Any puppy tips? (border collie, how much, shepherd, shepherds)
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I got an 8 week mini Australian shepherd. I haven't raised a puppy in years so it's pretty much all new to me. I can't take the puppy out to walk yet but I have been carrying her around to socialize her and she growled at a kid today which was surprising as my other dog as a puppy didn't bark until 3. She is totally okay with adults petting her and older kids petting her but I was surprised at her outburst today. I was holding her while he petted her so I don't know if that makes any difference.
I also took her to my parents' house with a yard so that she can actually play outside instead of being cooped up indoors. Also, she is very energetic and when she is awake, she runs around the apartment biting on everything, running back and forth, jumping, eating and drinking and just being active. She has more than enough toys and teething toys too. I also take her out in a bag multiple times when my other dog goes for potty breaks. So, I felt like she was exercised enough and she wasn't bored but last night, she wouldn't sleep and was running around at 1 in the morning. Any ideas how to exercise her more indoors? I will take her more often to my parents' backyard since I live in an apt with a lot of dogs. But in some ways, I feel like she should be sleeping more as I heard puppies sleep a lot but she sleeps in short spans then is ball of energy when she is awake.
I tried to crate her at night as she wouldn't sleep but she was barking really loudly and whining like she was being tortured. Since I live in an apt, I had to let her out. I hope it goes smoothly tonight but I took my other dog to my parents' house so that she can rest. The puppy does take cues from my other dog so it should be okay with the two of them once the puppy lets us sleep.
Australian shepherds, mini or not, need way, way, way more exercise than most dogs. If you've ever heard of how much exercise a Border Collie needs, then you will understand how much exercise your pup needs, and will need for the rest of her life.
If you don't always have the room to let her run around because of where you live, you can get some mind stimulating games for her, (or create some of your own). These are smart dogs, ridiculously smart, and need a lot of stimulation. Definitely take her more to the parents' house, that's a great idea. Has she not had her vaccinations, is that why you can't take her on walks?
Growling is a warning, and is far better than a nip or bite without any warning, but she will need to be trained on what is acceptable behavior and what is not, right from the start. When mine growled, (warning growl, not playful), that was the end of whatever they were doing. I didn't scold them for the growling, we simply ended whatever it was that we were doing. "Oh you're getting an attitude? Fine, we're done" and back home they went. BUT, your breed can be shy with strangers, and can be territorial, so you will benefit from training from someone who understands the breed. (That would mean: Not those stupid classes at PetCo, an actual real trainer.)
The crate training....boy, I remember those days. God they were horrid. One pup took to it alright, didn't complain much, few whimpers and then accepted his "fate". The girl? I swear, this little punk dog embarrassed the hell out of me. Thankfully I had understanding neighbors. I had informed them all, in advance, that I would be crate training my pups, and that I expected some protests, and hoped that the neighbors would be understanding while we went through it, please be patient for a week?
I had no idea just how loudly the girl would scream about being in the crate. You would think that I was severing a limb the way that she carried on. FOR HOURS! Oh she was cute, she was hilarious, she was smart, she was amazing, but during those hours of screaming at the top of her lungs like a banshee, and thrashing about? I did not like her at! all! Man I fricken disliked her those nights.
Being in an apartment building is rough, because you're much closer to neighbors, and they aren't going to be as understanding as someone who has a yard between you as well as insulated walls. Might I suggest you work on the training in the crate during the day time? Do it for small increments at a time. Start off with a half an hour, let her out, take her out to the bathroom, (do this every time you let her out), then let her back inside to play with you. After about a couple of hours, repeat. Start on one of your days off. If you're off two days in a row, start early on your first day off, (after warning neighbors what will be coming...and hopefully they are understanding), do it all day long both days. Do not let in, do not look at her, do not speak to her, do not acknowledge her baloney no matter how loud it gets. If you give her any kind of attention when she's doing that, it will make your training take 10 times longer. It is a true torturous test of patience for you, and you may want to give in just to shut her up...but don't do it.
Also, you want to put things in the crate that she likes. Put a toy, a shirt (that you don't care about anymore) with your scent on it, a few treats to coax her in, etc. Make the crate a "good place" to go, not what they consider a torture chamber...because that's what they act like. Drama queens.
