Stubborn Dog, Novice Owner

Are Australian Cattle Dogs Velcro Dogs?

June 6, 2022June 3, 2022Diane J.

If you missed my first post in this series of “Are Cattle Dogs…?” You can check it out at Are Australian Cattle Dogs Good Watch Dogs?

This week we explore Cattle Dogs and sticking near their owner, otherwise known as a Velcro dog.

What is a Velcro Dog?

First let me make clear, I’m by no means an expert on animal behavior. Read the title of this site, Stubborn Dog, NOVICE Owner. But I have been trying to figure out how to train my little girl on my own. I would love to sign up for dog obedience classes, but dang they are expensive! Yeah, I know there are people that run the line of “you bought a dog, you pay the expense.” I also know there are people that run the line of “let dogs be dogs.”

I’m in the middle. I want a dog that listens, but I also want Pandora to be a dog. Which means I’m settling for something less than perfect, but higher than untamed. In an effort to help Pandora be somewhere in the middle ground area, I have read countless articles and watched many hours of training videos. I have no idea of how many hours I’ve invested in dog training videos.

Simply put, I think I’ve learned a thing or two. But I wouldn’t call myself a professional behaviorist for animals and I wouldn’t consider myself, blind to animal behaviors. So, take what you will of what I’m going to speak.

I believe a Velcro dog is a dog that sticks nearby her main person. A dog that checks on where her human is and what her human is doing. A dog that tends to hang out near their human.

I think most dog breeds, including mixed breed, fall into this category. The person who sets boundaries and rules and has expectations, but also gives genuine love seems to be the main human. The dog knows what this person is up to and responds quicker to this person’s commands than another member of the household’s commands.

Velcro Dogs are Not Clingy

There is a difference between a dog that is confident and knows his human, than a dog that is needy and clingy.

It’s like kids (yes, I really did go here). Some kids are confident and ready to explore and break away from mom and dad. Some kids need more assurance that they are okay. They look to mom and dad to see if they can do something, if they can try run further ahead, if they can have the cupcake from the table. Some kids are so molly-coddled, they need constant attention and praise. Functioning at a normal level without any “you’re so awesome,” comments makes them feel less than awesome.

Dogs are the same way. They easily fit into those same categories. Sometimes (just as with kids) there is a fourth category, a trauma category. Something happened that brought about this display.

A clingy dog is nervous and by your side because they need attention. Their tails may tuck, they may shake, their ears may not go up in happiness.

A Velcro dog is confident and happy, but not clingy.

Pandora is a Velcro Dog and She Has Some Clingy Issues

Around the house, Pandora knows what I’m up to at all times. No matter how pooped that girl is, she will get up and follow me to another room of the house even though I will be coming right back to the starting room.

Out on trails, she runs ahead of me. She’ll go about 50 yards in front of me and then she turns and checks on me. If I’m going too slow, she’ll come back, like she’s encouraging me or rather trying to convince me to pick up the pace. If she thinks I’m fine, she bounds in and out of bushes and brush. If I call, she will come back to me. She’s not as responsive as a dog that has had premium training, but she does come back. And she’s happy to be near me.

Her clingy issues come into play when she’s scared. Fireworks and buzzy cars are her biggest problems. She will come up to me and try to become one with me. If I’m sitting, she tries to sit on my chest. I’m thankful she’s not a Great Dane, I might suffocate.

Australian Cattle Dogs are Independent, How Can they Be Velcro?

Yes, Cattle Dogs, are bred to be independent thinkers. Able to problem-solve a situation fairly quickly. But again, it’s part of their breed to know where their humans are. Where are the cattle? Where are the cats? Where is that tiny human? I think that’s where the Velcro Dogs title stems from with Cattle Dogs. I don’t think they are necessarily any different than other herding breeds: Border Collie, Australian Shepherd, German Shepherd, etc…. I think it stems from the need to work. Do I need to herd my human to the backyard for some frisbee?

An Interesting Thought

Most police dogs are male. Yes, some are female. Usually, the females are the drug sniffers. Most (not all, I don’t think) of the dogs that chase down the bad guys are male. I once heard, but I haven’t confirmed it, that male dogs are chosen because they won’t mother their handler. They will stick to the bad guy and they expect their handler to get there eventually. Whereas, females will circle back to check on their handler.

An interesting thought if it’s true. That could mean that most female dogs are more prone to the mothering instinct. Which makes me wonder if female dogs are more apt to be Velcro Dogs versus male dogs. And that makes me wonder if male dogs are always, “My human is so needy, always calling me back to her.”

Conclusion

I think Australian Cattle Dogs can be Velcro dogs, but I don’t think they are more or less prone to it than other breeds.

Are Australian Cattle Dogs Good Watch Dogs?

May 30, 2022May 30, 2022Diane J.

The short answer to whether or not Australian Cattle Dogs are good watch dogs is, yes.

Sharing What We’ve Learned about Australian Cattle Dogs

When we got Pandora, we knew she wasn’t a full breed ACD, Blue Heeler, Queensland Heeler. We were told that she has an 1/8th of Border Collie in her. Now I never thought to ask how they knew that, whether or not they gave the pups a DNA test or not. I didn’t care. This wasn’t a pre-planned breed pick, nor was it a pre-planned adoption. It was an “I detect a weakness in my husband and am taking whatever this dog is.”

