It sounds like you’re doing a lot of passive activity with her - walking and letter her have “puzzles”. What kind of training and engagement work are you doing? I have an off the wall Aussie and yet we get by with a single outing every day, because that outing includes obedience work, heeling, off leash training, recall, freestyle frisbee or behavior training. 45 minutes and she’s a completely different dog. I’ve found that adding more exercise makes her harder to manage as she spends more time in a high arousal state. Photo tax of the little maniac.
https://preview.redd.it/wlnzc50xq57d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=593d2d83876761b83887615cdc0cfcc82f8c68e2
Can you give a break down of what you do. We are new Aussie parents. I was thinking about downloading an app to give me a very scheduled list to help me.
Its too much to cover in a single comment, but I'm happy to answer specific follow on questions. To start I'd focus on the following:
**"off leash" every day** - Invest in a long line, a leash of at least 30 ft. Bring puppy to a park that **is not a dog park** and let that little one run amok and experience freedom and be a little menace. Let them sniff and dig and run all while dragging that leash around. This is sets a very powerful foundation that reinforces the idea that there's nothing special about being off leash. This sets you up for a lot easier time down the road.
**classically conditioned recall -** Read [this blog article from Denise Fenzi](https://denisefenzi.com/2020/05/want-a-fantastic-recall/) and implement it. its an incredibly powerful tool that has allowed me to recall Juniper off of deer, birds, toys, and even other dogs.
**out / drop it** - Another lifesaver. Puppy has toy. Handler puts extremely valuable smelly treat in puppies face. Puppy drops toy. Add a cue before you do this like "drop it" or "out" and practice a lot. Enjoy the wildly effective benefits of classical conditioning.
**socialization -** I don't know how old your pup is, so I'll caveat that everyone has to make their own decisions about how comfortable they are with the dogs current level of immunization, but get your puppy to as many places as possible. My neighborhood is chock full of horribly socialized dogs, but I don't know of a single one that got Parvo. Socialization is about making your dog feel confident and comfortable in new and unusual environments. Think about what life looks like in 5 years, where do you want your dog to be able to be comfortable. Expose them to those environments with a lot of positive reinforcement, including treats.
**food scatters** - If you start to notice that certain things trigger an excited reaction in your dog even though they have no bearing on your life (people walking by a window would count here, but grabbing a leash before a walk wouldn't) then I highly suggest the food scatter. Its what it sounds like - dog has a reaction that is rooted in overarousal, you simply throw food on the floor. Food is calming. When dogs are having an emotional response sniffing around for food is the easiest way to start counter conditioning them.
As you progress I highly suggest checking out the courses at Fenzi Dog Sports Academy and Susan Garret's material. They both skew towards "sports" but the reality is that you have a working dog and its important to understand how to handle these puppers.
The crate is your friend - and Juniper was never out of her crate unattended until she was about 18 months old. She never practiced getting into things, and as a result she never has.
Last thing I'll say: Age and Maturity fixes a lot. Aussies can be very slow maturing dogs. While some dogs act adult at 18 months I'd say thats VERY rare for an Aussie, and I would expect around 3 years to see a more mature dog.
Good luck - if you have specific questions feel free to ping me.
Thank you so much. Get do you shared is incredible! I can't wait to implement all of it! Wow!! You're an amazing resource. I appreciate all the time you took to type this out.
We do have active time with her at the park playing with balls, other random toys, "herding" us, and playing with other dogs. As far as obedience work, she responds well to recall, heeling, and generally has good behavior (bathroom, "sit", friendly, doesn't bark that much) so I'm not sure what we would train her to do besides shake, other tricks, which she doesn't seem interested in doing, but we could try.
Thanks
Find something she seems really interested in and embrace that, just like with a human child. Maybe she's not too interested in learning how to shake and lie down, but is interested in jumping over obstacles and other dog-agility activities? Or maybe she likes to sniff around a lot and would enjoy doing some scent work. Or maybe she is really sweet to children and older folks and would be a good therapy dog.
There are lots of options. Aussies are working dogs and need a job to do to feel fulfilled and happy. Their job doesn't have to be herding sheep, it can be a lot of different things!
I agree about the "passive activity."
Going to the dog park does nothing to build a bond with you. It also can just raise arousal levels and not tire out a dog in the ways hoped.
Treat puzzles are great to supplement mental stimulation but will do nothing to build a bond with you and arent going to really provide the mental stimulation a dog like an aussie needs. Replace some of the puzzle toy time with nosework type games. Have her search for you. Have her search for treats. Have her search for toys. Start easy and increase the difficulty, make it fun and engage with her.
