Dear Journal...

Cooper the Australian Shepherd

Today at work I ran into an Australian Shepherd puppy. I asked the couple if they had taken him to Downtown Hampton for this past Saturday bloc party. Come to find out, it was the same puppy I had seen the other night when I had brought Sammy to the bloc party for the first time. The puppy, who’s name is Cooper, was adorable. They said Cooper didn’t do very well in that setting because he tried to nip at some fingers, but I told them that from afar he looked like he was doing great. I asked them about the small behavioral issues they were having, which are common for puppies in general. But having had to deal with a nipping Aussie myself, I thought it would be nice to tell them my dog’s story.

I told them that I wasn’t sure how much research they had done on the breed, but it is in their nature to nip. That’s what the Australian Shepherd, and Australian Cattle Dog have always been bred for. I told them how I handled the issue. Once you understand your dog, and know their ways and how to handle it, you feel completely secure. Your dog knows when you’re comfortable and when you’re not! In my opinion, you need to transfer positive energy to your dog. I explained how Sammy used to target children from several feet away, and acted as if she HAD to go get that kid. I learned how to react in those situations, and how to correct her. It took some time, since I’m a shy individual, but I also had to learn how to let children approach my dog.

Sammy is MY dog. My responsibility. If a child approached her because I was too shy to tell them not to, an accident could happen, and Sammy could be put to sleep for biting. That kid’s parents don’t care if it was a nip, or if it’s the dog’s natural instincts. They also don’t care if their child was the one who ran up and put herself in that position without asking the dog’s owner before approaching. The way I look at it, children will always be running up to pet people’s dogs. You have to learn to stop them and correct them if their parent’s don’t, because your dog’s life could depend on it. 

I’m not saying to keep your dog away from children, or what ever she feels the need to target, but try to have children approach the correct way. It’s a very important training process that is better done sooner than later. Like I’ve said before, you have to nip it in the butt as early as possible.

The couple said that I had made a lot of sense. They asked if I would try to give him a couple of treats, and handed me about five or six pieces of kibble. Apparently Cooper is also very cautious of strangers, which is another common trait of these dogs. Sammy is STILL wary of strangers, and I don’t think she will ever be the kind of dog who happily accepts anyone in her territory without getting to know them over the course of a few days.

Honestly, I never want to train that out of her. The couple said the same thing. They didn’t want to stop Cooper from being cautious, but wanted it to be easier to introduce him to new people. That’s exactly how I feel with Sammy. I like that she is my protector and will bark when strangers are in the yard, or if she hears an unusual sound. It brings me comfort to know that she scouts the house once in awhile to make sure nothing is out of place. But I also wanted it to be easier to introduce her to people out in public, and also in my own house. She usually does very well in public, but if a stranger comes into the house, she will watch them warily and if they make any sudden movements she’ll give a warning bark. If they try to approach me, or “come at me” in any way, she will try to nip their heels because she doesn’t understand that the person may be a friend trying to hug me goodbye. To her, it’s threatening and invasive.

I knelt down sideways in front of Cooper, and spoke softly to him. He wasn’t too sure at first, but came up slowly. I know with Sammy, any sudden movements used to frighten her so I stood still with my palm out, and the kibbles exposed. He was hesitant, but he did reach for the treats. His owners were surprised that he ate them from my hand, because usually he wouldn’t take treats from strangers. I told them that a lot of the time, it’s the way strangers approach dogs. It can be intimidating or frightening to some dogs. I see it all the time at work. People will walk right up to a dog and tower over them, or eyeball them like they are actually trying to freak the dog out.

One time, I saw a woman come into the store with her husband. I was standing at the register, and the dog trainer was standing near the front door of the store with her own dog sitting at her side. When the people came in, her dog extended her nose out to sniff their legs. She was tugged into position and told to leave it. The woman had seen this, and walked in towards the dog who was directly beside her owner’s legs. The woman inched inward into the dog’s space, backed arched, face towering over the dog who lowered her head as well. Basically corning the dog and making her feel very threatened. When the dog trainer tugged her dog away, the woman commented to the dog in a mocking tone, “You’re not supposed to dooo thaat.”

Seriously? The dog was obeying the command she was given, but you can’t expect her to sit still if a total stranger walks up INTO the dog’s space, and tower’s over her threateningly. The dog trainer just gave me a look of annoyance, since we were both thinking the same thing as the woman finally walked away.