Losing Patience w/ new dog... (lots of reading)

I'm getting very frustrated and i'm contemplating taking her to some sort of obedience school or dog training classes. What do you guys think?

From your post, it sounds like you have not dealt either with this breed or with a fearful dog before, so I think that training is an excellent idea - sign up!!!  But, do the dog (and you) a favor.  These dogs do best with a gentle approach, and positive training.  Find someone who does clicker training or lure/reward, but stay away from harsh methods.  This is a dog that needs you to be her leader, but nicely.  Be aware that it sometimes takes 2-3 months before a dog feels confident in their new surroundings.  Also, the woman you got her from may not have adequately housetrained the dog - maybe that's why she got rid of her.  But, housetraining accidents are common with newly rehomed dogs, especially timid ones, so it will probably be a while before you figure that out.  The safest thing is just to watch her like a hawk, and when you can't watch her, crate her or tether her to you.  That way, once you think she's "ready" you can take her outside.  If she doesn't go, crate her and try again in about fifteen minutes.  Reward her for doing it outside, but don't scold if she makes an error (clean it up with an enzymatic cleaner when she isn't looking).  Herding dogs are very smart, and they learn quickly, but if scared, may take longer.  Be patient - anyone who wants perfection immediately gets a stuffed dog LOL.  You'll get there, and so will she.
Some links that might help you:
www.clickerlessons.com
www.clickertraining.com
www.clickertrainusa.com (watch the videos)
www.diamondsintheruff.com
www.dogsbestfriendtraining.com (Cautious Canine & Way to Go are two great little books that might help you).
HTH - Good luck. []

I think obedience class would be a great idea, but not if she's going to be scared to death. You might want to work on the other issues and getting a baseline where she's housetrained and not so afraid of new situations and other people and then start on obedience.

I'm not a professional, but here are my suggestions.

Do you walk her? That's a really good way for her to get some exercise and to bond with you. A nice walk every morning is going to set up a routine, which is very important for dogs, especially 'spooky' ones. It's also going to get her more used to being outside.

Forget about her past. Something may have happened, or maybe not. The people wouldn't admit it to you if it did and it doesn't really matter because you need to start over with her and teach her that she can trust you, regardless what has happened in her past.

Don't get frustrated. Just give up frustration. Pretend you have ALL the patience in the world and plenty of time and love to deal with this. Smile and resign your frustration because that emotion is just going to hamper your results. Realize that it's going to take as long as it's going to take and toss your expectations.

Start NILIF with her and make it a way of life.
[linkhttp://www.k9deb.com/nilif.htm]http://www.k9deb.com/nilif.htm[/link]

Don't coddle her. Be happy and light and fun, but don't have the pampering tone of "poor baby" or "It's ok, baby" Toss that. Play games instead. Play tug and let her win.

When people come over ask them to IGNORE THE DOG. No eye contact, no talk no touch. Let the dog approach them or not, but don't let them approach her.

Don't punish her for pooping inside. Play with her outside. Make outside a fun place for her. Try and try again. Hang out outside with her. Sit in a chair with her on a leash and play with a ball yourself. Throw a frisbee with someone else. Make outside fun! Take a radio or CD player outside. Play music loud enough so she can't hear every little sound. Sing along with the radio and jump around with her.

The fact that she is OK with the men who live there says that she's just afraid of new people. There may be a reason or perhaps she's just terribly undersocialized.

As regards her eating and eliminating inside, I think they are symptoms of her fears and insecurities. You simply have to show her that life is good and there's no reason for her to be afraid. I'd give this a couple months and see how she's doing. Then, if she's much improved, I'd get her into obedience class for more socialization.

Does this sound doable? [sm=happy.gif]

I'm getting very frustrated and i'm contemplating taking her to some sort of obedience school or dog training classes. What do you guys think?