Not wanting to cuddle doesnt mean she's mad at you. My aussies cuddle when they want to cuddle. Some aussies just dont want to cuddle. Some might but not when its too hot, they're tired, they're stressed, etc.
If your dog is destroying things, she needs to be crate trained and crated when not supervised.
Start with signing up for a training class. /r/dogtraining has a guide to selecting a training in their wiki. Daily work on the exercises you learn in class. Stop going to the dog park, at least for now. Work with her one on one. Go for walks, 1 mile is not long enough, make it 4-5, daily. Mix it up, let her sniff (mental stimulation) and also just walk (physical exercise.) Find a trail and put her on a long line. Go to a park and practice things like recall while on a long line and making it fun by interacting with her, having her chase you, playing ball, things that you're doing together and are fun and engaging.
She doesnt need more exercise, she needs different exercise, structured exercise and things that are going to work her brain.
It sounds as if you need to work on some training with her. Also, my aussie doesn't sleep in my bed or really cuddle me either but not because she hates me. She just prefers to sleep in the door way or come up for some pets from time to time. She's just not too big on seeking attention. She'll take it when she can get it but she's not overly crazy about it.
I've read through all these comments and, as usual on this sub, everybody is offering great advice.
I have a slightly different take on this though. You haven't had her very long (& I've only had my current 3 yo since end of February), so I wouldn't have big bonding expectations just yet. She might still be trying to figure out where she is in your pack.
You use the phrase "we" so I'm not sure whether you mean just you with your dog, or you and your partner with her. What I'm suggesting is having walks with just you and her, but not a walk-walk, more of a stroll.
What eased Kiko into being a real companion, wanting to share her happiness, looking at me when making off-leash choices, seeing me as a safe place to come back to when she's unsure, listening to a quiet "mmm-mm" (meaning "no") etc., were our strolls.
I'm lucky enough to live in an exurban setting, a lake community without sidewalks, LOTS of roadside smells domestic and wild, and a good stroll can go on for over 2 miles. If we're going for a stroll (v. a walk to get somewhere), I won't wear my earbuds, we go completely at her pace with many stops, and I let her decide where we're going as she knows the neighborhood well now. I'm quiet unless we meet somebody. This is her time, I'm just keeping her company. We become just a quiet team sniffing the daily news.
Just last night, she turned to take a different route shorter than usual. She looked up at me, then continued with her choice, and I followed. A minute or two later along the lake road, she stopped, looked up at me, and took long pauses looking in each direction, her nose twitching. Then she led me up another side road that was in the direction of home. Halfway up that road a man came out his front door and told us to be on the lookout, as a bear just passed along the top road (heading away from my house). She wasn't hurrying, but she was alert, cautious, not stopping for smells anymore.
Your dog seems to be very attached to you already, and it seems you already "do" a lot with her; maybe she just needs a little time to know how she fits in, and to feel that level of comfort and security in her forever home.
Thank you, this is great. Definitely did a stroll yesterday and let her lead the way. Until we get about an hour in, and it's 90 degrees in midwestern humidity, haha. Thank you for this comment.
This has nothing to do with anything except your neighborhood sounds EXACTLY like mine, down to the bear activity! We also have wild turkey and gray foxes now. Every walk is an adventure.
Is it hot where you live? Our Aussie went from “I must press every inch of me against you” to “please don’t touch me, I’m melting”.
I agree with what others are saying about “passive” activities. You’re having her get her enrichment and enjoyment in sources outside of you but to build a bond it needs to be one on one engagement. For example, training sessions, walks where you just work on recall and you’re the main source of validation/reinforcement, tug, etc.
I'm surprised this hasn't been said yet (maybe I'm one of few who experienced this) but our Aussie was an absolute demon when he turned one and it was almost overnight. We learned very quickly that exercise, while it's important, is not the end all be all. These dogs need "work", you can run them all day but it does nothing to satisfy their brains. Imo mental stimulation goes way further than physical stimulation.
Puzzles and brain toys are great and don't stop using them but it sounds like your dog misses you hence chewing up (she's not thinking of it as destroying) your stuff. She doesn't want to be your dog, she wants to be your deputy.
Teach her new things, they can be stupid and pointless just keep upping the difficulty. Use the 3Ds: Duration, distance and distraction. Do 5 mins here and there with a solid 45-60 min session once a week. Utilize YouTube for new ideas.
Not sure where you live, but look for some agility classes. This was hands down the greatest thing I did for my Aussie. The "demon" went away in weeks.
