I have a 11 month old blue heeled puppy. Who up until now has been great. Last week he was desexed and now he is a horror , The vet wanted my puppy to have check up after his op and when she was looking at him he tried to bite her. The vet said they might be unable to help us with him in the future because he is to aggressive. He barks non stop and is getting angry at me and the kids. He is still fine with my hubby. I’m not sure what to do. I’m scared of him he shows his teeth a lot this put my on edge as I’m worried he could bite the kids. My kids do love him a lot and it would upset them if I were to give him away. Has anyone got any ideas that could help me.
Aggressive Blue Heeler Puppy
jodie1980 on 24/07/2018 - 14:32
Last edited 24/07/2018 - 18:20
Last edited 24/07/2018 - 18:20
Comments
Seconded. 11 months is still young enough I believe, but first I think give him another week to calm down/recover from the op and see how he is then. If not - then obedience school.
I went to obedience school for 16 years. I loved it apart from the lack of freedom and stinking jail-cells/classrooms
Glad this is the top answer because this is the only answer there should be to this thread.
How do you want him to react to his manhood being snipped off?
Dogs don't have opposable thumbs. Be a little hard for the li'l puppy to hold a gun. Also not sure their paws would fit in to the trigger guard.
They can hold a dagger in their mouth tho
@subywagon:
An experienced hunter has a loaded shotgun resting on his knee pointing towards him?Just occasionally I think there might be some truth in Darwin's theories.
true story!
Consider finding a dog behaviorist. Someone with experience training dogs and who can look at the dogs interactions with you and see what might be triggering it.
Good idea. Best to get help when the puppy is young ish otherwise you have months of remediation.
I wouldve thought snipping its balls… but I could be wrong. Get the therapist.
I behaved like that for a month post vasectomy. All good now though. Typical male response.
Blue heelers are one eighth dingo.. perhaps the dingo genes are strong in this one
Username doesn't check out on this occasion
My 10yr old border collie gets bullied by a 12 month Blue female. She nips at him, he's not sure what to make of her.
Aw cute dog I want one….
Don't. They are a working dog, with lots of energy. They can run all day. Way too much for the average family.
Can you recommend a breed or two, who doesn't mind alone during weekdays when we both working?
Dont do it unless you can invest the time every day. Dogs are made for companionship, not locking in a yard or house. Do yourself and and a dog a favour. Its like comitting to another relationship.
Give it some time, it might just be a reaction from the operation. If after 2-3 weeks and he's still like that, then find a behaviourist as others have suggested.
Maybe he got the wrong surgery… Oh, he already got the worst one.
Self explanatory really. If someone held sharps against my boys, I'd be a little more than cranky too.
Get a dog trainer in to help. Has he been to puppy school ?
He’ll likely calm down.
He's probably still in pain from the operation
Lol one week of issues and you start to complain? Give the dog away to some one who cares about them!
You hurt them you took them to the vet to get the operation how would you react?
Looking for advice is not complaining. There are a lot of reports of dogs attacking kids and causing serious damage. The issue is real.
he tried to bite her.
Take this as a warning. You’ve children so you know what needs to be done.
11 months is fairly old to get a male dog desexed. His knackers are fully grown and hormones at full tilt so removal is more traumatising than when they are tiny puppies. There is a fair chance his sudden change in behaviour is a pain reaction. Is he still on any tablets or antibiotics? Dogs hormones will change after being desexed, however it shouldn't bring on aggression, in males most likely the opposite. It usually tones down outgoing behaviour/s.
Your vet sounds kind of crap, any vet should have a muzzle if he is showing aggressive tendencies for whatever reason, whether scared or reactionary or simply associating the vet with painful experience. My suggestion: see another vet (perhaps even of the opposite sex of the original vet) for a full checkup of the wound site to eliminate the possibility of infection and to discuss the possibility or need for painkillers.
Agree with the above! My 14 year old beagle got a bit snappy at the vet when she was in pain after surgery. They ended up just muzzling her for the next few post op check ups. It wasn’t really a big deal for them.
