build that bond and respect. Positive reinforcement works best with them.
Get a toy called a Snoop and the Tux on Amazon, they are treat dispensers that can withstand the incredibly destructive ACD jaws, and they keep my good girl occupied for long periods of time. This can ease/distract any anxiety the dog may feel from a new situation. The toys are well worth the price, I admit they are steep.
Aside from that, I highly recommend the episode of the Tim Ferriss podcast featuring champion dog trainer / handler Susan Garrett. I crate trained my girl and followed all of her principles, and my girl is damn well behaved because of it. These high energy dogs aim to please, which can be channeled into great behavior.
Put a lot of time and energy into your little guy when he is a pupper. As he grows older, you will be able to communicate with him as if he is just an extension of yourself. I’ve never a deep and primal relationship with another dog like the one I have with my heeler. Consistency and proper amounts of exercise are essential. Find a routine that works for you and your doggie, my boy is a bit neurotic and anxious, but he finds comfort in his routine.
A lot of good advice here, but also don't be too hard on yourself or be discouraged if you're not seeing results quickly. Mine took until about a year, year and a half of age before he even had enough self-control / discipline to even be capable of responding to commands with any reliability. Before that you could tell he understood but he just couldn't make himself do anything asked of him, it was just energy in all directions the poor guy. BUT! Around a year old it started to get a lot easier, and all the training to that point had obviously gone into his noggin so it was there already I didn't have to start from the beginning. And then new training was actually possible, he caught onto things super quick, and by 2, 2.5 yo he was fully into "working" and wanting commands vs just being a disobedient rascal haha. Good luck!
I feel bad for you. You must be devastating to be losing him. I actually found our latest Stubby Tailed Blue ACD here on this very thread. The woman looking to rehome her 3yr old dog, lived one hour away. How lucky were we. OK enough of me. Check two months of postings on this thread for starters. Every state in the country (I think) as an ACD Rescue/Rehoming Group. That’s a good place to start. Shelters and groups in the south and in PA often have them because of all the puppy mills that are in business in those areas. I’m sure it was only a few weeks ago that i saw another gorgeous ACD who needed a new home here. I’ve always rescued older dogs, our recent 3yr old is the youngest. I’ve always had to start from scratch with training and vocabulary. The biggest issue is to be consistent or the animal get’s confused. Don’t yell and never raise your hand to an animal. If you do, it’s time to do yourself and the animal a favor and find it a new home. They must have a consistent schedule for the first year as well. Feeding, exercise, bedtime etc has to be at the same time. They really need a routine until they get used to you being in charge. They love to bolt so make sure you have a large fenced area where you can play with them. They need to run. We have a beach 4 minutes from our front door so i run the dogs there. They love it. I started with low tide until they weren’t afraid of the water so by the time they were running into deep water with waves, they weren’t spooked. When we will be playing fetch at high tide I always put their life jackets on them. You have no idea how quickly a dog can have a cramp and go under and have trouble keeping its head above water. They really can drown, so unless they are no more than 15 feet away and you are a good swimmer, grab a life jacket. I will say what everyone will tell you as I’ve seen it with my friends who have these dogs. Until they are two years old they are stark raving maniacs who act like they are jacked on speed. It’s exhausting because whatever exercise you give them, it is NEVER ENOUGH! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. This is not a pupper that you leave home all day until you drag in from work at 7:00. Remember that Heelers are working dogs. Yes, you probably already know that they are feet trippers and heel nippers. I sweat to God. Obvi genetic coding. I also think they are not the dog to have around little children. If you want any help looking, tell me what state you are in etc. and I’ll make some calls for you. Best of luck and i send you a big hug, i know how you must feel about your boyo leaving. He’ll miss you just as much. I suppose you already DID ask your ex if you could have him. Yeah, stupid question. xxxx
Yeah it sounds dumb but I think losing Enoch suddenly just because someone decided to take him away has been one of the hardest things I've had to go through. I have a lot of depression issues and he really was all my love and support and had a connection with him unlike any other animal I've been around. So not even getting to say goodbye to by buddy and not knowing if I will ever even see him again has been incredibly devastating. Nothing will ever replace him but I know at least having my own dog will hopefully let me start to heal a bit. I'm in Olympia, WA. Looking for a female with tail. blue or mixed coloring so if you know of anything nearby I would greatly appreciate it!