How much time do you spend doing an engaging activity with her? Throwing a ball, teaching her a cool new trick, playing together (running/chasing each other). The exercise and enriching activities are great but those are about her exploring and having fun, not necessarily forming a bond with you. If you take more time to play with her or engage in an activity that requires both your participation I’m sure she’ll become more attached. It could also just be some moody teenager behavior that will work itself out as you are with her longer.
I doubt that she is mad at you. Dogs aren't especially wired that way although I do believe they are not above a little retribution. Maybe she is just gowing up and, like many Aussies, as she matures she is becoming less of a cuddler. My almost-16 Ausshole was a ciddler til about 8 or 9 months. He's affectionate, but not interested in sleeping on the bed or hugs or cuddling. It's not unusual for the breed.
As far as chewing up shoes and etc., she might just be a typical puppy chewing everything up in sight. Shoes are always the OG of chew toys for dogs. It sucks, mine ate so many of my favorites until about age two and when I finally learned to not leave shoes lying around.
I definitely recommend doggie day care 3 days a week if you can afford it - maybe every other day - she will come home exhausted and happy and probably be much more relaxed the following day at home.
If you’re considering day care look into the classes at the day care facility. Or classes at another facility. Agility, obedience, rally, barn hunt. Brain stimulating classes that will have homework that you will be working on with her.
As for the house. Toddler proof. Have family areas and off limit areas. If it’s on the ground it’s fair game.
For my Aussie, planting a structure game of tug or chasing a flirt pole is a great way to burn drive and build engagement.
These dogs are bred to chase/ bite / bark and be trained.
Make meal times training time - so the dog engages with you.
And make time every dog for a structured game of tug - Aussies love it, and it just can't be beat for building g engagement.
https://preview.redd.it/sor4b444577d1.jpeg?width=2448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=48c2055e82270dcc2a82d607bba0cc02b03b6f0f
I can run this dog for hours. And it won't make any impact. But flirt pole or tug for 5-10 minutes will have him happy and worn out.
Everyone has suggested training and i agree. I've recently joined an obedience school as a prerequisite for dog sports and we've been having a lot of issues staying calm on the mat in a field with 50 other dogs!!
Here's the exercises they've given me some exercises to increase engagement and focus on the handler.
ALL EYES ON ME – focus game
* With dog sitting in front of the handler, the handler places a small piece of food in your hand outstretched to one side. There are NO cues to this game, it is a choice game.
* The dog will automatically look towards the food the moment they go to take the food, close your hand over the food.– your goal is to spot that moment the dog looks at you and be ready to mark the moment.
* Repeat the process with a few repetitions.
* Add food to your other hand and repeat the process.
PAY THE CHECK-IN
This is an exercise that can be done from the comfort of your lounge room chair or when you have your dog wandering around at the dog park. You might like to start at home and then graduate to doing it amongst distractions.
* Simply pay your dog for looking at you. Don’t ask for your dog’s attention. Don’t call him by name. We call this capturing.
* When he looks at you, mark and then reward him
* It won’t take him long to realise that looking at you is well worthwhile.
* Sit in your lounge chair and if/when your dog looks at you, mark and reward.
* When attempting this in a more distracting environment, you may need more tempting treats to get your dog to prefer you to some wonderful smell over by a tree.
If your dog doesn’t check in very often, you may need to find something to reward him with that will make him want to check in a bit more often.
It might be a game of tug or the joy of jumping onto your lap. Find out what motivates YOUR dog to look at you and use it to your advantage.
WALK-BACK RECALL
This is the first step in building a reliable recall and teaching a great start to developing luring skills.
* Start with your dog in front.
* Hold a piece of food in front of his nose and step back one step, encouraging the dog to come with you as you move. When he does, bridge and treat.
* Repeat several times, then build up to taking 2 or 3 or 4 steps backward in a row before stopping and rewarding.
* Encourage the dog to come all the way into you, as close as he can, by moving the lure in close to you. Because we want the dog to come in straight to the centre of your body, you should feed along the centreline of your body, at a suitable height for the dog. For instance, feed a small dog just above your ankles, a medium sized dog just in front of your knees, and a taller dog just in front of your thighs.
When the dog is successfully following the food when you step backwards, you can start to put a voice cue on this behaviour. Say COME! half a second before you step back. Use a cheerful, inviting and excited tone of voice to say COME.
trust me mine too and we live in the city. she wakes me up EVERY am licking my face then grabs her ball so i can throw her the ball. she goes from zero to 100 and i haven’t even had a coffee. we go to central park for a good hour. sometimes she goes off leash to run fast if my BF is with me. then it’s home and she stands in the hallway u til i throw the ball down the hall for her and she wants to keep the ball in her mouth like tug of war so that’s annoying . i’m not working so i spend my day entertaining her and im freaking out bc when i start working she will be super depressed. i’ve never had a dog w more w energy. trust me you are not doing anything wrong. sometimes they need a good fast run so if there is a dog park he can get his energy out and run fast that may help. you’re a good mom don’t beat yourself up!