I would definitely be looking into a good dog trainer though. I think I learnt more than my dog when we went. Trish from All Pets Education and Care is excellent if you’re in Brisbane.
Training a dog, is really about teaching you how to train a dog. It has to be this way so that the training can be maintained by you. Constant reinforcement. The great thing about it is, the more well trained your dog is, the more freedom the two of you will have.
I agree with this.
It is most likely pain response rather than anything else. I hope the vet/nurse walked you through post op care at discharge and your dog's pain is properly managed.
At this stage, from my experience, it would be prudent to review medications and current state of post op site. And also, talk to your kids (not sure how old they are) about keeping distance with your dog at this point in time.
In medium to long term, monitor your dog's behaviour closely. If nothing happens - Great.
However, see if you can find patterns like aggression to people of same gender or food guarding or other abnormal behaviour such as separation anxiety, OCD-like behaviour. If you do, you may need to speak to a vet who is experienced with behavioural conditions. Unfortunately, most of us are not - however depending on your area you may be able to find good vets who will talk to you and observe your dog for extended consultations and instruct you with training and suitable medications. Furthermore, there are american board certified veterianry behaviour specialists available in certain capital cities as well.
Also, I have heard from others that behaviourists who are affiliated with delta dog association generally have good understanding of mental diseases in animals and can work collaboratively with a vet as well.
I agree with everything you said except I don't think that gender of the vet is a factor, more it is either that particular vet or their inexperience which is the problem.
Every cattle dog I've come across had a bit of a nasty streak.
Characteristic of the breed I guess.
My family had a Blue Heeler years ago. Mostly a nice dog but it could certainly get a bit agro.
I always remember a yobbo neighbour we had. Nice bloke but one of those loud, happy go lucky people. Dog certainly didn't like him. I lost count of the number of times it bit him on the arse when he was carrying on a bit.
From my experience, working dogs (Kelpies, Cattle dogs, GSDs etc.) are more prone to having this element of aggression to them.
I feel so bad for judging a dog based on its breed because it really depends on the individual dog - but when you see many of these dogs and see a clear pattern, it is hard to ignore them.
I think it is more a case of the wrong dog for the wrong people. Blueys really need full time activity; they were bred as cattle dogs and can run around all day. They like to be told what to do and have a purpose.
I agree with others that making sure the dog is going to obedience school is critical - particularly for working dogs like blue heelers. They are designed to be cattle dogs so "nipping at the heels" is part of the job description. I would also look for a vet that is used to handling dogs that might react badly when hurt or scared; putting a muzzle on a dog would be vet school 101. He might be in pain, still, from the operation and this needs to be checked out.
You concerns are valid, dogs can do serious damage to children and you need to be able to trust them.
The easiest solution is simple.
Lose the kids…..
That'll learn em'
I'm kidding, I'm kidding…. put the snappy heeler down and step away from the puppy
Best of luck in the search for a happy outcome
I just reread my post after wondering why the negs.
Whoops, I goofed big time typing "…. put the snappy heeler down and step away from the puppy".
Never my intention to suggest euthanising said family member.
Given he was acting like a weapon, I was releasing my inner American cop response i.e. "put the weapon down and step away from the gun"
A very poor attempt at humour given it could easily be construed as a prompt to euthanise.
Apologies if this was what was taken from my post.
I have had 2 heelers. One was sometimes aggressive and the other an angel.The problems with the aggressive one were exacerbated by us due to insufficient exercise and socialisation around other dogs and people. I agree with the comments above. You have a working dog and they require a lot ( 1 hour min) of exercise every day. Try to include socialisation with other dogs at a dog park.
Thanks for your help. I hoping for a good outcome. The vet has suggested to wait until his wound heels and see a behaviourest. Hope this works. I’m still really worried at the moment because his behaviour is horrible.
Sounds like he just had a bad experience with the vet.
You need to associate going to the vet with something positive.
I leave my dog hungry before taking him and give the vet some of his favorite treats to give him.
He now loves going and gets really excited.