Don't forget that every single time she comes out of the crate, the very first thing that you do is leash her up, take her out, and have her go to the bathroom. Absolutely nothing else comes before that. And nothing else comes after it until she goes to the bathroom. Every time she piddles outside, throw her a ticker tape parade. Make it ridiculous. Act like she cured cancer. Also, don't forget to use your command word(s) for going to the bathroom when she's doing it.
Mine is "hurry up"...because that's how I roll.
So for example, you take punk pup outdoors after releasing from the crate. Take her straight to where you want her to use the bathroom, no dawdling, no sniffing flowers, her spot to use the "facilities". Stand there. Wait. (Another huge test with patience.) When she starts piddling, you say your command. In my case, when she starts piddling, I would say, "Hurry up". When she's done, I throw her the biggest party. I sing her stupid songs. I dance with her. I act like she just told me that she is a lottery dog and is about to deposit $40 million out of her mouth....that's the kind of praising you want to do when potty training.
Then, take her back upstairs, and spend some good time with her, playing around. Build your bond. Build the respect. Build the trust. Remember to be fair. She doesn't speak English, and she doesn't know what you're saying, so in the beginning stages, there's a lot of redirection that will be going on. Only when you are 100% positive, zero doubt at all that she knows what you're asking her to do can you "discipline". (People hate that word because some people think it means worse than what it actually means. There is such a thing as negative reinforcement as well, and it has nothing to do with harming your dog.) "No" and a time out is a form of discipline, but again, that's when you know for a fact that she does know what you want her to do.
Also, have a little bit of understanding with this breed. This breed can form a very strong bond with their owner, and at times, because of that bond, may have separation anxiety when you are not around. So it's not a bad idea to have the crate in the same room as you will be in. If you're trying to get her to sleep in the crate at night so as not to destroy the house while you sleep, keep the crate in your room.
She's definitely going to need an outlet to run. These types of dogs are unbelievably high energy. As soon as she gets all of her vaccinations and is "legal", take her out with you as often as possible.
I would like to add something in here that I learned the hard way. I want to spare you any agony that I, or my boy dog, has gone through because I was not aware at the time. My dogs are part Border Collie, and BCs and Aussies have some of the same temperaments. So please learn the proper way to introduce other dogs, other animals, even people, to your dog. Most especially learn how to properly introduce your dog to another dog. Not all dogs are easy enough to waltz right on up to any old dog that they see and fall in love immediately...especially these breeds. Please learn proper introduction.
I can tell you that it means you do not allow any stranger dog to come bounding up to you and your dog. I can tell you it doesn't mean you let your dog and a new dog out to play in the back yard and get to know each other that way. I can tell you if your dog growls, end it right there. But before you introduce your dog to another, you need to have already established a bond with trust and respect. Your dog must trust you. Your dog must respect you. THEN you can start on introducing to other dogs. Again, Aussies and BCs are not like other dogs.
What if you don't? You may get lucky. My dogs are brother and sister. The girl thinks the entire world is a play ground and everyone and thing in it is there to see her, and she eats that up. The boy, on the other hand, thinks the entire world is a play ground, and everyone in it is there to see him, but other dogs? Are you kidding him? OTHER DOGS? NO! Absolutely not! To the point that we cannot go on a walk that is completely and totally relaxed. I am always on watch for another dog...and I've lived in areas where the locals don't seem to think that there's a need to have their dogs under their control at all times. To the point that I will walk the neighborhood first, then take him out. To the point that I can never trust him alone with another dog, except his sister, ever. And that was because I did not understand the breed, and I didn't understand how to introduce my dog to everything else, properly. One bad meeting with a single dog destroyed so much. It's been 4 years, and we still work on it, daily. So heed that warning because you have a breed that can be shy and territorial.