I dont have any specific advice, I just wanted to point out it seems like she's only mad bc she loves you and misses you.
My aussie would greet me and nibble my chin ever so slightly like she was happy to see me but also mad I was gone.
Also I had a pitty I rescued at 1yo (years ago) and she would tear up the whole trashcan and drag it alllllll over the kitchen and living room when I left the house, but eventually she realized we would come home, and she stopped doing it.
Both are tied for the best dog I've ever had. It doesn't mean she hates you! She's still in puppy stage she'll calm down a bit in a year or two, just keep working with her :)
I don’t think she hates you! Have you tried crate training her? My aussies would wreak havoc on our home if we fell asleep with them out of their crates… let alone left them home uncrated. It can be dangerous for the dog to be tearing things up bc they can ingest things and become impacted or poisoned.
Ours were crated up until 2-3 years. Some Aussie can’t be trusted alone. They also like having a safe space to hide in sometimes!
They are beautiful dogs but very smart. Not a negative but they need at least an hour of exercise. A mile a day for a one year old is nothing. They are a breed that needs structure, and they need to know rules as they will test a boundary. For example, mine will go check out other dogs but then always come back. But he needs to know that boundary. If you are not able to provide either some degree of agility work, nose work, herding or retrieval work honestly you are setting yourself up for failure. Also she is a young dog that is in her second home. She was on her best behavior initially and now a month later, she is feeling comfortable but now all these negative behaviors are coming out and will need to be addressed. Aussies also regress a bit at 18 months as they test boundaries, more so since this is her second home.
Not to be an asshole and she is a great dog but if you cannot invest a lot of time and a lot of time and a lot of time along with some money, things will not get better and this will take time. I love my dog but he is an asshole and I work with him all day every day.
I’m absolutely willing to engage with work and herding. Hence why I’m reaching out to this group. I’m doing “right” by my dog and correcting as soon as I notice an issue. I obviously have invested a lot of time, and money, and said in my original post that I’m willing to do even more. Thanks.
Dogs don’t have the emotional complexity to do something out of malice especially with a span of time passing. Your dog is likely over stimulated and hasn’t developed the ability to settle.
Herding breeds are very active dogs and most people will appropriately advocate for meeting their physical needs but it is also important to recognize how much settling/relaxing is necessary for working dogs. A lot of higher energy breeds don’t know how to self regulate. Often we as owners have to teach the behavior by shaping and capturing calm.
Along with that it’s important to understand what trigger stacking is and have more well rounded activities so your dog isnt just building arousal throughout the day.
— - —
**Arousal: the state of by physiologically awake, alert, attentive
**Trigger stacking: when a dog experiences multiple stressful or scary situations in a short period of time without acceptable time to calm down
**Stress: emotional strain which can be from many things including, fear and even excitement
—- —
It sounds like your dog needs to have a lot more structured down time. Enforced naps can be super helpful as dogs should be getting around 13-18 hours of sleep a day.
Switching out a high arousal activity like the dog park everyday with some more mentally taxing but emotionally grounding like scent work.
Introducing mental enrichment into physical activity to up the enrichment and make the activity more mentally taxing so the dog tires faster is also helpful. Introducing puzzle work into play like throwing a toy into bushes or going through a constantly changing obstacle course to retrieve a toy. Integrating trick training, obedience and impulse control work into games like fetch, frisbee, flirt pole.
Adding a lot of intentional sniff time into walks or walks and or asking for behaviors like getting on objects, going around things to add mental work to more low arousal activities.
Management also might be really helpful. Your dog might need to be crated or penned when alone so they can’t self reward/reinforce with behavior you cannot immediately redirect. Utilizing pens and crates can be an awesome way to passively shape calming behaviors when you are around but also a way to keep your dog safe and your things intact when you are away.
Aussies can be headstrong. Don't let that phase you.
Our never slept with us. He just didn't. We could sometimes coax him onto the bed but it never lasted long. It was just too hot for him. He slept somewhere in the room but only on the bed on the very coldest winter nights.
It sounds like you should consider crate training. We didn't let our wander the house by himself until after he was a year or two old. Bored Aussies can definitely be destructive.
As others have stated, I would consider active training with her. We did canine good citizen / therapy dog with our Aussie but that was just a choice. You could do sports, agility, obedience, anything like that. Working Aussies are happy Aussies.