I have owned a blue heeled before, very intelligent and very active! As others have said here training is going to be needed. IMHO the reason he is acting the way he does towards the family is because he thinks your husband is the Alpha and he is next dog in the pack, that is a dangerous place for the family and the dog to be in. The dog needs to know that he is not second boss which training may help with. Also my second point of ‘Active’ he needs to be walking and running around every day he is not a city dog he is a worker now been put in a family situation. I hope it works out for you :)
His hormones are all over the place, it’s only a short time since he was desexed, the same happened with our male dog, it took about 2 weeks to settle down and now he is not aggressive at all. I’m surprised the vet wasn’t more informative.
Where are you based? If in SEQ I can highly recommend Dave at The Canine Classroom
I love dog owners that pick working dogs as family pets. Blue Heelers are hearding working dogs, its what they were bred to do, there will always be that agressive streak. They require ALOT of training and also require jobs to keep them from getting bored and destructive.
Get on to a behaviorist quick smart and also get their input on whether your dog will ever be able to fit in as a family dog especially if you have younger kids.They are a working dog and are not really the dog to have as a house pet. Many do OK. Most that actual work require restraining when you have visitors etc, but they are not pets and don't get the socialisation to check that. As others have said, the most important thing pet dog owners should do is to socialise the dog very early and as long and often as possible. The hassle is that they don't have all of the vaccinations etc, so you can't take them just anywhere at a really young age. Puppy school can help, but some don't encourage this enough. This is a bit late for you. You can still try and expose the dog to as many different environments as possible and you will need to correct him until he, gets it. If he starts to nip at people(that is inbuilt and part of their job when working with cattle), it can make it difficult to socialise with strangers, and children. What type of collar do you use when walking? Does it give you the ability to check the dog?
It is your responsibility to be the dogs pack leader. If he isn't submitting to you, there is something wrong with you. They are not a dog for a novice(you can be lucky). Bad habits take work to reverse - a lot of work. Does he obey you? You could try some reading and get a hold of some Dog Whisperer episodes to get an idea, it takes a long time to take it all in. Learn about the different types of "drive" and how to recognise when they switch into those modes.
Realistically to be a competent dog owner will take you a couple of years to be ready, without you getting training. You should not ever hit your dog, but should be able to get them to submit simply by your stance. The mental telepathy with my closest bitch is mind blowing(I have four "old Style" working line German Shepherds). You don't have to say "good boy" just for behaving. "Good boy" is for when learning. Excitement is your enemy, and a big walk to tire him would help before attempting any training if that is an issue. Dog behaviour and etiquette is different to teaching your dog "tricks". When walking, you decide how the dog should be behaving. Your confidence, or lack of it will transfer through the lead. They pick up emotions etc, we don't even realise we are transmitting.
There was a fad started by a professor involved with a Channel 4 program in England that has caused a lot of problems. He denied any "domination" in a pack and criticized the last 2000 years of actual experience. Trainers then appeared that stated there should be no correction, and that only positive reinforcement should be used, and criticised control collars etc. This has resulted in trainers declaring dogs beyond help, when they probably is not the case. In the modern sense he claimed that science had only looked at wolves in captivity so dog trainers had no evidence. This has all fallen apart since the re-introduction of Wolves into Yellowstone and the heavy study that has gone on there.
Good luck, it is a big responsibility, and the early time with your dog is the most important for an easier future.
Awesome explanation. Im glad you wrote that comment.
Out of interest, what do you mean by old style german shepherds? Im a big GSD fan, currently dont own a dog, but this breed would be my 1st or 2nd pick.
Apart from dog whisperer, what other readings do you recommend for first time dog owners. (I had dogs growing up, but never in charge of training)
I really wouldnt know where to start, but i have two kids under 6 so want to be well eductaed before diving in. Also, in your opinion, how possible is it to have two pack leaders. E.g. i work during the day, but my wife would be home with our youngest child. I know GSD take a lot of training, but can be amazing family dogs, but my instinct would be to go with a Golden Retriever for a first dog due to their temperament and mothering nature. And then hopefully get a GSD pup that can learn from the retriever as well as myself and or wife.Awesome explanation
Pity it's incorrect.