The good news is, your dog is so crazy smart, she's going to pick things up fast, and you're going to think, "I must be the Dog Whisperer!" She is going to make you look good. She can also embarrass the snot out of you because she's smart...and if she turns out anything like my girl? She will play it UP when she sees other people. She will pull out every single fake injury, fake shivering, fake illness, fake fatigue, fake confusion, anything she can fake, she's going to do it for attention. Because she's a jerk punk princess dog. And she puts on quite the show when she sees strangers. Why? To get their attention. Because she is that smart, she knows she'll get it...either from them, "Awwwwwwwww, poor puppy" (which makes me give sideways glances to the girl, and she'll...I swear to God I'm not making this up...look up at me very quickly under her lashes to see if I'm giving her that look because she's LYING THROUGH HER TEETH) or from me when I pick her up to remove her from the situation or area or scenario. Do not be surprised if your girl starts pulling similar stunts.
So yes, she's going to be smart, training will be easy, the basic mind games will be solved in short order making you shake your head at the thought that you just spent $20 on the stupid thing, now you have to spend more for more involved games, which she will also figure out quickly, but she will also be smart enough to manipulate you...so know that going in. I could fill an entire book and sell it, become a millionaire, with nothing more than all of the manipulative stunts that my girl dog has pulled. She's only 5. I would have sequels. "My Dog is Full of It" parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7....
Expect that. Expect it like you expect the sun to come up tomorrow.
To crate train make it "his place". Take the door off or prop it open during the day. Put a towel in the bottom & a chewstick. Feed your pup in the crate for a week or so...until he gets hang of it. I tend to crate young dogs at night & for trips to the vet. Once your pup gets the hang of crate, take him for short car trips in it.
I have a couple of four month old pups & when I call them in at night, they run straight in the door and into their crates.
Has she not had her vaccinations, is that why you can't take her on walks?
She only had her first round of shots and won't be fully vaccinated until 16 weeks.
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Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
Growling is a warning, and is far better than a nip or bite without any warning, but she will need to be trained on what is acceptable behavior and what is not, right from the start. When mine growled, (warning growl, not playful), that was the end of whatever they were doing. I didn't scold them for the growling, we simply ended whatever it was that we were doing. "Oh you're getting an attitude? Fine, we're done" and back home they went. BUT, your breed can be shy with strangers, and can be territorial, so you will benefit from training from someone who understands the breed.
She took me back by surprise. I didn't know puppies could growl like that. I wanted to stop but the little boy still wanted to pet her.
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Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
I had no idea just how loudly the girl would scream about being in the crate. You would think that I was severing a limb the way that she carried on. FOR HOURS! Oh she was cute, she was hilarious, she was smart, she was amazing, but during those hours of screaming at the top of her lungs like a banshee, and thrashing about? I did not like her at! all! Man I fricken disliked her those nights.
It was shocking the sounds that came out from a tiny body. I wanted to crate train her today but it's Sunday so I knew more people were going to be home so better chance of someone calling the cops on me. She is so smart. She is already peeing on the puppy pads when we are in the living room. She is not so good with the puppy pads in the bedroom.
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Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
Also, you want to put things in the crate that she likes. Put a toy, a shirt (that you don't care about anymore) with your scent on it, a few treats to coax her in, etc. Make the crate a "good place" to go, not what they consider a torture chamber...because that's what they act like. Drama queens.
She already likes the crate but just hates being locked in it. She will play in the crate and as soon as I lock her in there, she will know and starts her whining. When I started vacuuming, she was hiding in there so I made sure that the vacuum didn't get close to her crate.
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Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
Every time she piddles outside, throw her a ticker tape parade. Make it ridiculous. Act like she cured cancer.
She LOVES getting praise which is super weird for me because my other dog could care less about praises unless it comes with food at the end of it.
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Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
Then, take her back upstairs, and spend some good time with her, playing around. Build your bond. Build the respect. Build the trust. Remember to be fair. She doesn't speak English, and she doesn't know what you're saying, so in the beginning stages, there's a lot of redirection that will be going on. Only when you are 100% positive, zero doubt at all that she knows what you're asking her to do can you "discipline". (People hate that word because some people think it means worse than what it actually means. There is such a thing as negative reinforcement as well, and it has nothing to do with harming your dog.) "No" and a time out is a form of discipline, but again, that's when you know for a fact that she does know what you want her to do.