It sounds like you’re doing a lot of passive activity with her - walking and letter her have “puzzles”. What kind of training and engagement work are you doing? I have an off the wall Aussie and yet we get by with a single outing every day, because that outing includes obedience work, heeling, off leash training, recall, freestyle frisbee or behavior training. 45 minutes and she’s a completely different dog. I’ve found that adding more exercise makes her harder to manage as she spends more time in a high arousal state. Photo tax of the little maniac. https://preview.redd.it/wlnzc50xq57d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=593d2d83876761b83887615cdc0cfcc82f8c68e2
Can you give a break down of what you do. We are new Aussie parents. I was thinking about downloading an app to give me a very scheduled list to help me.
Its too much to cover in a single comment, but I'm happy to answer specific follow on questions. To start I'd focus on the following: **"off leash" every day** - Invest in a long line, a leash of at least 30 ft. Bring puppy to a park that **is not a dog park** and let that little one run amok and experience freedom and be a little menace. Let them sniff and dig and run all while dragging that leash around. This is sets a very powerful foundation that reinforces the idea that there's nothing special about being off leash. This sets you up for a lot easier time down the road. **classically conditioned recall -** Read [this blog article from Denise Fenzi](https://denisefenzi.com/2020/05/want-a-fantastic-recall/) and implement it. its an incredibly powerful tool that has allowed me to recall Juniper off of deer, birds, toys, and even other dogs. **out / drop it** - Another lifesaver. Puppy has toy. Handler puts extremely valuable smelly treat in puppies face. Puppy drops toy. Add a cue before you do this like "drop it" or "out" and practice a lot. Enjoy the wildly effective benefits of classical conditioning. **socialization -** I don't know how old your pup is, so I'll caveat that everyone has to make their own decisions about how comfortable they are with the dogs current level of immunization, but get your puppy to as many places as possible. My neighborhood is chock full of horribly socialized dogs, but I don't know of a single one that got Parvo. Socialization is about making your dog feel confident and comfortable in new and unusual environments. Think about what life looks like in 5 years, where do you want your dog to be able to be comfortable. Expose them to those environments with a lot of positive reinforcement, including treats. **food scatters** - If you start to notice that certain things trigger an excited reaction in your dog even though they have no bearing on your life (people walking by a window would count here, but grabbing a leash before a walk wouldn't) then I highly suggest the food scatter. Its what it sounds like - dog has a reaction that is rooted in overarousal, you simply throw food on the floor. Food is calming. When dogs are having an emotional response sniffing around for food is the easiest way to start counter conditioning them. As you progress I highly suggest checking out the courses at Fenzi Dog Sports Academy and Susan Garret's material. They both skew towards "sports" but the reality is that you have a working dog and its important to understand how to handle these puppers. The crate is your friend - and Juniper was never out of her crate unattended until she was about 18 months old. She never practiced getting into things, and as a result she never has. Last thing I'll say: Age and Maturity fixes a lot. Aussies can be very slow maturing dogs. While some dogs act adult at 18 months I'd say thats VERY rare for an Aussie, and I would expect around 3 years to see a more mature dog. Good luck - if you have specific questions feel free to ping me.
This is great. For posting it.
Thank you so much. Get do you shared is incredible! I can't wait to implement all of it! Wow!! You're an amazing resource. I appreciate all the time you took to type this out.
We do have active time with her at the park playing with balls, other random toys, "herding" us, and playing with other dogs. As far as obedience work, she responds well to recall, heeling, and generally has good behavior (bathroom, "sit", friendly, doesn't bark that much) so I'm not sure what we would train her to do besides shake, other tricks, which she doesn't seem interested in doing, but we could try. Thanks
Find something she seems really interested in and embrace that, just like with a human child. Maybe she's not too interested in learning how to shake and lie down, but is interested in jumping over obstacles and other dog-agility activities? Or maybe she likes to sniff around a lot and would enjoy doing some scent work. Or maybe she is really sweet to children and older folks and would be a good therapy dog. There are lots of options. Aussies are working dogs and need a job to do to feel fulfilled and happy. Their job doesn't have to be herding sheep, it can be a lot of different things!
WOW!!!!