Apart from dog whisperer
You mean dog abuser.
It is your responsibility to be the dogs pack leader.
The pack leader bit was debunked many years ago, even by the people that started it.
It began by some scientists observing unrelated captive wolves in a zoo, who would naturally fight each other.
Seriously flawed.
Can you offer some corrected advice, rather than just disagreeing with someone elses points.
Im honestly interested in any input someone can give me. Cheers.
run him and run him… keep him exhausted each day for a good 2 weeks, this should pump all the leftover testosterone out of his body.
Of course ensure you take a path other dogs commute to socialise him more at the same time.
/source
I had a half kelpie/dingo born from a kelpie, extremely aggressive so had to make the dog understand that he is part of the pack now and my fam are the alphasJody,
There are a couple of clues in your message. 11 months is exactly the time that puppies are coming into adulthood and starting to decide their place in "the pack". This is natural behaviour. You mentioned the pup is still fine with your husband, so he apparently has the energy and authority that your pup has decided means "leader", so he's happy not to challenge him. But he's challenging the rest of you for who is next in line. He thinks it might be him, Lieutenant Blue!
The recent pain associated with the desexing may have been a trigger, or it may have happened anyway. As others have mentioned, Blue Heelers are a very high energy dog so the energy has to go somewhere.
But I wouldn't be "waiting it out" as others have mentioned. You need fast, confident correction. If you can afford a good behaviourist then great, if not, your husband may have to take the lion's share of the correction for now.
The key will be lots of long walks to tire your pup out, but avoid games that will encourage him to be nippy — like tug of war. The other key will be not to approach your dog with fear, as he will sense that and decide "you're not worthy" to lead. You have to think like your dog. Take charge. Get a tennis racquet if you're afraid and use it to approach him so you can do so with confidence. Everyone in the family, perhaps with the help of your husband, needs to be put in a place ABOVE your dog. So he always eats last. Not allowed on the couch next to you (for now). He stays at your feet. ALWAYS. YOU own the food. YOU own the toys. YOU own the treats. It's all about asserting your dominance.
Some things you can try is making him sit, looking at you for 10 seconds then 20 seconds then 30 — before you put his food bowl down. Do the same with treats. But start out by rewarding longer and longer periods of attention. If, once he has a toy or treat, he growls at you if you approach him, do so with a tennis racquet in front of you. Plant the tennis racquet, round side down, on top of your toes making a sort of barrier so you won't be afraid. Shuffle forward slowly until you move him away from the treat. He should be concerned by this and slowly move away. If he starts growling and carrying on, don't react, just keep shuffling forwards relentlessly. Keep going until you can safely reach down and take the treat. After a while he should get the message. Then as you keep practising this day after day, when he starts to move away without complaint, give the treat back again and tell him he's a good boy. But this will only work if you carry out the exercise thinking to yourself "I'm not putting up with THIS!" as opposed to "oh God, I hope he doesn't hurt me." It's all about attitude.
Lots of exercise, combined with consistent dominant (not aggressive) behaviour from the whole family and the right attitude should quickly teach the pup where he belongs, and he will then be happy to take his place. But it will require commitment from everyone. No slacking off and allowing him to get away with anything even a single time. And no hitting, yelling, getting upset or raising the energy level in the house. Just persistent, quiet, determined, CALM, correction. He will respect this.
I was recently fostering two dogs that had been through a tough time. 5 years old, one of them became very aggressive over any food, treats, bones, pigs ears. She didn't know me from Adam and she put on quite an aggressive display. I was having none of it. It probably took 6 months, but I practiced all the things above. Now she trusts me completely, is the sweetest, most loving, most trusting dog. You can do anything with her. She's a joy. They were both very high energy working dogs so a similar situation to yours. Kept walking them twice a day. Complete success.
Over to you…
Awesome reply I will take everything you’ve said on board and try these approaches.