She already bonded with me which was another surprise. My mom took her to another room to leave me and my other dog some time to spend. The whole time she was whining to come back to the room where I was at but when I took her to another room she was fine and was exploring.
Can you recommend a good form of discipline? Although she is bonded to me, she does not respect me as she does not listen to my disciplinary words. She kept trying to chew on the carpet so I said "leave it" and removed her from that spot but she comes back again and again to do the same thing like a charging bull. Then she barked at me because she was not getting her way.
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Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
Also, have a little bit of understanding with this breed.
I feel like you have been here with me for the past 2 days.
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Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
She's definitely going to need an outlet to run. These types of dogs are unbelievably high energy. As soon as she gets all of her vaccinations and is "legal", take her out with you as often as possible.
There are 2 dog parks here and there are some play ground equipment things in there too which I never took the time to look at but I am very interested now.
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Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
Please learn proper introduction.
I was planning to take her to puppy class at Petsmart not to teach her obedience but just to socialize her with the other puppies. Is this a good idea? I didn't take my other dog to puppy class because I knew my dog was smart so she was easy to teach. I regretted that because my dog does not want to play with other dogs and thinks she is part human. I thought that had I introduced her as a puppy to other puppies she would have learned and wanted to play with other dogs.
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Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
But before you introduce your dog to another, you need to have already established a bond with trust and respect. Your dog must trust you. Your dog must respect you. THEN you can start on introducing to other dogs. Again, Aussies and BCs are not like other dogs.
You are totally right. She is not like other dogs. I don't even know how to describe her to my friends. I just say she is different from my other dog and she is energetic.
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Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
The girl thinks the entire world is a play ground and everyone and thing in it is there to see her, and she eats that up. One bad meeting with a single dog destroyed so much. It's been 4 years, and we still work on it, daily. So heed that warning because you have a breed that can be shy and territorial.
She has been good to my other dog (showing her belly and moving away if my dog is annoyed) so I am hoping that she continues this. Because of her vaccination situation, she has not been introduced to other dogs.
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Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
The good news is, your dog is so crazy smart, she's going to pick things up fast, and you're going to think, "I must be the Dog Whisperer!" She is going to make you look good. She can also embarrass the snot out of you because she's smart...and if she turns out anything like my girl? She will play it UP when she sees other people. She will pull out every single fake injury, fake shivering, fake illness, fake fatigue, fake confusion, anything she can fake, she's going to do it for attention. Because she's a jerk punk princess dog. And she puts on quite the show when she sees strangers. Why? To get their attention. Because she is that smart, she knows she'll get it...either from them, "Awwwwwwwww, poor puppy" (which makes me give sideways glances to the girl, and she'll...I swear to God I'm not making this up...look up at me very quickly under her lashes to see if I'm giving her that look because she's LYING THROUGH HER TEETH) or from me when I pick her up to remove her from the situation or area or scenario. Do not be surprised if your girl starts pulling similar stunts.
How do you deal with all of that? It kind of scares me now. Lol. She is very smart in such a different way. My other dog is very smart too but she is gentle and gets sad and gives up if she does not get her way. For example, she will ask for more food and then I say "no more" and she gets sad and goes back to her spot. This puppy is so smart that she won't give up and fights until she gets her own way. She already knows where the food is and tried to jump to get her own food. I had to move it to the top of the refrigerator. People who spent at least 5 minutes with her all tell me that she is bright and not ordinary - that she is something else.
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Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow
I could fill an entire book and sell it, become a millionaire, with nothing more than all of the manipulative stunts that my girl dog has pulled. She's only 5. I would have sequels. "My Dog is Full of It" parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7....
I need a copy of your book asap. Thank you for your help. I'm glad that someone can relate with me to this new experience.
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Originally Posted by historyfan
I raise border collies on a ranch.
To crate train make it "his place". Take the door off or prop it open during the day. Put a towel in the bottom & a chewstick. Feed your pup in the crate for a week or so...until he gets hang of it. I tend to crate young dogs at night & for trips to the vet. Once your pup gets the hang of crate, take him for short car trips in it.
