Meet Izzy:
[img]http://files.dogster.com/pix/dogs/79/947479/947479_1232505783.jpg[/img]
She is my son's 2 year old ACD and my greatest failure as a dog owner to date. I pride myself on how well behaved my dogs are and am totally embarrassed that I've let her issues get so out of control. In true ACD fashion she has a prey drive that's off the charts, and she's a biter. She has snapped my dad's and a friend of my husband's ankles. She's not an aggressive dog; she's just being true to her breed. When she bites she doesn't bark or growl. She circles, drives in, snaps, and she's gone without ever making a sound. She chases anything and everything that moves and when she's on the run she is 100% focus and it's nearly impossible to catch her. With that said, she has SO much potential with the appropriate outlet. It's my husband's dream for her to be able to actually help him with the cows on our farm rather than running them through fences.
With all that said, I take complete responsibility for her out of control behavior. My husband is the king of impulse decisions and when my son begged for the $50 puppy at the horse auction he gave in. I was a bit upset with him and basically gave him full responsibility for her. I'd researched the breed and knew that although we do have a farm, that given our lifestyle, an ACD wasn't the best fit for our family, but as always he didn't listen. I love my husband very much, but I call him my 3rd child for a reason and should have known better than to think he would do the right things with her.
She wasn't socialized enough and got very minimal obedience training. She has NO recall whatsoever, although my kids have been successful in teaching her a few basic commands that she's willing to present provided there are NO distractions.
She doesn't get nearly enough exercise. We do not have a fenced in yard; there are ducks and chickens that wander around the property, and given her bite history she has to be confined by leash or in her kennel 24/7.
I feel extremely guilty. She really is a smart girl, and deserves better than the life she's living now, and I'm determined to help turn her into a well balanced member of our family.
These are my main priorities for her right now:
#1 - Exercise. My goal is to give her at least a good hour every day of hard play. I need to invest in a long line so she can run but still be under control.
#2 - Obedience. I'm going go back to square one with her. I've had success with the clicker in the past and think she would benefit greatly from this kind of positive reinforcement training.
#3 - A job. She needs an outlet for all her energy. I'd like to eventually turn her into a true herder. There is a trainer not too far from us that specializes in herding, so I'm going to get in contact with him to get information about his program. I also think she'd be an excellent candidate for agility. She is FAST, and extremely athletic, but I'm not sure if there are any groups on our area, but I still think it is worth looking into.
#4 - Socialization. This is a biggie...she needs to learn that people are NOT for herding. I'm sure that this will become less of an issue as her reliability in obedience increases.
I understand that rehabbing her is going to be a challenge, but it's necessary, and I owe it to her. I also owe it to my son to give him a well behaved dog that he can have fun doing tricks and playing with instead of the crazy, neurotic girl we have now.