New Shelter Pup (Advice)

[twmoose82]

Hi everyone,

I am new to the board and in fact this is my first post. Anyways I have a couple questions for you guys as I have been lurking around the board for the last week or so and it seems like everyone here is so knowledgeable about BCs.

 

So here it goes: I adopted a 2 year old BC/Australian Cattle Dog Mix from the Angels With Tails event that they have every year here in Chicago. They bring in over 350 dogs from all over the state and have them out on Michigan Ave to be adopted. I went with my wife and my sister to look at dogs, but we did not think we were going to bring home a pup that day. Well we were wrong b/c as we walked up to the first area there was a BC mix and my sister ran right to him. We had a Border Collie growing up and we have always loved the breed, but I did not want to get one b/c I live in a condo in the city and I did not think it would be fair to have a BC in the city. Well he played a trick on us b/c he was the calmest dog I have ever met and all he wanted to do was get closer and closer to until he was basically sitting on top of you. We fell in love with him right away and after looking at dogs all afternoon we kept going back to him and we took him home. We love our pup Moose and he has so much personality and he is already so smart. He was crate and house trained and has really been a great dog, but his energy level continues to grow with everyday.

 

We have only had a couple issues with him and I thought I would ask you folks for some advice. Moose loves all adults and is very loving but he is a little skittish around children and has snapped at the air a couple times around my 11 year old nephew. He also showed his teeth to another child that we know. Is this something that I can have trained out of him and does anyone have any advice how to do so. He is not agressive at all around children as he does not growl, bark, or go after them, but I am still uneasy about the fact that he snapped at my nephew.

 

Also he is little too playful around other dogs. When we walk him down the street he is very good and almost does not pay attention to the other dogs, but once we get him in the dog park his herding instincts set in and he gets very nippy. Again he is not being aggressive with the dogs as his tail is wagging the whole time but some owners seem to think that he is a mean dog. I keep a close eye on him and he has never bitten another dog, but he does a lot of nipping. Can he be trained to play better or is his herding instinct too strong and will he always nip the other dogs?

 

Thanks in advance and I will post a pic of him if I can. I know the post was long so I apologize.

[Alaska]

Looks like your post is in danger of sinking down the list without getting answered, so I'll chime in briefly.

 

These are both issues that should be evaluated by an experienced trainer who can help you come up with a plan that is appropriate for you and your dog. No one here can truly evaluate them over the internet, and as well as you think you may be describing the situation, it is almost axiomatic that you will manage to leave out important details that an experienced person would see if they were watching these interactions in person.

 

Yes, generally speaking, it is possible to resolve these problems. However, whether and how they can be resolved with your dog to your satisfaction is something you will need to discuss in person with a trainer.

 

In the meantime, enjoy your dog but manage the situation so he cannot display these potentially problematic behaviors. That is:

 

(1) No unsupervised interactions with kids (both dog and kid should be supervised).

 

(2) No dog park.

 

BTW, these are not BC issues, these are dog issues. Plenty of dogs have them and plenty of BCs don't For your purposes, it's irrelevant (and potentially distracting) to worry about whether these issues occur more or less in dogs with BC breeding in their lines.

[Ms.DaisyDuke]

I think finding a REALLY good trainer in your area is the best bet. Alaska is right in saying we can't see what he's doing or there is a possibility you'll leave something out. For example, my dog wags her tail when she see's other dogs, BUT her tail is high and its a slow wag, this means she does not like that dog and I should widen my birth around said dog or bring her in the house and make her sit until it's passed.

 

Also, your dog may not have had a lot of experience around small people, so he may not know what to do, and will have to be introduced to them slowly. Kids move fast, stare directly at dogs and have these big teeth bearing smiles, all to a dog, with little experience with kids is going to come off somewhat offensive.

 

A good trainer will help you over come these problems with a little patience and hard work. He may not be perfect, but I am sure it will improve. Just learn how to manage the situation and love him for who he is.

[mbc1963]

I absolutely agree with the good trainer advice. My guy helped me enormously - he had very specific strategies that he knew worked, and he gave them to me. If I hadn't called him, I'd have had to blunder around until I figured things out.

 

My dog kind of likes small kids, because I often have them give him treats. But he's still nervous with their wacky movements and whisker-pulling. I simply don't let him be around kids unless I set the situation up carefully. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to let the dog be unsupervised around kids, which is fine, since I don't have any. It's pretty easy to manage.

 

Good luck!

 

Mary

[Bo Peep]

I agree with the advice others have given you here. Finding a good trainer is difficult. After 20 years with border collies, I am still learning, thanks to my trainers and these boards!

There are a few things I'd like to mention regarding children as I babysat all day with my 9 year old grand daughter and 15 month old grandson, never EVER, no matter how much you trust your dogs leave them unattended with children. My grandson was playing with my Tupperware and got a paper-plate holder that resemble a "frisbee" out of the lower cupboard. This caused Bailey to jump (not on him) but it frightened him. I was glad I was right there.

Also, the tail wagging doesn't mean a friendly one. Good luck and find a good trainer and keep us informed.

[mtnbound]

First, congrats. I'm always thrilled to hear about shelter/rescue dogs getting great homes.

 

Since he was crate trained and house trained already, he was obviously in a home previously. That means there is the big unknown of his experience with kids. With the description of him being "skittish" around them, he was perhaps never socialized appropriately, or did not have the most positive experiences. Getting training for Moose has already been mentioned, but you may also want to be sure to teach your nephew as much as possible as well. Here is a good site with a few resources about dog-child interactions:

 

http://www.kidsanddogs.org/index.html

[WyoBC]

Congrats on your new pupper. I know how exciting it is to bring a new dog home. Everyone has given you great advise. If I was to add anything I would only be repeating what everyone else has said.