School is in, work is back to full schedules and possibly back in office or on location and your pup is home alone.
We all know a pup home alone is a scary thing. Will the room she is in be fine when you get home? Or will something be destroyed? If the dog is put in his crate, we worry that he’ll bark all day or injure himself trying to break free.
So, what are we to do?
#1 – Doggie Daycare
I’m not too familiar with this option. But I have a few friends who utilized doggie daycares to keep their pups entertained throughout the day. Particularly, through the first four years. Just enough to get through the wild, youthful years.
I’ve watched some videos on TikTok of dogs arriving to daycare. The majority of the dogs seem incredibly excited.
#2 – When the Pup is Home Alone, Have a Trusted Neighbor Check on Her.
If you the pup is going to be home alone for more than six hours, it would be a good idea to have someone go check on her and let her out to go potty. If you don’t live close enough to run home during lunch maybe a good neighbor would be willing to pop in during the day. Or a college kid that doesn’t have to leave for classes until or who might arrive home a few hours before you do.
Or search your local neighborhood Facebook page for homeschooled kids. Homeschooling Parents use a lot of real-world activities in their teaching plans, and this could be a great learning opportunity for the kids.
#3 – Split Dog Sitting Duties with a Friend
I usually work from home, but one of my friends has his own business. His wife works outside the home and the kids attend school. Since their dog is just a few months younger than Pandora, I asked if he could drop the pup off one or two days a week.
This arrangement has been fabulous. His dog is not left home alone all day and Pandora has a friend to burn some energy off with. The bonus of this arrangement is that I can get more done because the pups play together which frees up a bit of Pandora’s exercise time. That is extra time I can put into writing.
#4 – When the Pup Is Home Alone – And Will Be All Day – Then Exercise Before You Leave
Sometimes we just can’t find a place we can afford to leave our dog. And we either don’t have someone to peek in on our pets that we trust or can share pet watching duties with.
If that is the case, then the best thing you can do for your dog is to get up early enough that you can get in a hearty round of exercise before the pup is left home alone.
I get it, it may not be ideal, the weather may be rainy and cold, but your dog needs the exercise. When I have to go out for work and everyone else is away, I make sure I get up early enough to get Pandora out to her favorite trails. It’s not always fun, but I care enough to do that for her. Plus, honestly, I need the exercise, too. It helps me get through my day with plenty of energy and benefits my health.
When we get home from the trails, I get ready for work. Right before I leave, I play frisbee with her for at least ten minutes.
What this does for Pandora, and will do for your pup as well, is give her the chance to chill out and rest. That exercise buys you a happier and calmer, pup.
Clearly, I make no guarantees on things getting randomly chewed up, but it lessens the chance of it happening.
Do you have any tips for when you need to leave a pup home alone for four or more hours? Please share, we all want to learn.
Even a dog that likes to be on the go, knows the importance of stopping to sniff the flowers.
Pandora’s summer has had a few firsts and some good growth. Let’s recap how her summer has been, training wise and adventure wise.
Pandora’s Summer – June
Pandora took time to stop and sniff the flowers. Little Miss can hike five miles, swim for twenty minutes, and play frisbee for another 20 minutes and STILL have energy left over (it’s no joke when people say Cattle Dogs need a lot of exercise). So, it was a special moment when Pandora noticed my Tiger Lily had bloomed and she went to check it out.
Yes, Lilies are toxic to dogs. She did not eat, she was supervised, she’s fine.
Picture by: PNW Mobile Grooming Services
Pandora also had her very first professional grooming session. She’s been having her nails trimmed by the lovely ladies at PNW Mobile Grooming Services for almost two years now. But when it came to bathes, we took of that. She’s not a large dog and she doesn’t shed as much as a Husky, so our bathtub suffices just fine. However, we decided to get her the full spa treatment. She wasn’t sure what to make of it, but she came out looking awesome.
Pandora had her longest stretch away from me. I was gone for five days. Pandora usually puts the whole time I am away from home, but apparently, by the third day she would willing go outside. My understanding is that usually, my husband and sons have to coerce her to go outside. She still moped, but it was a tad less by the fifth day.