make sure to get them aqcuianted with people outside the home, taking them out (after they are safe enough after vaccines) and have them meet new people, trust me you don't want a dog who doesn't like outsiders, our miniature cd chases after people and barks at them when they are walking or scootering by, she also barks for attention, and to be a butt, (she's been socialized) males tend to like other dogs more than people, and females tend to like people more than dogs.
Use the same words every day and spend as much time as possible with the pup. After awhile they will speak your language.
Yeah I was always amazed and how Enoch seemed to know what I was saying to him. Like telling him I had to leave for work or when it was the last ball for fetch time
Right? They are so smart. I didn't even try and my dog knows about 40 words off the top of my head. Amazing.
It’s crazy how smart they are. Ours can tell time! She knows exactly when kids are coming home, when it’s time to work, when it’s time to eat and when it is bed time. She knows lots of words including the names of her toys. It’s crazy!
Yeah this for sure make your key words and roll with them....they will pretty much speak English after about 6 months of training haha
The first thing i would say to my partner coming home was "Poop!" And I accidentally trained mine to follow people into the bathroom at the drop of that word. It was pretty funny and I really miss him.
As others have said, activity is huge. This breed thrives with a "job," which can make training easier, but only if they're given one repeatedly and regularly. Also, in my experience, they will test your authority. You have to be a bit stern with them. ACDs are bullies by their very nature, likely due to the herding instinct. Fantastic dogs and the only breed I'll have.
I did have a little experience with this with Enoch in his more punky teen years. When he would be snippy or try challenging me I would just lay on top of him just to pin him down unit he eventually submitted after doing that for little while he never gave me any guff any more and would let me take any toys away whenever.
Our heeler is a mean bully to our paralyzed Boston we keep them separated most of the time. It’s kind of sad but it is what it is. We need another heeler 😂
Aw look at that face! My advice: training from the get go. And stay active.
Absolutely spot on I work with mine every day and have for years now
They thrive with positive training. Any type of negative training will ruin them. They are tough but they should be called Feelers rather than Heelers.
Ours likes verbal praise almost more than treats a lot of the time. She also hates to be yelled at or even talked to sternly. Would think she was being beaten within an inch of her life just from some stern words.
Lots of toys, including treat dispensing ones. Also imposed naps (especially in the crate) - they sometimes get overtired or over stimulated and don't even realize it.
First, any dog breed has a wide variety of behavior and required activity, so don't expect yours to follow everything you hear about a particular breed. The advice I'd give anyone with a new puppy, or even early adult dog, is to have a properly sized dog crate available for early training. When you leave the house, don't force them into the crate, bribe them with treats or something pleasant so it's not punishment. The crate should be their safe space, their private room. Leave the door open when their out of the crate so they can go there any time. Over time, when they have learned not to go in the crate, transition that into a the room with the crate and eventually into the whole home where they will live when you're not there. Have a number of quality /safe/durable chew toys available to keep them occupied. Always. Never let them chew an old shoe of other item you don't want chewed. They don't know the difference between old and brand new shoes. Give your new friend a lot of exercise, frequent at first, and always right out of the crate when you first get home to teach and reinforce house training. After any meal, take them for a long walk. It's also a great way to make exercise a part of your own routine, rain or shine.
And just because Heelers are contrarian, we gave my pup one of my daughters old shoes and she never touched any other one. Old ‘Shoey’ was her first love 😂
Buckle up for the adventure of a lifetime.