Once we decided on her, I went home and started researching the breed. I didn’t know much about the breed. The only thing I knew was that they are great herding dogs. I’d only known two people with Blue Heelers. One was an older gentleman that would bring his dog up and visit with us often. His dog would say “I love you.” The other was a friend whose dog would chase us whenever we showed up at his house. I’m thankful I lived in a small town where we didn’t keep our doors locked, because I can’t count how many times I raced into that house, without knocking, and slammed the door between me and the beast.

My limited knowledge on the breed, followed by my initial research, scared the bejeebus out of me.

What Research Told Me

I learned that this breed can be aggressive to others if not socialized well. That was a big red flag of “oh no.” We were in the middle of a pandemic lock-down, how was I going to expose her to other animals and people?

Australian Cattle Dogs are a one-person dog. Well, hell. I have a husband and college-aged boys around the house. I knew she’d be my dog. Which was what I wanted, but I also wanted to her to like the rest of the family, too.

But the biggest one, the scariest one, the one that concerned me most, the one I saw on every single thing I read was: NOT RECOMMENDED FOR FIRST TIME DOG OWNERS.

The reasons given were that this is a stubborn breed and a breed that needs immense exercise and lots of mental stimulation as well.

Apparently, we’d just picked out a Tasmanian Devil.

And I was not going to share any of this information with my husband. I didn’t want him changing his mind before we got our girl home. This was my chance to have a dog and if we didn’t get her, my chance at ever getting a dog would be nil.

Without further ado, what to know about Australian Cattle Dogs:

This is going to be a mini-series of posts. Going over what I learned and how it pertains to a novice dog owner with a breed not recommended for novice owners.

Are ACD’s Good Watch Dogs/ Guard Dogs?

Yes. Yes, they are.

I have had the experience of my friend’s dog who went after anyone who showed up at his house. I have watched many hours of YouTube videos where ACD owners talk about their dog’s anti-social issues. And I’ve read a lot of articles, from veterinarian websites, breed specific websites, and blogs regarding cattle dogs.

And, I now have my own experience with Pandora to add to that knowledge list.

Pandora is almost always “on.” As in, “on alert”. I know whenever anyone in my household makes a move to do anything. Think you’re going to sneak out, oh no, no, no. Think you can slip into the house at 3:00 a.m. without anyone knowing what time you got home? No. Pandora lets me know about anyone outside the house, inside the house, heck, I even know when my neighbors come and go.

She lets me know when a stray cat is strolling around on the deck. She lets me know when our cats are roaming the yard. We know more information than we ever thought we needed to know.

If you want to read more about Pandora’s watching/guarding, read Wonky Schedules Throw Off Schedule-Loving Dog.

The Difference Between Watching and Guarding

Pandora will alert for anything, we’ve covered that. But it goes further than just alerting. She knows what I’m doing and where I am at all times. Unless I leave her home while I’m out and about. I curl my legs on the couch? Her eye opens. I lean forward to adjust a pillow behind my back and her head lifts up. I stand up and she’s right there, ready to go.

Guarding behavior is different. Pandora knows her family, she knows the boys and Dad, she knows they are okay. Yet, whenever one walks anywhere near the room I’m in, particularly my office or bedroom, she gets between them and me and grumbles, sometimes barks.

At night, if I go up to the bedroom before my husband, Pandora comes with me. And if I don’t put a hand on her, like rest my hand on her leg, or side, or head, she will leap up and place herself between my husband and I and bark.

Watching is letting me know what is going on within her sight and hearing range.

Guarding is placing herself between me and whatever she feels she needs to guard me from. I don’t like her doing it with family members, I’m not okay with that, and I haven’t been able to train her to stop. She hasn’t made to attack them, and her bark is less vicious. And I don’t let her carry on or get out of control. We put an end to it right quick.

Once when we were on one of our favorite trails, she did place herself between me and another man who was walking by and her bark was much more vicious. She’s normally fine with anyone on the trails. So, who knows why she didn’t like that guy? I’m not going to claim he was creepy or that dog’s sense malicious behavior. Sometimes, dogs just don’t like a scent. My dog that I had as a young girl, hated hunters. She would love on someone, but if they came by after hunting, she would flip her lid.

Oh yeah, I did socialize her…kind of

The only way to socialize her was on the trails during the pandemic. It wasn’t a crowded trail, but we’d meet people and talk and I didn’t force Pandora to love on anyone. So she’s pretty good on the trails.

So yes, Pandora is watchful and on guard. Would she attack someone if she felt I or another member of the family was threatened? Possibly. We haven’t been in a position to see that, which I’m totally okay with.

Do you have an Australian Cattle Dog, either full-breed or partial breed? I’d love to hear what you’ve noticed that is common to ACD’s or not.

The Barking is Back

May 23, 2022May 23, 2022Diane J.

We’ve lost control, Pandora is back to barking. Or maybe it’s her version of narrating the play-by-play of the household. Every dog in a five-mile radius knows what is going on at our house.

We Hear Barking…

Pandora believes it’s just letting us know, or more specifically, letting ME know what everyone else is doing. And everything that is happening around us. She feels no need to let anyone know what is going on when I’m not home. Other than, “Oh uh, someone is on the property.”

When I’m home it’s a completely different story.

“MOM! One of the kids walked out of his room.”

“MOM! He went into the bathroom.”

“MOM! Dad turned on the outside water faucet! OH MY… Water! MOMMMMM, WATERRRRR!”

“MOM! A car drove by.”

“MOM! A leaf fell 3 miles away.”

“MOM! Dad sneezed.”