Our little Doxie, Katrina (3 y.o.) reacts the same way around strangers. We learned that she is a much calmer dog if we put her in her crate when the repairman or others come in to our home. It sounds cruel, but she really feels that she is in her "den," and now is safe. I agree with onyxSTRIPES regarding obedience school. We went to PetSmart; $99 for 8-week class (price in AZ). The classes are small, & our instructor was great! They use clicker training as well, although Mommy didn't catch on to it as quickly as Katrina [] The instructor was also great with answering questions not related to that particular class, & even offered a couple of free one-on-one sessions (short but free) regarding issues with separation anxiety. Don't give up on your "new" pet. Second-chance dogs are so grateful and loving, once they settle in.
 

I agree obdience training is a must!  Socializion is key here.  NILIF is a must as well, especially with a new dog - teach her now that you are the kind and loving "leader" of your household.  Maybe the previous owner did one thing right and that was to exercise her more or give her more time to go to the bathroom outside.  If she is to scared or distracted to go when you take her out find a quite area where she can smell and wait for her to go before you bring her in.  If she dosen't the crate is perfect advise, don't allow her the household freedoms if she is going in the house.  Do you have a crate, are you using it?  The more she soils your carpet and floor the more she will return to those areas to do her business.

Welcome onyx!
 
I have cattledog mix (cattledog=heeler) that's a little older than yours. From my experience with her, and from reading about these dogs, they are really an amazing breed! (Google "AuCaDo" and "ACD-L" for breed-specifc discussion lists, and go to cattledog.com and australiancattledog.com for info).
 
It's not uncommom for this breed to be skittish like that. They are known to be "velcro dogs" strongly bonding with one (or more) human. If they don't have that bond with someone, they're a bit lost. Yours hasn't made that bond with you yet. I've had my girl for 8 months, she was around 1 when I adopted her. She has been behaving with less fear the stronger our bond develops. Fewer things make her jumpy, now.
 
Regarding house training, my dog is very picky where she'll go - her bladder and colon must be enormous, because she can hold it forever. I taught her where in the yard I wanted her to go by taking her out on leash, every so often till she went, then praised her with the best treat possible (yep, steak). I kept that up till she seemed more comfortable, and I softly sang "huuuury up" to cue her.
 
I hand fed my dog and leashed her to me for the first several days she was with me. For the first few days she didn't eat much, so I would pick up her food after 15 minutes, then not give her food till the next meal. When she got hunglry, she began eating what was offered.
 
Keep noticing what makes her seem to feel more comfortable and confident, is it people who are confident themselves? People who are loud and attentive, or people who ignore her? Is it excited praise, or calm affection? By noticing what makes her more relaxed, you will learn the best way to work with her. My dog likes calm confident people, so nervous kids really used to set her off.
 
By noticing my dog, I learned that she is very curious, so almost right away I started taking her everywhere with me, in the car, to friends' houses, hiking. She was timid, but worked through it because she is also so curious.
 
My dog thrives on consistent and firm leadership (google NILIF), praise, lots of exercise, and being given mental stimulation (training classes for example). They're very capable dogs, they need strong leadership, or they won't trust you. My dog enjoys agility and sheepherding classes, and these have helped strenthgen our bond, and my leadership role as well. (I'm a first time dog owner, so I had lots to learn! [])
 
My advice is to not get hung up on her past, you'll never know. Just notice what opens her up, and don't coddle her when she's being fearful. You can knd of ignore her when she scared. It'll feel mean, but it's better to not reward the behavior with affection, or she'll never get over it.

She's my second Blue Heeler that I have owned, my previous heeler of 10 years passed about a month ago.

I don't scold her when she poops inside, I try my best to show her out and yes I take her on lots of walks. I'll follow the advice that time will only tell with her, and I'll definitely practice NILIF. Training school is also a big possibility. I've been trying the lure/reward method... but like I stated, it has almost no effect on her, because most of the time she's not interested in the treat, and the other half she's scared to eat it from my hand. I have to put it on the ground next to her, she'll sniff it, walk away... and then 10 minutes later, go up to it and nibble on it.

Thank you guys for all your help, I'll definitely look into training if things don't clear up within the next few months.

ORIGINAL: onyxSTRIPES
She's my second Blue Heeler that I have owned, my previous heeler of 10 years passed about a month ago.

