still researching getting an ACD

[tbarjr]

I really find this Breed appealing and want one SO bad, but also don't want to get in over my head ..(U know ??How they say you should have herding dog experience?)..Also I'd like to ask All the 100% ACD owners (i luv the mixed breads but want to get an accurate feel ,another breed can really change a dogs temperament ) How crazy or high energy is you ACD? How anyhours of exerccise do they need per day?..Can I work 8 hrs a day? And how are they trainable yet stubborn at the same time?? Thanks in advance if you reply

 

[point2point]

@tbarjr Over time they will adjust to your energy. I hope you rescue one instead of going to a breeder if you do decide to get one

 

[osuchrissyosu]

@tbarjr 100% ACD. Lived in an apartment her whole life and adjusted just fine. 2 walks a day and one long scooter ride (she runs along side me around 12 mph for 30 min) once or twice a week. Summer time in Colorado means that we hike once a week. Extremely chill now that she’s older but started off highly dog reactive and aggressive. We’ve come a long way. Easily trainable to do tricks, sit, stay, place, leave it, etc etc, but stubborn when it comes to behavior that she picked up before I got her. I work 10 hour days but my wife comes home before I do so the dogs are alone probably 8 hours a day and she does fine. She prefers to be crated when she’s home without us. Very protective of our space as well as us as her family. Extremely loyal and I trust her with my life.

 

[lyanveness]

@osuchrissyosu How did you work on breaking out of the aggressive behavior or reactivity? We’ve worked with a few behaviorist and our guy has come leaps and bounds, but still if there is a cat or another dog he ignores everything and wants it. Will not listen and darts around the yard along the fence or on walks. He has been getting better the older he gets (about two now. A rescue so it’s a guess) but always open to others ideas!

 

[osuchrissyosu]

@lyanveness Oh man, a lot of time, patience, come to Jesus meetings, you name it. I know many people are against muzzles and prong collars but they were very important for us.

Muzzle was on 90% of the time she wasn’t in the crate when we first moved in together a year ago for the safety of the other dogs in the house. (4 dogs total) Over time we would decrease the time she was in the muzzle and praise if she looked at the other dogs and didn’t react or ignore them. Treats > reaction. We also walked and hiked with a muzzle for a long time. Safety first is my motto and flying teeth are not fun when you’re on the receiving end. Now we can walk and hike without a muzzle on 90% of trails and she’s been completely muzzle free in the house. We still keep a careful eye on her and our 9 month old puppy who likes to push his boundaries still but they can be left alone without me worrying about a dog fight breaking out if I’m not constantly watching them.

With the prong it was quick pop to divert attention away, stern “no” and walking away from the source of aggression. That is a huge thing. I’ve seen a lot of people make a dog sit and it didn’t work for us. She had a lot of pent up energy so walking away though inconvenient sometimes but it got that anxious energy out. That combined with again giving a treat when she looks and doesn’t react has conditioned her to think, “okay if I react I get told no and if I don’t I get a treat”. We did that for years until now she’s at the point where she’ll look at a dog and not lunge or pull. If they come charging at her barking she’ll bark back but it’s nothing like her becoming a helicopter, spinning and pulling and snapping like before.

We live in a dog friendly city so we have lots of opportunities to see other dogs. Ours was used as bait for dog fights and really beat up when we got her so I’m sure she’s on the more extreme end of behavior. If we can do it you definitely can too!

 

[lyanveness]

@osuchrissyosu Wow thank you so much for this fantastic response!! We felt the same way until we met our pup, now we use prong collars and e-collars. It has made a world of difference. He is also on prozac.

I am interested in doing some muzzle training, even though it's been a year since he nipped anyone, it would allow me to socialize him more confidently.

I have been walking him with the prong, but have gotten lazy with the pop. You reminded me to start up again and it has made a huge difference already!! I always walk with a treat pouch too, so using those in conjunction.

We too live in a very dog friendly city (Portland OR) so it was hard to manage for awhile. Especially since we were still in an apartment setting when we first got him. The yard and house has helped. Does yours bark at the window or for visitors? Our barks whenever someone walks by with a dog or the neighborhood outdoor cats walk by and I hate it!

 

[osuchrissyosu]

@lyanveness We tried the anti anxiety medications but it just didn’t suit our lifestyle. At one point everyone in the house was medicated including the dog and it was just something we moved away from for her. She was too sedated and we didn’t want to run her through every anti anxiety out there.

For the prong we make sure it’s fitted the same every time, and for anyone sick of how hard prongs are to take apart we use a buckle attachment combined with using smaller prongs it makes for better contact on pops. That helps immensely. Buckle company is RCD K9 Gear on Etsy.

