subject: Training An Australian Cattle Dog - An Amazing Tactic To Stop Biting [print this page] Training An Australian Cattle Dog - An Amazing Tactic To Stop Biting
Are you ready to start training your Australian Cattle Dog?
If so, I'm somewhat jealous. I've always wanted one of these dogs myself, and unfortunately never had the opportunity to have one.
Australian Cattle Dogs are beautiful, intelligent, and fiercely loyal. However, they can be a bit difficult to train. In this article, I'm going to share a few amazing tips that I think will aid you greatly in training your new Australian Cattle Dog puppy.
Australian Cattle Dog puppies can be very strong willed, and they'll require a good degree of structure and a firm hand for the first 2-3 years of their lives.
If you have the money, I highly recommend a 6-8 week obedience course, as these dogs can be very difficult to handle. I understand the economy isn't the best right now, and so this probably isn't an option for a lot of people, and that's alright.
Some of the behaviors that you can expect from your pup are:
1.Chewing
2.Nipping
3.Digging holes everywhere (deep ones, too)
4.Very agressive tantrums
5.Loud continuous barking (very loud)
Sounds like any other puppy, right? It's true, these are behaviors that are common to all puppies. The difference is that they are much more extreme and pronounced in Australian Cattle Dogs.
In fact, many experts think these dogs may be the hardest to train of all breeds. The reason for this is because these dogs are bred for independence. Even obedience courses have been known to fail.
Now, I don't want you to get scared. The training process is going to be tough, but worth it. Once you've trained your dog fully, you'll have one of the most loving and loyal dogs in the world!
You must keep in mind that Australian Cattle Dogs were and are used for herding cattle. Biting and nipping is in their breeding. Nipping at the heels of cattle is how the dog gets the cattle to move in the right direction.
If left unchecked, this can cause a wide array of problems in adult dogs, the biggest problem being that the owner is going to have some chewed up heels!
Do you want to know how to avoid this problem? I'm sure you do! There's one tactic that you can use that is very effective. Here's what you need to do when your puppy nips you:
Mimic the mother dog!
I know. Sounds crazy, right? As odd as this sounds, this is the most effective way to train your Australian Cattle Dog not to bite. As soon as your puppy nips, mimic the puppy's mother by emitting a loud shriek or yelp. Turn away from the puppy and keep your back to it even if it tries to get in front of you (which it will).
If you do this, you will be sending a clear message to your puppy, and that is: "It's NOT alright to bite me."
If the puppy continues to nip, you'll need to take further action. Again, you will mimic the mother dog. This time, pick the puppy up by the loose skin on the back of it's neck (just as it's mother would), and give it a small, but firm shake. As you are doing this, growl in a threatening tone.
Yes, this may look funny if you are in the presence of others, but it's the absolute most effective way to get your puppy to stop biting. Besides, people will probably understand what you are doing.
There's no doubt that Australian Cattle Dogs are extremely hard to train, but they are extremely special dogs and well worth the effort. The good news is that it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg to train your puppy. That's where Cattle Dog expert Dean Rankin comes in. He's written a fantastic guide that will tell you everything you need to know about training your Australian Cattle Dog.
