Our 1 1/2 yr old border collie/cattle dog mix

[momofsweetpup]

We recently adopted a dog from a local shelter and he seemed to have lots of energy... but we have noticed he loves to sleep alot. He doesn't get too excited when anyone calls his name he comes at his own pace. When we've had anyone come up to the house door he doesn't bark and doesn't seem too excited. Is there anything I should worry about?
I actually called the shelter after he was with us a couple of days and asked if they ever heard him bark and they only did a couple of times. He's more laid back, we were just wondering if there is anything that we should have the vet do to check him out. He has seen the vet 2 times already one for an initial check and she said he looks great. This second time was for biting at his skin... they put him on prednisone which has helped him a lot. If you have any suggestions please let me know. He's a loving animal and we just want to make sure there is nothing we should be concerned with or if we just got lucky with a very very mellow dog.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Lethargy is a not uncommon side effect of be medication he is on. I would do some research on it, see if you have any issues with the side effects, and either talk to your vet about altering the dose or look at different meds or treatments if concerned. Something like a diet change may be all that is required to have a non itchy dog. Things like corn in dog food may be the culprit. There may be other reasons for the laid-backness, but it sounds like you went from an energetic dog to a lethargic one, and the meds would be my first guess on that.

As for not barking much, that is a trait I love about cattle dogs, and it often shows through in the mixes too. At the shelters, the cattle dogs are always sitting their silently while the other dogs bark their heads off. Ours only barks when she feels there is a reason (which is not often, and not daily), and just barks a few times before stopping. Our neighbors didn't even know we had a dog until someone saw us walking her. X). However, if there was a change in barking from the shelter to home, it may be tied to any lethargy. Shelters are not known for getting breeds accurate either!

Would love to see photos of your dog.

 

[momofsweetpup]

Thanks for getting back to me. It's obvious I'm not on here as much. So the biting and itching has stopped. We are concerned that he has an underlying issue with his health. We are treating him for anxiety as it's only when mom leaves and panic sets in. He whines and cries and paces back and forth in the house when I leave. Even if I leave out the front door for 5 minutes it's like a year to him. We have recently changed his food same brand, just different flavoring. He has turned his nose up at it and then will come back to snack on it. Over the past 2 months he has gotten sick 4 times, 2 times in the morning or daytime and 2 times in the middle of the night. Last night was once and since he didn't eat dinner all he threw up was clear bile. Unsure what this is about but worried if I should get labwork done on him. Here are the other concerns I have

--He does shaking (Tremor) like movements with his head/ lasts only a couple of minutes and is easily distracted when we call his name or we go to snuggle him until it stops. Very alert.
--Being a year 1/2 he has the energy level of about a 8-10 year old pup/ still loves to run and play but seems happier when he sleeps. He can play but loses interest after about 15 min
--I've had him checked, the vet said he can't see anything from the outside that is wrong. He has had his anal glands expressed and ever since the first time the vet did that he goes about a month and after that he will start licking himself. (Only symptom). It's more gross and annoying to me and our small children.
--Is there anything that you know with health problems with this breed of dog?
--Is it normal for this breed to moan and groan ALOT? It seems no matter where he is he is very loud and more so at night he is restless and moans/groans loud like he is annoyed. Any suggestions or idea's would be helpful

 

[nwredrooster]

Often times having anal glands manually expressed leads to continued need to get them expressed and with more frequency.
Changing the flavor of food will not likely diminish any allergies caused by the same brand of food but in a previous flavor. Best bet it to try to eliminate corn from his diet first, then move on to other ingredients next if needed. If he does have allergies it could be that it-and any drugs he is taking are sapping his energy. I would try to address the allergies and when you have successfully, then examine his temperament.
punk is absolutely right about the barking (and other advice given).
Another reality is that sometimes shelter dogs have had poor previous lives and/or sadly, sometimes they are dumped at shelters because they had oddities that their previous owners didn't appreciate either.
Just as herding dogs can be wound tighter tempermentally than many other breeds, so to can a seemingly appathetic temperament in herding dogs stand out perhaps more than it should because our expectation that they be wound up and outthinking the room on all occasions.
It does sound like there is some underlying issues here though.

 

[Fly 2006]

My mum has a collie X springer, she bites at herself as well, she has been to the vet several times and been put on steroids which help but when she comes off them it starts up again, she never makes herself sore but she bites at her feet and nails, it sounds horrible! She too pays her back end quite a bit of attention, not so much licking as rumaging around down there and making snuffling noises, she has had her glands done and she stopped for a while but started again! We have changed her food several times with no difference made. The vet thinks it is an allergy to certain grasses but I think as she is rather highly strung this is a factor as well. Like your dog she happily snoozes quite a bit, perhaps they wear themselves out being stressy so need to sleep more? Hope you get this sorted but it may be that it is nothing serious and just a case of living with it X

 

[momofsweetpup]

I will let you know what I find out when I take him in for shots and hopefully to get his labwork drawn. I am a believer that since the first vet expressed him now he is needing it more and more. I hope to get away from having to do this for him since each time they have expressed him it's not infected nor full. We are hoping there isn't anything underlying but the unknown is bothersome.

 

[Chickens R Us]

My Australian Shepard has allergies my vet told me to I can either put him on Meds for the rest of his life or buy a grain free dog food. The dog food worked no more biting himself, no more hot spots and his coat is nice and thick and shiny.

 

[momofsweetpup]

I will look into our food and see what the ingredients are and see what we can eliminate by changing. Thanks to everyone and all your kind thoughts and encouragement. Lets hope to make a difference for him

 

[momofsweetpup]

Well I took Luke to the vet on Saturday and they took blood for labs and also tested his stool. He has been eating little red mountain ash berries that have made him really sick. It's winter time where I am and you wouldn't think he would still be finding them but yes our dog has found them and eaten them. We are giving him his anti-biotics and also have switched up his food to the lamb/rice mixture. Sooo far he has been doing outstanding and seems to be perking up a bit more. Chances are he's been eating these since we got him and now unfortunately he is now muzzled each time we take him outside to go potty He's so darn cute with it on though.