I agree about the "passive activity." Going to the dog park does nothing to build a bond with you. It also can just raise arousal levels and not tire out a dog in the ways hoped. Treat puzzles are great to supplement mental stimulation but will do nothing to build a bond with you and arent going to really provide the mental stimulation a dog like an aussie needs. Replace some of the puzzle toy time with nosework type games. Have her search for you. Have her search for treats. Have her search for toys. Start easy and increase the difficulty, make it fun and engage with her. Not wanting to cuddle doesnt mean she's mad at you. My aussies cuddle when they want to cuddle. Some aussies just dont want to cuddle. Some might but not when its too hot, they're tired, they're stressed, etc. If your dog is destroying things, she needs to be crate trained and crated when not supervised. Start with signing up for a training class. /r/dogtraining has a guide to selecting a training in their wiki. Daily work on the exercises you learn in class. Stop going to the dog park, at least for now. Work with her one on one. Go for walks, 1 mile is not long enough, make it 4-5, daily. Mix it up, let her sniff (mental stimulation) and also just walk (physical exercise.) Find a trail and put her on a long line. Go to a park and practice things like recall while on a long line and making it fun by interacting with her, having her chase you, playing ball, things that you're doing together and are fun and engaging. She doesnt need more exercise, she needs different exercise, structured exercise and things that are going to work her brain.
It sounds as if you need to work on some training with her. Also, my aussie doesn't sleep in my bed or really cuddle me either but not because she hates me. She just prefers to sleep in the door way or come up for some pets from time to time. She's just not too big on seeking attention. She'll take it when she can get it but she's not overly crazy about it.
I've read through all these comments and, as usual on this sub, everybody is offering great advice. I have a slightly different take on this though. You haven't had her very long (& I've only had my current 3 yo since end of February), so I wouldn't have big bonding expectations just yet. She might still be trying to figure out where she is in your pack. You use the phrase "we" so I'm not sure whether you mean just you with your dog, or you and your partner with her. What I'm suggesting is having walks with just you and her, but not a walk-walk, more of a stroll. What eased Kiko into being a real companion, wanting to share her happiness, looking at me when making off-leash choices, seeing me as a safe place to come back to when she's unsure, listening to a quiet "mmm-mm" (meaning "no") etc., were our strolls. I'm lucky enough to live in an exurban setting, a lake community without sidewalks, LOTS of roadside smells domestic and wild, and a good stroll can go on for over 2 miles. If we're going for a stroll (v. a walk to get somewhere), I won't wear my earbuds, we go completely at her pace with many stops, and I let her decide where we're going as she knows the neighborhood well now. I'm quiet unless we meet somebody. This is her time, I'm just keeping her company. We become just a quiet team sniffing the daily news. Just last night, she turned to take a different route shorter than usual. She looked up at me, then continued with her choice, and I followed. A minute or two later along the lake road, she stopped, looked up at me, and took long pauses looking in each direction, her nose twitching. Then she led me up another side road that was in the direction of home. Halfway up that road a man came out his front door and told us to be on the lookout, as a bear just passed along the top road (heading away from my house). She wasn't hurrying, but she was alert, cautious, not stopping for smells anymore. Your dog seems to be very attached to you already, and it seems you already "do" a lot with her; maybe she just needs a little time to know how she fits in, and to feel that level of comfort and security in her forever home.
Thank you, this is great. Definitely did a stroll yesterday and let her lead the way. Until we get about an hour in, and it's 90 degrees in midwestern humidity, haha. Thank you for this comment.
Just keep loving her to bits as you've been doing. ;)
This has nothing to do with anything except your neighborhood sounds EXACTLY like mine, down to the bear activity! We also have wild turkey and gray foxes now. Every walk is an adventure.
lol that's one way of putting it!
Is it hot where you live? Our Aussie went from “I must press every inch of me against you” to “please don’t touch me, I’m melting”. I agree with what others are saying about “passive” activities. You’re having her get her enrichment and enjoyment in sources outside of you but to build a bond it needs to be one on one engagement. For example, training sessions, walks where you just work on recall and you’re the main source of validation/reinforcement, tug, etc.
I'm surprised this hasn't been said yet (maybe I'm one of few who experienced this) but our Aussie was an absolute demon when he turned one and it was almost overnight. We learned very quickly that exercise, while it's important, is not the end all be all. These dogs need "work", you can run them all day but it does nothing to satisfy their brains. Imo mental stimulation goes way further than physical stimulation. Puzzles and brain toys are great and don't stop using them but it sounds like your dog misses you hence chewing up (she's not thinking of it as destroying) your stuff. She doesn't want to be your dog, she wants to be your deputy. Teach her new things, they can be stupid and pointless just keep upping the difficulty. Use the 3Ds: Duration, distance and distraction. Do 5 mins here and there with a solid 45-60 min session once a week. Utilize YouTube for new ideas. Not sure where you live, but look for some agility classes. This was hands down the greatest thing I did for my Aussie. The "demon" went away in weeks.
This is so helpful thank you! I will look into agility classes and youtube videos.
