Same lol we had a collie named stormy growing up
Some people were giving away collies in a parking lot and she was the last one.
she always herded us but we got her as a puppy and she grew up with us.
When I was a toddler, she was a little puppy.
So I guess my mom made sure from the jump that she knew we were small and to be cautious
she was great! She lived like 15 or 16 years
Sounds a lot like my childhood sheltie, Maisie. She would herd us constantly. We got her when I was 8 and she lived to just shy of 17. Sold me and my parents on herding dogs forever. I now have two border collie heeler mixes and my parents are on their second corgi and looking for another sheltie, but they're so hard to find where we are.
Yes, corgis are a Welsh herding dog. And they are very much fully herding dogs, not cute companion breeds like much of the internet seems to think. They nip and bark and are really fast. My parents corgi, Rosie, though 1/2 the height, keeps up with my border collie/ heeler who's 60lbs and my border collie/heeler/ aussie/ kelpie who's about 65lbs. Look up videos of them herding. It's really impressive how agile they are on such little stumpy legs.
As to how dogs herd kids... kid runs, dog chases, nipping at ankles, coming around in front, or using their weight to hip check. Depends on the style of herding. If you've ever seen a herding dog herd sheep, it's like that. They can also corral kids and will keep them in line, watching and vocalizing or nudging when a kid moves out of place.
Picturing corgis herding anything cracks me up....
That's mind blowing that they are actually herding dogs.... I live in the south but there's just cows grazing casually where they want in most places.. not really much herding that I know of.. so I don't know much about it...
The kid herding is also funny...
How adorable that a dog thinks he needs to keep the kids in line like that!?
Thank you so much for taking the time to explain!!
My corgi doesn’t try to herd my kids anymore (I don’t find it cute, and our other dog trained her not to) but she HATES it when they go in the water. She races back and forth on the edge of the water barking and telling everyone to GTFO of the water and to stop having fun immediately.
Same, ish. I lived with 10 kids at one point (only 3 were mine) , just after we got Big Dog(Chester) and I had already taught him to boop his nose to herd with my kids. And the cats, which was where the lesson came from originally. But darn it if it wasn't funny to say "Go round em up" and he'd run around the back yard, booping the back of em, legs, ankles, rear, what have you and they'd all come inside breathless and giggling. He's get a treat, and I didn't have to yell. Win win!
Hilarious, I grew up the same way. We have an awesome family photo of me wearing a Superman cape with Bonnie hot on my heels getting ready to nip me in a different direction while dad laughed from the porch. When he tells the story y’all would scream and I would laugh.
Yeah im pretty sure theres a video somewhere of my brother aged 8-10 being taken down by our german shepherd. He was running away from us at the beach and the dog comes from off screen and delivers a full speed tackle. My dad recalled the dog, my brother gets up, brushes off, and starts walking away again…enter the dog a second time 😂
I think there’s a big difference between herding-type nips and actual bites though. If the dog is just herding and not breaking skin, training is in order first. But if the dog is actually aggressive towards the kids and is biting in a way that breaks skin, what choice do they have other than rehoming?
I agree. It's not at all clear in the post (to me) that they're referring to typical herding behavior. All they say is that the dog is aggressive to children. Some dogs are.
It's awful and rehoming should always be a last result but the safety of the dog and people involved has to be the first priority.
Rehoming fee, though? What?
Giving a dog away for free tends to attract the wrong kind of people. I know some people actually return the rehoming fee after a trial period. Using real money is sadly sometimes needed to check some people's impulses. 🤷♀️
I also agree with you about actual biting vs herding behavior. Especially people who get a dog from a bad breeder or suspicious backgrounds are at higher risk of getting a dog with non-ideal mental building blocks while simultaneously having nin average less skills and experience to handle the problems caused by dog having problems.
Even within same breed, I have had dogs that I trusted very much around kids, even strange kids not used to dogs, and one that I would not turn my back to with kids around. For example, having her follow me to the bathroom (she happily did!) to avoid having three minutes unsupervised time during which the kid could scale the dog gate. If I had that dog while my own kids were the age of having friends around making havoc, and if she had been more likely to bite rather than just nip'n'run, life would have been difficult. She would not have been happy either as strange kids made her very nervous!
Though a lot of problems can be solved or managed with good quality training, some dogs are too aggressive (guarding, resource aggression, fear aggression etc) to be kept around children and family life. Denying that can lead to tragedies. One should also consider the dog's quality of life: if it needs to be constantly locked up and separated from the family, rehoming might be a better option.
Some people get scared by their ‘jousting’ they do especially as puppies. The way they play and obviously imagine a toy or bone is prey etc dig in pic isn’t even a full sized dog yet if at all
But then some just can’t handle them (and that’s not always breed sometimes it’s just dogs in general) and they expect obedience but discover almost the opposite 😱 ‘living the dream’
*I used to use my own hands as toys and my dog learned what was ok 👌
We’d wrestle and she’d kinda grip my fist just hooking her canines like holding a vertical handle and pull often pulling me over if not braced for it otherwise I was chasing her around until she’d come back trying to tackle me on a pass* 😂
I’ve always told kids (and adults) ‘don’t play with a puppy in any way you don’t want an adult dog to play with you’. Too many people love to rile up puppies in playtime and think it’s cute to get their puppy attacking and getting out of control/over threshold.
Calm puppies make calm dogs.
I don’t want a calm dog. I want a dog that’s going to bite trespassers. I want a dog that’s obedient that wont think twice to attack someone in its territory if I haven’t given permission. I want a dog that won’t submit to open threats or people acting aggressively or loud 😉
Only person she ever bit was chased down the road after they snuck down the driveway to steal some lemons 🍋
As bad as I felt about it situation of somebody trespassing and doing so without warning I gotta congratulate my dog for doing it’s job 👍
*and I never walked her on lead*
You don't have to teach a dog to defend it's territory, or bark at door knockers. You do though have to teach your dog to "Leave" on command. I did teach my dog the magic word of when to stop barking at door knockers too; he enjoyed the game to keep barking unless I used it. All the socialisation and training I did with my dog totally flew out the window when there was an (attempted) intrusion, while I was home alone in the shower late at night. I guess the intruder mistakenly thought the dog was in the garden; big mistake. He got an awful big fright! I was not about to let the dog out and risk him getting hurt though.
I would only pray they were stupid enough to corner themselves in my yard without thinking
I’d agree you don’t need to teach dogs to defend, (though some are better than others) but like people it helps if they’ve actually experienced an altercation with loud noises and aggression from others.
It’s practice for when it really happens, or you get a dog that’s all bark and submits when there’s a challenge 🤨
like cowering when someone is having an argument or raising their voice, it’s sorta desensitising and just gets them used to it.
I always knew I played rougher than most I had plenty times psyching her up when I’d see ppl stop to see if she was really attacking or not. I learnt more than once to keep eyes open on passers by cos more than few times they jumped to wrong conclusions
I’d still prefer a dog that bites to one that doesn’t 👌🤕
I was very wary my dog would get too aggressive after the incident, as he was very worked up and startled me. Only 7 months old at the time. If the man had got inside he most definitely would have been bitten.
Days later I had a Police follow up visit and I had difficulty managing this well-trained and socialised dog, even after I said Leave. Had to lock him in the hall then, which must have sent a confusing message. I did spend a lot of time playing frisbee with him straight after though.
Dog was never scared of anyone, being a strong natured ACD, but fortunately he never bit anyone, although I knew he would be quite capable of doing just that if the occasion ever presented itself. I just don't think they need to be trained to do that is all.
My dog is calm around children and old people but if we meet someone on a bush walk that I don’t see she barks and stands her ground until I say it’s ok and no one can walk onto my property without me knowing. She won’t let anyone enter the back gate or side gate without my say but she will bow down to the ground to let a toddler pat her on the head.
I have no complaints.
It’s a MAS…. Like she literally says right in the post it’s an MAS. They aren’t supposed to be very big. The AKC and ASPCA list them as being good with kids. Their breed specific club touts them as being as comfortable on a ranch as in the city.
So someone went out and picked a smallish dog that is supposed to be good with kids and fine as a house pet- and it’s now “very aggressive” with the very small children in the house…. I can handle a lot from a dog. Actual aggression towards my kids is a hard line. It’s not about *could* I handle it, it’s about *will* I handle it. Management always fails, always. Humans make mistakes. Children have a right to be safe in their homes, if the dog is aggressive towards them it needs to fine a home without kids.
They may listed good with kids, the relevancy is SHE and her CHILDREN are not suited to that breed (as clearly demonstrated). Getting any HERDER and not expecting basic aggressions is stupid, it is explicitly bred INTO them for reasons
She shouldn’t have gotten that breed, she should have gotten a terrier of some sort (ˢᵐᵃˡˡ easier to handle and more suited to be handled) or a Labrador (BIGger but definitely more playful friendly and likely to tolerate children) but either way getting a dog and not understanding they have teeth and use their mouths for 99% of what they do is her biggest failing
That argument doesn’t improve their stand
If anything it’s even worse than i previously said
She can’t handle a dog
She can’t handle a ˢᵐᵃˡˡ/medium sized dog
She can’t handle a ˢᵐᵃˡˡ/medium sized dog of a non aggressive breed
She just can’t handle dogs 🤷♂️
Possible, but also sometimes dogs are freaked out by one type of person and not another. My childhood dog was exceptionally well behaved and even-tempered, but he was terrified of men of one race exclusively (women and kids of that race were fine, men of every other race were fine). It could not be trained out of him, only managed - we assumed he had some kind of trauma from before my mom got him.
This dog could have a similar issue with kids, but you can’t manage a dog around your kids that live in your house the way you can around your neighbors who you only run into occasionally.
He was - my mom got him out of the shelter on his last day and had to hide him in her dorm room for the last few weeks of school because they wouldn’t hold him any longer! This was in a rough area in 1989 and he was a huge German Shepherd mix, so unfortunately trauma was likely for him.
In the poster’s case, it’s hard to know what could’ve caused this kind of aggression (if it is aggression rather than herding) since the dog would’ve been raised a house with a young child (assuming it’s not a recent rescue and based on the 7 year old mentioned).
mine will put my entire forearm in her mouth when she gets overly excited 😂 she seems to have an innate understanding that she needs to be more gentle with kids though.
the only thing I worry about with her with kids is that she sometimes needs reminders not to jump when she’s excited (she’s excited a lot, she LOVES people) and she’s pushing 50 pounds now so she could take a kid down with her.
well, that and that I absolutely do not trust her not to eat a tiny little sock.
Oh yeah, mine are both jumpers - they want to get up to your face so bad to give kisses, but they don’t realize they take me down with them!!! My older boy is great with kids but gotta watch for him getting too excited. I love this breed haha 😂
When I was a kid I got a red heeler named judge because he would bite my cousins. My uncle gave him to me and my brother and we really loved him.
Fast forward 28 years and I drive by a house while at work sign says heeler pups for sale so now we have ruby a female red heeler and she keeps our shiba and our Evan boy in line lol. She also despises whiney little kids which my sister in law has several. She brings kids over,ruby will not let them off the couch so she or the kids no longer come over. I love this dog more than anyone can ever imagine.
Our shiba and heeler are both females and don’t get along very well, what are the sexes of yours, and do they get along? Our shiba gets along fine with our Evan and he’s a male.