Muzzle training isn’t too bad at all. Just a treat through the front they stick their nose in and you praise them like god giving rain during a drought. We use the JAFCO muzzle, but the muzzle movement on instagram has peaked our interest too. Basket muzzles like Baskerville couldn’t keep her jaws from closing .

As for visitors. She only barks when someone’s at the door knocking, otherwise it’s not bad at all. When she does bark though, it drives me nuts cause she’ll bark for like two minutes in random intervals and it kinda just startles me.

GOOD NEWS THOUGH, we have been seeing her anxiety go down when she wears PJs. It’s silly because my wife just wanted to put goofy printed Jammies on the dogs to keep them warm outside in the snow but it acts like a thunder shirt and it keeps her from doing any anxiety caused ticks like licking her paws, the pillows, us. It’s a nice bonus. We use tooth and honey pjs cause buy direct or via Amazon.

 

[kycatt007]

@tbarjr Are you active now? Do you spend a lot of time outdoors? Do you hate binge watching TV? Don't plan on changing your life for a dog, plan on finding a dog for your life.

 

[tbarjr]

@kycatt007 Yes I’m active!!!

 

[marie89]

@tbarjr Quirkiest, yet most entertaining dog I’ve ever owned. Very trainable, trains herself in fact. She wants to please, which includes heading to her crate when she sees me pour coffee without me saying a word. I thought she reached dog sanity very quickly from puppy stage.

She’s very much into toys and will entertain herself with a herding ball for hours. I have to take her toys away to give her a break so if you have a part or a cable run, she’ll be fine.

Crate training is key.

 

[kennyseg]

@tbarjr My 100% ACD was my ride-or-die. Got her from a farmer and his wife who’d been breeding Heelers since the year I was born (1985) and she will be unrivaled by any other dog I will ever know.

Full disclosure: I worked at a kennel when I first got her, so she had lots of doggy role models for things like potty training and appropriate social behaviors.

When I transitioned to sort of floating through my mid-20s, we would take long walks (as I spent a lot of this time unemployed) by then, I also had her brother and they had a lovely yard to play in.

Life got busier, I got more lax in actual exercise, and she just sort of went with the flow. When we did do walks, she relished them. But most of all, she was happy in her big yard, playing ball.

All this to say that dogs are different, even when they are a specific breed. I was drawn to the breed after watching over a pup at the kennel I worked at. I knew him for three whole days before I had my heart set on having a Heeler. The next weekend, I brought home Lennon. I am now a Cattle Dog Mom for life.

 

[wstorm]

@tbarjr I hope you rescue one also. My son actually rescued an acd a month ago and was told she was Texas heeler but looked every bit an acd so he dna her and she’s 100 percent acd. She has a lot of energy but she’s still pretty much a pup. I think they start relaxing by 18-24 months

 

[christalbot]

@tbarjr Mine is incredibly high energy. He’s almost 7 and has been the same since he was a baby. Wants to play ball 24 hours a day. Always moving and doing stuff. We play ball before I go to work, he has a dog walker midday, and then we play ball when I return from work. He still wants to play more lol.

 

[odem]

@tbarjr I’m on my third heeler. First lived to 16..she was the bestbdog ever. Alerted that my husband was having seizures after a head injury and was a fierce protector of my baby daughter. Then came Zuri - she was a rescue at 7 months old. She developed a tumor on her pituitary gland and passed at 11 this past April. She was the dog that would chase a ball all day long until she blew out her ACL. now we gave 8 month old Bindi. She is from working stock and can be absolutely crazy. Then the narcolepsy kicks in and she sleeps to recharge. we do formal class training with her - never did with the other two. Bindi never took to a crate, but can be left alone in the house with bedroom doors closed for 8 hours. We have a dog door and fenced back yard so she comes and goes at will. We walk 2 miles a day in the evening after work no matter the weather. She loves a herding ball and going on adventures. She is also great a puzzle toys.

 

[ben901234]

@tbarjr The smartest dogs and absolutely trainable. My ACD loves learning and pleasing. Not a stubborn personality at all. We worked really hard while she was a puppy on commands and crate training.

Endless energy. About the only thing that properly tires my ACD is swimming. She can play fetch till I drop.

They’re Velcro dogs and attach to a main person and if that’s you, personal space is gone and they’ll always be bringing their toys and begging to play.

She’s so intelligent and loving. It’s incredible to have her as my kiddo.

 

[wstorm]

@tbarjr They’re stubborn personality isn’t a big deal. The only thing stubborn she does is cross the street when I tell her not to she just kinda slinks over there and pretends I’m no where around and totally ignores me but comes back around within a minute or calling her sometimes and she acts like you’re not there but those are the only 2 things she does. Mine is half acd and one of the laziest dogs I’ve had. She sleeps or watches squirrels all afternoon and finally around 5 she has her 10 minutes of energy and she’s done for the day