Need advice please. 1 year old Red Heeler with agressive behavior

[christopherdombrowski]

First let me tell you a little bit about Loki.

We bought him from a ACD breeder last August and my wife and I just love the thing to pieces. He bugs are cat (Sadie) a bit much, but they get along great. He loves playing fetch, he loves to go on walks, he loves to play tug-o-war, he loves his cuddle time when he's exhausted. All-in-all, he's a fantastic dog and a wonderful addition to our family.

Since his 6-7 month age mark, he has all of a sudden been very aggressive towards other dogs and humans. We've tried working with him on it with help from our dog trainer and while he does good at times, he seems to have a bad encounter more often then we'd like.

After today's event while I was at work, my wife was an emotional mess and said she wanted the dog out of the house. Now I know that is the emotion talking, but I wanted to seek some help from other ACD owners who have maybe gone through simular experiences and things you have done to help curb this behavior.

Appreciate all who take the time to read this and help with any advice. Thank you.

 

[jaydo]

@christopherdombrowski Get your dog more active, walks, playing ball outside etc,. Gotta wear them out everyday. Also, most heelers are one family dogs and are very protective. Some are just not social with ‘others’ that are not in their pack. They also need a very firm hand and need to learn to tolerate ‘others’ when you choose to interact. They are great dogs and very smart but are not for everybody. This is one of the reasons that I hate to see them become a popular dog. Also, he should get neutered if he’s not already. The red we have now could never be taken to a dog park as he is just to aggressive toward other dogs. Knowing this, we plan around his limitations and will continue to do so until he is no longer alive. He is that special to us. We’ve only had cattle dogs for the past 30-odd years and could never consider any other type of dog. They are very special!

 

[differentviews]

@jaydo Every time someone sees us out in public and compliments my dog’s manners or how beautiful he is, I tell them: Thank you! He is beautiful! He will also literally eat your drywall and destroy your house. He’s calm because I worked him into the ground this morning. I tell you what! Hahha

I have nightmares about seeing ACDs show up all over my neighborhood killing cats and jumping fences because someone thinks they are calm/cool and just sticks them out in their backyard.

And then I feel like a bad person for gatekeeping...sigh.

They’re amazing dogs.