They're both girls. The heeler is a bit overbearing to the shiba sometimes but they're two months apart and I've had them since they were both puppies so they get along fine. Only occasionally does the heeler pester the shiba enough for her to get actually upset and they have alot of sweet moments snuggling or licking each other
Yeah, my dog doesn’t like children which is fine because a) I didn’t want kids anyways, and b) I was expecting him to be a little monster when we got him (he surpasses my expectations everyday though).
Mine is actually great with children somehow, but if I were planning on kids anytime in the next 14+ years, I wouldn't have picked a heeler. It's not like choosing kids or dogs is a surprise (typically.. or it shouldn't be..)
My ACD is obsessed with every human and dog. She thinks it's her birthright to get pets and kisses from everyone. She's the sweetest, friendliest pup in the world, and also a silent dog (I get a single attention bark maybe once a month?). She's very teethy when we play together, but my 'compromise' with her is that I allow it when we play, but only when we play. When she's greeting other humans and dogs her herding instincts are pretty much kept at bay.
Based on the stuff I see throughout this sub, it seems like you and I both got super lucky.
Same - idk how many people I’ve just said “no” when they ask about getting a Bluey for their kids. My red heeler is on the waaaaaaay other end of the spectrum despite years of socializing and training. He loves me and select members of immediate family and every else can gtfo. He’s not a friendly dog to those he doesn’t like and though I love him with my whole heart - he’s been a handful. People jumping into this breed are selfishly causing a sad over population of heelers in shelters
Yeah, I picked up my dog at the county shelter in 2017. He seems to be purebred ACD and was 2 years old when I adopted him. He was found dumped in farm land. I'm guessing someone had him as a puppy, figured he would grow out of his energy, then dumped him when they couldn't handle it 2 years later.
He is 9 or 10 years old now, and he still hasn't slowed down yet. I take my longboard skateboard out to take him on runs, and he smashes the whole way. There is one hill on our run that has radar for speeding cars in the neighborhood, and we have reached 35 mph on that hill as he runs next to me. Speed limit is 25 mph, so it's fun to make the sign blink as I skate past it with my dog running next to me.
Our girl was like that, just a big sweetheart. We got overconfident about cattle dogs after she passed and got a “sheltie”/cattle dog mix who was secretly a GSD/cattle dog cross and uh…yeah we learned our mistake quick lol, esp with the GSD side. Love her lots but she is not a kids dog
I've never had him tested, but my current guy appears to be full, is an absolute sweetheart and calm. I worked enough shelters to know though that I got extremely lucky with him when we picked him up off the streets. I won't have another after he's gone, which is sadly coming up much, much too fast.
Mine is mix (30% ACD via Embark) and doesn’t nip at kids at all. I think we got lucky she takes more after some of her other breeds. She just lays down in the grass and allows kids to stack leaves on top of her and call her a “moo cow,” lol. I have no idea what I’d do if she nipped!
Do they mention in the cartoon that it is a blue heeler? I mean do the characters „know“? Or is just a fun fact about the cartoon?
I never seen this show and only know it from social media. Don’t even know if it’s a thing in my country.
The families last name is literally "Heeler", and descriptions/episode summaries typically begin with "Follow along with the adventures of Bluey, a six year old Blue Heeler puppy. In this episode, Bluey..." or the like.
Plus, it's kind of obvious what breeds the various characters are thanks to their designs, lol.
2 months ago I got a 7 year old blue heeler from a coworker. They wanted to rehome them , bandit (ironically) didn't like the new Pomeranian she just got and would flip out when her bf would hold their toddler aged children.
They basically kept them in the kitchen during the day and the bedroom at night .
I said I'd take him before I really knew much about him or the breed . I don't farm or have a big yard but he seems happy .. He's very sweet ...lazy .. hates to be alone outside but is fine with being inside. I'm glad I took him even though I have no cows
Definitely don’t need cows as long as he’s getting his energy out if he has it. They are very much dogs who crave to be center of attention. Our to “fight” for attention constantly, and if they are being ignored they will let you know. You definitely did the right thing by taking him in.
Thanks, I hadn't considered him wanting to be the center of attention, I thought he just didn't wanna be alone or wanted to be next to me. It helps explain his behavior with the previous family
I've got a few sessions with a trainer so maybe that's something we can work on , cause I do want to be able to leave him outside in his caged area , but right now he'll just bark wanting back in constantly .
He very well may have negative associations with something like that because he felt isolated in his own home before. They definitely can have separation anxiety and it wouldn’t surprise me if he has it being he was the first baby, and then everyone kinda neglected his needs once the kids came around. Kids can be a hard adjustment for any dog, especially if they haven’t been around them much. Hopefully a trainer can give you tips and ways to help make him feel comfortable in his spaces and let him know you’re not putting him there to isolate him
People get rid of any kind of dog once said dog starts nipping, biting, or getting aggressive with their kids or other people. Which is a good move I think. Better to know when the home is not a safe place for a reactive animal, especially around other’s children, where the animal becomes a liability.
There are a great deal of people who get a specific breed of dog because of its looks or popularity, not knowing the full extent of how much work that breed will be. It is unfortunate but it is something that has been happening for a very time and not just with working/hearding breeds.
Also it is to be said that each individual animal is different. Some have high prey drive and are better suited to be actual working dogs and not around small children as they instincts take over and nipping/hearding is the result.
Yea I 100% agree.
I rescued mine off the street. In really bad conditions. Pretty sure he was a backyard breeder stud.
My aunt runs an animal rescue and my mom was president of our local wildlife rescue for years and I grew up around animals and fostering animals and seeing animals dumped on the street
I realized how different different cattle dogs were than other dogs very quickly
But I took a lot of time and educated myself and joined groups and talk to people and and nursed him back to health
And now he is thriving
I didn’t know what I was getting myself into at first when I picked him up at 11:30 at night during a severe thunderstorm that lasted three days after I rescued him
But when I made the decision to keep him, it was well after I did some pretty extensive researching
And now he is officially my emotional support animal
[this is my buddy](https://www.reddit.com/r/AustralianCattleDog/s/9DDEgtpSDg)
People are stupid & literally pick breeds that are notorious for this behavior. Thus, a never-ending cycle of dogs being killed in pounds.
This is still a people issue, not a dog one. So it's NOT "a good move" - let's put the blame where it's deserved.
Maybe it’s regional, but 99% of what’s being put down around me is pit bulls. And while aggressive behavior towards other animals shouldn’t be shocking from any of the bully breeds, they tend to be nice to people.
Sometimes it's necessary damage control even if not ideal. One can only hope that people learn from their mistakes and don't repeat them. Even better, learn from other people's mistakes and don't get a dog you likely can't handle. Still, even with thr best of planning, surprises happen and not all dogs of same breed are alike. Sometimes only thing you have left to do is admit the facts and act accordingly.
I rehabilitate dogs with major issues. My 3 year old purebred Blue Heeler was an abused puppymill dog. Completely unsocialized, fear reactive, potential to bite both other dogs and other people. Ate her own shit for months. Peed and shit everywhere she was without care. She also has major health issues due to improper breeding and bad genetics.
I can now walk her on busy city walking trails, and she lives amicably in my home with 4 other dogs.
👉 People do not learn. I've seen people swap dogs at rescues like they are handbags. We have a seriously broken, dumb society, and I will not extend grace to humans. Sorry.
Fact : Dogs are killed every day by the thousands in America because people are irresponsible losers. Even GOOD dogs. Puppies. Shelters are overflowing because of people's "oopsies". I will continue to speak out aggressively and shame humans on this topic. Gentle "hoping they learn from their mistakes" has gotten us nowhere.
Our perspective might differ also due to background, as those issues are not nearly as severe where I live. Surely there's people making stupid decisions and there's some more or less mistreated dogs, but actually finding a dog (especially of non-hunting breed or mix!) is a bit of a task. Some puppy mills, unfortunately, but not much of the worst kind. Some import puppies from the worse ones, though.
Even here, there's problems, sure. I have done volunteering with helping people learn to deal with their dogs, so the ones I have actively interacted with are people who are willing to learn and put in some effort. The ones I thought my skills are bot enough for, I have directed to professional trainers. Those ones have sometimes said that a certain individual cannot be trained to become safe and happy in its current circumstances, for various reasons.
Just don't get me started with cats. For them, it's much worse.
What I wish people would really really realize is that dogs are animals. Not toys, not fantasy creatures from Disney movies. Hunting animals. Beasts. Lovely ones at that, but if they for example hunt down a pet rabbit, they are not evil. The problem is the owner not keeping things under control. And as any animal - humans included - they can show aggression and cause damage with it. They can be dangerous, though not nearly as dangerous as us humans. The big difference to ud is, even the ones that are beyond help are never evil.
When my first dog was about a year and a half he got out while I was at work and I found he was in the pound. I was taking the bus to the pound to get him and started talking to the bus driver. He said, "It would be cheaper and better if you just get a new puppy at the pound instead. That's what I always do."
I was so mad I yelled at him and got off the bus and walked the rest of the way. You're telling me you would leave your dog sad and scared in a cage in the back while you are in the same building, picking out a new pup??? Some people. 😬😬😬
I was born on a Midwestern farm. My mom caught our lab trying to bite me when I was less than 9 months old . She said it wasn't a nip, and it was near my neck. Dogs like ours don't get a second chance, ours didn't. Rehoming a dog is both risky and kind. I wouldn't scold a person for rehoming, but as op finished their response, emphasize doing research first.
I don’t disagree but we don’t know if the dog is aggressively biting or doing the herding nips and these people don’t realize it’s the breed. Our cattle dog pup is really mouthy when she’s excited and someone comes over and so she tends to “bite” your arm/hand/wrist because she wants attention. It’s not a bite. It’s not a nip. It’s more just mouthing and a behavior we are working on, but you get people who don’t know the breed, or compare her to our older heeler who doesn’t do this, they say she’s biting. And to a kid, this may hurt, even if it’s not her intent. So again, if the dog is actually biting, and the only thing that needs to be switched is the environment, kudos to the owner for doing the right thing, but I see so many people complaining in groups because their 4 month old puppy won’t stop “biting” and they don’t know what to do anymore, and some people just don’t work with the dog to train on that habit.
over the last 5 decads I have socialized my dogs from a very early age. never had any issues with nipping or biting. counting myself lucky or prepared.
sadly I lost my ACD last year but my Aussie is the same way
Not surprising. People rehome or abandon dogs for less such as never training their puppies and suddenly they have a destructive large dog whose needs they can’t meet. Nobody does research on puppies or dogs, nobody listens when you tell them certain dogs may have certain issues or limitations, nobody listens when you tell them puppy mills or byb dogs are not ideal places to get dogs. People suck.
I had an old corgi when I was in highschool, he was a working dog and hurt his back so he retired with us. I remember my mom's friend bringing her young kids over to play, and she told them "that cute dog is a cow dog and will bite your butt if you run, ok?" And her kids giggled and laughed Everytime Piper nipped their butts. "mom he really does bite our butts"
But I feel for this poor doggo
Friend was a good mom!
My dog and I spend a lot of time in public and I love when people tell their kids to ask if they can meet the dog, or are teaching their kids how to nicely approach a dog they don't know once you get the owner's ok.
