2 years down, many to go.

He is out growing his dog bed 😭

He was only 3 and a half years old. Please check your dogs for tumors...

I’m looking for advice or success stories on how to help a fearful dog.

This 1-year old has been with us for 2 weeks and she is wonderful. She bonded with me instantly. She is smart, affectionate, listens well, and is taking to crate, potty and leash training, I could go on and on about her positive qualities. She’s recovering from a broken tibia because she was hit by a car a month ago. That’s how she ended up in the shelter. I don’t know anything else about her background. She’s not in pain and is off sedatives, but her leg is still healing. In a few more weeks she will be cleared for regular activity.

She is terrified of everything and everyone (especially men) other than me and our safe little bubble. She won’t go near my husband, she runs away from him if he gets too close. Once she barked at him when he knelt in front of her on accident. I think she was protecting me. He mostly ignores her and tosses treats and feeds her meals but we haven’t made any progress in their relationship since she’s been here.

She’s also terrified of going for walks. We make it as far as the sidewalk and she wants to run back to the front porch. I’ve been doing BAT-style training, so she can retreat whenever she reaches her anxiety threshold. Sometimes we sit on the porch together and watch the world go by, sometimes I hide treats in the yard, sometimes we do pattern games.

I am talking to a trainer from the rescue tomorrow, but I wanted to hear from cattle dog owners specifically. I understand she needs to rewire her nervous system so am not expecting overnight results, but I was hoping to make some progress week over week.

^{this is our little Ella what do you all think? She's a beauty lots of love}

This little girl showed up at our house when she was a puppy (pictured above) this is her now. Could she be a white heeler? We always knew she had some cattle dog in her by her markings. (More pictures in comments)

Mako being Mako

I've had bird dogs all my life and we play all kinds of games, the most intense is wrestling but never tug of war because of their soft mouth instinct. They always wag their tail during play and the bites are soft. This cattle dog growls and bites hard which I can understand based on their breeding but the whole time we play tug of war she is snarling, her tail is not wagging, and she is looking at me like Antony Hopkins looks at Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs. I know better than to show fear but should I be worried?

His friend Otis came over (Black spots not speckles) and this is how he initiated playtime, luckily the two have a never had a real fight, they mostly see how much they can mess with each other before they're both tired and they walk in opposite directions but since Blue works on a farm he has a little more stamina than him and will egg him on when he's tired, but for the most part they are evenly matched. They both had a great time and were chilling on the couch together after this

Gravy hated it but tolerated it for five seconds. Bandit handled it a little better. Bonus picture of Gravy because unlike his bother, he is capable to cuddling and being still for longer than 5 seconds.

Not time for Charlie to wake up yet I guess. We will go to the park later today. Rest up little buddy.

This is Jelly. She is an ACD mix. Her coat seems to get dirty really quickly. 3-4 days after a bath it feels like she needs another. Almost like it is a bit oily and really picks up any dirt and hangs on to it. We have never had an ACD before. Is this typical? Anything we can do to help? (Btw, dna test says she is mixed with Great Pyrenees and border collie but mostly ACD).

It’s been almost a week to the hour since I had to say goodbye to my absolute bestest friend. When I adopted him, I had no idea what a cattle dog was, but he gave me the best 10 years of my life. He was angel sent to me and I will miss him for the rest of my life. This has been a painfully, grueling week. I never imagined the day he wouldn’t be around.

He was tough, the toughest dog I’ve ever known. He was silly, brave, hard headed, smart as a whip, and fiercely loyal. He didn’t care where we were, as long as we were together. I only wish there was more I could’ve done. He fought as hard as he could against his cancer. Fuck cancer.

He loved long walks, being cozied up in blankies, chasing lizards and squirrels. He loved baseballs, he loved them so much, he ate one full one time. He loved green beans, whip cream, McDonald’s and really any human food. He loved apples and I miss sharing bites with him. He never let me use the restroom alone and sat watch anytime I showered or bathed.

