So I recently got an Australian Cattle Dog for a pet, a dog I have wanted for a very long time.
I got her at 8 and 1/2 weeks old and the first 4 days went great, she stayed glued to me at all times and walking her was easy as she stayed 1 step behind me. I started training her and it seems as if her attitude has gotten worse, rather than better. I have been following all the tips and advice on establishing myself as the dominant leader.
Sometimes she will come at me with adult dog aggression(which many have said she shouldn't even have at this age). This is not puppy play, or messing around, or a warning. I have seen all these behaviors from her, and this is pure aggression. It is very rare, but she will sometimes do it when I pick her up(which I have to because she often refuses to go down stairs), or she will do it when I have to do a very firm correction(Alpha Rolls etc, as soon as I take her to the ground she challenges me with a fierce growl and tries her best to bite me with full force.
However, I think it is just her nature to be too tough and stubborn for her own good. She absolutely cares not for any corrections. Negative, positive, and forceful, none of them seem to phase her. She absolutely hates going outside because its so hot out, and as soon as I'm outside with her on a leash, she fights it constantly, and none of the tips help, as she never gives me her attention or looks to me for guidance. Inside on a leash she does well, I think she is just overly stressed by the 100 degree weather.
-She will only take a treat if I literally place it in her mouth, which makes it very difficult to guide her behavior by luring her(she really has no interest in food when she is outside).
-Anything like spray bottles, loud noises(tin can w/ items), a firm "NO", a tug on the leash or collar is completely ignored. The dog is absolutely fearless, and anything that would scare her is something that would be big and loud enough to instantly crush her.
-Physical reprimands are met with challenge, however I never allow her to win them, which sometimes gets me bit pretty hard. Sometimes the only way to calm her down is to "alpha roll" her until she concedes. I never have or will strike or swat her, when i say physical reprimands, I refer to the same treatment her mother or litter mates would do.
-Yelling or yiping "OUCH!" only makes her enjoy biting more, since she gets a response out of it, she stopped showing remorse after the first few times she would mouth me, I'm fairly certain she knows she cant actually hurt me that much, and finds the yelling some sort of a game.
While most of these problems aren't really that bad, and aren't even done 100% of the time, I am just concerned they will continue. She trains very well when we are indoors, and it only takes her a few minutes to learn a new command. She knows Stay, Down, Off(stop jumping up on something), Hand Shake, and Roll over on her back, and to Go into her Crate(however this one she will only do with a very high reward treat, anything less she will ignore). Housebreaking is going excellent as well, overall she is doing quite well.
In the end, I am just looking for assurance on her overly aggressive behavior. Everyone who has seen her do it is completely shocked a puppy would act that way.
I got her at 8 and 1/2 weeks old and the first 4 days went great, she stayed glued to me at all times and walking her was easy as she stayed 1 step behind me. I started training her and it seems as if her attitude has gotten worse, rather than better. I have been following all the tips and advice on establishing myself as the dominant leader.
Sometimes she will come at me with adult dog aggression(which many have said she shouldn't even have at this age). This is not puppy play, or messing around, or a warning. I have seen all these behaviors from her, and this is pure aggression. It is very rare, but she will sometimes do it when I pick her up(which I have to because she often refuses to go down stairs), or she will do it when I have to do a very firm correction(Alpha Rolls etc, as soon as I take her to the ground she challenges me with a fierce growl and tries her best to bite me with full force.
However, I think it is just her nature to be too tough and stubborn for her own good. She absolutely cares not for any corrections. Negative, positive, and forceful, none of them seem to phase her. She absolutely hates going outside because its so hot out, and as soon as I'm outside with her on a leash, she fights it constantly, and none of the tips help, as she never gives me her attention or looks to me for guidance. Inside on a leash she does well, I think she is just overly stressed by the 100 degree weather.
-She will only take a treat if I literally place it in her mouth, which makes it very difficult to guide her behavior by luring her(she really has no interest in food when she is outside).
-Anything like spray bottles, loud noises(tin can w/ items), a firm "NO", a tug on the leash or collar is completely ignored. The dog is absolutely fearless, and anything that would scare her is something that would be big and loud enough to instantly crush her.
-Physical reprimands are met with challenge, however I never allow her to win them, which sometimes gets me bit pretty hard. Sometimes the only way to calm her down is to "alpha roll" her until she concedes. I never have or will strike or swat her, when i say physical reprimands, I refer to the same treatment her mother or litter mates would do.
-Yelling or yiping "OUCH!" only makes her enjoy biting more, since she gets a response out of it, she stopped showing remorse after the first few times she would mouth me, I'm fairly certain she knows she cant actually hurt me that much, and finds the yelling some sort of a game.
While most of these problems aren't really that bad, and aren't even done 100% of the time, I am just concerned they will continue. She trains very well when we are indoors, and it only takes her a few minutes to learn a new command. She knows Stay, Down, Off(stop jumping up on something), Hand Shake, and Roll over on her back, and to Go into her Crate(however this one she will only do with a very high reward treat, anything less she will ignore). Housebreaking is going excellent as well, overall she is doing quite well.
In the end, I am just looking for assurance on her overly aggressive behavior. Everyone who has seen her do it is completely shocked a puppy would act that way.