Cattle Dog Roams and Barks

Hi and thanks for your post. I too have a 6 year old male Australian cattle dog although I have had him from a puppy. As an adult my blue heelers is active but gentle, obedient and loyal. As a puppy however he was aggressive and dominant and this had to be trained out of him. It is obviously much more difficult to train an adult aggressive dog than an aggressive puppy but it can definitely be done. Cattle dogs in particular require a very distinct idea of their position in the pack and it is usually best that that position is at the very bottom even below other dogs in the household. If they are unsure of their position in the pack because they don’t identify anyone as leader, they tend to assume the dominant role themselves. However once they know their position is at the bottom of the pack they are happy to follow instructions and are very loyal.

Following the alpha dog training will definitely help show the dog its position. It is also important to remember the key points of dominance.

In a wild dog pack the dominant pack member controls :
-access to food
-access to favoured sleeping areas
-any interactions with lower pack members
-access to favoured items such as toys

In order to show your dog his position as bottom of the pack you and your whole family can take advantage of these keys points. For example

1) Both dogs must be the last to eat at every meal and should never get treats from the table.

2) They should never walk through doors before you. A good way to practice this is to walk around the house and make them sit at each doorway and wait.

3) If either of your dogs is lying in the hallway or anywhere you have to get past make them move. If you think they will snap leave a lead on them so you can move them whilst maintaining a bit of distance.

4) When you arrive home completely ignore the dogs for 15 minutes. Don't look at them, talk to them or pat them. After this go to them and give them some quiet attention only as long as they are relaxed and calm.

Only interact with the dog on your terms. If your or someone else is petting the dog or playing with it and it becomes aggressive or badly behaved immediately remove your attention from the dog by either removing yourself from the area or moving the dog to another area. You should do this without displaying any emotion such as anger just be a calm but decisive pack leader and the dog will appreciate knowing where it stands. Similarly you can assert your dominance by not allowing access to beds and couches or by only bringing out favourite toys when you want to play and removing them when you are finished.

Making your border collie higher than your cattle dog in the pack can also be achieved using the key principles of dominance, for example feeding the border collie first or allowing it access to beds and couches. This may seem unfair or like favouritism but remember the dog pack is not the same as the human family and non-pack leaders are familiar with such controlled access by their dominant pack mates.

Until your dog has accepted you as pack leader and is responding to obedience training consider running it on an extending lead and collar or head collar (halti). A head collar will increase your control, stop any pulling and help you to prevent any aggressive interactions with other dogs you may encounter while out running. It is important to continue exercising your cattle dog as they are very active and intelligent animals and will respond better to training after exercising and exploring.

I hope this helps and wish you well with your training. Remember for your safety and the safety of others if your dog becomes too aggressive use a muzzle while training or interacting and do not leave the dog alone with others it may attack such as other pets or children. If you have any more questions please feel free to ask.