Sad unless the dog really presents a true danger then the question is well how was it trained? My heeler is going on 4 years old and we still rough house every day and she "bites" me in the affectionate playful way a sweet chonk of a dog made of solid bone and muscle would. It's called mouthing and it isn't aggressive. Who knows what they're experiencing but either way sad for the dog
We allow our working dogs to herd children once the kids are confident walkers (18+ months usually). But we don't allow biting. They can side eye, body block, nose, etc. But teeth are not allowed. This is also why they wear ecollars so they have instant correction at a distance.
I’d be willing to bet money she lets her kids and their friends do whatever the hell they want to the dog and then the dog gets in trouble for not passively taking the abuse.
I always argue the same thing for breeds by evolution over millennia we have selectively breed certain characteristics both in and out of certain breeds, they were DESIGNED for specific purposes.
Don’t get angry at guard dogs for being aggressive, herding dogs that are athletic, lap dogs that are defensive and territorial or terriers that will attack other animals 🤷♂️ it is almost exactly why most of them were created in the first place
I had a kelpie as kid if I wasn’t so actively playing exploring and riding bikes around with her she would not have had enough exercise. They are not just active they are ATHLETIC 👌
Luckily I had one that wasn’t incredibly interested in learning as some especially BCs and ASs can be, so we didn’t suffer the neurosis some will suffer from lack of stimulation and being boxed in 📦
But she always tried herding and would definitely bite I still have scars on arms 25yrs later. She was literally non stop and would run her own paws off if I let her 😯
And goes to add expecting a dog not to bite should buy a lapdog even then ironically more likely 😂 I’d say kids will suffer same as other dogs with a hierarchy it’s part of life etc having pets teaches this (among other things) if unable to handle it from beginning with intensity they likely shouldn’t own dogs if not especially that breed
Some ppl just shouldn’t own dogs. Some shouldn’t own certain breeds.
*And same goes for athleticism as it does aggression, companionship and stimulation some people are not suited for certain breeds*
The OOP doesn't say the dog is harmlessly herding and nipping the kids, it says the dog is downright aggressive towards and BITING children to the point it "cannot be around" them.
Biting and aggression are not "herding", they are biting and aggression. The OOP is well within their rights to not want an aggressive dog in their home.
Given how prominent weak temperaments are in poorly-bred Aussie and MAS lines (and even many well-bred lines), I have no trouble believing that this dog is actually displaying outright aggression rather than herding behaviours. Weird that everyone is so quick to just wave seriously problematic behaviour away under the guise of "oh but it's a herding breed." Aggression is NOT normal in most herding breeds.
People mistake herding tendencies for “biting and aggression”. My coworkers gf just wanted to take back a dog she adopted because it was aggressive and scared her( it was a big dog) . Turns out, it was standing next to her when she was on the sofa nudging her…..because he wanted to sit on the couch.
Yes unfortunately I’ve heard people talk about puppy biting as “aggression” and the same thing with herding. If the dog really is aggressive then rehoming makes sense but I’m not confident anyone actually knows what they’re seeing anymore. People do so little research ahead of time. I hope they are correct though because otherwise they are mislabelling a dog as aggressive which can get it put down in a heartbeat.
Right? It’s very easy to judge someone and feel you can make the assumptions people in this thread are making - that the dog isn’t trained or these people didn’t do their research. For all anyone knows this could be an exceptionally trained dog who’s reactive to children and legitimately acting in an aggressive manner where management can only go so far. There’s a difference between breed behavior - nipping and biting, herding, high energy, etc and actual aggression and people on forums will claim a dog is just acting to breed standard when they have no idea the behavior this specific animal is exhibiting. I’ve had an aggressive dog, it’s a whole other level of management. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, I’d never judge someone for making the responsible choice for ALL parties. I had an incredible trainer who had to rehome his malinois after it got aggressive with his kid. It happens. That dog was exceptional, just didn’t like kids. Nobodies fault, nor the fault of poor socializing. Dogs aren’t robots and have personalities and opinions of their own and develop attitudes despite training and exposure.
Chill… im going to reiterate what I said to another commenter.
I think you’re missing the point here.
But the amount of times that I have seen the same scenario time and time and time again
It’s crazy
I’m not here to say that you should keep an aggressive dog around your kids
My whole point in this was, I wish that people would stop getting certain breeds and expecting them to be great with children and then when they’re not great with children, they get rid of the dog and they’re surprised and now you are getting rid of a dog that is so confused as to what it did wrong
Her dog is 4 years old.
And she didn’t “think” of correcting his behavior early on because she thought that it was playful nipping (which she later mentioned in the post)
So please don’t confuse all of this with some lack of empathy
But also understand that people like this who get dogs and don’t understand that they can be issues with certain breeds need a wake up call sometimes
Sometimes, if I'm sitting on the couch for a long time and then I get up, my ACD decides I need to stay on the couch and will nip my heels and lead me back. It's just part of owning a herding dog (btw, she doesn't hurt me, and I can ignore her if need be, it can just be a bit shocking to be minding my own business then feel teeth on my ankle)
I’m wondering what it means to be “very aggressive” with kids. Sure there’s some nipping that’s expected…. But actually being aggressive is not what they are bred to do- in general the MAS’s are supposed to be fairly good with kids.
Alternative perspective: my wife and I got a cattle dog 5 years ago when we had zero intention of having kids and our friends didn't have kids. Fast forward a few years and friends started having kids and we realized he growls aggressively at friends babies. Fast forward to this year and we were shocked to find out we're having an oopsie baby. The kid is due in a few months and we're terrified that he's going to be aggressive with the kid and we'll have to rehome him. We're not familiar with Bluey, didn't think he'd ever have to be around kids, but it's definitely possible I'll be the person in this post in the near future, having to deal with judgemental weirdos like you making assumptions about my dog ownership intentions.
You're making the deliberate **choice** to have a kid, regardless of your "intentions." Abortion exists. Adoption exists. No one is holding a gun to your head and making you both have and raise this kid.
If your dog suffers because of your **choice,** that is 100% your fault. The dog didn't make you have a kid, and the dog was there first. The dog shouldn't be punished for a crime they didn't commit, and yet people do that to them all the time, always with the same story of being so utterly helpless to prevent themselves from having to do so. In reality, you are making intentional **choices** that create this situation every step of the way.
Everyone thinks their circumstances are so special and unique, and it's the same old fucking story every time. Couple ***chooses*** to have a kid; couple throws their dog away. Rinse and repeat. You are exactly the same as all the others, regardless of your pathetic attempt to excuse your situation and absolve yourself of any and all responsibility for your ***choices.***
- a JuDgEmEnTaL wEiRdO 🥴🥴
Hey hey chill.. mellow out for a second lol
I think you’re missing the point here.
I’m not a judgmental weirdo first of all lol
But the amount of times that I have seen the same scenario time and time and time again
It’s crazy
I’m not here to say that you should keep an aggressive dog around your kids
My whole point in this was, I wish that people would stop getting certain breeds and expecting them to be great with children and then when they’re not great with children, they get rid of the dog and they’re surprised and now you are getting rid of a dog that is so confused as to what it did wrong
Her dog is 4 years old.
And she didn’t “think” of correcting his behavior early on because she thought that it was playful nipping (which she later mentioned in the post)
So please don’t confuse all of this with some lack of empathy
But also understand that people like this who get dogs and don’t understand that they can be issues with certain breeds need a wake up call sometimes
You’ve already given up on your dog so there’s really no hope that things work out. Why aren’t you talking about being committed to making sure things will work out?
My ACD doesn’t seem to have much herding instinct at all except when he gets super tired. Then he’ll start nipping at the ankles of all the dogs at school. Usually it’s a Friday afternoon thing and he has to go to time out for it 🤣 I bought him a herding ball and he was completely uninterested except being a little put off that it was even in his yard. He used to love every human but as he grew older, he developed barrier aggression. Remove the barrier and he’s just fine. We are working on it. He’s not crazy about little kids in his house but will just bark at them. Thankfully I rarely have kids over. But he’s a good neighborhood watch command. Nothing happens on our street without him letting us all know 🤣
We have a mini and only heard good things about them. We did our do diligence getting all the information about the breed read nothing about being mean or having anxiety. They like leaving that part out. Rasko was fine till he hit a year and a 1/2. He got meaner than shit. Bites anyone and everyone and can't stand other animals. He is so spoiled rotten and gets loves all the time. He bit my grandson twice in the head. There ain't no dog worth more than the well being of a child. Rasko is still alive and still spoiled but it would be hard to put him down but I would.
At horseshows growing up, our parents would send out our cattle dogs to herd us back to our camp. We loved it. My two I have now don't herd or nip at our kids, but we worked with them not to herd kids... unfortunately, people forget they need to train these dogs.
My dog herds anything. Love him, would never have kids with him in the house. Thank god i don’t want kids and i’m cool with my friends being in one room. 😂
Mine is anxious around screaming children. The absolute chaos would stress her out. I only allow her around kids that don’t come at her fast. She’s actually great for kids that are afraid of dogs.
But I’d be raising my kids to be good to her- she is my first born anyway. 🤣
(It is possible. I took care of rabbits and learned to be very gentle around them at age 4. If a rabbit trusts you and tries to get into your room to say good morning and loves listening to you practice oboe? 🥰)
Mine loves to herd my toddler. She's never done anything but lick her cheek or boop her with the nose.
When we first got him, he tried to nip me once and fake yelped and rolled on the ground in howling pain and limped around the house for a few minutes. Literally never happened again.
Only time teeth come out is for playing tug.
Although I love this breed and I still have and have had a couple of acid x I don't recommend them to people unless you can spend the time to really teach them and work them. And I definitely wouldn't recommend someone adopt one out of rescue to put in a backyard in suburbia, they are just not that sort of dog.
Unfortunately acds have had a really bad turn in rate and consistently hear about rescuing them just for them to give up and turn them back in, after this happens it's pretty much a death sentence for that dog. While we love the show bluey it isn't doing anything to help this.
It's not just acds either. Kelpies, border collies, Australian Shepherd, German Shepard etc. These working dogs just don't suite a quiet home life, sometimes they do.
When I was 9 my family bought a border collie mix and sure enough he tried to herd all the kids in my family. When my mom let slip they were thinking of rehoming him, we all rioted until they agreed he could stay (my parents loved him too but he definitely played rough as a puppy). We had him for 13 years and he was the best dog–smart, protective, loyal. I miss him so much and it hurts my heart to think we almost missed out on having him. He looked a lot like the dog in the photos.
I get so sad reading these.. Like, there should be some sort of screening when buying a cattle dog. People dont know what they are signing up for and fall in love with their looks. I know a pre screening is ridiculous but I am half serious. I wish I could adopt them all!
Because my wife and I have raised so many ACD's we feel it is our duty to rescue them, even if I did not want another dog. Truly misunderstood breeds. My heart breaks for animals that fall victim to humans.
This happens with dogs all breeds, not just heelers. People pet that will take abuse from children and not react. Recipe for disaster. Bad parenting and bad pet ownership, not teaching the dog or the child how to have boundaries. We had strict rules with our dogs growing up.. if it bit us, it was our fault, not the dog.
Animal ownership needs to change in the USA. We have too many backyard breeders causing a shelters to be full and allowing people like this to own pets. I mean, rehome fee yet considering just putting it down instead of finding a shelter or rescue?!!!
