what would you do? Dog help

[chicamama03]

are you sick of me yet?

I did consult with three very good trainers. Two who knew her personally. They feel she could be placed, but in the right home (fenced yard, no unexpected kids/strangers walking on land, etc).

I live in a semi rural area and she had so much energy................ WHO WUDDA THOUGHT!

 

[chicamama03]

Quote:
doesnt mean all terriers are aggressive i have a Bull terrier who was originally bred to fight. does that mean hes going to be aggressive or he has aggresive tendencies? NOPE.

any dog can become aggressive any breed of dog read Jamie_Dog_Trainer's post aboveI have been there-done that with a client of mine and her aggressive Golden Retreiver

any dog in certian hands can become aggressive and even aggressive dogs in certian hands can be trained to not show there aggression.

IMO its all about being able to read your dogs body language from the very start and stopping any bad behavior BEFORE it escalates.

so lets say this heeler is normal no medical issues perhapes this dog started out being overly alert when strangers came ears perked hackles standing chest puffed out tail erect obsevering. of coarse a normal dog owner might not even notice this behvior why should they? a few weeks,months,years later the behavior becomes this dog is growling,barking at new people the owner again just ignores the dog whats the harm? the behavior changes the dog is now mock charging new people NOW and only now does the owner take notice yelling at the dog to knock it off but assureing the strangers the dog doesnt bite.
sometimes its weeks sometimes its months for these troubling behaviors to crop up without notice and sometimes with fearful dogs its a matter of days.

how could you have stopped this behavior? easy the first time a new person came and you seen the dogs alertness correct them right then and there an everytime a person came over correct them dont lock them away dont keep them from meeting just dont allow them to stay alert. its ok for a dog to show alertness but when they stay in that state suspiciously eyeing the person even after you welcome them in you need to correct.
yes i do realize im going to be critisized for my opinion but hey so far its worked for me.

totally agree. I think I dropped the ball here. Sadly, and this is sad, my brother was murdered around the same time her aggression started. I think I just dropped the ball. Mentally, I could not deal. I do think, in hindsight, she did show these signs and I did not clearly face them head on. She came from a well respected breeder who bred for show. I naively thought her drive would be watered down. WRONG. Never had I wished I lived in Montana with 100 head of cattle more.

 

[dainerra]

Quote:
I'm very sorry about your brother. It can be hard to deal with doggie issues when there are so many other things on your plate.
Did you contact her breeder? Many (most) reputable breeders stipulate in their contract that they should be contacted first if you can't keep the dog for any reason. A good showline breeder won't try to waterdown the drive of a working breed

 

[Longhorns&Chickens]

Quote:
this is a little off subject, but are cattle dogs, Heelers usually an aggresive dog? We were considering these for a future family pet, but I don't want to deal with an aggressive dog, did that and wound up euthinizing, and that sucks!!! But it was that or be a prisoner in my own home, there is no rehoming of an aggressive animal, training first option, death if that doesn't work. just curious about the breed, I have bully breed dogs now that are awesome, but my hubby was interested, but we have 3 boys, so aggressive is out!

 

[drdoolittle]

After reading The Good Dog by Jon Katz, I would have to say euthanising is the kindest and safest thing you could do. I'm sorry you're in this position------we went through this many years ago with a beautiful Akita mix we had. He was wonderful with us and our 1 yr. old son, but when he got out loose, he was terrorizing everyone in the neighborhood. We tried re-homing him, and that was a total failure. The woman who took him was alone way out in the country most of the time (her DH was a trucker) and she wanted a protective dog. Unfortunately he started jumping the neighbor's 9-ft. fence and chasing the cows. She brought him back after 2 weeks, and he was terribly thin and seemed depressed. I knew I couldn't re-home him again (I'd be constantly worrying about him) so my Hubby took him to be euthanised.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Longhorns&Chickens :

Quote:
this is a little off subject, but are cattle dogs, Heelers usually an aggresive dog? We were considering these for a future family pet, but I don't want to deal with an aggressive dog, did that and wound up euthinizing, and that sucks!!! But it was that or be a prisoner in my own home, there is no rehoming of an aggressive animal, training first option, death if that doesn't work. just curious about the breed, I have bully breed dogs now that are awesome, but my hubby was interested, but we have 3 boys, so aggressive is out!