And heaven help anyone who wants to talk to me while I’m in my office. Pandora has taken it upon herself to be the guardian of my productivity. Or just insanely jealous of anyone who wants my attention. There is the possibility that she understands my desire to be a hermit and is trying to provide that for me. Whatever, her perception is, she is very vocal to anyone who starts to talk to me.

When anyone leaves the house, she gets very upset. I’m not sure, but I wonder if she feels like she failed on the corralling of her herd. “They’re getting away.”

Whatever the Case May Be…

I’m going bonzo. What happened? We had the barking under control for a bit, but then she snapped.

The worst part is that she is the absolute worst with my husband. Whenever he’s in the yard working, she is trying to heel him and barking at every move he makes so long as I’m home. If I’m not home, she sulks, she doesn’t care what others do. Understand, this is hearsay, as I have never seen this side of her. But apparently, my husband and boys can vacuum, mow, hammer, go in and out of the garage, leave, do whatever they want without Little Miss giving a play-by-play.

When I’m home, I have to go rein in Pandora when she’s barking at my husband. He just ignores her and keeps doing what he’s doing. Which is not helping her learn. With spring and summer, he’s outside a lot, which means I can’t get invested in my tasks and work because I have to go deal with the barking. I don’t want to be that dog owner, the one that allows the dog to bark and bark and bark. And I can get her to back off. Until I leave.

Possible Reasons for the Increase

Obviously, the first reason is that my husband isn’t training her. Let’s be clear, when the whole family is consistent with the training, the dog will respond for each person. My husband likes to get out and do what he needs to do. He doesn’t want to stop moving and get the dog under control, he wants to do his thing.

Last year, my husband did do some training with Pandora. And even though she didn’t change to perfection, she responded fairly well. As with all training, we need to be consistent, and we need to revisit it often. The sooner you get on top of it, the better. The first few days will be the worst, but then it will get easier and easier.

Another reason for the increase, we have our twin boys home for the summer. There’s been an adjustment in the family. Whenever, there is a new adjustment, Pandora (and even I) have to adjust. We have to adjust to the comings and goings which are more frequent. We have to adjust to more noise and activity.

Sometimes barking is a sign that the dog isn’t getting enough activity. And since we’re dealing with an Australian Cattle Dog, that is something I’m very mindful about, making sure Little Miss is stimulated mentally and that she gets lots of run and activity time.

The New Plan to Reduce the Bark

This time around, I’m going to be implementing the same thing as before. Rewarding for “quiet”. I want her to bark when people come by the house, but I want to stop when I acknowledge what she’s telling me.

And once we get that back under control, we can use it for all the other stuff she feels she needs to let me know about.

The biggest caveat is that she doesn’t do it for treats. She did that once before. Expecting the treat and throwing out some unnecessary barks just to get a treat. I’m thinking it might be wise to delay the treats as she learns. We’ll start with instant treat on a pause. We’ll move to instant treat when she responds to the command. Then we’ll start stretching it, waiting one second after she follows the command, then two seconds and so on.

I also love Pet Web MD’s idea of getting the pooch in a spot when anyone comes home or to the door.

And, I’m going to give my husband three links on training to read through and let him decide how he wants to approach training her. I like to give options so people can find what works best for them. When I train Pandora, I give a hand signal as well as a verbal signal. This way, I have two ways of communicating with her. So I figure if my husband wants to try something different, he can use the same hand signal and we’ll get the same effect. That’s my theory.

Side Note: Hand signals are awesome. They have come in handy many times, when I’m talking with a neighbor or someone on a trail, but I don’t want to interrupt the conversation to get Pandora to sit or come.

And, as always, I will update in a month, how the training is going.

If you have any suggestions that have worked for you and your dog, please share, I’d love to hear them.

If you’re curious about the links I’m sending to my husband:

Pet Web MD

Pet Doors

Everyday Health

Favorite Dog Items, Leashes, harness, etc…

May 16, 2022May 16, 2022Diane J.

There was a learning curve for us with leashes, collars, harnesses and other items before we found our favorite dog items.

This is Part Two. Go Here for Part One.

All items aren’t for all dogs. It seems so obvious at first. We wouldn’t put a collar meant for a Chihuahua on Border Collie, but what about all those collars in the medium dog size? Is there really a difference between a Martingale Collar and a regular collar? Or two similar looking regular collars? Yes, yes, there is a difference.

Favorite Dog Items: Collars

Pandora came with an adorable pineapple and flower printed collar and a puppy leash. The cuteness! But like all puppies she grew fast, and we needed to replace her collar and leash.

So off I went to the pet store. After choking on the price of collars, I came home and hit Amazon. Then, after a few hours on Amazon, I had to ask myself questions: Does she need a lead? A Martingale collar, a regular collar, an e-collar? Heck, if I knew.

Since, I couldn’t decide, I just got one that was basic, the Blueberry Pet Essentials Classic Collar (it has pretty good reviews and lots of color options) and it was what we needed.

It lasted and grew with her. It was easy to clean and never broke or frayed. It did get a little dingy after a good year and a half, despite all the washings. Pandora is into many things, she goes through every mud puddle, she slides across the grass, she tries to roll on cougar scat and deceased animals on hikes. The collar also went through Roxie’s stage of yanking Pandora around by it. But that collar held in there. Since it worked so well, we bought it again.

Favorite Dog Items: Leashes

I know, there are a ton of leashes out there. And we tried many of them. We tried the retractable leash – doesn’t work well with training leash manners. And it completely failed when I was trying to keep her near me as a man jogged by. Pandora liked that someone was faster than me and the darn thing snapped when she took off.