Shortly after I had returned home, Pandora had her first (minor) injury. We were playing frisbee and after one of her show-off high leaps, she landed and started limping. I focused on her leg and couldn’t see anything odd or feel anything odd. Pandora didn’t flinch when I touched all over her leg. And her leg didn’t swell. I made a note to call the vet the next morning.
The next morning, I discovered what the issue was. She’d broken a toenail. It was a vertical split, from the tip down to the quick. She had bled, how I missed it I don’t know. So, I set up a vet appointment for a week later (they’re booked, and I didn’t think she needed and emergency visit). We didn’t play frisbee or do anything strenuous for a few days and eventually, half fell off and the nail was fine.
LESSON LEARNED: Keep on the toenail trims. I usually do, but this time I forgot to book it and her nails got longer than usual.
Toenail healed and happy to be heading back to the trails
Pandora’s Summer August
Mid-July is when Pandora discovered she could actually swim, swim. Like go out and paddle all the way in.
August has been the month of swimming. And swimming. And more swimming. It’s gotten to the point that she will ditch me about an 1/8th of a mile before her new swimming spot. She makes a beeline for that and all I get is dust.
Shake, Shake
Pandora hopes all the dogs have had a wonderful summer. And so do I.
Pandora happily retrieving sticks just for a reason to swim.
Pandora has always loved the water. Her first summer with us we bought her a kiddie pool, and she splashed around in it endlessly. She loves chomping at the water as it flows out of the hose, and she loves jumping and running into water on trails. The size of the water body doesn’t deter her, whether that water is a large puddle, a stream cutting through a groove, or a bigger body of water like a retention pond, creek, or lake, Pandora will run right in.
About a year ago I had taken Pandora to a larger lake and she, of course, loved running and splashing around the water’s edge. I threw a stick just beyond where she could walk out to it, and she leaped after the stick only to discover she couldn’t touch. She turned around and ditched the stick.
Enter this year and Pandora has discovered swimming is the greatest thing ever. She might even rank it right up there with frisbee time. And that’s, like, the ultimate rating.
Dogs and Swimming – What Do We Need to Know?
Since Pandora has been swimming, my question list has grown beyond worry of the water temperature:
How long can a dog safely swim?
What are the warning signs that a dog is too tired to swim?
Does swimming wear dogs out quicker than running the trails?
When should I use a life vest on my dog?
What are the best water toys and water gear for dogs?
So, let’s jump in and answer those questions about dogs and swimming.
How long can a dog safely swim?
Apparently, water breeds can swim for upwards of an hour. Some can swim for more than a mile. But all, need to take it slow when they first begin swimming. It’s obvious you wouldn’t take your 10-month-old lab out for an hour-long swim as their first introduction to water, but what would be a good starting point?
Quite a few sites recommend slow starts. Let the dog splash around in water that’s not deep. When they do start venturing out to deeper depths, keep an eye on them. Make sure they come in and rest after a few minutes.
With each trek to the water, you can let the dog swim longer and longer.
Pandora knew what she was comfortable with when she first started swimming. We didn’t push her. Now, however, I have to pull the plug on her fun and she’s not happy when I say we’re done. The first day that Pandora discovered she loved swimming, she was quite snotty when I told her we done. Apparently, she felt she could swim the English Channel if she wanted. But she started snorting a bit louder with each swim back to shore, so I said we were done. And she stood at the water’s edge trying to stare me down. Then she stomped her paw. And finally, came to me but grumbled as she passed by. Little Miss Attitude.
But Watch Out for Over-Confidence
Pandora thinks she’s a star swimmer now. And she’s good. But she hasn’t been in any water with a good current. She’s been through a creek, but she can still touch ground there. Unfortunately, she almost jumped into a swift flowing creek. She now thinks all water is fabulous. So, when I took her on a different trail one day, we came out to a creek that was pretty high and moving fast, and Pandora made a beeline for it. Thankfully, she still listens when I tell her to wait or sit and I was able to get the leash on her before she leaped.
Once your pup loves water, watch them. Little buggers go for anything with water, with no care in the world.
Dogs and Swimming: What are the warning signs that a dog is too tired to swim?