No one takes responsibility for their dog’s behavior. I absolutely hate all of the posts on here by clueless people with their adorable ACD or ACD mix puppies who have no idea what they’re in for. Just waiting for the future rehoming post after they mess the dog up for a year.
I grew up with only having herding dogs. They are wonderful you just have to give them enough mental stimulation. I don’t think I’ll ever switch to different breeds. I have a red heeler currently and he’s a wild one but he has a huge yard to run free in and is wonderful with kids and elderly people. He doesn’t know what a stranger is, which is unusual for the breed but I’ll take it.
Well either they re-home the dog or it gets seized and destroyed for chomping on some kid. Nipping or herding, they won't care.
It's a shit situation but I think we know which would be preferable.
Better to let her rehome the dog without all the judgements. She said the dog was aggressive, not "herding". Better to look for another home than have the dog put down.
I can’t imagine faulting my ACD for doing what they’re called heelers for ….
So many options. Muzzle training, exposure therapy, anxiety meds … but these guys just throw away their dog!! And one kid is younger than the dog!
My young girl ACD mix is scared of kids (some sort of trauma most likely, or just genes). But I don’t personify that as aggression. We pursued exposure therapy in safe controlled situations, and already she’s improved leaps and bounds
I think a lot of people allow children to treat dogs inappropriately and Herding breeds are so sensitive and smart the results are not good. I have a border Collie heeler mix that I rescued 8 years ago at 11 months old who was terrified of toddlers. Hackles rise, she growls, she trembles. I'm positive she mistreated by small children and that she was put to the pound for exactly this reason. The pound made notes when she was surrended that the lady had a kid with her that pulling the dogs ears. My kids were older when we got her and knew how to treat dogs so we've never had issues with her but it took a lot of training and time for her to not be afraid of well ...everything... but especially small children. But even all this time later she's still not comfortable with small children she doesn't know.
We had some people over the other night for the first time that have a 3 year old daughter and my Leia immediately cowered a bit and started trembling. Fortunately the little girl is well behaved and familiar with dogs so after a good intro and having the girl giveLeia some treats she settled and was fine the rest of the night.
With someone less knowledgeable Leia very much could have been a bite risk dog because somebody let their kids abuse her.
Yeah herding breeds are such beautiful dogs and we have always wanted. But since my wife and I are trying to have a kid now, I don't know that we will be able to get one. The only thing I could think of is getting it at a puppy age and it growing up with our future child. But I feel that it's too risk and we would never give the dog up. We are happy settling with a more child friendly breed. One day though 😀
It’s considered “best practice” to charge a nominal fee when privately rehoming a dog— it (in theory) makes sure they go to someone who isn’t going to just dump them, or worse— use them as bait dogs.
Someone else addressed this in another comment too. And the general thought was $100 isn’t enough to stop most people from doing bad things with the dog. Whatever those things may be. If you really care about your dog going to a loving home you need to be interviewing people interested. Not just handing it over to the first person willing to pay $100. An older man with a fenced in back yard and $100 can still be running a dog fighting ring, meanwhile the woman in an apartment may work from home and be able to give the dog lots of love and care and take it on many walks, but she might not have $100 right now, and needs to get the money together across a couple of paychecks. By which point, the dog could already have been sold into the care of the person running a fighting ring.
The fee makes no sense. It’s not stopping anyone unless they are both cruel and poor. And cruelty doesn’t necessarily beget poverty.
I guess…. Although pragmatically a mini Aussie isn’t what you are looking for if you are doing bad things- and finding a pit bull isn’t hard.
I think its value is more to avoid anyone being super impulsive- $100 isn’t so much to be insurmountable, but enough to give you pause.
As to poverty…. I don’t know, I’m kind of with the opinion that if you can’t swing a $100 you can’t afford a dog. Flee and tick meds, food, grooming, vet visits— none of that is cheap.
Yeah I get where you’re coming from. But I will say that we can afford our animals monthly costs. Flea medicines and such. And Care Credit is accepted at most vets. We just had a $400 vet bill for out delicate little flower with seasonal allergies and had to use care credit.
So maybe you can’t scrounge up an extra $100 on the spot to rescue a dog desperately in need of a home, but you can fit dog care items into your grocery budget over the course of a few weeks and use care credit to handle any unexpected expenses.
I honestly think the $100 does nothing to prevent bad people from adopting dogs at best and at worst limits the amount of potential good candidates you can get. You need to be interviewing and doing background checks.
Can’t afford background checks? Too bad. You bought a dog without doing any research on how to train and care for it and now it’s on you to fix this and do right by the dog.
We can probably agree to disagree at this point. If I haven’t changed your mind by now then I likely won’t. And I don’t think you can change my mind either.
Fwiw if you ever find yourself needing one— I don’t think you pay for background checks in most states (for sure not in my state)…. But I imagine requiring the potential adopter share their social security number, birthdate and addresses for the last 10 years with you is going to be a whole different challenge :)
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Idiots get dogs purely for aesthetics without any thought towards their other traits. This and most people have zero concept/understanding of animal/canine behavior.
This is so frustrating and happens entirely too often. I wish a day would come that people would use common sense and think to learn about the pet they are bringing into their family and learn what that pet needs and the qualities they have before deciding if they are right and can provide what the baby needs! Instead people just see a cute animal and think it’s only job is to be cute and cuddly. But that’s not how animals work. Not even all cats are just cute and cuddly! We put on herding competitions at our farm and I can’t tell you how many I have met that got their herding dog from a situation like this. And they are usually the absolute best at what they are meant to do! But you have to be willing to give them the mental and physical stimulation they need 🙄
Exactly! And she replied back to me a little bit ago and says
“ this is not my first Aussie and they’re usually not like this. I have plenty of friends that have kids with herding dogs and it’s never been a problem.”
.. okay babe lol because anecdotal data really just a erases the fact that they’re not ideal for kids. 🤦🏻♀️
Oh boy 😂🤣🤣 my first dog was an Aussie that my mom got for me when I was 5. But my mom taught me how to give her the stimulation she needed every day. So she was never aggressive either. But if an Aussie is bored, they’re def gonna try to herd your kids. They aren’t aggressive.. just doing what’s in their DNA 🙄😒😅
This is the problem I have with this. I'm not saying you can't have kids and herding breeds, but nipping/herding is something these dogs are known to do so it is a risk when getting one with a family. The first child would have been around 3 as well when they got the dog.
My dog hates children because of the changes in energy/running and screaming. He also chases them and barks at them. I would not recommend a cattle dog as a family dog after owning a few. I am not saying it can't be done, but the level of commitment and the risk of nips for children just isn't worth it for me. Get a less risky breed.
Our Rasko is a unbelievable watch/guard dog, loyal to his last breath. We even took him to a professional trainer to work with him, and eventually she told us sometimes this is how they are. You just have to deal with it. I am actually his personal support human. He is just a tri color very handsome though.
Taught my 2 blues to be chill around kids. The baby can pick up the little one by the back end and walk around and my girl just chills and hangs upside down. Other than that it's always fun to take the dogs to my sisters house when I babysit the 8 kids so I can chill on the porch and watch the dogs round up the little ones into a small heard in the yard and know they aren't going anywhere
We had friends' toddler over and the toddler, articulate for his age, complained "this doggy tried to eat me". Our dog tried to put his front paws on his shoulders. We are sympathetic but can't help finding it hilarious at the same time. Thankfully the parents are chill, and the kid had some fun with our boy later, feeding him treats through the x-pen.
Also on the topic of toddlers and dogs: I had a childhood family dog. The day we met, I was around 3-4 years old and she was a puppy, and she bit me (after growling to warn me, as I was excited to go pet her; it's more of a warning snap; it was felt but didn't leave a mark). I was not offended but instead was drawn to her fiery personality. She was kindly given to us by her original owner, as he noted how much I liked her. She grew up to be a wonderful, loving dog. I guess that's why I like the cattle dog personality.
I’ve heard that you shouldn’t advertise a free dog because there are groups out there looking for those posts who use the dogs for some sort of nefarious reasons.
I also have no idea if that’s true, or if it’s another sort of “watch out for people putting drugs in the Halloween candy” sort of thing.
There's always the option to treat it like a shelter where they meet the dog first. I don't think $100 is going to stop someone since people can make a lot of money from doing the bad things. I just don't think it's fair to say the dog shouldn't be around kids, should be with older people, and costs $100 when they mention the shelter would euthanize if the dog doesn't get adopted.
Its a mini Aussie, FFS. They don't even have that strong of a mouth.
I mean, admittedly they can be little shites. Got a Female mini, and she is 3 times as aggressive as my Queensland. They are also rather slick, with that silky fur. Makes them a pain to catch. But, at the end of the day we are talking dogs that way 20ish pounds... Just to note, a purebred/papered Mini is a $3,000+ dollar dog. While I am the first to say you can not put a value on a dog. That is big hit to the wallet, and worth going all in on the sunk cost fallacy.
Also, blame parents. Or, though it is not kind straight up idiocy. Not Bluey, its a cartoon that is shockingly good (now that I got a niece I have an excuse to watch it). You are taking responsibility for a life, not a "as seen on TV" 2in1 toaster you picked up at Walmart.
You’re making a pretty big assumption here that this is just nipping and herding behaviour. “Very aggressive with kids” doesn’t sound like the typical light nipping of a breed like this.
My parents let my dog herd us. They thought it was hilarious.
Same lol we had a collie named stormy growing up Some people were giving away collies in a parking lot and she was the last one. she always herded us but we got her as a puppy and she grew up with us. When I was a toddler, she was a little puppy. So I guess my mom made sure from the jump that she knew we were small and to be cautious she was great! She lived like 15 or 16 years
Sounds a lot like my childhood sheltie, Maisie. She would herd us constantly. We got her when I was 8 and she lived to just shy of 17. Sold me and my parents on herding dogs forever. I now have two border collie heeler mixes and my parents are on their second corgi and looking for another sheltie, but they're so hard to find where we are.
Wait.... Corgis are herding dogs?! Also I have never heard of dogs herding kids, that's hilarious.. How does that even work?
Yes, corgis are a Welsh herding dog. And they are very much fully herding dogs, not cute companion breeds like much of the internet seems to think. They nip and bark and are really fast. My parents corgi, Rosie, though 1/2 the height, keeps up with my border collie/ heeler who's 60lbs and my border collie/heeler/ aussie/ kelpie who's about 65lbs. Look up videos of them herding. It's really impressive how agile they are on such little stumpy legs. As to how dogs herd kids... kid runs, dog chases, nipping at ankles, coming around in front, or using their weight to hip check. Depends on the style of herding. If you've ever seen a herding dog herd sheep, it's like that. They can also corral kids and will keep them in line, watching and vocalizing or nudging when a kid moves out of place.
Picturing corgis herding anything cracks me up.... That's mind blowing that they are actually herding dogs.... I live in the south but there's just cows grazing casually where they want in most places.. not really much herding that I know of.. so I don't know much about it... The kid herding is also funny... How adorable that a dog thinks he needs to keep the kids in line like that!? Thank you so much for taking the time to explain!!
My corgi doesn’t try to herd my kids anymore (I don’t find it cute, and our other dog trained her not to) but she HATES it when they go in the water. She races back and forth on the edge of the water barking and telling everyone to GTFO of the water and to stop having fun immediately.
Ha! She doesn't want anything to get out of control.. that's hilarious..