 
How sad to hear of your loss. What was your previous dog's personality like?
 

ORIGINAL: onyxSTRIPES
 I've been trying the lure/reward method... but like I stated, it has almost no effect on her, because most of the time she's not interested in the treat, and the other half she's scared to eat it from my hand.

 
Is there something else she likes that you can use instead of a treat?

go slow, do not rush you must establish a relationship and trust before taking the dog to a training class.
 
 
also this might sound gross but if you have a place outside that you want her to poop in, you can move some poops there and then when you take her there to hurry up seeing and smelling her poops there may assist her to be comfortable going.

ORIGINAL: onyxSTRIPES

She's my second Blue Heeler that I have owned, my previous heeler of 10 years passed about a month ago.

And there's any reason why you got your 2nd dog that quickly?

The 2nd subject here might help

http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/blog/Season2ep04.php

And there's any reason why you got your 2nd dog that quickly?

ORIGINAL: espencer

ORIGINAL: onyxSTRIPES

She's my second Blue Heeler that I have owned, my previous heeler of 10 years passed about a month ago.

And there's any reason why you got your 2nd dog that quickly?

To be frank, it's not any of your business to ask why I got a pet so soon, nor is it your place. But if you must intrude, I got her because in about 6 weeks my fiance will be sent off to Iraq and i'll be home alone, and I need the company and the protection.

We do not 'grieve' in front of her. We do not cry, nor do we expect her to be like our other dog.  Everyone has different beliefs, and I choose not to believe in superstitions. We give this new dog our utmost attention and always have a positive outlook in front of her. If I was still going to be miserable regardless of getting a new dog, I'm a smart enough person to not adopt a new one.

In response to Ixas_girl:   My previous dog was wonderful. Just as you stated, she was a 'velcro-dog', very loyal, remarkably smart. She was just too old, we had to put her down. Definitely the hardest thing i'd ever have to do, but it was best.

Great response!
 
Members have very strong views about coddling a dog when they are not behaving just right and or if they are stressed or have a fearful state of mind.  Whenever my dogs or my fosters are stressed, I coddle to change their state of mind and then move to engage the dog in playful activity.  Progess is slow but it does help the dog.  And those moments of coddling, and I mean petting and soft tallking, helps create a strong bond.  So, set aside some time for those moments.

*Content Removed. TOS violation, #3 and #4.*
onyxSTRIPES, welcome to the forum and good luck with your pup.  I can see that you care for her and I am sure she will be a wonderful companion once she settles in and realizes that you are a caring leader.   

My dog also was extremely frightened when I got him, and the change in him over the first year especially was remarkable.  Some things still scare him, but overall he is a happy, healthy, fun-loving dog and a joy to be around.  My advice would be to be very gentle and calm with your girl, keep things positive and fun, gently set firm boundaries, and be very, very consistent with her.  Once she learns what will be expected of her, and that you will be fair and kind with her if she messes up, you can expect her to relax. 

I'd also suggest regular daily walks---maybe once in the morning once in the evening---if for no other reason than to get the dog out on a leash where she can get some poopin' done. My dog gets most of her business done on the walk and we've developed a pretty good routine. Until your new pup settles in she'll be a bit off-cycle but if you can get into a routine that should help with the accidents.

ORIGINAL: onyxSTRIPES

To be frank, it's not any of your business to ask why I got a pet so soon, nor is it your place. But if you must intrude, I got her because in about 6 weeks my fiance will be sent off to Iraq and i'll be home alone, and I need the company and the protection.

We do not 'grieve' in front of her. We do not cry, nor do we expect her to be like our other dog.  Everyone has different beliefs, and I choose not to believe in superstitions. We give this new dog our utmost attention and always have a positive outlook in front of her. If I was still going to be miserable regardless of getting a new dog, I'm a smart enough person to not adopt a new one.

Woa dude, take it easy, a simply "i'm sure thats not the case" would be enough, no need to be so defensive, just trying to help by ruling out every possibility, sheeesh [&:]