According to Paw Leaks, these are the signs your dog is probably too tired to continue water play:
“You also have to constantly look out for signs of exhaustion such as:
Excessive thirst
Purple or bluish gums
Rapid pulse
Easily distracted by sniffing
Losing interest
Yawning
Lying down
Hiding
Bad posture”
For Pandora, I noticed she was snorting more with each stick fetching swim. She was definitely breathing harder. When Pandora is having fun, she won’t stop, I have to end the moment of fun. We’ve just gotten to a point when she’s playing frisbee that she will take a breather in the shade every second or third throw. But that’s only if we are at home. Otherwise, she won’t stop.
Does swimming wear dogs out quicker than running the trails?
According to the K9 Aquatic Center (who knew there were swimming places just for dogs?):
It may surprise you to know that for a dog, 1 minute’s swimming is equivalent to about 4 minutes of running, according to Dr. Arleigh Reynolds, a Veterinary Surgeon and Canine Physiologist.
The K9 Aquatic Center also lists a bunch of other positives of dogs swimming. Mostly the same reasons it’s good for humans; easier on the joints, helps build muscle, good cardiovascular exercise, etc….
Swimming is definitely a great idea for dogs like Pandora that are athletic. Her joints take a beating when she’s leaping for her frisbee. What a great idea to help her joints heal.
Dogs and Swimming: When should I use a life vest on my dog?
A lot of sites cover this. Obviously, if you are in lake water with a lot of wake from watercraft or rivers and creeks with swift currents, it would be wise to use a life vest.
However, I was surprised to learn about some breeds that cannot swim. I knew, not all dogs could swim, one of my sister’s German Shepherds sank when he fell in the water. They were right there and saved him, don’t worry. I guess that was when I learned not all dogs can swim.
Anyway, dogs with short snouts are not great swimmers: Pugs, bulldogs, boxers, etc…, the water goes right up their nose and then you can run into the issue of dry drowning. Apparently, Pugs like water, so they would benefit to have a life vest.
And when your dog is hanging out on the boat or at the lake for the whole day, a life vest might be a good idea, especially if they are like Pandora and will keep going no matter how tired they are.
What are the best water toys and water gear for dogs?
Well, I can’t speak from experience, but here are the ones I am looking at for Pandora. These are all Amazon links (some of the links may be affiliate links):
Pandora is finally at an age where she can lie next to the cat without the urge to herd him somewhere.
Pandora is two and a half years old now and I thought it was time for a puppy update.
Concern #1 – Aggression beyond the puppy stage
In high school, one of my friends had a blue heeler, Bess was the dog’s name. Bess hated everyone but her family. A family friend also had a blue heeler. I don’t recall the dog’s name, but Tex used to walk up to visit us and that pooch was always by his side. The dog would even say “I love you.” I mean it came out more of “I wuuuvvv oooo.”
When we got Pandora, I had no clue what kind of puppy we were going to be getting. All I knew is that my husband had a weak spot and I was going to take this pup if he didn’t say anything. And of course, once I held her, it was all over, she was ours.
While we waited a week for her to turn 8-weeks old, I did research on the blue heeler breed. And the number one thing I kept coming across was how they are friendly and then one day it’s a like a light switch is flipped and they are no longer a friendly puppy. I should be more specific, they still love their family, but others not so much.
Most people said it was somewhere around one year of age when this flip happened. So, I was terrified that we’d hit that dreaded mark and Pandora would no longer like people.
As of this point, I am happy to report that Pandora is still good with other people and other dogs.
Concern #2 – Biting
Blue heelers tend to bite, nip, chew. When Pandora was a puppy, she gave a whole new meaning to Land Shark. She wasn’t just a Land Shark, she would catch air and fly by with those teeth snapping away. At first, it was funny. But one day, as I sat on the floor tossing toys for her, she came running back and launched herself into the air. As she flew toward my face with teeth snapping, I leaned hard to the right. She flew by my head and I could hear those teeth snapping.
It was no longer funny. This needed to be curbed before I lost my nose.
And we spent a lot of time working on it.
And I’m happy to report, I and all the other members of my family still have our noses. As for my husband’s ankles, he still has them. But she will still nip him. However, this is due to him not setting boundaries with her. Pandora does not bite at my or the kids ankles because she knows I mean business. My husband, on the other hand, does not set the boundary. He likes to play with her and that’s where we struggle sometimes.