So, I went back to the basics. I don’t snub basics.

We did buy a cheap basic leash once, I learned never again to buy a leash that had some slick coating on it. When you need to get a hold of your dog, you need something that has a good solid grip. The slick leash gave me “rope” burns. Ditto the retractable leash, you are stuck with that plastic handle and if you need more control, you’re S.O.L (snot out of luck).

I don’t have a link for this leash because Amazon no longer has the one we bought and I’m not going to recommend one we haven’t tried. Pandora is a mid-size dog she’s just shy of 40 pounds, and that is mostly muscle. She’s a bit thinner than most Australian Cattle Dogs. We got a 4′ leash that has a 1″ width and a solid metal clasp. That thing is great although it does have a small nibble on it, it’s still strong and not unravelling.

Know your dog, know what you can handle and what you need. Feel the material of the leash and make sure it won’t shred up your hand.

Favorite Dog Items: Kennels

When we first Pandora home, we were going to forgo the kennel. But I kept reading that for easy and fairly quick potty training, the kennel is the way to go. We didn’t have a dog kennel, but we did have a cat carrier that Pandora didn’t mind. Of course, she was just a little round ball of cuteness so she fit.

We hopped on Amazon and got one ordered. And it arrived in the nick of time, little miss was barely squeezing into the old crate. We’d bought an Amazon Basics? I’m not positive. It worked for us, but doesn’t have the better ratings that this one has, which is identical:

Favorite Harness

Yes, I caved and bought a harness. Have I mentioned the difficulties of getting Pandora to walk on sidewalks or paths anywhere near vehicles? Oy Vey!

We love this harness because it has a little stretch, which came in handy to prevent chafing on little miss when I put it on too tight one time. Pandora’s friend Roxy got one in a different color and she wears it all the time. Still holding up after two years of use.

Our Favorite Fence

Let’s face it, Pandora’s a cattle dog through and through. If we don’t give her a boundary, she’ll herd everything within a four-mile radius to our yard. My husband and I couldn’t agree on the type of structural fence and cost, so we went with the invisible fence.

I know many people are concerned about the fence, but it’s been a great fence. You have different levels of intensity: Level one is a beep and vibration. Level two is beep and light zap and so on until level four where it’s a pretty decent zap.

I was a bit upset the first time Pandora got zapped, I felt horrible when she yelped. Here’s the thing, it was mostly out of surprise. I didn’t have it on the highest setting, I had it on the first zap.

Another thing, this company stood behind their product and were excellent to deal with. We had screw pop out of the box on the collar and they sent a replacement immediately. No hassle. Phenomenal customer service. The PetSafe Stubborn Dog In-Ground Pet Fence.

Favorite Pet Food Storage Container

There are all sorts of storage containers out there. We got the Gamma 2 Vittles Vault (I love saying “Vittles Vault”) one and have been pretty content with it. I always feel like I’m breaking into a safe when I spin the lid. It’s solid and keeps the food dry and stale-free.

Our Newest Favorite Item

The car-seat cover. This has been a life saver…well, for the car seat material anyway. It is the Vailge Dog Seat Cover for Back Seat.

This thing is awesome! Especially, when Pandora took off through a mud field. Or after her many swims. Or when she’s in full shedding mode. Cleanup is a breeze. Most of the time, I just shake it out and we’re good to go. I’ve thrown it in the wash (after Pandora’s mud romp) and it’s been fine. I didn’t put it through the dryer. It’s easy in, easy out. Saves the car from a hair-fest during shedding season. I can’t rave about this enough.

Favorite Dog Toys, Treats, and Items

May 11, 2022May 11, 2022Diane J.

Pandora's Favorite Dog Toys, Treats, Etc... — Her favorite activity.

This list of Pandora’s favorite dog treats and toys isn’t just about her, it includes our favorite items for her as well. Items that she probably doesn’t think about and that sometimes she may not prefer.

*Some of the links are affiliate links. By some, I mean the Amazon ones. Affiliate links don’t add to the price of the item, but Amazon gives me a small percentage from each sale – usually 1% or 2%. Basically, 10 cents for a $10 item. The small amount goes into Pandora’s Frisbee Fund. We go through a lot of frisbees. A lot.

Pandora’s Favorite Treats

This list contains all the treats that Pandora has had over her two years of life. Well, most of them anyway. I will say, if you are looking for some super healthy eats for your dog, you may want to skip this section. I do buy Milk Bone products. My dog that I had as a little girl, lived a very long life – 16 years. She was a tad shorter than Pandora, and she was “mutt” or mixed breed, whatever you prefer. We fed her Alpo and Milk Bones for her treats. She was healthy, outside of regular checkups she didn’t need much in the way of the vet.

Pandora’s all-time favorite, if you follow this blog, you know: DINGOS!

Little miss also loves Bully Sticks. These are the ones we started with, however, we now buy the package from Costco since we can get the 12 count, 12″ sticks at a great price. If you have a warehouse membership, maybe consider checking there first.

A few other treats (without pictures): Milkbone Trailmix Dog Treats and the Wag Hip and Joint Training Treats – I love these because I’m afraid of Pandora’s joints taking so much from her leaps and bounds while playing frisbee. I don’t know if they help, but I hope so.

For more treats and the variety of ways to use them like training, long-chews, teeth-cleaning, etc…, check out All You Need to Know About Dog Treats.