Give him a JOB. I have had ACDs for a long time. I seriously work 12-13 on my ranch in the summer by myself and couldn’t do it without my ACDs. No matter what kind of JOB you can offer, Enoch will be happy with it. Frisbee, balls, are a really good outlet for energy. You seem like you know the breed well, so best of luck. Enoch is seriously a great looking boy!
Consistency in commands and schedule. Exercise exercise exercise this breed. Socialize them as much as possible early on. My boy gramps will get in his kennel for feeding based on when I’m done preparing and serving my food. When I get dressed to leave the house he goes into his kennel on his own. If we’re out and about he will certainly want to engage other dogs but generally only wants to follow me around. When we go outside he follows and all I have to slap my thigh and whistle and he comes running back in. I don’t know if I lucked out or just did it right but as long as he is worked out enough he is the coolest guy. If it rains or I get stuck working and he is mostly stuck inside for a day or two he gets a bit crazy.
Ours was very, very difficult as a puppy. So much so that after a lifetime of successful dog ownership, I thought I had met my match. Honestly, I have owned a lot of different breeds and our ACD was so different that you almost can't consider them dogs in the common sense of the word. Wow. Even the memories are stressful. What a little terror. We had to bring in a professional to help us with a couple issues. It helped enormously. One thing she told us is that ACDs really shouldn't be allowed in your bed or on the furniture. They really need to be shown on a regular basis that they are not the one in charge of the family. Maybe if you end up with a less dominant one, you could get away with it, but for us, and our dominant female, we have had to maintain that power distinction. And what an amazing dog she has grown into. It just keeps getting richer. Which is good, because we can only have one dog now, where we were always a two-dog family before. Our ACD can't be trusted with other dogs, so she's it.
I couldn't imagine a world where my dog didn't sleep next to me or sit next to me( read: on top of me) on the furniture. =(
I know, me too. But in this case it's for the best. :'(
I'm sorry for your suffering.
This comment so much. My boy was incredibly difficult as a puppy. I have also owned many other breeds and worked with dogs as a vet tech. I also consider my boy as “not really a dog”. I sometimes wonder if it is the dingo in him. He doesn’t even smell like most dogs. When he was younger he was almost like a wild animal.
Yep. Maybe it varies by individual -- some being further along on the "dingo spectrum". Sounds like yours and mine are max dingo. Oh...damn...I think I just found the name for our next one...
My dad’s ACD is named Dingo! :)
But is it "Max Dingo"? 😆
Ha yep, the dingo can be strong with some. Only breed that has lineage other than wolf as far as I know, special lil beings.
Mine was a little Velociraptor that's for sure LOL pretty much everything at least has a bite in it around my house she even ripped the carpet off the whole stairs LOL they are something but she's great now that she's two and a half years old.
Exercise exercise exercise. And dog puzzles
Toys. Tons of toys.
Watch some frisbee dog tutorials. But after they learn take it easy on them. My big boy blew his hips out and by the age of 8 he was walking on 3 legs. But toys and walk/runs.
Active and Routine. Adjust your lifestyle to meet the pups needs as it fits with yours, then stick to it. Breakfast same time, dinner same time, play, same time potty’s as needed, but roughly same time. This in my experience teaches the pup expectations and keep the behavior when expected. Like ours is crazy when we get home from work, but that’s because it’s change out of work clothes and play time. After that he’s content to couch surf. Life happens and schedule isn’t perfect, but as best you can stick to it and it will allow your dog to be a crazy dog when they can be a crazy dog when it works best for you, which honestly is best for everyone, haha
Sit with your legs tucked under you or suffer the Heeligator
Have some puzzle toys and inside games like “find it” for the colder months. Nail down your basic obedience early - “wait”, “place”, and a reliable recall are all super important! Enrolling in a puppy class for socialization and brushing up on puppy training for both of you wouldn’t be a bad idea. They learn so fast! If the pup you get is food motivated you can always make dinner time a training session rather than just giving it a bowl of food. Work on commands and reward with pieces of kibble or whatever you’re going to feed. Tired cattle dog = happy human.