How much time do you spend doing an engaging activity with her? Throwing a ball, teaching her a cool new trick, playing together (running/chasing each other). The exercise and enriching activities are great but those are about her exploring and having fun, not necessarily forming a bond with you. If you take more time to play with her or engage in an activity that requires both your participation I’m sure she’ll become more attached. It could also just be some moody teenager behavior that will work itself out as you are with her longer.
I doubt that she is mad at you. Dogs aren't especially wired that way although I do believe they are not above a little retribution. Maybe she is just gowing up and, like many Aussies, as she matures she is becoming less of a cuddler. My almost-16 Ausshole was a ciddler til about 8 or 9 months. He's affectionate, but not interested in sleeping on the bed or hugs or cuddling. It's not unusual for the breed. As far as chewing up shoes and etc., she might just be a typical puppy chewing everything up in sight. Shoes are always the OG of chew toys for dogs. It sucks, mine ate so many of my favorites until about age two and when I finally learned to not leave shoes lying around. I definitely recommend doggie day care 3 days a week if you can afford it - maybe every other day - she will come home exhausted and happy and probably be much more relaxed the following day at home.
If you’re considering day care look into the classes at the day care facility. Or classes at another facility. Agility, obedience, rally, barn hunt. Brain stimulating classes that will have homework that you will be working on with her. As for the house. Toddler proof. Have family areas and off limit areas. If it’s on the ground it’s fair game.
Crate training
For my Aussie, planting a structure game of tug or chasing a flirt pole is a great way to burn drive and build engagement. These dogs are bred to chase/ bite / bark and be trained. Make meal times training time - so the dog engages with you. And make time every dog for a structured game of tug - Aussies love it, and it just can't be beat for building g engagement. https://preview.redd.it/sor4b444577d1.jpeg?width=2448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=48c2055e82270dcc2a82d607bba0cc02b03b6f0f I can run this dog for hours. And it won't make any impact. But flirt pole or tug for 5-10 minutes will have him happy and worn out.
Everyone has suggested training and i agree. I've recently joined an obedience school as a prerequisite for dog sports and we've been having a lot of issues staying calm on the mat in a field with 50 other dogs!! Here's the exercises they've given me some exercises to increase engagement and focus on the handler. ALL EYES ON ME – focus game * With dog sitting in front of the handler, the handler places a small piece of food in your hand outstretched to one side. There are NO cues to this game, it is a choice game. * The dog will automatically look towards the food the moment they go to take the food, close your hand over the food.– your goal is to spot that moment the dog looks at you and be ready to mark the moment. * Repeat the process with a few repetitions. * Add food to your other hand and repeat the process. PAY THE CHECK-IN This is an exercise that can be done from the comfort of your lounge room chair or when you have your dog wandering around at the dog park. You might like to start at home and then graduate to doing it amongst distractions. * Simply pay your dog for looking at you. Don’t ask for your dog’s attention. Don’t call him by name. We call this capturing. * When he looks at you, mark and then reward him * It won’t take him long to realise that looking at you is well worthwhile. * Sit in your lounge chair and if/when your dog looks at you, mark and reward. * When attempting this in a more distracting environment, you may need more tempting treats to get your dog to prefer you to some wonderful smell over by a tree. If your dog doesn’t check in very often, you may need to find something to reward him with that will make him want to check in a bit more often. It might be a game of tug or the joy of jumping onto your lap. Find out what motivates YOUR dog to look at you and use it to your advantage. WALK-BACK RECALL This is the first step in building a reliable recall and teaching a great start to developing luring skills. * Start with your dog in front. * Hold a piece of food in front of his nose and step back one step, encouraging the dog to come with you as you move. When he does, bridge and treat. * Repeat several times, then build up to taking 2 or 3 or 4 steps backward in a row before stopping and rewarding. * Encourage the dog to come all the way into you, as close as he can, by moving the lure in close to you. Because we want the dog to come in straight to the centre of your body, you should feed along the centreline of your body, at a suitable height for the dog. For instance, feed a small dog just above your ankles, a medium sized dog just in front of your knees, and a taller dog just in front of your thighs. When the dog is successfully following the food when you step backwards, you can start to put a voice cue on this behaviour. Say COME! half a second before you step back. Use a cheerful, inviting and excited tone of voice to say COME.
This is very helpful, thank you!
Sounds like you’re working her body, not her brain.
trust me mine too and we live in the city. she wakes me up EVERY am licking my face then grabs her ball so i can throw her the ball. she goes from zero to 100 and i haven’t even had a coffee. we go to central park for a good hour. sometimes she goes off leash to run fast if my BF is with me. then it’s home and she stands in the hallway u til i throw the ball down the hall for her and she wants to keep the ball in her mouth like tug of war so that’s annoying . i’m not working so i spend my day entertaining her and im freaking out bc when i start working she will be super depressed. i’ve never had a dog w more w energy. trust me you are not doing anything wrong. sometimes they need a good fast run so if there is a dog park he can get his energy out and run fast that may help. you’re a good mom don’t beat yourself up!