Treat Accessories

I know. I know that sounds weird, but it is fitting. When the weather sucks or I’m out of commission or Pandora just needs a little more mental stimulation these help. They are also helpful when I have a Zoom meeting or phone call and need Little Miss to be calm for a good half hour or so.

The first two are similar, just a different design. The Kong and the PetSafe Busy Buddy Squirrel. Both of these you stuff with dog food or peanut butter, and it takes a while for dogs to get the items out. To make it a little more difficult, you can mix regular dry dog food with water, stuff the treat accessory and put in the freezer.

Another favorite is the Bob-A-Lot. Pandora loves this one. I can also recommend this company as they were fabulous to deal with. The first time I gave this treat toy to Pandora she chewed up the yellow lid. The second time we used it, she had it figured it out. I emailed the company about the chewed-up lid and asked if I could purchase just a lid. They sent us a lid, no cost. More than I expected, and they were very nice and the shipping was quick.

A few other dog treat accessories we highly recommend the Billie Bean Linking Mats – these make bathing much easier. Also great for distracting your dog for a good ten minutes or so.

And we also love the Outward Hound Dog Tornado Interactive Dog Puzzle – that’s a mouthful – but it was great for when I was recovering from surgery at the beginning of the year.

If you are looking for ways to entertain to your pooch while you recover from surgery or illness, check out How to Care for Your Pup After You Have Surgery.

Dog Toys – er, Frisbees

Just as Motley Crew loves Girls, Girls, Girls, Pandora loves toys, toys, toys, she loves them all. She loves ’em small, she loves ’em big, she loves them round, she loves them fast.

We’re going to start right off with Pandora’s Ultimate love (which she loves even more than dog treats): the frisbee. It’s all about the frisbee. And she has a favorite, the basic hard plastic frisbee. The cheapest ones I’ve been able to get are from PetSmart and they are her favorite. They are $1.99. They used to be ninety-nine cents. have I mentioned how many frisbees we go through? We go through a lot. The get lost in trees, they get lost on the trails, they get worn out due to constant use. This is not a sponsored post. The link to PetSmart is not an affiliate link. It’s just the best frisbee for the price. Do not mistake PetCo frisbees as the same. They are not. Pandora wouldn’t even give it a second look. It had a different texture and she didn’t like it.

Before we introduced Pandora to the plastic frisbee she started with this Chuck-It Frisbee.

And she loved it. Until she discovered the plastic disc and there was no looking back.

This post is running a bit longer than I expected. So, we’ll lop it into two posts. Part two will be up in two weeks.

What treats send your dog into glutton bliss? What is your dog’s “ride-or-die” toy?

Wonky Schedules Throw off Schedule-Loving Dog

May 2, 2022May 1, 2022Diane J.

Another update in the keeping it real department, when you have a schedule-loving dog.

Schedule-Loving Dog

Pandora loves a good schedule. A lot of dogs are this way. A lot of people are this way, and just don’t realize it.

Pandora knows we got upstairs by 9:30 or 10:00 p.m. and she gets antsy when I don’t make the move to head toward the bedroom. She will be that way for a good twenty minutes before realizing that mom and dad are watching a show and it’s going to be a tad longer. Little Miss, also knows our morning routine; I will shower, then head downstairs and send her outside for potty time. While she’s out doing her thing, I quickly get the cats fed – if I wait it’s chaos. And Pandora knows that when she comes in, she gets to lick up any remnants the cats left behind. Then she’ll watch me empty the dishwasher and start my tea. The moment all the normal tasks are done, Pandora grabs her frisbee and throws it at my feet.

She lives for frisbee time.

Pandora knows when we should be awake, sometimes she’ll give us an extra hour, but that’s about it, she’ll start rolling on us and grumbling if we laze too long in the bed.

She is a schedule-loving dog.

When The Schedule is Broken

Now, I learned with my twins that you can’t be too rigid in your schedules. Yes, I did learn that the hard way. It was a desperate attempt to retain as much sanity as possible on very little sleep.

And Pandora is no exception. Every Wednesday her friend comes over the day, but sometimes her pal can’t make it. And Pandora gets irritated. She gets antsy when 8:45 comes around, by 9:00 she’s downright obnoxious barking at every little thing. By 9:15 she resigns herself that her friend must not be coming over and she gives me the stink eye. The next time her friend arrives, Pandora is slightly more aggressive, like she’s saying, “Where’ve you been?!”

My work schedule isn’t always consistent, it has some semblance of a pattern, but it’s not a perfect time match every single day. Pandora knows it is a workday when I put on my work pants. She gets quiet and tries to block me from heading downstairs. I think she understands that I’ll be back, but when I get home, she always acts surprised that I survived to get home. Some days, I feel the same, LOL.

Our schedule is a tight regimen. But it’s consistent enough that she knows what to expect.

A Daily Structure is More Important than a Strict Routine for Your Dog
As your dog gets more comfortable in their new home, it’s useful to mix up their routine every so often to prevent separation anxiety, and lessens both your and your dog’s stress in case you can’t make it home in time for a regular feeding or walk.
Preventive Vet

When The Schedule Goes Way Off

My little schedule-loving dog does not take major detours well.

Ten days ago, I took a trip across the state to see my son’s jazz concert. I stayed the night. Little Miss stayed home with Dad. When I got back she was okay. She was disturbed, but she knows I’ve done a few trips like this before. She is a Mama’s girl. When I’m not home she’s depressed. She won’t bark unless someone is right at the door.