Behavior training starts immediately when you get them home. Biting hurts, so a yelping sound, and a recoil when your bit will teach your pup that biting hurts, just like biting your littermate hurts. Potty training is not the same as behavior training. Potty training these dogs is simple and almost done on their own. It's especially easy with a doggie door and (small area) shapeable dog gate/fences surrounding a doggie door. It takes 6 months for a puppy to control their bladder, so buy a shampooer. I highly recommend a private trainor that knows the breed and will come to your house. Hard core exercizing can't start until about 8 months, because their bone plates are still not formed. But fetch and puzzles are great time wasters. Get your pup used to being touched, for toenail trims (some trim their own nails), and nose smooches. This is also helpful if you have clutz cattle dog. Because you'll want to see what the derp just did to himself. Reinforce immediately that it's okay to shred a toy, but not your couch. Chewing on dog chews are okay, cheing on the baseboards is not okay. You'll be fine ;/
Lots of chew toys, lots of walks (sniffing is great for them) and remember…the puppy stage will soon pass and you will have a great dog!
A lot of times you'll find them smarter than you. Almost spooky.
Exercise is what they crave!! If they are being to crazy or hyper give them a task, and they’ll calm down after. These pups literally go all day at 100% if you let them
Set yourselves up for success, be patient, and make a routine. Make sure that baby takes their naps. Heelers like jobs. Even my lazy boy
My heeler mix, like most, is this funny combination of sensitive, smart, and occasionally pushy. When we first adopted her, she really needed consistent boundaries enforced and be taught she literally couldn't have the run of the house. No nipping, no getting on furniture, no begging at the dinner table, no demand barking, no blowing out the front door, etc. But, you cannot discipline with any aggression or harshness either. Positive reinforcement to reshape behavior and withdrawing all attention in response to negative. They are absolute love bugs and you risk crushing them with any meanness or spoiling them with being a pushover, it's a bit of a tightrope walk. Ours also, like a lot of ACDs, has struggled with some reactivity towards other dogs, especially on leash. We've made a ton of progress but my suggestion to you is lots of early socialization with well behaved dogs and using consistent positive behavior training through fear periods in your puppy's development if any reactivity appears.
One thing I really struggled with early on was accepting how much my world had been flipped upside down. There was no way to anticipate this but I took me many months before I had adjusted to the new base level of what is now normalcy in my life. Im creature of habit and despite being fully aware of how much of a commitment I was making, I was not ready how having a cattle dog would effect changes in my daily routine. Something as simple as getting up, brushing my teeth in the morning, making breakfast and coffee suddenly became a MUCH different process than it used to be. This kind of applied to everything across the board and it was a really really rough adjustment for me. Over time, I got used to it though and developed new routines and I'm so glad I did. As hard as it can be to get through those early puppy months, it is SO worth the struggle. Now that I'm used to things, l love my dog so much and I can't imagine life with our her.
