Please help with my dog... Very long

[theirmom05]

Im a lurker and need some help with one of my dogs. I have debated about posting b/c Im just not sure what to do with him.

He was a rescue from animal control about 3.5 years ago. He is a blue heeler/jack russell mix. We got him fixed right after we adopted him. We have 2 other rescues and a cat and they all get along great. We have 3 kids who are 7, 4 and 3. The 3 year old is deaf and special needs.

Buster is our guys name, is a barker. He barks at the kids in the yard, when my DH mows, when someone walks by. He also freaks out at rain, the water hose and storms. He pretty much is a nervous wreck. I have tried to say No sternly and bring him inside if we are out and he barks. That helps.

I know this long, please bear with me. The other thing Im really upset about is, we got a new kitten on Monday and we were keeping her seperated from the other animals and slowly introducing them. Buster was very aggressive with her and I told my boys that we needed to keep them seperated until I could do something about his behavior. Well, my 4 year old went into where the kitten was and left the door open and he got in there and killed the kitten yesterday. I feel so awful and so guilty. I was downstairs and they came inside to play with her and left the door open and it just happend.

I don't know what to do with Buster. Im not going to get rid of him, he is my dog and we love him. Im just not sure how to correct this behavior. Please help me with some ideas on what to do.

[straymo]

First, take a deep breath.

I would look into finding a behaviorist to work with him, at minimum a trainer who works with positive reinforcement. If the dog is truly stressed, there are things to help that.

I only have an excited barker, so it is hard for me to speak to your situation. I would look start following NILIF - Nothing in life is free (you can google it or it may be in our FAQs still).

The kitten issue was obviously not the dog's fault. It was an accident. Pure and simple. I'm so sorry it happened.

Thank you for not jumping in here and tell us how you need to rehome your dog and are looking for solutions. Buster can be better, he just doesn't understand what is expected at this point.

[theirmom05]

Thank you so much for your reply.

We love our pets and would never rehome them. I just don't want this behaviour to continue. It will make life much more enjoyable for all involved if we can work on the barking. I will see if they (behaviorist) can help with the kitten thing too.

I know this sounds silly, but how do you go about finding someone? Are there ads online?

Thanks again for your help.

[secondhandscottie]

There is some great information on barking in the FAQ's at the top of the page. The page I'm linking below talks about the difference between trainers and behaviorists and how to locate both of them.

sites.google.com/site/petsboardfaqs/home/training-and-behavior/difference-between-trainer-and-behaviorist

Good luck and thank you for working with Buster!

[theirmom05]

I just got a chance to check this again. Thank you for the links, I will be checking them out tonight once I get the kids to bed. Thanks again!!

[kellbell191]

I agree that a behaviorist can help you with the barking; also agree that you guys should probably commit to being a cat free household for now. This has happened to a number of people on the board and its part of why DH and I are so careful about the dogs that come into our house. We're committed to being 2 species and a lot of dogs do have prey drives, doesn't make them bad dogs.

[katietornado]

Ditto what everyone else said, plus exercise. You didn't mention what you do with him. Both of those breeds have insane needs as far as mental stimulation and physical exercise. I have a herding dog myself and have found myself exercising him for 4+ hours a day when possible. 90 minutes is the minimum, and he's 7 years old. He had serious issues until he mellowed out a little with age, started getting the unbelievable amount of exercise he gets now, and until he saw a behaviorist and three trainers.

I think a behaviorist and a lot of exercise would be two very good steps for you. Good luck.

[new2newengland]

It sounds like your dog wants to herd which is natural for a heeler. My heeler used to bark like crazy at my mop and tried to herd it. I gave him a "job" to do instead. He now goes to his place and waits until I am done. He needs a "daily"job to do. Our heeler's job is fetch. He can play for hours on end.

How much exercise does he get? Heelers need a couple of hours of vigorous exercise a day. They are also crazy smart and need mental simulation. Doggy daycare, agility, and dog scouts are good activities for heelers.

My dog was also scared to death of water. I bought him a little swimming pool and would throw his ball into it. It took awhile but he started stepping into it now he loves it. Also takes treats outside with you when it rains and praise like crazy and give treats. It took a long time but now our dog loves water.

I am sorry about your kitty. Heelers are designed to deal with cattle and are known to play rough. Your dog was most likely just trying to play with the kitten :-(

NILF was also a huge help with my dog. He responds very well to it. I am glad you are not giving him up and our looking for help. This bored has great people and advice. You may also want to look into herding dogs sites and boards too. Best of Luck!