Parents have adopted ACD X

[GreatDaneLover]

Hello there

I am new here and I am looking for some help for my parents. They have recently taken on an Australian Cattle dog X as one of their other dogs had died adn the other one was not doing too well on her own. It is a full male at 10mnths old and has no training at all. It has no lead training either just wants to pull. They have had Blue for a few days and its constantly trying to mount them, its nipping at them and if they go to put it outside, it becomes some what aggressive towards them. It is however very gentle while eating his food. They are taking him in to get castrated next week. I have been looking for a dog trainer in their area to help with him. My parents are at the end of their rope so to speak, they have dealt with abused dogs before but he is very full on all the time. Barks non stop and when he is not barking he is mounting and so on and so fourth. He has been peeing everywhere. This dog was goign to be PTS if they did not take the dog, they are dog lovers so i knew they would. they had met the dog a few times with their dog and it seemed they say very nice very playful etc. Can any one help with suggestions on what else to do? As he is gentle with his food i have suggested to hand feed him, we have done that with out danes and they are angels eating their food. I have also suggested start him on a halti/gentle leader for walking together with the training. Anything else can anyone help my parents?
Thank you for your time.
Karen - Grean Dane Lover

[Juanita-(Spirit-Rainbow)]

Hi Karen,

It sounds like you're going in the right directions. So much of the behavior sounds like a result of an 'unfixed male' so hopefully having him neutered will help. He's old enough, though, that he may retain some of the 'male dominant' behavior.

Obedience training is a must, as you know. And I personally prefer to walk dogs with a harness. Even in conjunction with the halti/gentle lead. Of course, a local trainer or animal behavorist would probably be a good resource, too.

And I have to wonder if using Flower Essences might be helpful in this situation. Do you have someone in the area who is a FE practitioner?

Just a thought. . . .

[GreatDaneLover]

Hey there Juanita

Many thanks for your reply.

Not sure about a FE pract. around my folks area, its kinda rural where they live. However I do know oh gosh there is some herbal flower remedy called i probably have it wrong Bach or something like that. I know a few of my friends have used it on their danes and swear by it to calm them down. I totally forgot about that and I will pick some up and post it to her and hopefully that will do something or even help. Its such a shame how someone has let this dog become this way. Before I even got my first dane my husband and I totally investigated everything about it, its a shame that these people did not.

I am going down to visit my parents next week so hopefully i can get a better idea of the situation while i am there.

Karen
Owned by two great danes

[Juanita-(Spirit-Rainbow)]

Hi Karen,

Yes, Bach. The most well-known and commonly used is the Bach Rescue Remedy. I swear by it to. :) And that's a really good place to start.

There are literally hundreds and hundreds of other Flower Essences. A practitioner would look at the situation and the behavior and probably put together a custom blend of FEs specifically for him. They're really good for emotionally rooted things.

It is a shame that people do these things to dogs. I'm so at a loss for words here. . . .

[GreatDaneLover]

It is a huge shame how people get certain dogs and really do not research the type of dog they are getting. Before we got our first dane i was prepping my husband and kids way before we picked her up. I have always had a love for the breed but they had always had small dog, so i did have to do a lot of say presentations to get the picture on how big danes get :):) they love their pups now, who are actually really pups hehe.

I will keep you posted on how they are doing for sure.

now you have a fantastic weekend, we are off to a giant breed agility day on sunday and i am having a stall there with a friend of mine to sell cookie treats for dogs :) Wish us luck our first go at it.

karen

[bob2]

We have trained hundreds of ACD's ( as well as most other breeds and mixes) for obedience/herding and ALWAYS eliminate pulling on leash within a 30 minute training period as this cannot be tolerated especially in working herding dogs. . The dog needs firm,fair, and clear leadership and taught a 100% reliable sit,down,wait, and leave it to instill respect for the human and of course given something rewarding to do. Since we are dealing with muLtiple issues here I would guesstimate from my professional experience that a public training class would be inadequate and a private session regiment quite lengthly,costly and challenging for you. I would suggest finding a Board and train Facility with a high standard and a proven track record for complete foundation rehab/training and send the dog off for COMPLETE training as approaching your issues from a piecemill method without experience may be beyound your capability, knowledge, and focus span. I would suggest finding a trainer that provides video documentation supporting a high proofing standard,a written assement to you of how the issues were solved, a one on one session showcasing the dogs trainings with distractions and a written guideline of the training/management methods needed to keep the dog in good behavioral standings, and a in home enviroment proofing session.
If you need more insight on this type of rehab process just let me know..

bob2

BOB2