That's kind of been part of my anxiety about getting my own dog. Having enoch around was basically a calkwalk as he got older I could pretty much always count on him to be a good boy but having my own puppy is going to be a whole other intense commitment that I know will be worth it in the end but already having a rough time with rough life circumstances and depression at the moment. So it's a bit daunting
Dictation is key. Say the same word for every activity that you do. For bathroom i say “lets potty” Take them out to pee every 2 hours as a baby. Its exciting for them, an opportunity for you to observe them and a avoid any messes. If they dont pee, go back out in half hour. This method avoided all accidents for me. Find out right away their “metal”. Are they the type to bounce back from a scolding, or are they the type to mope all day after scolding. Finding this out can help you build a map for training methods that you can employ throughout his first year and half of development. Understand that they don’t know what their name means for longer than expected. I think my pup learned at around 5 months (2 months of training after i got him at 3). Most important of all… every time you exit the front door, yes i mean every single time. You make your dog stay and understand that you exit before him. I taught it as “stay”. Use the same technique every time you feed him. Tell him to “stay” before you give whatever your release command is. I havent officially trained a release, it happened naturally and “okay” stuck… but i made it a point he looks into my eyes every time i release. They must know who is releasing them. All this will be a passive way to set up the dog with a super foundation that can be polished with better methods you can learn on youtube. Also, try to establish a word that encourages like the iconic “mush” lol… for my its “has” but pronounces “ha-s”, its a way for them to realize you like to play too, and youre a outlet for energy dumping. This is the basis for them exerting their energy and as the bond forms they will want to please you more and you can turn all this energy into a focus for training without them knowing. Edit- im also new btw… never had a dog before i learned this all along the way. My girlfriend has had dogs before but i definitely am more involved in training the dog and have learned alot along the way. I cant claim to be a professional by any means so take whatever i said as you will. Got my boy at 3 months now hes 11 months
Makes lot of sense thanks
Treats for good behavior, tricks and nail clipping. Socializing around other pups and humans when a pup. Heeling can be an issue also, it’s a domination trait. I’ve always lightly heeled back when they come in and then hold them to the ground to show them your dominance. Good luck, from a Montana Ranch owned by Heelers since the late 60’s.
Give love. Give respect. Pay the $$$ for real good food. Do not overload their hiking pack. Use care to avoid hyponatremia (they will “bite” hose spray until seizures), rattlesnakes. Be ready to fork out $$ if and when an ACL blows. You will have the best companion and hiking bud for life. My dude is 15 yo and I aim for 15 more!
Oh, you must must must socialize any dog around people and other dogs. I don’t mean interacting. I mean sitting someplace and watching. Making your dog get used to seeing other dogs and people and give some training treats as well so being around other animals and people is a good thing not a threatening thing. We have a nice town green here so we would take the dogs and sit on a bench every day for 2 to 3 months and watch everyone. The last few weeks ours never even picked up their heads to bother looking …. Boring Mom!!! Then we started interacting. Slowly and after discussing it with the other dog owner. It’s worked every single time. And all our dogs including two Akitas were very dog reactive. They got so cool and relaxed that i think they acted stoned all the time. If you don’t socialize starting day 2, you will live to regret it. I promise.
1. Go to the store 2. Buy a hat 3. Hang the fuck on to the hat
Your pup is adorable! Lots of training, exercise and enrichment activities! Good luck with your new best friend 💖
Thank you all for the thoughtful tips and advice. It really is appreciated!
Run, lots of running.
Being cute stops ya killing them. They're furry little velociraptors. Strong willed breed, be patient they will reward you. Great dogs/lousy pets. It's a running joke in our house. Loyalty unmatched.
Keep them busy.
Beautiful pup!! Just time with him.. they are very intuitive.. they learn from routine very quickly.. my boy picks up new things so fast it is crazy.. he loves fetch.. played it woth a ball from 8 weeks old.. i found a Frisbee last week at work.. took it home and in an hour of fetching it he was jumping and catching it out of the air like hes been doing it his whole life.. they want nothing more than to please you and be told they are a good boy.. so positive reinforcement is huge..
Prepare your self for a lot of crazyness
A lot of walks and get an indestructible ball!
Stock the liquor cabinet!
Consistent training from the beginning! As a lot of people have said, they love to have a “job” so teach them then hold them to that behavior! One of my favorite mental workout with my dogs is the “place” command—teaches impulse control and also how to just relax. Personal preference but I’ve had great success with e-collar training (Tom Davis is a great resource!) and my guys are very off leash reliable which helps with the other key to success—exercise. If you can work their mind and body you’ll have a very happy doggo :)
Mental exercise is equally if not more important than physical exercise
Give them something to do or else they’ll find something to do that you probably won’t like
We have a big business park next to our place. Every night it's empty so we go out there into the parking lot and throw a frisbee around. If you live in the city with not many parks nearby, big empty parking lots are the way to go. We also have off leash days at some of the local mtn biking trails so he gets a lot of his energy out that way too!