Concern #3 – I would never be able to train Pandora
After reading about the breed, I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to get her trained or be able to exercise her enough to keep her well-behaved.
Australian Cattle Dogs are incredibly intelligent. If they don’t get the exercise they need, they can be terrors.
Thankfully, I can report that if you invest the time, you can train and exercise your dog’s mind and body to the point that they will behave. This is what I’ve done, lots of time. We don’t have the money to spend on trainers, so I put in extra time searching out resources and weighing the advice with what I already know before adapting and applying the tip on Pandora.
Don’t get me wrong, I still can’t get her to walk near cars, but we are making progress. The steps are tiny, tiny, tiny. But we’re getting there.
And our home hasn’t suffered too much.
The Take-Away from Puppyhood
Hang in there. Pandora is now at a point where she listens more frequently, is calmer, and doesn’t feel the need to chomp my shoes anymore. She will still swipe a pair of shoes and take them to the yard, but she doesn’t chew them up anymore.
Once you make it through the puppy years, things start falling into place.
One step forward, five steps back, that’s how it seems the training progress has been with Pandora. At least, getting her to walk near cars, close to roads on sidewalks.
And FINALLY, I have some progress to report.
The Recap
I’m going to give a quick recap. Pandora is terrified to walk anywhere where she can see or hear vehicles. It’s been a part of her since puppyhood. No traumatic events happened with cars.
When we try to walk near vehicles when she was a puppy, she would tuck tail and drop anchor. Then a few months later she started doing the “we’re getting back to our vehicle now, I don’t care if I choke in the process.” I didn’t use a harness right off the bat with Pandora. We used a collar. And after one of our walks, where I had to walk a section of sidewalk back to the car, a vehicle passed us. Pandora went into a panic. She started pulling on her leash and would not stop. After some struggling, I finally picked her up. It was a full on fiasco.
I bought a harness after that because it scared me that she didn’t care that her collar was digging in. I’ve since had the vet double-check that I was using the collar right. I was.
But even with the harness, the walk was a no-go once she heard a vehicle.
There were small training progresses
Once she walked a whole four or five yards like a normal dog on a leash. It was from our car to the vet door. Our vet still won’t allow us in with our pets.
Despite the small progress, we had a major setback afterward. In all areas of training.
Eventually, Pandora had a few more little wins. Walking, with “normal” pulling on the leash. I don’t want her to pull on leash, but this was not a choking pull, it was much less dramatic.
Big “No Freaking Way!” Training Progress
Now, let me say, Pandora did not take a full-on walk near vehicles.
I had taken her out on the trails, we went up to an area where we know. It has a wide road (it’s a walking path but looks wide enough for vehicles). She wasn’t happy. She dropped anchor. I pretended to not notice what she was doing, I was acting interested in a large weed. It took about a few seconds before she was ready to continue, so we continued on. Pandora heard a car; we glimpsed a smidge of it through bushes. She continued to walk. Her tail wasn’t tucked, neither was it wagging happily, it just hung down.
And we made it back to the trail that cuts away from the road. It went so well, that when we headed back to the car, I took a trail that branches off to the road and puts us about 70 yards up from the car. It runs along a road. A car passed us. Pandora was not happy, but she didn’t react. We had to stop as the car passed, but she didn’t drop anchor, she didn’t try to drag my rear back to the car, she waited.
Do you see the picture above? I even got her to sit and wait so I could take a picture! AND it gets better! There was a car idling in the turn lane behind us and she still let me take the picture! Squeeee! People, I looked like a nut, doing my happy dance back to the car and gushing over Pandora.
That was the greatest moment yet. Two years and three months to get to this point. Constant training, trying, and failing. Little moments of hope followed by setbacks. We even switched Vets. It was the worst call because I love our Vet, but they still wouldn’t let us go in with our pets and each time we went to the vet, we had major setbacks. Shortly before this, we had gone to her new vet for her checkup and yearly shots and I got to be with her.
We haven’t walked around near cars, yet. But this moment has given me hope.
