Rehabbing an Aggressive Australian Shepherd

I have noticed recently that Decker has been going back and forth about growling. I don't know exactly what is going on in his mind right now. I had the plumber out for a repair, and Decker didn't growl at all. I had the plumber feed Decker treats and a minute later, he was petting him.Two days later, the plumber came over with his wife and a friend, to see all of my animals. That must have been too much at once for Decker. He was totally uncomfortable with having them here. Every time tha …

Mia my new student and her dog came for her second lesson. This would be her dog's fourth lesson ever. I thought that he did real well last week, so I decided to give him a try in the field on his second turn. I worked him in the round pen first and he did reasonably well. Decker followed and did well also.After the two girls out in the sheep field, it was time for Connor to give it a try. Many times Border collies don't do as well in small enclosed areas such as round pens. I thought this …

In the morning I threw the ball for the dogs. I wanted to burn some energy off of them and was short on time this morning, so the ball would due for a while. I used the CHuck-it launcher along with a Chuck-it Ultra balls, for added distance and durability. Since the dogs are so fast, and I am a terrible thrower, I thought I needed the advantage of the Chuck-it thrower. This would also let the dogs run farther, thus getting more exercise.Kate, my eldest Border collie, is a tennis ball popper …

Today we walked around Atascadero Lake again. This time it was a little earlier in the morning and there were more people and dogs walking around it. This was good news for me, I can use this for Decker's training. There were lots of people walking both ways around the lake. This means that there is more opportunity to help Decker. I was able to pass several groups of people while walking, and Decker had to deal with having people behind him. He is very insecure with that. After the secon …

I managed to get in today to get Decker weighed at the veterinarian's office. I get a more accurate weight loss using the same scale. Also, usually veterinarian's scale are quite accurate. I promptly walked in, asked if I could use the scale, then with out hesitation walked Decker right on the scale and told him to sit. He did as he was told. I couldn't believe my eyes, it read 76.3. I took Decker off of the scale, and zeroed it out , then put him back on for a second reading. I wanted to …