But a few days after I got home my husband had to travel for work. He was gone for three days and two nights. Pandora has never known Dad to not come home. She wasn’t depressed, but she did turn into an insane guard dog. Anyone driving down the street (rush hour was a nightmare) sent her into a tailspin of hatred and spittle-flying barking. At night she wouldn’t relax. She’s always attuned to any movement, but instead of lying there deciding if it was something she needed to note or not, she would pounce into guard position and growl and bark. Then instead of curling up and snoozing away, she’d lay at the foot of the bed, staring at the bedroom door. Probably the only time I ever felt she wouldn’t listen to me if I tried to stop her from going after a person, in a vicious mode.

The Break

Apparently, that chaotic week broke her. She’s been extra barky. We were making some progress, but now it’s like back at square one.

In an effort to gain some traction I’ve had to go back to basics with all training just to regroup her to listen to her no barking commands. And it’s taken three days to get some results – she’s good with everything except barking and jumping. We were making headway on the jumping, but that took a dive. I’m pretty sure it’s because she’s a schedule-loving dog.

The Lesson

Pandora has her fear of cars, and she gets depressed when I leave, so I’m assuming a routine is something that gives her more confidence. This break from the normal was a bit too much for her.

I don’t know how I could have made this better for her, but I know that getting her back on track, meant just going through all the training basics that she’s knows to get a foothold on dealing with the barking again.

If you have a nervous dog, it may be helpful to get a nice routine for them. But not a super strict one.

Happy Updates – Australian Cattle Dog Training

April 26, 2022April 26, 2022Diane J.

Happy Updates - Cattle Dog Training — A well exercised pup is a tired pup. A tired pup is a well-behaved pup.

I’m going to keep this post short this week, because I have happy updates in the dog training arena.

First – No, she’s not walking near cars

When I get excited, I fear people will think, we finally busted through the fears and walked near cars. No, that is not one of the happy updates I have to share. Depending on the day, I either believe it will happen or believe it will never happen. I’m human, not matter how optimistic I try to be, there are days the clouds linger dark and low.

I’m seriously considering a dog stroller. I don’t want to buy one for two reasons, 1) I really don’t want to push my dog that needs to burn energy in one, that seems like it would defeat the purpose. 2) There’s a part of me that thinks if I could just use one for a few weeks or a month, Pandora would learn it’s okay and finally start walking. Which would make the stroller unnecessary and then a waste of money. Those things aren’t cheap.

Enough about the long-standing training issue and let’s dive into the two happy updates.

Happy Update #1

Pandora willingly jumped into the car to go for our hike.

Now she used to do that. A year ago, she was all about hopping in to go. But then, we hit a wall. Mostly because I wasn’t taking her to trails regularly, due to our favorite trail getting downsized and No Trespassing signs cropping up. That meant a longer drive which I don’t always have the time to do. And another part of the reason was that I was hoping that by avoiding the trails she’d get excited to try walking anywhere, bwahahaha. No, no, that is not in her wiring.

Skip ahead, I started taking her to trails again. However, she didn’t want to get in the car. That was a big “no-go.” She loved it once we got there, but she would have preferred teleporting, if possible.

Since teleportation isn’t available, I’d have to enlist my husband or one of my sons to help me corral her, pick her up, and physically place her in the vehicle. If I never told you her breed, you’d never guess she was a cattle dog.

But last week, I decided to take the truck and when I went to start it, she hopped right in. I thought it might be a fluke. Maybe she didn’t realize I was going to take her with me, but she didn’t get upset.

Then, the next day I went to take her out, I decided we’d use the car. But, again, I didn’t think she’d hop in. Low and behold, she did! Now, she’s pretty happy to go. WooHoo!

Happy Update #2

Training and age are paying off. If you have a pooch under two years of age, hang in there! You will get to these moments. Don’t give up. If you’re doing better than us, send encouragement.

Sunday, when Pandora and I were out on the trails it was busy. The weather had warmed up and the sun was shining and us Pacific Northwesterners decided we’d see if vampires really turn to dust or not. We didn’t, so that’s good news.

Pandora has done fairly well, on recall when we’re on walks. I see people ahead and recall her, leash her, and we go past like normal dog and people do. Then I remove the leash and let her happily bound around.

But she’s always given a little extra pull on the leash when a runner or bicycle goes by. They kind of depress her. She realizes how slow I am, and she doesn’t hide the disappointment from me. She does not spare my feelings. Anyway, there was a bicycle on the trail that day and we saw him approach, thankfully he was going slow. I got her on the leash long before he got to us. He asked some directions, and we went our separate ways.

Well, a short while later, he appeared behind us. Again, he was going slow and dang was he silent, neither my friend nor I, nor either of our dogs heard him coming up behind us. There was no time to leash Pandora and my skipped. She started to trot his way; I called her back. She stopped, looked at me, looked back at the guy riding away ahead of us, and then she turned and came back. Insert crazy happy dance, here.

I do believe training was a big part of the equation, but I definitely think that age has to be addressed, too. Sometimes when they calm down from the exuberance of puppyhood, they listen better.

Dogs and Spring: Bees, Water Temps, Yard Equipment

April 18, 2022April 18, 2022Diane J.

Dogs and Spring: Bees, Water Temps, and Yard Equipment. Photo courtesy of Pixabay user: umsiedlungen

Last spring (2021) my husband was out doing yard work when he riled up a hornets’ nest. He got stung seven times and he’s allergic. So, we raced inside to deal with him ASAP. Later, when all was calming down, I noticed Pandora was acting funny. She looked like she had downed a pot brownie glazed with hallucinogenic magic mushroom sauce. She was whipping her head around looking for something we couldn’t see. And she’d lick her side and one of her back legs.