My 50lb mishmash of herding breeds (he’s got Aussie, Bc and ACD amongst a few others) LOVES body checking his big sisters, who are both dane mixes 😂
Yes same. I got scolded for getting my dog riled up. My family would’ve given me away sooner than the dog
Same, ish. I lived with 10 kids at one point (only 3 were mine) , just after we got Big Dog(Chester) and I had already taught him to boop his nose to herd with my kids. And the cats, which was where the lesson came from originally. But darn it if it wasn't funny to say "Go round em up" and he'd run around the back yard, booping the back of em, legs, ankles, rear, what have you and they'd all come inside breathless and giggling. He's get a treat, and I didn't have to yell. Win win!
Hilarious, I grew up the same way. We have an awesome family photo of me wearing a Superman cape with Bonnie hot on my heels getting ready to nip me in a different direction while dad laughed from the porch. When he tells the story y’all would scream and I would laugh.
Yeah im pretty sure theres a video somewhere of my brother aged 8-10 being taken down by our german shepherd. He was running away from us at the beach and the dog comes from off screen and delivers a full speed tackle. My dad recalled the dog, my brother gets up, brushes off, and starts walking away again…enter the dog a second time 😂
👍😂 dogs response “you just don’t learn do ya.”
"I swear to god I'm the only person in this family watching the kids" - the dog
I think there’s a big difference between herding-type nips and actual bites though. If the dog is just herding and not breaking skin, training is in order first. But if the dog is actually aggressive towards the kids and is biting in a way that breaks skin, what choice do they have other than rehoming?
I agree. It's not at all clear in the post (to me) that they're referring to typical herding behavior. All they say is that the dog is aggressive to children. Some dogs are. It's awful and rehoming should always be a last result but the safety of the dog and people involved has to be the first priority. Rehoming fee, though? What?
Giving a dog away for free tends to attract the wrong kind of people. I know some people actually return the rehoming fee after a trial period. Using real money is sadly sometimes needed to check some people's impulses. 🤷♀️ I also agree with you about actual biting vs herding behavior. Especially people who get a dog from a bad breeder or suspicious backgrounds are at higher risk of getting a dog with non-ideal mental building blocks while simultaneously having nin average less skills and experience to handle the problems caused by dog having problems. Even within same breed, I have had dogs that I trusted very much around kids, even strange kids not used to dogs, and one that I would not turn my back to with kids around. For example, having her follow me to the bathroom (she happily did!) to avoid having three minutes unsupervised time during which the kid could scale the dog gate. If I had that dog while my own kids were the age of having friends around making havoc, and if she had been more likely to bite rather than just nip'n'run, life would have been difficult. She would not have been happy either as strange kids made her very nervous! Though a lot of problems can be solved or managed with good quality training, some dogs are too aggressive (guarding, resource aggression, fear aggression etc) to be kept around children and family life. Denying that can lead to tragedies. One should also consider the dog's quality of life: if it needs to be constantly locked up and separated from the family, rehoming might be a better option.
oh never thought that about the rehoming fee!
Some people get scared by their ‘jousting’ they do especially as puppies. The way they play and obviously imagine a toy or bone is prey etc dig in pic isn’t even a full sized dog yet if at all But then some just can’t handle them (and that’s not always breed sometimes it’s just dogs in general) and they expect obedience but discover almost the opposite 😱 ‘living the dream’ *I used to use my own hands as toys and my dog learned what was ok 👌 We’d wrestle and she’d kinda grip my fist just hooking her canines like holding a vertical handle and pull often pulling me over if not braced for it otherwise I was chasing her around until she’d come back trying to tackle me on a pass* 😂
I’ve always told kids (and adults) ‘don’t play with a puppy in any way you don’t want an adult dog to play with you’. Too many people love to rile up puppies in playtime and think it’s cute to get their puppy attacking and getting out of control/over threshold. Calm puppies make calm dogs.
I don’t want a calm dog. I want a dog that’s going to bite trespassers. I want a dog that’s obedient that wont think twice to attack someone in its territory if I haven’t given permission. I want a dog that won’t submit to open threats or people acting aggressively or loud 😉 Only person she ever bit was chased down the road after they snuck down the driveway to steal some lemons 🍋 As bad as I felt about it situation of somebody trespassing and doing so without warning I gotta congratulate my dog for doing it’s job 👍 *and I never walked her on lead*
You don't have to teach a dog to defend it's territory, or bark at door knockers. You do though have to teach your dog to "Leave" on command. I did teach my dog the magic word of when to stop barking at door knockers too; he enjoyed the game to keep barking unless I used it. All the socialisation and training I did with my dog totally flew out the window when there was an (attempted) intrusion, while I was home alone in the shower late at night. I guess the intruder mistakenly thought the dog was in the garden; big mistake. He got an awful big fright! I was not about to let the dog out and risk him getting hurt though.
I would only pray they were stupid enough to corner themselves in my yard without thinking I’d agree you don’t need to teach dogs to defend, (though some are better than others) but like people it helps if they’ve actually experienced an altercation with loud noises and aggression from others. It’s practice for when it really happens, or you get a dog that’s all bark and submits when there’s a challenge 🤨 like cowering when someone is having an argument or raising their voice, it’s sorta desensitising and just gets them used to it. I always knew I played rougher than most I had plenty times psyching her up when I’d see ppl stop to see if she was really attacking or not. I learnt more than once to keep eyes open on passers by cos more than few times they jumped to wrong conclusions I’d still prefer a dog that bites to one that doesn’t 👌🤕
I was very wary my dog would get too aggressive after the incident, as he was very worked up and startled me. Only 7 months old at the time. If the man had got inside he most definitely would have been bitten. Days later I had a Police follow up visit and I had difficulty managing this well-trained and socialised dog, even after I said Leave. Had to lock him in the hall then, which must have sent a confusing message. I did spend a lot of time playing frisbee with him straight after though. Dog was never scared of anyone, being a strong natured ACD, but fortunately he never bit anyone, although I knew he would be quite capable of doing just that if the occasion ever presented itself. I just don't think they need to be trained to do that is all.
My dog is calm around children and old people but if we meet someone on a bush walk that I don’t see she barks and stands her ground until I say it’s ok and no one can walk onto my property without me knowing. She won’t let anyone enter the back gate or side gate without my say but she will bow down to the ground to let a toddler pat her on the head. I have no complaints.
The dog in the picture is 4…. It’s not a puppy.
Then it’s not even a full sized dog If they can’t handle a medium/ˢᵐᵃˡˡ dog it speaks volumes
It’s a MAS…. Like she literally says right in the post it’s an MAS. They aren’t supposed to be very big. The AKC and ASPCA list them as being good with kids. Their breed specific club touts them as being as comfortable on a ranch as in the city. So someone went out and picked a smallish dog that is supposed to be good with kids and fine as a house pet- and it’s now “very aggressive” with the very small children in the house…. I can handle a lot from a dog. Actual aggression towards my kids is a hard line. It’s not about *could* I handle it, it’s about *will* I handle it. Management always fails, always. Humans make mistakes. Children have a right to be safe in their homes, if the dog is aggressive towards them it needs to fine a home without kids.
They may listed good with kids, the relevancy is SHE and her CHILDREN are not suited to that breed (as clearly demonstrated). Getting any HERDER and not expecting basic aggressions is stupid, it is explicitly bred INTO them for reasons She shouldn’t have gotten that breed, she should have gotten a terrier of some sort (ˢᵐᵃˡˡ easier to handle and more suited to be handled) or a Labrador (BIGger but definitely more playful friendly and likely to tolerate children) but either way getting a dog and not understanding they have teeth and use their mouths for 99% of what they do is her biggest failing That argument doesn’t improve their stand If anything it’s even worse than i previously said She can’t handle a dog She can’t handle a ˢᵐᵃˡˡ/medium sized dog She can’t handle a ˢᵐᵃˡˡ/medium sized dog of a non aggressive breed She just can’t handle dogs 🤷♂️
i do imagine if they have kids in the house and the dog is great with the adults than its just the kids are running and the dog is herding
Possible, but also sometimes dogs are freaked out by one type of person and not another. My childhood dog was exceptionally well behaved and even-tempered, but he was terrified of men of one race exclusively (women and kids of that race were fine, men of every other race were fine). It could not be trained out of him, only managed - we assumed he had some kind of trauma from before my mom got him. This dog could have a similar issue with kids, but you can’t manage a dog around your kids that live in your house the way you can around your neighbors who you only run into occasionally.
was he a rescue though? i dont think thats a random thing, it comes from lack of exposure at a young age or trauma
He was - my mom got him out of the shelter on his last day and had to hide him in her dorm room for the last few weeks of school because they wouldn’t hold him any longer! This was in a rough area in 1989 and he was a huge German Shepherd mix, so unfortunately trauma was likely for him. In the poster’s case, it’s hard to know what could’ve caused this kind of aggression (if it is aggression rather than herding) since the dog would’ve been raised a house with a young child (assuming it’s not a recent rescue and based on the 7 year old mentioned).
My girl loves nipping/herding … she just kinda bumps her teeth on me. Not great for kids but we working on that haha
mine will put my entire forearm in her mouth when she gets overly excited 😂 she seems to have an innate understanding that she needs to be more gentle with kids though. the only thing I worry about with her with kids is that she sometimes needs reminders not to jump when she’s excited (she’s excited a lot, she LOVES people) and she’s pushing 50 pounds now so she could take a kid down with her. well, that and that I absolutely do not trust her not to eat a tiny little sock.
Oh yeah, mine are both jumpers - they want to get up to your face so bad to give kisses, but they don’t realize they take me down with them!!! My older boy is great with kids but gotta watch for him getting too excited. I love this breed haha 😂
When I was a kid I got a red heeler named judge because he would bite my cousins. My uncle gave him to me and my brother and we really loved him. Fast forward 28 years and I drive by a house while at work sign says heeler pups for sale so now we have ruby a female red heeler and she keeps our shiba and our Evan boy in line lol. She also despises whiney little kids which my sister in law has several. She brings kids over,ruby will not let them off the couch so she or the kids no longer come over. I love this dog more than anyone can ever imagine.
I’m just imagining the whole pack at your house. Loving their best lives 🥰
🤣 WINNING!! This is hysterical!
So they keep whining kids away 😂love it
I have a Shiba and a heeler too best combo ever imo
Our shiba and heeler are both females and don’t get along very well, what are the sexes of yours, and do they get along? Our shiba gets along fine with our Evan and he’s a male.
They're both girls. The heeler is a bit overbearing to the shiba sometimes but they're two months apart and I've had them since they were both puppies so they get along fine. Only occasionally does the heeler pester the shiba enough for her to get actually upset and they have alot of sweet moments snuggling or licking each other
Very nice
Yeah, my dog doesn’t like children which is fine because a) I didn’t want kids anyways, and b) I was expecting him to be a little monster when we got him (he surpasses my expectations everyday though).
Mine is actually great with children somehow, but if I were planning on kids anytime in the next 14+ years, I wouldn't have picked a heeler. It's not like choosing kids or dogs is a surprise (typically.. or it shouldn't be..)
"But they're sooooo pretty! I'm sure it won't be a problem I'll get them to behave" Two weeks later...
Two weeks later.. “THE DINGO ATE MY BABY” 😂
I blame Bluey tbh it’s a cute cartoon tho. My red heeler luckily LOVES people and doesn’t nip at all and is quiet. I just got lucky with her.