I have a couple of four month old pups & when I call them in at night, they run straight in the door and into their crates.
Thank you for your reply. She likes the large crate but she will know when I close the door and that is when she starts whining. She loved her crate yesterday but she liked it less today after I tried to lock her in yesterday night.
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Originally Posted by ansible90
I'm so jealous! I would have loved to get a Mini Aussie, but I'm not young enough or athletic enough to keep up with one.
Your new pup is beautiful!
Thank you! I have a feeling that I will be losing weight soon.
Three wolves has given you a lot of great advice. Having raised a very very smart high energy dog, my late Jazz I understand what you are dealing with.While Jazz slept in a crate by my bed from day one and was quiet at night, as a puppy when I crated her to go out she had a fit.A good friend ws visiting and the two of us stood outside and listened to her cry and scream and heard the crate banging around but Because I did not go back in she settled and realized acting like that would not buy her freedom so after that she was great about the crate and after I could trust her the door was removed and it was her safe place where she went to nap or relax in.
With Jazz I did not dare give into any thing as she was fast to realize she could control people so it was important for her to know she could not control me.
She was a very difficult pupy because she was too smart and learned things too fast so I had to be careful as while it was great for things I wanted to teach her she could also learn stuff I really did not plan to teach her.She also was non stop and into everything, she was a border collie x cattle dog and nothing escaped her eyes..
I will be very honest there were days I really did not like the puppy and days I was in no hurry to get home fro work to see what fun games she had come up with while I was out.I work 3 nights a week and they are 12 hr shifts so rather then crate her I puppy proofed my downstairs,often to come home and find out it still needed more pupy proofing. She did have a dog door to go out to a small covered expen to relieve herself and house trained to that her first 2 days.I am Lucky she never did much damage but rather did things like unload all the pans in the lower kitchen cabinets,take down all the books on lower shelves etc.
I remained sane by telling myself she will not be a puppy forever and sadly our 14.5 yrs together passed much to fast.She was my once in a lifetime dog and I know I will never have another one like her.
Mental stimulation is the key to wearing dogs like her out as she could run all day and still be ready for more action but When she got proper mental stimulation she would get tired and relax. I taught her tons of tricks and all the obedience commands and would drill her when we walked, when we played fetch etc. I would give a command when she would do it I would toss the ball and often stop her half way to it and make her do something else.She loved it and actuary was bored when people would just throw a ball.
She loved to Invent games.As puppy she had a buster cube that would give her treats as she pushed it around,well she took the concept and started tossing some of her toys in an empty box that was on the floor,then would toss the box or even just shake it and watch the toys fly out only to go collect them and put them back in the box. I always made sure she had an empty cardboard box!
So my advice is during these days of l little outside adventure teach her tricks and obedience commands as that will give her mental stimulation and if you do take a puppy class she will be the Rockstar of the class.Just hang in there as it does get better.
Can you recommend a good form of discipline? Although she is bonded to me, she does not respect me as she does not listen to my disciplinary words. She kept trying to chew on the carpet so I said "leave it" and removed her from that spot but she comes back again and again to do the same thing like a charging bull. Then she barked at me because she was not getting her way.
As I sit here dealing with my own little brat, I thought I should tell you that it will never end. These types of dogs, if you give them even a smidgen of a millimeter of room, they are going to run, fast, with it. It's never going to end.
Now then, right now, it's redirecting. She doesn't speak your language yet, you can't discipline yet. It's not fair to her. If she's chewing on your carpet, completely ignoring your commands, chances are she doesn't actually know those commands 100%. You said she was 8 weeks old, she probably doesn't. So, redirect, redirect, redirect. You still tell her to leave it, but have in hand something else so that you can immediately redirect her attention. Whatever you have in hand better be far more interesting than that carpet, so choose wisely.
Just thought of this: How about a pen? Can you fit one somewhere in your apartment? Doesn't have to be huge, but maybe she'll take to a pen better right now than the crate.