“I hear you say “No”, but I think I want to do anyway.”
The biggest struggle with training an Australian Cattle Dog, or any dog, is consistency. To be consistent, means working on the issue every day. Make no mistake, it’s hard to be consistent and not get discouraged, especially when the dog regresses.
Training: The Downside
If you’ve read this blog for a while, you know. But for those who are new, let me give you a quick rundown on the two biggest struggles we have with Pandora, our 2.4-year-old Australian Cattle Dog.
Barking: We made some headway with this issue, but it is not where we’d like it yet.
Walking on a leash (or even off) near cars: She will not do this. It’s a no-go thing in her life. It’s rough, it’s a one inch forward, seven yards back type of an ordeal.
For both of those issues, we’ve trained, we’ve made progress, and we’ve hit setbacks.
Also, for both of those issues, we’ve made progress. Itsy bitsy, steps that give us hope in the training process.
We still keep training her to tame the barking, and we’ve made a few steps towards where we had gotten in the past. That would be, she will calm down upon command. She is not consistently doing it, but I’d guess she’s listening about 3 our of every 5 times. Not bad, not great. We’ll continue to work the bark.
Training: The Upside
I share with you every time we make the smallest bit of progress.
Some people will see the small progress and assume it’s not worth celebrating. Others understand that all progress will eventually add up to great progress. I’m clearly in the second group. Why? Because I need the hope. I need to know we are slowly making progress, it helps me get through setbacks.
This weekend, we had the tiniest bit of progress.
Pandora hates vehicles. As far as the noise of them. She doesn’t mind riding with me in one.
We were heading out to some trails, and we had to cross a highway. She hates crossing the highway. Whenever she has her head out the window and hears or sees cars coming up near us, she pulls her head in and sits up straight, while staring directly ahead.
Well, Saturday, June 18th, 2022 – she kept her nose out the window. Didn’t tuck back in and hide.
Side note: She can’t get anything more than her head out the window. I know some will be okay with that and some won’t.
A Bonus Bit of Progress
Pandora not only showed no fear during the ride, but she also made some leash progress.
On one section of the trail we get into a wooded trail of a housing development. That trail is usually busy. So I put Pandora on leash. She usually tries to yank me as quickly as possible to the section where I remove her leash.
Saturday, she did not do that. Her leash skills left a lot to be desired, BUT, she walked on leash, didn’t yank or tug or drop anchor. We even walked by another dog that didn’t want to socialize. The dog wasn’t mean, the owner was clearly training the dog not to lunge and bark at other dogs and people. I gave a little snap on the collar and Pandora walked right by without a care.
Usually, she pulls to see the people or the dog or both. She wants to make sure everyone loves her.
To Sum UP
Yes, these were very small bits of progress. But they are progress none-the-less. If we can get to this point, we can get further. So can you.
We will get to our ultimate goals. We may have to adjust the ultimate goal, I may never be able to walk Pandora around the lake during rush hour, but maybe we’ll get to walk the lake during the lazy, slow hours.
Through consistent training and sheer force of repetition we’ll get there.
This week, we’re delving into the needs of high energy dogs like the Australian Cattle Dog. Particularly what novice owners can expect from this breed. And how to wear them out if you don’t have lot of space.
Yes, Cattle Dogs Have High Energy Needs
This is not to be confused with an ADHD-type dog. Cattle dogs need a tremendous amount of exercise. They have a ton of energy to burn. However, it is not unfocused, Tasmanian Devil, whirlish behavior. These dogs can focus. When they are interested or working, they are laser focused.
Cattle Dogs Are Not Recommended for Apartments
If you read about Blue Heelers, Red Heelers (the colors refer to their coat colors), Queensland Heelers, Australian Cattle Dogs (we still don’t know why they have so many names) you’ll find a lot of people say they are not meant for small, confined spaces. And that’s true.
However, we don’t have an enormous yard. We have nothing close to farmland. Our lot is a third of an acre. Which is pretty much nothing when it comes to Pandora’s needs. And yet, we make it work and Pandora thrives. Except for walking near cars, we are still stuck. It’s not easy, but we’ve found ways to cope.