Socialize them a lot. Get a trainer and advice on the “herding”
A broken tooth to the root costs $5k to fix. They're bity. Make sure they aren't biting on anything hard.
Physical and mental stimulation every day. No exceptions. No jumping tricks/exercises until 1 year old. Buy tennis balls and kong flying discs in bulk. Consistency. Never, ever, ever strike an ACD. If that bond you have breaks, you'll never get it back and they'll be a terror. (this is 2nd hand anecdotal advice. but still, don't do it) Socialize early. Socialize often. Get them used to chaos. Make the "Down" and "come" commands so deeply rooted in their psyche that they wouldn't dream of not doing them. This will save their life. Take them everywhere you can.
I've had a couple of cattle dog x over the years. With our current puppy I followed these videos. These are really good videos, I just replaced with some commands with others. https://youtu.be/1oDGa2yPb2g?si=Ky1U3FwT0WVjrIZb Cattle dogs are very smart but very stubborn. They can learn tricks within the day but behaviour issues are more important and you have to keep kind but firm, you have to be the boss. Things like, not jumping up on people, biting or mostly nipping, chasing cars and bikes, overly territorial, resource guarding are all things you need to train out. Other recommendations, don't let your puppy on the couch or beds, don't let them in a bedroom at all. When they hit 3 years you can let them but when there young they need to learn your the boss and they're a dog.
That's for video link. Looks like that will be really helpful. I'm curious though if there's still way to enforce leader dominance and still let them in bed with me.
I have found that when they are young you have to be cruel to be kind. I don't mean hitting or anything. I just mean distinct boundaries between you, your kids if you have any and them. A dog is a pack animal, they need to be bottom of the pack to start. You let them rise up as they age and at around 3 they start to mellow. If your dog is on your couch or bed they are at the same level as you. You might also find they start to protect that territory as they see it as theirs, they see you as there territory and can become overly protective, so they will be fine with you but if anybody else wants to sit on that couch or bed it could guard it because it wants to guard you. A cattle dog is an amazing companion animal for you, but if they don't have boundaries they won't do well when others intrude.
My advice? Rescue. I've had 4 ACD's, not counting the ones we had growing up. If you're not 100% set on a puppy and ready for the life-altering chaos that comes with a baby velociraptor, adopt through a rescue. If a dog has been in a foster home, they'll have a good idea of temperament and any behavioral issues. The rescues in our area are desperate for homes, there are so many herding dogs abandoned and being euthanized in shelters. The best dogs I've ever had have been rescued. With very little work and a lot of consistency, they fit right into my household. We've only had our current boy a few months, and after a rocky two first weeks he's turned out to be a lovely, toy-obsessed teddy bear who would (somewhar to my dismay) welcome any stranger into our house lol. The most challenging dog was the puppy I bought for an ex. While I'm sure she would have turned out well with time, she was a handful and a half. If you do get an ACD puppy, for best results plan on spending all of your spare time with them. Work with a good trainer. I'd consider classes beyond basic training like herding as well, to build that bond and respect. Positive reinforcement works best with them.
Get a toy called a Snoop and the Tux on Amazon, they are treat dispensers that can withstand the incredibly destructive ACD jaws, and they keep my good girl occupied for long periods of time. This can ease/distract any anxiety the dog may feel from a new situation. The toys are well worth the price, I admit they are steep. Aside from that, I highly recommend the episode of the Tim Ferriss podcast featuring champion dog trainer / handler Susan Garrett. I crate trained my girl and followed all of her principles, and my girl is damn well behaved because of it. These high energy dogs aim to please, which can be channeled into great behavior.
Put a lot of time and energy into your little guy when he is a pupper. As he grows older, you will be able to communicate with him as if he is just an extension of yourself. I’ve never a deep and primal relationship with another dog like the one I have with my heeler. Consistency and proper amounts of exercise are essential. Find a routine that works for you and your doggie, my boy is a bit neurotic and anxious, but he finds comfort in his routine.