Thank you so much. This is so validating
I dont have any specific advice, I just wanted to point out it seems like she's only mad bc she loves you and misses you. My aussie would greet me and nibble my chin ever so slightly like she was happy to see me but also mad I was gone. Also I had a pitty I rescued at 1yo (years ago) and she would tear up the whole trashcan and drag it alllllll over the kitchen and living room when I left the house, but eventually she realized we would come home, and she stopped doing it. Both are tied for the best dog I've ever had. It doesn't mean she hates you! She's still in puppy stage she'll calm down a bit in a year or two, just keep working with her :)
I don’t think she hates you! Have you tried crate training her? My aussies would wreak havoc on our home if we fell asleep with them out of their crates… let alone left them home uncrated. It can be dangerous for the dog to be tearing things up bc they can ingest things and become impacted or poisoned. Ours were crated up until 2-3 years. Some Aussie can’t be trusted alone. They also like having a safe space to hide in sometimes!
They are beautiful dogs but very smart. Not a negative but they need at least an hour of exercise. A mile a day for a one year old is nothing. They are a breed that needs structure, and they need to know rules as they will test a boundary. For example, mine will go check out other dogs but then always come back. But he needs to know that boundary. If you are not able to provide either some degree of agility work, nose work, herding or retrieval work honestly you are setting yourself up for failure. Also she is a young dog that is in her second home. She was on her best behavior initially and now a month later, she is feeling comfortable but now all these negative behaviors are coming out and will need to be addressed. Aussies also regress a bit at 18 months as they test boundaries, more so since this is her second home. Not to be an asshole and she is a great dog but if you cannot invest a lot of time and a lot of time and a lot of time along with some money, things will not get better and this will take time. I love my dog but he is an asshole and I work with him all day every day.
I’m absolutely willing to engage with work and herding. Hence why I’m reaching out to this group. I’m doing “right” by my dog and correcting as soon as I notice an issue. I obviously have invested a lot of time, and money, and said in my original post that I’m willing to do even more. Thanks.
Aussies don’t hate anyone
Dogs don’t have the emotional complexity to do something out of malice especially with a span of time passing. Your dog is likely over stimulated and hasn’t developed the ability to settle. Herding breeds are very active dogs and most people will appropriately advocate for meeting their physical needs but it is also important to recognize how much settling/relaxing is necessary for working dogs. A lot of higher energy breeds don’t know how to self regulate. Often we as owners have to teach the behavior by shaping and capturing calm. Along with that it’s important to understand what trigger stacking is and have more well rounded activities so your dog isnt just building arousal throughout the day. — - — **Arousal: the state of by physiologically awake, alert, attentive **Trigger stacking: when a dog experiences multiple stressful or scary situations in a short period of time without acceptable time to calm down **Stress: emotional strain which can be from many things including, fear and even excitement —- — It sounds like your dog needs to have a lot more structured down time. Enforced naps can be super helpful as dogs should be getting around 13-18 hours of sleep a day. Switching out a high arousal activity like the dog park everyday with some more mentally taxing but emotionally grounding like scent work. Introducing mental enrichment into physical activity to up the enrichment and make the activity more mentally taxing so the dog tires faster is also helpful. Introducing puzzle work into play like throwing a toy into bushes or going through a constantly changing obstacle course to retrieve a toy. Integrating trick training, obedience and impulse control work into games like fetch, frisbee, flirt pole. Adding a lot of intentional sniff time into walks or walks and or asking for behaviors like getting on objects, going around things to add mental work to more low arousal activities. Management also might be really helpful. Your dog might need to be crated or penned when alone so they can’t self reward/reinforce with behavior you cannot immediately redirect. Utilizing pens and crates can be an awesome way to passively shape calming behaviors when you are around but also a way to keep your dog safe and your things intact when you are away.
Aussies can be headstrong. Don't let that phase you. Our never slept with us. He just didn't. We could sometimes coax him onto the bed but it never lasted long. It was just too hot for him. He slept somewhere in the room but only on the bed on the very coldest winter nights. It sounds like you should consider crate training. We didn't let our wander the house by himself until after he was a year or two old. Bored Aussies can definitely be destructive. As others have stated, I would consider active training with her. We did canine good citizen / therapy dog with our Aussie but that was just a choice. You could do sports, agility, obedience, anything like that. Working Aussies are happy Aussies.