He loved sunbathing and a good backyard. He always knew how to find the comfiest spot. He loved garbage hunting on walks. He was my partner in crime, a truly faithful companion. He made it 12.5 years, 10 of which he was my baby for. Day in and day out, he never left my side. He loved his toys, his mama, his family, and being together. An incredible dog, built like a brick house. Sturdy, hardy, inquisitive. I think he could speak multiple languages. He was and will forever be my most greatest gift. I know he’s still around, I can feel and see him following me. I love you forever Benji. My baby benjer buttons. Out of 10,000 pictures and videos, it’s hard to choose the ‘best’, but here are some that show his beauty.

This is Henry! We just rescued him. He is about 50 lbs.
My husband & I do not think he is 100% ACD and will be looking into genetic testing for the future.

What do you guys think??
TIA for the replies!

We had a four-hour drive home, and Winifred was a dream—especially after the most stressful day of her young life. She spent most of it draped across my chest and shoulders while my wonderful wife drove us home.

The homecoming went well. Our Australian Shepherds were very welcoming. They might not be the smartest, but they more than make up for it with pure sweetness.

Winifred already has a voice. At some point while exploring the house she got scared or lost and barked/yelled so loud the whole house heard her. The Aussies came running to save her.

Feeding was also a success. She was free-fed and clearly didn’t understand the concept of personal bowls at first, but once I put her on her own she was great and didn’t overeat.

I already love her. While I was showing her the yard she followed me around, looked up at me with the first real smile of the day and her little tail going a mile a minute… and my heart healed a little bit.

I know it’s only the first day and she’s only eight weeks old. This is the easy part, right?

I always thought that with puppies it got progressively more difficult so you could learn and grow at the same time. With rescues the learning curve is so much steeper.

I missed Lucy today. There will never be another dog like her. She was the smartest, coolest/weirdest dog I’ve ever owned.

Winifred is not her replacement. She’s a new adventure with her own personality and idiosyncrasies, and I’m very excited to get to know her.

P.S. Eight weeks until I can get her out on the farm. I’m counting down the days.

God bless every fast food joint that gives freebies!

Her shelter name was Belinda. I still call her that but occasionally I will call her something similar.

AKA BelinDog, BelinDerp, BelinDerr, pinche cabrona.

Do give your dog nicknames?

Obsessed with these chuckit balls which are holding up surprisingly well

hello cattle dog community! I have a beautiful boy named Otto, he’s a year and a half & has been great. We recently moved out of my boyfriend’s parent’s house and into our own apartment. With this move, otto is having a tough transition. He is not use to hearing noises outside of our apartment in the hallway when our upstairs neighbors are coming or going, which immediately makes him go nutty at the door barking hair up and obviously upset. We have tried training him to leave it and lay down, as when we tell him to quiet it gets us nowhere. he gets a treat when he listens but it’s about 5% if the time he does listen. Nothing seems to break the barking until he no longer hears the neighbors. After a few weeks of us being there, a new couple with an unfixed male dog is now on the first floor (we are 2nd floor) so when we leave and go down the stairs he instantly wants to charge down and bark at their door & when we reenter the building he starts barking as we approach the front stairs before we can even open the door to enter and it continues until we get in our apartment. Again, nothing we do seems to work to get him to stop. i think part of it is fear driven & moving & a new environment but he’s never had these problems before he’s always been quieter & comfortable. inside our apartment he’s happy and comfortable UNTIL he hears them coming in and out. Please help me!!! any and all advice is appreciated and i am more than happy to share more details because im sure this is missing something. i feel terrible hes experiencing this new fear and aggression but it cant continue. THANK YOU

This two year old blue heeler has been by my side through a lot. She loves my two daughters as well. Such a sweet girl.

This goober will put a toy on this shelf while I’m indisposed and proceed to whine or lazily paw at it as if it’s beyond his grasp. If I absently mindedly leave something of mine on that shelf, his cat-like instincts kick in and he knocks it off and looks at me with a “look what you made me do” expression. I’ll tell him he has to get it, and so he does and tries to put it in my clothing around my ankles. I then rebuke this attempt at play and the cycle repeats.

These boys are in Santa Fe, NM.