new acd mix puppy

[indygirl]

Hello, I have a few questions about my pup, shes a acd(blue)/aussie shep mix. she is completely blue except a little white on her chest and black on her half-tail... she is around 8 weeks..she cowars if anyone goes near her(except for me)and if someone yells or something is loud she runs to me and hides..she had to sleep in bed with me last night..the first and second night she was on the floor(I have had her three days) she cried till I put her up on the bed. I know the "choosing" one person is typical but how can I get her to like other people.. if anyone else picks her up she stares at the floor stiff as a board.. on a good note, she is potty trained ...and wont potty in the house...AT ALL!!.. any ideas?? Ill post a picture later..she is georgeous.. will she stay all blue? I am thinking she will gain some tan down the legs.. she wont eat her food unless I sit at her side and talk to her, and sometimes she grabs a mouthful and drops it on me to eat..she is a strange one..

[Judith]

First, get her out of your bed. ( I know you want her to feel secure) Give her a place in your room that is hers. Ignore her when she cries. (hard I know)
If she has all her shots get her out and about with as many different folk as you can

Never say soothing things like "it's OK, it's OK" when she is cowering. She will see is as YOU being upset. If she runs to you just push her back out there. She needs to stand on her own 4 paws.

Shy dogs need alot more encouragement than the confident ones.
Tough love baby. It's hard I know but at 8 weeks you can either turn her into a big scared weiny or help her to become more sure of herself.

Search the net for training info on shy dogs. There is way to much to write here All the best with your new baby though

[kolanuraven]

How long have YOU had her? If you've just got her then she's got to gain confidence is where she is.


All things look might big & scary to a 8 wk opld puppy. Be kind....yet firm.

They are SUPER smart as a rule....so don't raise your voice....just be firm and mean what you say.

[indygirl]

I have had her 3 days...shes happy and plays if I am the only one home.. I make her go to other people and praise her.(she knows a praise when she hears one)..she always has her eyes on me..she wont take a treat from anyone except me.. I told everyone else in the house to try and take her out to the potty..so I am not there and she gets used to other people caring for her, so she will gain trust and respect for them..I also have to kneel down before she will leave my side and go to the bathroom.
I don't yell at her, when she chews on other things besides her toys she gets a firm no and i give her, her own toy. the only time she growls/barks is when I tell her to come..she jumps side to side wagging her tail and then waddles over..shes a clown..I hope she gains trust for people beside me..

[Judith]

She will dont worry she is just a baby after all. Typically dogs mirror there owners. ( not always, genetics, proper socialization blah blah blah...) So if your happy she will be too...

[kolanuraven]

Those kind of dogs are known as ' velcro dogs'.

Please know she is YOUR dog....she will prob not take commands from ANYONE else .

The are one person critters PERIOD.

[indygirl]

thats what i figured...I tell everyone in the house, im sorry she chose me.. I wanted an intelligent dog that has alot of energy, I walk alot ,hike, swim , I am always outdoors and wanted a dog to keep up and in my research of the breed she was exctly what I was looking for. I was going to get a border collie but I didnt want to pay $ for a dog..she was free..I don't think you should pay money for a dog if you are going to give it a happy healthy, good home..She will be fixed..no puppies for her. I dont want to but it is in her best interest and most people who adopt dogs dont reasearch the breed and understand it..(its so cute, bring it home, can't control it) goes to the pound, gets pts.. so to the vet she goes asap for that. she was around a child today(around 2 years old) and wasnt as scared as I thought shed be, she let the child touch her and liked the kids fingers.. a step forward..anyways thank you all so much..I will keep you updated on her progress..

[kolanuraven]

As she gets older...she may try to herd any little kids in her area. And shemay ' nip' at their heels to accomplish this. DO NOT SCOLD her for this...this is her job...it's what she knows.


I take in Aussies/ ACD's/Heelers from the pound, vet, dissatisfied owners and re-hab them.

You have to be firm....and YOU MUST BE THE TOP DOG! They are soooo smart they will practically start running the household if you're not careful!!

[IL Rancher]

II'm sure you will be happy with her.. We have a few free dogs here and some are good.. Some are a pain but most are worth mroe than we gave for them.. I will disagree a bit on the dogs should be free. If a breeder puts a lot of time and effort into producing a certain bloodline of dog, be it a working collie or a ACD or a hunting lab they should be paid for their efforts and for quality.. Most folks I know who breed dogs, even pretty good ones, are lucky to break even in the long run..

[indygirl]

I agree with you,In my opinion, a working dog should cost money, they do work..and they work hard.. but as a companion..I dont think someone needs to spend money on an animal..i can understand a price to recoop vet bills..and such. I understand the need for breeders..but than again there are far to many of them..and far to many pups in pounds..this is just my opinion but I think breeders of working dogs should sell there pups as working dogs only.

[tta stockdogs]

Congratulations on the new pup.
There are different times in a pup's life that it has "fear periods" of being shy, scared of everything-even things that it wasnt scared of the week before. 8 weeks is one of those periods. Dont make the pup do anything it seems scared of but also dont coddle it, talk sweet to it either or push it away when it comes to you because of being scared of something. Just kind of ignore it-go about your business. The kneeling down to it before it will go potty-I would stop doing also. Take it out for 5minutes-bring it back in--take back out in 20 minutes or so and do the same routine. It will soon get 'full' enough-it will leave your side and go potty. I wouldnt take it to the vet or try to socialize it of taking it to a lot of new places and meeting new people for another week or so. There is another fear period around 8 to 12 months that may last a couple of weeks or a couple of months. Same basics-dont try to force something on it but ignore it if gets scared of something-act like nothing out of the ordinary is happening. Eventully it will read your body language and say to it self-hey master isnt scared so maybe it isnt so bad after all.
Only my opinion but hope there is something in it that may help you.
Good Luck

[IL Rancher]

For the most part I agree.. MY free dogs are all pound dogs or rescues... 2 were free and one was 50 bucks but that included getting her spayed... Wife worked at a shelter and they gave her one of the dogs as a "gift".. Lol, the gift that keeps on giving, lol...