Dogs and Spring: Bees, Wasps, Hornets, and Yellow Jackets

Pandora had been stung, too. I called my older sister who has not only had many dogs, but cats, gerbils, lizards, ferrets, and more over her lifetime. Some of them have been very needy in the medical department. What to do? She recommended I give Pandora a Benedryl. The antihistamine is beneficial for pups, too. The tablets we had are 25 mg., which worked well since Pandora was 27 pounds and the recommended dose for dogs is 1 mg per pound.

Dog-on-it-parks.com has a great recommendation for pups under 25 pounds: “Most Benadryl comes in 25 mg tablets, which is easier to dose for larger dogs but for small dogs, try children’s Benadryl in a 12.5 mg dose (the liquid option makes it easy!).”

The American Kennel Club gives these tips for what to do when your pooch is stung:

Carefully remove the stinger with tweezers.
Apply a paste of baking soda and water to the site of the sting
Apply an ice pack to relieve swelling and pain.
Ask your vet about giving your dog a dose of oral antihistamine.
Give your dog fresh water and watch them carefully.

Allergic reactions usually occur within 20 minutes, but can be delayed for hours.

The UK Kennel Club offers some tips of what to watch for if you think your dog was stung:

Whining
Agitation
Swelling
Lumpy looking skin
Biting, nibbling or pawing at the place stung
Drooling

Keep an eye on your pooch, shoo them away from the venomous flying raisins and invest in some Benedryl. Store brand versions are cheaper and just as good. And for those whose pups are under 25 pounds, Children’s Benedryl:

Dogs and Spring: Water Temperatures

If you live in an area where the temperature doesn’t drop below 50 degrees, you don’t have to worry about your pooch and the water. I mean, maybe you have to worry about what resides in the water, but the temperature may not be a concern.

But for northern states and other areas, we need to think about the water temperature. Particularly, when you have a water dog. Pandora is a water dog. Her new thing is adding frisbee play with water time, she’s over-the-moon about that.

A few weeks ago, we had a gorgeous spring day with temps in the mid-60’s. I took Pandora out for a walk at one of her favorite trails where there is a fabulous creek that she loves. She splashed and leaped and had her usual awesome time. But the next weekend, the weather was hovering around 39 degrees. And as we passed her favorite water hole, Pandora went in. She didn’t act phased by the temperature, but I worried about her getting wet especially when we still had another 30-minutes before we made it back to the car.

Yes, I should have put her leash on. Clearly, I let my mind wander. I know Pandora will always go for the water. The day after Christmas we were staying with friends when a big blustery snow came in. With windchill it was frigid and the snowdrifts around the water’s edge were building with each gust. At one point, Pandora went out potty, and the next she made a break for the water. We’re talking freezing temps here. Thankfully, she came back after my initial shriek of panic.

What are the recommended swimming temperature?

The Swim Guide recommends: “Temperatures above 7 °C (45 °F) are safe for the majority of dogs, but temperatures below -6 °C (20 °F) may lead to frostbite or hypothermia after a while.”

And Rover.com reminds us: “However, length of time swimming is also a major factor. A quick dip or splash in a cold body of water isn’t likely to cause a problem for an otherwise healthy dog, especially if you dry them off afterward.“

Thankfully, Pandora was only in the water for about 5 minutes, and she didn’t get her whole-body in. The water came up to the underside of her belly.

The first link for The Swim Guide also gives symptoms of hypothermia in dogs and more water tips to consider.

Finally, Lawn Equipment and Dogs

Dogs and spring are a great combination. They are excited to be outdoors and chasing all the fun flying insects, sprinting across the yard after toys, and enjoying time with you outside. However, despite how happy it makes them, it’s best to leave the pups inside while mowing or weed-eating your lawn. Or using any other machinery that makes yard work easy. If you have a large yard and your dog hates the sound of the equipment, you may be fine, but if your pup is young and wants to be near you, best to let them indoors. Even mulching-mowers can spit rock chunks.

And of you don’t have a mulching mower with a bag on it, beware. Our old mower shattered a long, thin window at our old house. The window was easily 8 feet from the ground and about four feet long and one foot high.

When we moved to our new house, that darn mower shot a rock through an upper window.

Be safe. Know your dog, know your equipment, make an informed decision.

Training and Frisbee Life

April 11, 2022April 11, 2022Diane J.

Last week I had to try something different, give Pandora something new in an effort to further our training.

This week is a small recap of how it’s going.

The Training is “eh”

Sad, but true. Some training weeks will be like this, just “eh.” Nothing great, nothing terrible, just there.

Unfortunately, we now have a new “thing.” We have to carry Pandora to the car. I could understand this if we were taking her to the vet. I could even understand it if I was loading her for a three-hour drive. But no. We have to do this to take her to the trails. She loves the trails. Why wouldn’t she be excited to hop in and get there? I’m befuddled.

When I say she loves the trails, I mean she LOVES the trails. The freedom of being off leash, bounding around, sniffing everything in site and her favorite water hole.

The best part about the training is that when we are on the trails I have, twice now, successfully gotten her into a “sit and wait” when we come across other people. Will it always be that way from here on out? Probably not. I don’t want to be negative, but I also don’t want to get my hopes up and them have them stomped on and drooled on.