Oh and the barking thing? Yeah. How about this one? I feed my pets raw, so the hoodlums (that's what I call the dogs) are sent outside to conduct their business and stretch their legs a bit while I'm inside cutting up meat and organs and things. Punk Princess will go to the door, sit on the steps, and bark. At the door. It's her way of telling me that she thinks I'm taking too long. On one hand, it's kind of funny, but there is no. way. I'm letting her know that. Even if I'm about to grab the doorknob to walk outside with their dinner, if she barks at that door, I stand back and wait a few minutes, because you cannot let them have any victory in this area.
As your pup learns and grows these next weeks and months, you really, really want to work on the trust and the respect. You want your dog to respect you because your dog WANTS to respect you, not because you want your dog to do it...these dogs, that doesn't fly. They have to want to respect you. So make it so that she wants to respect you. Don't put up with her little baloney, I don't care how cute it is, don't give in, don't ever raise your voice - always use a low, quieter voice, they can hear you just fine, and you know what? If you take your dog out, and she growls at a kid, don't let the kid touch the dog.
Your dog needs to know that you have her back, and if she's growling, it means she doesn't want that person, cat, dog, or whatever near her. So don't make her endure it. Your dog needs to know that you will protect her, even if it make no sense to you.
It's like when you were a little kid, and every time Aunt Edna came over, you knew you were going to get that horrible stifling hug, the pinch on the cheek, the wet kiss on the cheek that left lipstick residue, which she would promptly wipe off after making a joke about it, then wetting her thumb and sticking THAT on your face? And the whole family laughed!
Don't make your dog deal with the Aunt Edna's of the world. Just because she's little and cute doesn't mean that everyone has the right to touch her, does not mean that everyone should have access to her. If she doesn't want it, don't make force her to sit there and take it. If someone wants to meet the dog, they should stand back, you put the pup down, and if the pup decides to go TO THEM, then it's okay, but if she decides not to, then don't make her. (This does not apply to you - you are the one who invites her in to your space, she doesn't get to just waltz in to your space whenever she feels like it. The space is an imaginary circle around you...a border if you will. That is your space, not hers, and you will decide if she's allowed in it when you call her to you, she does not get to just BE in it because she thinks that's where she should be.)
Once your dog trusts you and respects you, the need for discipline won't be very often at all. Having said that, SHE WILL TEST YOU. Especially at younger ages, she is going to test you so many times you're going to ask why on earth were dogs ever created because it seems, sometimes, like the only reason is to torment us. It's been said on here before, it bears repeating: Puppies are a....holes. Intelligent puppies are bigger arse holes. There's just no other way to put it.
Also remember: You'll notice it start to get better, and then, suddenly, it will get even worse than it was when it started. When you see that, don't get frustrated, don't give up...it's the last big test before they decide to go along with what you've said. It's a sign that you're about to win. And yes, win is exactly what it is. Anyone who says it's not "winning" has never had a dog like these types. It's a dang win, you take it, get yourself an engraved trophy because you are going to earn it.
Then, things will be smooth for awhile, you'll be keeping up your end of not giving even a hint of an inch, and your pup will be watching for it. You can do it right all day, every day, for an entire year and then one day? For no reason at all other than to be a giant arse, your pooch is going to test you again. I do promise you that it does get better. It won't ever end, but it does get better. A little bit.
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How do you deal with all of that? It kind of scares me now. Lol. She is very smart in such a different way. My other dog is very smart too but she is gentle and gets sad and gives up if she does not get her way. For example, she will ask for more food and then I say "no more" and she gets sad and goes back to her spot. This puppy is so smart that she won't give up and fights until she gets her own way. She already knows where the food is and tried to jump to get her own food. I had to move it to the top of the refrigerator. People who spent at least 5 minutes with her all tell me that she is bright and not ordinary - that she is something else.
I need a copy of your book asap. Thank you for your help. I'm glad that someone can relate with me to this new experience.
Here's some highlights:
The day that she dug out under the fence and slipped through a hole that wasn't even big enough for a housecat, (she's 26 pounds), and was picked up by the police. I went to get her, after I had been driving all over the neighborhood, worried that I'd never see her again. Get to the police...she had manipulated them SO HARD...do you know where she was when I got there? No, not in a cage. She was in the room, the one that you see when you enter the lobby, and they sit at a desk behind bullet proof glass...that room? You know the one? Yeah, she was in there, playing with them. When I arrived, she raced to each one of them to tell them 'good bye'. Every last one of them bent down to pet her while she wiggled her backend all over that lobby, having the time of her life. Yeah.