High Energy Dogs + Small Yards = A Lot of Time Exercising the Pooch
I’m not going to lie and say you can have a cattle dog in a small space and not worry about it. These dogs have high energy needs and you have to put in the effort to release that energy. That effort is every single day, multiple times a day.
Here’s an example of what a good exercise day looks like for Pandora:
After I wake up and shower, Pandora goes outside. She does her business and trots back in waiting while I empty the dishwasher and reload. (5 minutes)
Load Pandora in car and head out to the trails. We do anywhere from 3 to 5 miles. (1+ hours)
After lunch, it’s playtime for Pandora (30 min. Frisbee)
On sunny days, I leave the slider open so Pandora can go in and out. She’ll mill around the yard, try to herd my husband while he works in the yard. Get a little more frisbee time when he’s trying to break her of herding him. (10 to 45 minutes)
Early evening, I take Pandora back outside and play more frisbee. We mix up the throws, mostly low to the ground with a few higher ones mixed in. (30 to 40 minutes).
By 8:00pm, we’re pooped. Pandora is not. So, we pull out the tennis ball and take turns tossing it around the house (semi-open concept). We’ve learned to utilize doors and walls to launch the ball further around corners. (30 min)
Total time on a good day of exercise is anywhere from 2 hours and 45 minutes to 4 hours.
When Pandora gets that much exercise, she is a happy pup.
What a “Just Enough” Exercise Day Looks Like
Obviously, we don’t always have a good exercise day for Pandora. Some days we do just enough. Just enough, means we do the bare minimum to give her the energy burners she needs. Sometimes these days are due to a heavy workload that prevents us from giving her the time she needs. And sometimes these days are due to non-stop torrential rains and/or high winds. Here’s what that kind of day looks like:
Wake, shower, shove Pandora out the door to do her business.
After unloading and loading dishwasher I bundle up in boots and raincoat and toss the frisbee a few times with Pandora. If it’s windy, the throws suck. Pandora doesn’t care, so long as she’s chasing the disc, she’s happy.
If I’m working from home, I’ll take a lot of five-minute breaks. During which time, I toss toys up the stairs. Pandora brings them back and we repeat. This does wear her out. The stairs will have her panting hard after five minutes. I do little training things while I go between rooms, like make her walk “with me,” or if I’m on the phone, I’ll practice using hand commands. I’ll get her to sit, look at me, drop down and reward.
For lunch if the weather is really crappy, we’ll do a good 15 minutes on the stairs. And some brain work. I’ll either do a puzzle toy with her or I’ll hide high scent dog treats around the house. That keeps her busy. Plus, the nose work or brain work utilizes energy.
In the early evening, I train her. We’ll take a few breaks as I throw toys up the stairs, and then back to training. I make sure this is at least 30 minutes.
Then, come 8:00 we play ball or tug. Pandora is not usually satisfied. So, she’ll go have unhealthy relations with her dog bed. She’ll grumble. She’ll let us know that we sucked at getting her energy used up for the day.
These days we get approximately, 1 hour and 45 minutes of exercise.
Won’t the Dog Get Used to Not Getting as Much Exercise?
To be fair, I’ve only heard one person express this comment. I know you’ll find this hard to believe, but she’s not a dog owner. Sarcasm aside, no. High energy dogs will not get used to not having as much exercise.
A dog that doesn’t get her exercise needs met will be miserable. And dogs rank high in the Misery Loves Company, game of life. They own that area. If they’re miserable, you will be just as miserable or even more so. This is when furniture gets chewed into an unrecognizable state. When shoes get shredded into tiny bits that resemble yard mulch. When dogs consume plastic toys that mean a trip to the, very expensive, emergency vet. And, when then the police show up due to complaints of non-stop barking.
Don’t be that dog owner.
Summation
Yes, Australian Cattle Dogs are high energy dogs. You don’t have to have massive acreage or livestock to give your dog a good home. If you are willing to attend to their needs, every day, multiple times a day, you’ll have a pal for life.
But you have to be honest with yourself and whether or not you can put in the time needed.
For more information about cattle dogs, check out these posts:
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.
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.
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.
Pooped Pup: Sunshine, running, and herding wear a pup out.
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.”
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:
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:
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.
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.
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.