No worries. I think you are doing the right thing seeking help and advice and I applaud you for wanting to do the right thing for both your dog and your family. I think the main thing to remember is that a working dog breed needs to know both where he sits in the pack hierarchy and also what his job is to feel content and fulfilled. Some working dogs will invent jobs for themselves if you don't give them some, and in this way they often develop behaviours that aren't what we, as owners, really want.
Consistency will be important, the whole family knowing what the plan is and what the rules are that your pup must follow. It won't work for instance if you are all telling him to get off the couch, if your husband lets him up — just as an example.
So once you are past the head cone phase and he is being walked again, think about joining a local obedience club so your dog can be well socialised and then you can enjoy taking him to off lead parks for a really good run. When you have your pup sitting calmly for his dinner and backing away from treats on command (and then you reward him by handing them back again, because you are the almighty pack leader and giver of treats), then you can try teaching him tricks and commands — heel, sit, down, come, wait, stay, back, play dead, shaking hands, fetching the paper, putting away his toys, picking things up and giving them to you, fetching his own lead before a walk, barking on command, finding balls under blankets or cups, playing hide and seek with the kids, catching frisbees in the park. The more little tricks and commands he knows and the more little jobs he has to do the more fulfilled and content he'll be.
You have an intelligent dog who will love to learn new things, so make sure you keep him mentally stimulated with lots of activity and enrichment. There are probably Youtube videos for all of these things now. :)
Thanks again. The main reason we decided to get a blue heeler is because my hubby is very active and walks for 2 hours in the morning and 1 hour at night so we needed to pick a dog that was fit enough to keep up with him. Since his desexing he has been unable to walk. This has been part of the problem. He has to much energy but until the wound heals he has to stay home with a cone on his head.
If he is well trained then you can probably walk him, quietly, on a leash at this stage. I suspect this issue will be temporary but it is a good opportunity for him to learn where he sits in the hierarchy and to train him to heel, sit, stay etc. you and the kids need to be involved in the training so he recognises your status. personally I think heelers are best left on a farm, that is where they are happiest. Maybe hubby should’ve looked into high intensity workouts for shorter times. 3 hours seems a long time to be missing if you have kids.
"he has to stay home with a cone on his head."
No wonder he's p'd off - The other dogs will be laughing at him
maybe you and ONLY you try to bribe him by giving him his little treats now and then,if it was a female vet he may have a set on human females,good luck
You need training. Not the dog. The dog is just a tool. You must know how to use and control it. Sadly animals are treated as a consumer item these days. A fashion accesory. The overwhelming majority of pet owners have no idea how to train/control them.
Dogs aren't tools they are living creatures. They need to be educated, nurtured and protected; that is what our jobs are. Of course the dog needs training and quickly; a good quality dog training school will train both the dog and the owner. The dog was mainly bought for the husband; I would like to hear from him what he intends to do to fix this situation rather than you berating the wife for ending up with this issue because, surely, he is concerned about a dog that is aggressive to his wife and children. Frankly, I think the OP has more to think about than just the Blue Heeler here.
Not sure why you were negged, have a plus.
Why would you desex a male dog, he can't get pregnant so you will never have to worry about anything?
I bet you have 7 kids to 7 women
no kids, and his harem is Mrs Palm and her 5 daughters.
I would never desex my dog.
eat it
The utility of this advice is dependant on OPs ethnicity
Why didn't you get a family friendly dog breed? ffs
Get your husband to be strict with him when he growls or snaps at you or the kids. We adopted a male dog that only listened to me (dad) and was agro to the wife and kids a few times. It was like he was trying to find his place in the family hierarchy and when he scared the wife or kids he only got worse doing it. After I told him off every time he did it (really tell him off so he knows your serious) my wife and kids were also able to tell him off and he started to listed. He is fine now with all of us, but it took a while…
Maybe The dog is cranky because it hasn’t moved for a while.
Take him out and run him stupid till he is rooted, and repeat for a few days.
Wish people would stop with the pack nonsense.
OP, it’s been a couple weeks now - has the little guy eased up a bit?
I also have a blue heeler.
OP has been mauled.
obedience school