Pandora has Combined Two Favorite Activities into One Glorious Activity

If you’ve read any other post, you know that Pandora’s currency is her frisbee. That is the one thing I can use to get her to do almost anything. Almost because, you know what I’m going to say, she still won’t walk near vehicles. And when I say near, I mean no sidewalks, no trails where she can hear the vehicles.

Anyway, her frisbee is the Big Thing. Up until last week, I couldn’t get her to go after that frisbee at dog parks or at human parks. She was too nervous. So, of course, I figured I’d bring it on a trail hike.

The first day, she’d go get it, but she wasn’t running all out for the frisbee like usual. But then we got to her favorite watering hole. Which has a creek running through it and some moss-covered trees lying across it. And I decided to toss her the frisbee while she was pouncing around in the water.

BAM! One throw and she was in love. Total love. She couldn’t get enough of the frisbee fetching in the water, hopping, bounding, splashing. Little Miss, was thrilled. So thrilled, she didn’t want to go when I told her it was time to go. She has never given me grief about leaving the watering hole. She might get a wild hair and dash through it one more time, but she’s never refused to leave. Until then. That day, she was not okay with leaving.

I took her back again over the weekend and we did the frisbee and water hole visit. And again, she was not done. I think I’m going to be taking her to Deep Lake for a picnic and water frisbee fun. Of course, that will be when the weather gets a bit warmer for her. It took a turn Sunday and got quite nippy.

A Lesson Learned

Bring more than one frisbee. If you take your dog out on trails with only one toy, rest assured that at some point it’s going to land in an unsafe or unreachable area. Have a backup.

On our first hike with the frisbee I threw it shortly after we left the water hole and darned if that thing didn’t go off a small precipice. Pandora attempted to go after it (eep!).

What’s your dog’s favorite toy?

Pandora’s Training is Taking Shape

April 4, 2022April 4, 2022Diane J.

We had a happy moment in Pandora’s training this past week.

For those who are new here, Pandora is a two-year-old Australian Cattle Dog. We have been training her since we brought her home and, well, we’ll always be training her. Right now, our training still focuses on skills that are useful to keep her safe and to help her behave. Later on, we’ll need to keep training her to keep her mind busy. Mental activity tires a dog out. Some mental activities that are harder and worked on longer can poop a pup out almost as much as some physical exercise.

Our Training Struggle

We struggle to get Pandora to walk near roads. The thought of getting her to walk ON a road with vehicles, well, that’s all that is, a thought.

Another struggle we have in training is that Pandora still likes to jump on the cats when they come in from outside. She doesn’t try to attack them, she’s just aggressive in play. Very aggressive. And, since she’s a cattle dog, she doesn’t back down when they swipe her with their claws fully extended.

The last struggle in training is the barking. We’ve been working on this, and I have to admit, this is the first training area where she will act up solely to get a treat. We were doing well, telling her, “Quiet” and then giving a treat the instant, she stopped barking. Well, she took that the next level. And began barking more and then looking at us for the treat.

So, I switched gears and instead of giving her a treat, I now use a firm voice to tell her “Stop it.” And she does. But she only does so for me. For whatever reason (probably my husband being considered a playmate in her eyes), she has been worse at barking at my husband. She’ll just go down to him and bark incessantly. She won’t stop until I intervene. Which is not okay.

The Fun Side of Training

Now, let’s get to the good stuff. The stuff that makes all the training worth it. And that is when the training pays off.

I’ll start with the cats. While this is still a struggle, Pandora has made some tiny progress. She isn’t doing this consistently, but it’s becoming more frequent. when the cats come inside, they usually go for their food bowl. Which have set up on a hutch in our dining room. Pandora always rushes the hutch and nips at the cats’ tails or paws. Recently, however, as I tell her to “Leave It” she turns and grabs one of her stuffed toys. We didn’t train her to do that, I think she just discovered that she would prefer to have something to chew on to calm her down.

The Happy Moment

Actually, it’s two moments that make me really happy. One is that she is calming down on her jumping. She does fairly well, but there are still two people she feels the need to jump on. One is my husband. And I know why she does that to him, because he allows it. It makes him happy when he comes home from work. And the other is a friend of ours who also loves the greeting.

Last week on one of our trail visits she came across a few guys talking and she went up to them, but she didn’t charge, more of a trot, and she didn’t jump on them. She stuck her nose out to sniff and I called her back and she came back. This was near the end of our walk and Pandora was calmer. Just by her demeanor, I could tell this was not a big deal.

Yes, I usually put her on a leash when I see other people, however, we had just come into a clearing and the guys were right there. The majority of the time I see or hear people and get Pandora on a leash before we get near them.

BUT, we had an even BIGGER training success yesterday on the trail.

Pandora spotted a backpacker behind us. I redirected her attention because he was a about a good 1/3 of a mile back. We on the trail with my friend who has a little Chihuahua. This dog will happily out-hike many small breed dogs. She goes 3 to 5 miles without an issue. However, she is tiny and so we walk slower for her. Sweetest little pooch.

Anyway, the hiker started gaining on us pretty quick. And Pandora started to trot back to check the situation out. I called her and she slowed down, then I told her to “Sit” and she did. I had her “Wait” while I walked to her and then put the leash on.

Was it Perfect?

No. A superbly trained dog would have come to a full stop and recall. Pandora is not superbly trained. Clearly, I’m not a certified trainer or even someone with a ton of experience in the training department.

What it was though, was a huge success for us. And that made my day.

Keep training, the successes no matter how small are so worth it.