Or how about the time we were walking to the store, and she was perfectly fine until we passed by a Christmas tree lot filled with people. Suddenly she couldn't walk another step. Her feet were frozen. She was going to die. She even lifted a paw - her right front paw - for added affect to go along with the yelping and carrying on at the top of her lungs. I picked that punk dog up, walked past the lot, put her down, and suddenly she was fine again. Because there were no people anymore. I even wrapped her in my sweatshirt. She shivered. I told her she was full of it. She shivered harder just to sass me. On the way back from the store, she was perfectly fine. Got to the Christmas tree lot, she couldn't walk another step. Oh it was torture, the horror of it all! Well, she apparently forgot with foot hurt because that time she lifted her left back paw while she yelped and screamed. So I picked her up, (no, not consoling, just to get away from the stares), and as soon as we got past the lot, it was a miracle. Suddenly her legs and feet worked again. She made it home the rest of the way without further incident.
Or the time that she actually did sprain her paw, and it genuinely was painful for her for a day or two, but boy did she milk that injury. My fault, the first night after the vet visit, (which cost me $300), I felt so bad for her that I babied her. My GOD what a mistake that was. Do not repeat my mistakes with yours. So she knew that if she was "injured" it meant all kinds of spoils and riches. She was unable to walk without a limp, she couldn't get up to the couch, she couldn't walk down steps. So how she got caught was that she was having the time of her life jumping up and down from the couch over and over again, and did not hear me come home. I saw her through the sliding glass door, just as healthy and able as can be, again, another miracle. She had that smile on her face, a spring in her step, was delighted with herself. Then she saw me see her. She stopped immediately and sat. I walked in, and she actually had the nerve, the fricken nerve, to limp walk over to me and hold up her paw.
I could go on all night.
How do I deal with it? I write the stories out, is how I deal with it. I'm only half joking about the book. You all thought Marley was bad? Pscht.
In the moment, what else can you do but deal with the embarrassment, never let your dog see you react to her baloney, give her that look that your mom gave you when you were stone cold busted but she was so disappointed in you that nothing was said....it was "the look". You're going to be giving that look a lot to your dog. I can guarantee it based on the little bit that you've shared.
And when people make stupid comments like, "Your dog sounds like she's in pain" or "Your dog doesn't seem to like being out here in the fresh air with the ocean and forest at this absolutely stunning national park" or "Oh yeah I met your dog the other day when she was out. She looked like she wanted something to eat so I gave her one of the pieces of meat off the grill", you say, in a very matter of fact voice, "She's lying." And then you continue on your way, feeling the eyes of judgement boring a hole in your back. But those people are fools, they will never understand, until/unless they get a dog of their own like this.
Also, I cannot agree enough with the above poster about Leerburg. ORDER THE DVD "Your puppy 8 weeks to 8 months". Leerburg gets it. It will be the best money you've ever spent.
I agree with most everything ThreeWolves said, but I question the wisdom of your breed choice when you are an apartment sweller, OP. As others have mentioned, Austalian Shepherds are among the highest energy breeds you can have, and they are ill suited for apartment life. I have Great Danes, and despite popular belief, they do quite well in apartments because they don't require a lot of exercise. They are the ultimate couch dogs. As for the crate training thing, when I trained my dogs, I put them in there for hours at a time right from the get-go and ignored their shrieks and whines. It might sound cruel, but it isn't, and it was the fastest way to break them of resisting being in the crate. And it is fast. Most of my dogs only persisted in the shrieking one day, sometimes two. But I'm not sure how that method would go over with your neighbors since you live in an apt. Maybe doing it during the day would be better, as ThreeWolves suggested. However, your puppy is adorable. Exercise, and lots of it, is key to keeping Aussies happy and preventing destructive behavior. The dog park and chew toys are your friend. Good luck!
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Thank you for your help. I'm glad that someone can relate with me to this new experience.