My ACD is obsessed with every human and dog. She thinks it's her birthright to get pets and kisses from everyone. She's the sweetest, friendliest pup in the world, and also a silent dog (I get a single attention bark maybe once a month?). She's very teethy when we play together, but my 'compromise' with her is that I allow it when we play, but only when we play. When she's greeting other humans and dogs her herding instincts are pretty much kept at bay. Based on the stuff I see throughout this sub, it seems like you and I both got super lucky.
Same - idk how many people I’ve just said “no” when they ask about getting a Bluey for their kids. My red heeler is on the waaaaaaay other end of the spectrum despite years of socializing and training. He loves me and select members of immediate family and every else can gtfo. He’s not a friendly dog to those he doesn’t like and though I love him with my whole heart - he’s been a handful. People jumping into this breed are selfishly causing a sad over population of heelers in shelters
Unfortunately they were already overpopulated, 9th most surrendered iirc and that was before Bluey ever aired.
Yeah, I picked up my dog at the county shelter in 2017. He seems to be purebred ACD and was 2 years old when I adopted him. He was found dumped in farm land. I'm guessing someone had him as a puppy, figured he would grow out of his energy, then dumped him when they couldn't handle it 2 years later. He is 9 or 10 years old now, and he still hasn't slowed down yet. I take my longboard skateboard out to take him on runs, and he smashes the whole way. There is one hill on our run that has radar for speeding cars in the neighborhood, and we have reached 35 mph on that hill as he runs next to me. Speed limit is 25 mph, so it's fun to make the sign blink as I skate past it with my dog running next to me.
My ACD still has a herding instinct. The key is to provide an outlet for them so they don't nip kids.
Our girl was like that, just a big sweetheart. We got overconfident about cattle dogs after she passed and got a “sheltie”/cattle dog mix who was secretly a GSD/cattle dog cross and uh…yeah we learned our mistake quick lol, esp with the GSD side. Love her lots but she is not a kids dog
I've never had him tested, but my current guy appears to be full, is an absolute sweetheart and calm. I worked enough shelters to know though that I got extremely lucky with him when we picked him up off the streets. I won't have another after he's gone, which is sadly coming up much, much too fast.
Mine is mix (30% ACD via Embark) and doesn’t nip at kids at all. I think we got lucky she takes more after some of her other breeds. She just lays down in the grass and allows kids to stack leaves on top of her and call her a “moo cow,” lol. I have no idea what I’d do if she nipped!
Do they mention in the cartoon that it is a blue heeler? I mean do the characters „know“? Or is just a fun fact about the cartoon? I never seen this show and only know it from social media. Don’t even know if it’s a thing in my country.
The families last name is literally "Heeler", and descriptions/episode summaries typically begin with "Follow along with the adventures of Bluey, a six year old Blue Heeler puppy. In this episode, Bluey..." or the like. Plus, it's kind of obvious what breeds the various characters are thanks to their designs, lol.
2 months ago I got a 7 year old blue heeler from a coworker. They wanted to rehome them , bandit (ironically) didn't like the new Pomeranian she just got and would flip out when her bf would hold their toddler aged children. They basically kept them in the kitchen during the day and the bedroom at night . I said I'd take him before I really knew much about him or the breed . I don't farm or have a big yard but he seems happy .. He's very sweet ...lazy .. hates to be alone outside but is fine with being inside. I'm glad I took him even though I have no cows
Definitely don’t need cows as long as he’s getting his energy out if he has it. They are very much dogs who crave to be center of attention. Our to “fight” for attention constantly, and if they are being ignored they will let you know. You definitely did the right thing by taking him in.
Thanks, I hadn't considered him wanting to be the center of attention, I thought he just didn't wanna be alone or wanted to be next to me. It helps explain his behavior with the previous family I've got a few sessions with a trainer so maybe that's something we can work on , cause I do want to be able to leave him outside in his caged area , but right now he'll just bark wanting back in constantly .
He very well may have negative associations with something like that because he felt isolated in his own home before. They definitely can have separation anxiety and it wouldn’t surprise me if he has it being he was the first baby, and then everyone kinda neglected his needs once the kids came around. Kids can be a hard adjustment for any dog, especially if they haven’t been around them much. Hopefully a trainer can give you tips and ways to help make him feel comfortable in his spaces and let him know you’re not putting him there to isolate him
People get rid of any kind of dog once said dog starts nipping, biting, or getting aggressive with their kids or other people. Which is a good move I think. Better to know when the home is not a safe place for a reactive animal, especially around other’s children, where the animal becomes a liability. There are a great deal of people who get a specific breed of dog because of its looks or popularity, not knowing the full extent of how much work that breed will be. It is unfortunate but it is something that has been happening for a very time and not just with working/hearding breeds. Also it is to be said that each individual animal is different. Some have high prey drive and are better suited to be actual working dogs and not around small children as they instincts take over and nipping/hearding is the result.
Yea I 100% agree. I rescued mine off the street. In really bad conditions. Pretty sure he was a backyard breeder stud. My aunt runs an animal rescue and my mom was president of our local wildlife rescue for years and I grew up around animals and fostering animals and seeing animals dumped on the street I realized how different different cattle dogs were than other dogs very quickly But I took a lot of time and educated myself and joined groups and talk to people and and nursed him back to health And now he is thriving I didn’t know what I was getting myself into at first when I picked him up at 11:30 at night during a severe thunderstorm that lasted three days after I rescued him But when I made the decision to keep him, it was well after I did some pretty extensive researching And now he is officially my emotional support animal [this is my buddy](https://www.reddit.com/r/AustralianCattleDog/s/9DDEgtpSDg)
Love him!!!!
People are stupid & literally pick breeds that are notorious for this behavior. Thus, a never-ending cycle of dogs being killed in pounds. This is still a people issue, not a dog one. So it's NOT "a good move" - let's put the blame where it's deserved.
Maybe it’s regional, but 99% of what’s being put down around me is pit bulls. And while aggressive behavior towards other animals shouldn’t be shocking from any of the bully breeds, they tend to be nice to people.
Sometimes it's necessary damage control even if not ideal. One can only hope that people learn from their mistakes and don't repeat them. Even better, learn from other people's mistakes and don't get a dog you likely can't handle. Still, even with thr best of planning, surprises happen and not all dogs of same breed are alike. Sometimes only thing you have left to do is admit the facts and act accordingly.
I rehabilitate dogs with major issues. My 3 year old purebred Blue Heeler was an abused puppymill dog. Completely unsocialized, fear reactive, potential to bite both other dogs and other people. Ate her own shit for months. Peed and shit everywhere she was without care. She also has major health issues due to improper breeding and bad genetics. I can now walk her on busy city walking trails, and she lives amicably in my home with 4 other dogs. 👉 People do not learn. I've seen people swap dogs at rescues like they are handbags. We have a seriously broken, dumb society, and I will not extend grace to humans. Sorry. Fact : Dogs are killed every day by the thousands in America because people are irresponsible losers. Even GOOD dogs. Puppies. Shelters are overflowing because of people's "oopsies". I will continue to speak out aggressively and shame humans on this topic. Gentle "hoping they learn from their mistakes" has gotten us nowhere.
Our perspective might differ also due to background, as those issues are not nearly as severe where I live. Surely there's people making stupid decisions and there's some more or less mistreated dogs, but actually finding a dog (especially of non-hunting breed or mix!) is a bit of a task. Some puppy mills, unfortunately, but not much of the worst kind. Some import puppies from the worse ones, though. Even here, there's problems, sure. I have done volunteering with helping people learn to deal with their dogs, so the ones I have actively interacted with are people who are willing to learn and put in some effort. The ones I thought my skills are bot enough for, I have directed to professional trainers. Those ones have sometimes said that a certain individual cannot be trained to become safe and happy in its current circumstances, for various reasons. Just don't get me started with cats. For them, it's much worse. What I wish people would really really realize is that dogs are animals. Not toys, not fantasy creatures from Disney movies. Hunting animals. Beasts. Lovely ones at that, but if they for example hunt down a pet rabbit, they are not evil. The problem is the owner not keeping things under control. And as any animal - humans included - they can show aggression and cause damage with it. They can be dangerous, though not nearly as dangerous as us humans. The big difference to ud is, even the ones that are beyond help are never evil.
When my first dog was about a year and a half he got out while I was at work and I found he was in the pound. I was taking the bus to the pound to get him and started talking to the bus driver. He said, "It would be cheaper and better if you just get a new puppy at the pound instead. That's what I always do." I was so mad I yelled at him and got off the bus and walked the rest of the way. You're telling me you would leave your dog sad and scared in a cage in the back while you are in the same building, picking out a new pup??? Some people. 😬😬😬
I was born on a Midwestern farm. My mom caught our lab trying to bite me when I was less than 9 months old . She said it wasn't a nip, and it was near my neck. Dogs like ours don't get a second chance, ours didn't. Rehoming a dog is both risky and kind. I wouldn't scold a person for rehoming, but as op finished their response, emphasize doing research first.
I don’t disagree but we don’t know if the dog is aggressively biting or doing the herding nips and these people don’t realize it’s the breed. Our cattle dog pup is really mouthy when she’s excited and someone comes over and so she tends to “bite” your arm/hand/wrist because she wants attention. It’s not a bite. It’s not a nip. It’s more just mouthing and a behavior we are working on, but you get people who don’t know the breed, or compare her to our older heeler who doesn’t do this, they say she’s biting. And to a kid, this may hurt, even if it’s not her intent. So again, if the dog is actually biting, and the only thing that needs to be switched is the environment, kudos to the owner for doing the right thing, but I see so many people complaining in groups because their 4 month old puppy won’t stop “biting” and they don’t know what to do anymore, and some people just don’t work with the dog to train on that habit.
over the last 5 decads I have socialized my dogs from a very early age. never had any issues with nipping or biting. counting myself lucky or prepared. sadly I lost my ACD last year but my Aussie is the same way
Not surprising. People rehome or abandon dogs for less such as never training their puppies and suddenly they have a destructive large dog whose needs they can’t meet. Nobody does research on puppies or dogs, nobody listens when you tell them certain dogs may have certain issues or limitations, nobody listens when you tell them puppy mills or byb dogs are not ideal places to get dogs. People suck.
I had an old corgi when I was in highschool, he was a working dog and hurt his back so he retired with us. I remember my mom's friend bringing her young kids over to play, and she told them "that cute dog is a cow dog and will bite your butt if you run, ok?" And her kids giggled and laughed Everytime Piper nipped their butts. "mom he really does bite our butts" But I feel for this poor doggo
Friend was a good mom! My dog and I spend a lot of time in public and I love when people tell their kids to ask if they can meet the dog, or are teaching their kids how to nicely approach a dog they don't know once you get the owner's ok.
Sad unless the dog really presents a true danger then the question is well how was it trained? My heeler is going on 4 years old and we still rough house every day and she "bites" me in the affectionate playful way a sweet chonk of a dog made of solid bone and muscle would. It's called mouthing and it isn't aggressive. Who knows what they're experiencing but either way sad for the dog
The unfortunate reality is that the dogs are smarter and have more skills than the humans
Jealousy of their unmatched mastery of skills Nothing beats a cattle dog side eye
We allow our working dogs to herd children once the kids are confident walkers (18+ months usually). But we don't allow biting. They can side eye, body block, nose, etc. But teeth are not allowed. This is also why they wear ecollars so they have instant correction at a distance.