ACD's aka: heelers, are often a breed prone to biting. Thats a bred-in trait and why they are effective with cattle -- they aren't afraid to bite and be domineering to animals bigger than themselves. This isn't the case with all ACD's though, but for a family with small children and having experienced the heartbreak of euthanizing due to aggression, I would definately rule out the ACD breed.​

 

[zzGypsy]

Longhorns&Chickens :

this is a little off subject, but are cattle dogs, Heelers usually an aggresive dog? We were considering these for a future family pet, but I don't want to deal with an aggressive dog, did that and wound up euthinizing, and that sucks!!! But it was that or be a prisoner in my own home, there is no rehoming of an aggressive animal, training first option, death if that doesn't work. just curious about the breed, I have bully breed dogs now that are awesome, but my hubby was interested, but we have 3 boys, so aggressive is out!

not necessarily agressive, but they are nippish, and can be testy and bite wihen irritated. they're tough, hard-headed, smart little dogs. in general I don't think they make good household pets, too intense, too much energy, and if they don't have a job to do... a real job involving hours of exercise a day... they can become a real problem. would be far from my first choice for a family pet, even with active boys, especially if they're young. when I think of family pet, I want a dog that is sweet natured, tollerant of roughhousing, is as active and energetic as the family is outdoors and willing to layabout indoors. accepting of strangers or wary of strangers depends on your family circumstances. either way, that definitely doesn't describe heelers.​

 

[chicamama03]

I would say no. I LOVE the breed, and have had 2, but my last one (the topic of this thread) really threw me for a loop. My last one, although quirky, was not as aggressive or high energy. I'm learning now he was NOT typical of the breed. That said, I was surprised how even GOlden Retrievers can run aggressive (as posted here) so, I guess the best thing is go with a general *even tempered* breed and hope for the best.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

This is a little off subject, but are cattle dogs, Heelers usually an aggresive dog? We were considering these for a future family pet

I do not consider cattle dogs to be good family pets. My husband and I had to work really hard to ensure our little girl bonded to us both, rather than just one of us. I would not have gotten the breed had my husband not fallen completely in love with her at the shelter (though now I always want an ACD), as I had many bad experiences with the breed as a kid. A friend was mauled by the family heeler who was only loyal to the dad of the family. My friend was play fighting with her dad, and the dog took it to be a threat.

That said, once they trust you, they tend to give you all their trust and for life. I've never owned a more loyal dog. I have found you can get away with having the breed in an apartment if active, but that the family deal can be a bit harder. Some do very well though, usually when from non working lines it seems.​

 

[Longhorns&Chickens]

Thanks for the input!!! The few heelers I've been around, have been nippy, not aggressive, but more possessive. We have American bulldogs, and have had them for 9 years so the training isn't an issue. I'm home almost all the time, one of the benefits of being the stay at home mom. We chose pups based on personality not just looks and pedigree. I handle the day to day care and training. The dog I had that was aggressive came to our home at 5 monthes old, and had previously been a kennel dog. Unfortunately there were a few dogs in his pedigree that exibited his weird behaviors but not to the same level. He turned aggressive at the drop of a hat, and we weren't sure what would trigger it, and my boys are 7,5, & 3 and in no way would I risk their safety. The breeders I got him from took him back, but after a month back at the kennel, he started the same thing there and they euthinized him. Thats when with a little research I found dogs in his lines with the same issues. My female bullies are AWESOME! They may bark at strangers, but if I say ok, they are good to go. Both weight pull, can work our cattle and love the kids. My hubby just really likes the looks of a heeler for a future pet, but wants to research them more

. We did the same for the bulldogs, because of health issues and temperment issues we like to know what we're getting into! Heelers are beautiful, but from the sounds of it I need to do more homework. If only my girls could live for another 20 years....ugh we get them for such a short time, they are 5 and just over 7 years old which seems so young but half their life expectancy

Our original bulldog is 9 this year and he is turning gray, and I can tell he is feeling his age more and more. He was my hubby's dog when we got married. Surprisingly he took the marriage and future children quite well. He is protective of the family but not aggressive. He is loyal, and has saved my hide from moody cows more than once! He is from hog catching lines, thus has been a little more work than the girls, but even so he has been a good dog, he thinks tooo much sometimes! Thanks again for the info on heelers! We are a working farm, would a Heeler do well with that bit of info? Yes it would be a family dog, but would still have a farm and chores, just curious. I like my dogs in the house, but able to go out with me or the kids. Our farm has several neighbors and lots of activity with new people, which isn't a problem for the "girls" but was for the old male Dude, I'm guessing Heelers wouldn't like that, am I right? any how just looking for more info....are male heelers better than female, or vice versa?