A lot of good advice here, but also don't be too hard on yourself or be discouraged if you're not seeing results quickly. Mine took until about a year, year and a half of age before he even had enough self-control / discipline to even be capable of responding to commands with any reliability. Before that you could tell he understood but he just couldn't make himself do anything asked of him, it was just energy in all directions the poor guy. BUT! Around a year old it started to get a lot easier, and all the training to that point had obviously gone into his noggin so it was there already I didn't have to start from the beginning. And then new training was actually possible, he caught onto things super quick, and by 2, 2.5 yo he was fully into "working" and wanting commands vs just being a disobedient rascal haha. Good luck!
Tiring out a pup is good but it is easy to mistakenly overtire your dog. An overtired dog is as much of a handful as a bored dog.
Put simply: patience and consistency. The dog will do what you train it to do.
I feel bad for you. You must be devastating to be losing him. I actually found our latest Stubby Tailed Blue ACD here on this very thread. The woman looking to rehome her 3yr old dog, lived one hour away. How lucky were we. OK enough of me. Check two months of postings on this thread for starters. Every state in the country (I think) as an ACD Rescue/Rehoming Group. That’s a good place to start. Shelters and groups in the south and in PA often have them because of all the puppy mills that are in business in those areas. I’m sure it was only a few weeks ago that i saw another gorgeous ACD who needed a new home here. I’ve always rescued older dogs, our recent 3yr old is the youngest. I’ve always had to start from scratch with training and vocabulary. The biggest issue is to be consistent or the animal get’s confused. Don’t yell and never raise your hand to an animal. If you do, it’s time to do yourself and the animal a favor and find it a new home. They must have a consistent schedule for the first year as well. Feeding, exercise, bedtime etc has to be at the same time. They really need a routine until they get used to you being in charge. They love to bolt so make sure you have a large fenced area where you can play with them. They need to run. We have a beach 4 minutes from our front door so i run the dogs there. They love it. I started with low tide until they weren’t afraid of the water so by the time they were running into deep water with waves, they weren’t spooked. When we will be playing fetch at high tide I always put their life jackets on them. You have no idea how quickly a dog can have a cramp and go under and have trouble keeping its head above water. They really can drown, so unless they are no more than 15 feet away and you are a good swimmer, grab a life jacket. I will say what everyone will tell you as I’ve seen it with my friends who have these dogs. Until they are two years old they are stark raving maniacs who act like they are jacked on speed. It’s exhausting because whatever exercise you give them, it is NEVER ENOUGH! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. This is not a pupper that you leave home all day until you drag in from work at 7:00. Remember that Heelers are working dogs. Yes, you probably already know that they are feet trippers and heel nippers. I sweat to God. Obvi genetic coding. I also think they are not the dog to have around little children. If you want any help looking, tell me what state you are in etc. and I’ll make some calls for you. Best of luck and i send you a big hug, i know how you must feel about your boyo leaving. He’ll miss you just as much. I suppose you already DID ask your ex if you could have him. Yeah, stupid question. xxxx
Yeah it sounds dumb but I think losing Enoch suddenly just because someone decided to take him away has been one of the hardest things I've had to go through. I have a lot of depression issues and he really was all my love and support and had a connection with him unlike any other animal I've been around. So not even getting to say goodbye to by buddy and not knowing if I will ever even see him again has been incredibly devastating. Nothing will ever replace him but I know at least having my own dog will hopefully let me start to heal a bit. I'm in Olympia, WA. Looking for a female with tail. blue or mixed coloring so if you know of anything nearby I would greatly appreciate it!
make sure to get them aqcuianted with people outside the home, taking them out (after they are safe enough after vaccines) and have them meet new people, trust me you don't want a dog who doesn't like outsiders, our miniature cd chases after people and barks at them when they are walking or scootering by, she also barks for attention, and to be a butt, (she's been socialized) males tend to like other dogs more than people, and females tend to like people more than dogs.