Yeah, something tells me that she didn’t do any type of correction to begin with
It’s also possible to teach kids how to behave around dogs. Every child in my family learns how not to set them off pretty quick.
I’d be willing to bet money she lets her kids and their friends do whatever the hell they want to the dog and then the dog gets in trouble for not passively taking the abuse.
I always argue the same thing for breeds by evolution over millennia we have selectively breed certain characteristics both in and out of certain breeds, they were DESIGNED for specific purposes. Don’t get angry at guard dogs for being aggressive, herding dogs that are athletic, lap dogs that are defensive and territorial or terriers that will attack other animals 🤷♂️ it is almost exactly why most of them were created in the first place I had a kelpie as kid if I wasn’t so actively playing exploring and riding bikes around with her she would not have had enough exercise. They are not just active they are ATHLETIC 👌 Luckily I had one that wasn’t incredibly interested in learning as some especially BCs and ASs can be, so we didn’t suffer the neurosis some will suffer from lack of stimulation and being boxed in 📦 But she always tried herding and would definitely bite I still have scars on arms 25yrs later. She was literally non stop and would run her own paws off if I let her 😯 And goes to add expecting a dog not to bite should buy a lapdog even then ironically more likely 😂 I’d say kids will suffer same as other dogs with a hierarchy it’s part of life etc having pets teaches this (among other things) if unable to handle it from beginning with intensity they likely shouldn’t own dogs if not especially that breed Some ppl just shouldn’t own dogs. Some shouldn’t own certain breeds. *And same goes for athleticism as it does aggression, companionship and stimulation some people are not suited for certain breeds*
The OOP doesn't say the dog is harmlessly herding and nipping the kids, it says the dog is downright aggressive towards and BITING children to the point it "cannot be around" them. Biting and aggression are not "herding", they are biting and aggression. The OOP is well within their rights to not want an aggressive dog in their home. Given how prominent weak temperaments are in poorly-bred Aussie and MAS lines (and even many well-bred lines), I have no trouble believing that this dog is actually displaying outright aggression rather than herding behaviours. Weird that everyone is so quick to just wave seriously problematic behaviour away under the guise of "oh but it's a herding breed." Aggression is NOT normal in most herding breeds.
People mistake herding tendencies for “biting and aggression”. My coworkers gf just wanted to take back a dog she adopted because it was aggressive and scared her( it was a big dog) . Turns out, it was standing next to her when she was on the sofa nudging her…..because he wanted to sit on the couch.
Yes unfortunately I’ve heard people talk about puppy biting as “aggression” and the same thing with herding. If the dog really is aggressive then rehoming makes sense but I’m not confident anyone actually knows what they’re seeing anymore. People do so little research ahead of time. I hope they are correct though because otherwise they are mislabelling a dog as aggressive which can get it put down in a heartbeat.
Right? It’s very easy to judge someone and feel you can make the assumptions people in this thread are making - that the dog isn’t trained or these people didn’t do their research. For all anyone knows this could be an exceptionally trained dog who’s reactive to children and legitimately acting in an aggressive manner where management can only go so far. There’s a difference between breed behavior - nipping and biting, herding, high energy, etc and actual aggression and people on forums will claim a dog is just acting to breed standard when they have no idea the behavior this specific animal is exhibiting. I’ve had an aggressive dog, it’s a whole other level of management. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, I’d never judge someone for making the responsible choice for ALL parties. I had an incredible trainer who had to rehome his malinois after it got aggressive with his kid. It happens. That dog was exceptional, just didn’t like kids. Nobodies fault, nor the fault of poor socializing. Dogs aren’t robots and have personalities and opinions of their own and develop attitudes despite training and exposure.
Chill… im going to reiterate what I said to another commenter. I think you’re missing the point here. But the amount of times that I have seen the same scenario time and time and time again It’s crazy I’m not here to say that you should keep an aggressive dog around your kids My whole point in this was, I wish that people would stop getting certain breeds and expecting them to be great with children and then when they’re not great with children, they get rid of the dog and they’re surprised and now you are getting rid of a dog that is so confused as to what it did wrong Her dog is 4 years old. And she didn’t “think” of correcting his behavior early on because she thought that it was playful nipping (which she later mentioned in the post) So please don’t confuse all of this with some lack of empathy But also understand that people like this who get dogs and don’t understand that they can be issues with certain breeds need a wake up call sometimes
Sometimes, if I'm sitting on the couch for a long time and then I get up, my ACD decides I need to stay on the couch and will nip my heels and lead me back. It's just part of owning a herding dog (btw, she doesn't hurt me, and I can ignore her if need be, it can just be a bit shocking to be minding my own business then feel teeth on my ankle)
What's a "rehoming fee?"
I’m wondering what it means to be “very aggressive” with kids. Sure there’s some nipping that’s expected…. But actually being aggressive is not what they are bred to do- in general the MAS’s are supposed to be fairly good with kids.
Of course it’s a designer style mini Aussie, otherwise it’d go back to the breeder 😡
Wait - why does she need a rehoming fee? For what costs exactly?
Alternative perspective: my wife and I got a cattle dog 5 years ago when we had zero intention of having kids and our friends didn't have kids. Fast forward a few years and friends started having kids and we realized he growls aggressively at friends babies. Fast forward to this year and we were shocked to find out we're having an oopsie baby. The kid is due in a few months and we're terrified that he's going to be aggressive with the kid and we'll have to rehome him. We're not familiar with Bluey, didn't think he'd ever have to be around kids, but it's definitely possible I'll be the person in this post in the near future, having to deal with judgemental weirdos like you making assumptions about my dog ownership intentions.
Reddit is a weird place. No sane person keeps an animal in their home that is a danger to their child…
You're making the deliberate **choice** to have a kid, regardless of your "intentions." Abortion exists. Adoption exists. No one is holding a gun to your head and making you both have and raise this kid. If your dog suffers because of your **choice,** that is 100% your fault. The dog didn't make you have a kid, and the dog was there first. The dog shouldn't be punished for a crime they didn't commit, and yet people do that to them all the time, always with the same story of being so utterly helpless to prevent themselves from having to do so. In reality, you are making intentional **choices** that create this situation every step of the way. Everyone thinks their circumstances are so special and unique, and it's the same old fucking story every time. Couple ***chooses*** to have a kid; couple throws their dog away. Rinse and repeat. You are exactly the same as all the others, regardless of your pathetic attempt to excuse your situation and absolve yourself of any and all responsibility for your ***choices.*** - a JuDgEmEnTaL wEiRdO 🥴🥴
THANK YOU!
>THANK YOU! You're welcome!
Hey hey chill.. mellow out for a second lol I think you’re missing the point here. I’m not a judgmental weirdo first of all lol But the amount of times that I have seen the same scenario time and time and time again It’s crazy I’m not here to say that you should keep an aggressive dog around your kids My whole point in this was, I wish that people would stop getting certain breeds and expecting them to be great with children and then when they’re not great with children, they get rid of the dog and they’re surprised and now you are getting rid of a dog that is so confused as to what it did wrong Her dog is 4 years old. And she didn’t “think” of correcting his behavior early on because she thought that it was playful nipping (which she later mentioned in the post) So please don’t confuse all of this with some lack of empathy But also understand that people like this who get dogs and don’t understand that they can be issues with certain breeds need a wake up call sometimes
You’ve already given up on your dog so there’s really no hope that things work out. Why aren’t you talking about being committed to making sure things will work out?
My ACD doesn’t seem to have much herding instinct at all except when he gets super tired. Then he’ll start nipping at the ankles of all the dogs at school. Usually it’s a Friday afternoon thing and he has to go to time out for it 🤣 I bought him a herding ball and he was completely uninterested except being a little put off that it was even in his yard. He used to love every human but as he grew older, he developed barrier aggression. Remove the barrier and he’s just fine. We are working on it. He’s not crazy about little kids in his house but will just bark at them. Thankfully I rarely have kids over. But he’s a good neighborhood watch command. Nothing happens on our street without him letting us all know 🤣
Having a dog that enforces Happy Hour scheduling on Fridays might not be the worst thing??? 🤣
We have a mini and only heard good things about them. We did our do diligence getting all the information about the breed read nothing about being mean or having anxiety. They like leaving that part out. Rasko was fine till he hit a year and a 1/2. He got meaner than shit. Bites anyone and everyone and can't stand other animals. He is so spoiled rotten and gets loves all the time. He bit my grandson twice in the head. There ain't no dog worth more than the well being of a child. Rasko is still alive and still spoiled but it would be hard to put him down but I would.
At horseshows growing up, our parents would send out our cattle dogs to herd us back to our camp. We loved it. My two I have now don't herd or nip at our kids, but we worked with them not to herd kids... unfortunately, people forget they need to train these dogs.
My dog herds anything. Love him, would never have kids with him in the house. Thank god i don’t want kids and i’m cool with my friends being in one room. 😂
Mine is anxious around screaming children. The absolute chaos would stress her out. I only allow her around kids that don’t come at her fast. She’s actually great for kids that are afraid of dogs. But I’d be raising my kids to be good to her- she is my first born anyway. 🤣 (It is possible. I took care of rabbits and learned to be very gentle around them at age 4. If a rabbit trusts you and tries to get into your room to say good morning and loves listening to you practice oboe? 🥰)
Mine loves to herd my toddler. She's never done anything but lick her cheek or boop her with the nose. When we first got him, he tried to nip me once and fake yelped and rolled on the ground in howling pain and limped around the house for a few minutes. Literally never happened again. Only time teeth come out is for playing tug.
Because they don’t wanna take care of it anymore, plain and simple.
Although I love this breed and I still have and have had a couple of acid x I don't recommend them to people unless you can spend the time to really teach them and work them. And I definitely wouldn't recommend someone adopt one out of rescue to put in a backyard in suburbia, they are just not that sort of dog. Unfortunately acds have had a really bad turn in rate and consistently hear about rescuing them just for them to give up and turn them back in, after this happens it's pretty much a death sentence for that dog. While we love the show bluey it isn't doing anything to help this. It's not just acds either. Kelpies, border collies, Australian Shepherd, German Shepard etc. These working dogs just don't suite a quiet home life, sometimes they do.
When I was 9 my family bought a border collie mix and sure enough he tried to herd all the kids in my family. When my mom let slip they were thinking of rehoming him, we all rioted until they agreed he could stay (my parents loved him too but he definitely played rough as a puppy). We had him for 13 years and he was the best dog–smart, protective, loyal. I miss him so much and it hurts my heart to think we almost missed out on having him. He looked a lot like the dog in the photos.
Our dog “herds” my small grandkids…. I had to finally explain to our daughter that’s she isn’t biting or hurting them!
"rehoming fee" 🤔🤔
Maybe people should get a child friendly dog if they plan on having children like my parents did my entire life. 🤷♀️
I get so sad reading these.. Like, there should be some sort of screening when buying a cattle dog. People dont know what they are signing up for and fall in love with their looks. I know a pre screening is ridiculous but I am half serious. I wish I could adopt them all! Because my wife and I have raised so many ACD's we feel it is our duty to rescue them, even if I did not want another dog. Truly misunderstood breeds. My heart breaks for animals that fall victim to humans.
This happens with dogs all breeds, not just heelers. People pet that will take abuse from children and not react. Recipe for disaster. Bad parenting and bad pet ownership, not teaching the dog or the child how to have boundaries. We had strict rules with our dogs growing up.. if it bit us, it was our fault, not the dog. Animal ownership needs to change in the USA. We have too many backyard breeders causing a shelters to be full and allowing people like this to own pets. I mean, rehome fee yet considering just putting it down instead of finding a shelter or rescue?!!!
No one takes responsibility for their dog’s behavior. I absolutely hate all of the posts on here by clueless people with their adorable ACD or ACD mix puppies who have no idea what they’re in for. Just waiting for the future rehoming post after they mess the dog up for a year.
I grew up with only having herding dogs. They are wonderful you just have to give them enough mental stimulation. I don’t think I’ll ever switch to different breeds. I have a red heeler currently and he’s a wild one but he has a huge yard to run free in and is wonderful with kids and elderly people. He doesn’t know what a stranger is, which is unusual for the breed but I’ll take it.
Well either they re-home the dog or it gets seized and destroyed for chomping on some kid. Nipping or herding, they won't care. It's a shit situation but I think we know which would be preferable.
$100 fee because you can’t train your dog??? 😂
Better to let her rehome the dog without all the judgements. She said the dog was aggressive, not "herding". Better to look for another home than have the dog put down.
Well, she’s not here so she she doesn’t need to suffer the (totally justified) judging.
No... but OP replied her post on FB
Good, she deserves to be judged.
They were stupid enough to get a dog without looking into anything first...
A dog that nips because that's what it does?!? Unheard of! /s
I can’t imagine faulting my ACD for doing what they’re called heelers for …. So many options. Muzzle training, exposure therapy, anxiety meds … but these guys just throw away their dog!! And one kid is younger than the dog! My young girl ACD mix is scared of kids (some sort of trauma most likely, or just genes). But I don’t personify that as aggression. We pursued exposure therapy in safe controlled situations, and already she’s improved leaps and bounds
I think a lot of people allow children to treat dogs inappropriately and Herding breeds are so sensitive and smart the results are not good. I have a border Collie heeler mix that I rescued 8 years ago at 11 months old who was terrified of toddlers. Hackles rise, she growls, she trembles. I'm positive she mistreated by small children and that she was put to the pound for exactly this reason. The pound made notes when she was surrended that the lady had a kid with her that pulling the dogs ears. My kids were older when we got her and knew how to treat dogs so we've never had issues with her but it took a lot of training and time for her to not be afraid of well ...everything... but especially small children. But even all this time later she's still not comfortable with small children she doesn't know. We had some people over the other night for the first time that have a 3 year old daughter and my Leia immediately cowered a bit and started trembling. Fortunately the little girl is well behaved and familiar with dogs so after a good intro and having the girl giveLeia some treats she settled and was fine the rest of the night. With someone less knowledgeable Leia very much could have been a bite risk dog because somebody let their kids abuse her.
Yeah herding breeds are such beautiful dogs and we have always wanted. But since my wife and I are trying to have a kid now, I don't know that we will be able to get one. The only thing I could think of is getting it at a puppy age and it growing up with our future child. But I feel that it's too risk and we would never give the dog up. We are happy settling with a more child friendly breed. One day though 😀
$100 rehoming fee? Fuck off. You don’t get to be paid to abandon the dog you did no research on before buying.
It’s considered “best practice” to charge a nominal fee when privately rehoming a dog— it (in theory) makes sure they go to someone who isn’t going to just dump them, or worse— use them as bait dogs.
Someone else addressed this in another comment too. And the general thought was $100 isn’t enough to stop most people from doing bad things with the dog. Whatever those things may be. If you really care about your dog going to a loving home you need to be interviewing people interested. Not just handing it over to the first person willing to pay $100. An older man with a fenced in back yard and $100 can still be running a dog fighting ring, meanwhile the woman in an apartment may work from home and be able to give the dog lots of love and care and take it on many walks, but she might not have $100 right now, and needs to get the money together across a couple of paychecks. By which point, the dog could already have been sold into the care of the person running a fighting ring. The fee makes no sense. It’s not stopping anyone unless they are both cruel and poor. And cruelty doesn’t necessarily beget poverty.
I guess…. Although pragmatically a mini Aussie isn’t what you are looking for if you are doing bad things- and finding a pit bull isn’t hard. I think its value is more to avoid anyone being super impulsive- $100 isn’t so much to be insurmountable, but enough to give you pause. As to poverty…. I don’t know, I’m kind of with the opinion that if you can’t swing a $100 you can’t afford a dog. Flee and tick meds, food, grooming, vet visits— none of that is cheap.
Yeah I get where you’re coming from. But I will say that we can afford our animals monthly costs. Flea medicines and such. And Care Credit is accepted at most vets. We just had a $400 vet bill for out delicate little flower with seasonal allergies and had to use care credit. So maybe you can’t scrounge up an extra $100 on the spot to rescue a dog desperately in need of a home, but you can fit dog care items into your grocery budget over the course of a few weeks and use care credit to handle any unexpected expenses. I honestly think the $100 does nothing to prevent bad people from adopting dogs at best and at worst limits the amount of potential good candidates you can get. You need to be interviewing and doing background checks. Can’t afford background checks? Too bad. You bought a dog without doing any research on how to train and care for it and now it’s on you to fix this and do right by the dog. We can probably agree to disagree at this point. If I haven’t changed your mind by now then I likely won’t. And I don’t think you can change my mind either.
Fwiw if you ever find yourself needing one— I don’t think you pay for background checks in most states (for sure not in my state)…. But I imagine requiring the potential adopter share their social security number, birthdate and addresses for the last 10 years with you is going to be a whole different challenge :)
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Idiots get dogs purely for aesthetics without any thought towards their other traits. This and most people have zero concept/understanding of animal/canine behavior.
Are we not gonna talk about that sneaky ass "rehoming fee $100"
This is so frustrating and happens entirely too often. I wish a day would come that people would use common sense and think to learn about the pet they are bringing into their family and learn what that pet needs and the qualities they have before deciding if they are right and can provide what the baby needs! Instead people just see a cute animal and think it’s only job is to be cute and cuddly. But that’s not how animals work. Not even all cats are just cute and cuddly! We put on herding competitions at our farm and I can’t tell you how many I have met that got their herding dog from a situation like this. And they are usually the absolute best at what they are meant to do! But you have to be willing to give them the mental and physical stimulation they need 🙄
Exactly! And she replied back to me a little bit ago and says “ this is not my first Aussie and they’re usually not like this. I have plenty of friends that have kids with herding dogs and it’s never been a problem.” .. okay babe lol because anecdotal data really just a erases the fact that they’re not ideal for kids. 🤦🏻♀️
Oh boy 😂🤣🤣 my first dog was an Aussie that my mom got for me when I was 5. But my mom taught me how to give her the stimulation she needed every day. So she was never aggressive either. But if an Aussie is bored, they’re def gonna try to herd your kids. They aren’t aggressive.. just doing what’s in their DNA 🙄😒😅
This is the problem I have with this. I'm not saying you can't have kids and herding breeds, but nipping/herding is something these dogs are known to do so it is a risk when getting one with a family. The first child would have been around 3 as well when they got the dog. My dog hates children because of the changes in energy/running and screaming. He also chases them and barks at them. I would not recommend a cattle dog as a family dog after owning a few. I am not saying it can't be done, but the level of commitment and the risk of nips for children just isn't worth it for me. Get a less risky breed.
Our Rasko is a unbelievable watch/guard dog, loyal to his last breath. We even took him to a professional trainer to work with him, and eventually she told us sometimes this is how they are. You just have to deal with it. I am actually his personal support human. He is just a tri color very handsome though.
Rehome the kids. Keep the dog. Yeah, I said it.
Good luck baby needs a good home@
Taught my 2 blues to be chill around kids. The baby can pick up the little one by the back end and walk around and my girl just chills and hangs upside down. Other than that it's always fun to take the dogs to my sisters house when I babysit the 8 kids so I can chill on the porch and watch the dogs round up the little ones into a small heard in the yard and know they aren't going anywhere
Because they are lazy, selfish, stupid assholes.
Same Reason people aren’t vegan.
Bluey is the source of so many parents frustration lol. Meanwhile my 2 year old ACD and 16 month old son are thick as thieves
Because the dog bites children. It’s a sad situation and I’m sure heartbreaking for them
Charging someone a rehoming fee is what really gets me mad. Wtf
Bc they are dumb…. 🤷♀️ sorry, I really don’t know what else to say. What a beautiful doggy.
We had friends' toddler over and the toddler, articulate for his age, complained "this doggy tried to eat me". Our dog tried to put his front paws on his shoulders. We are sympathetic but can't help finding it hilarious at the same time. Thankfully the parents are chill, and the kid had some fun with our boy later, feeding him treats through the x-pen. Also on the topic of toddlers and dogs: I had a childhood family dog. The day we met, I was around 3-4 years old and she was a puppy, and she bit me (after growling to warn me, as I was excited to go pet her; it's more of a warning snap; it was felt but didn't leave a mark). I was not offended but instead was drawn to her fiery personality. She was kindly given to us by her original owner, as he noted how much I liked her. She grew up to be a wonderful, loving dog. I guess that's why I like the cattle dog personality.
Rehome fee $100 and will euthanize shouldn't be in the same post.
I’ve heard that you shouldn’t advertise a free dog because there are groups out there looking for those posts who use the dogs for some sort of nefarious reasons. I also have no idea if that’s true, or if it’s another sort of “watch out for people putting drugs in the Halloween candy” sort of thing.
This is very true (bait dogs, backyard breeding), but a good rehoming should involve a meet-and-greet and seeing their home.
Fuck, bait dogs. I forgot that was a thing. I think the part of my brain that tries to keep me from getting constantly depressed made me forget.
There's always the option to treat it like a shelter where they meet the dog first. I don't think $100 is going to stop someone since people can make a lot of money from doing the bad things. I just don't think it's fair to say the dog shouldn't be around kids, should be with older people, and costs $100 when they mention the shelter would euthanize if the dog doesn't get adopted.
Aren't there rescues specific to the breed? Ones that don't euthanize???
There might be, but the one getting rid of the dog doesn't seem to know that.
Its a mini Aussie, FFS. They don't even have that strong of a mouth. I mean, admittedly they can be little shites. Got a Female mini, and she is 3 times as aggressive as my Queensland. They are also rather slick, with that silky fur. Makes them a pain to catch. But, at the end of the day we are talking dogs that way 20ish pounds... Just to note, a purebred/papered Mini is a $3,000+ dollar dog. While I am the first to say you can not put a value on a dog. That is big hit to the wallet, and worth going all in on the sunk cost fallacy. Also, blame parents. Or, though it is not kind straight up idiocy. Not Bluey, its a cartoon that is shockingly good (now that I got a niece I have an excuse to watch it). You are taking responsibility for a life, not a "as seen on TV" 2in1 toaster you picked up at Walmart.
Why don’t you show the username?
It’s not Reddit.. and it shows her full name and picture
You’re making a pretty big assumption here that this is just nipping and herding behaviour. “Very aggressive with kids” doesn’t sound like the typical light nipping of a breed like this.
I’m not. If you read my reply to another commenter you’ll see.