Dog Community

Aussies with other dogs

Posted : 12/7/2006 10:14:26 AM

Now that I just adopted one Aussie mix 2 months ago, then felt he needed a playmate and got another one last weekend, I have 2 young pups and the house is chaos. Then I read somewhere that Aussies are more "people" dogs and really don't care for other dogs! Uggh, I wish I read that before I got another dog.

One is 6 months old and is actually a male Border Collie/Aussie mix, and the other is a female 7-week old Aussie "mix", but she looks 100% purebred to me. I think the shelter calls them all mixes because they don't want to you try to breed them if they are purebred. I of course have absolutely no desire to breed her and she will be spayed as soon as she is old enough. My male is already neutered. They seem to be playing fine together, but the female has me a little worried. She likes to "stare down" the older guy, which causes him to do the famous BC crouch and stare back and her, and then she jumps up, and lunges at him barking and growling and biting him. The next minute she's on her back with her belly exposed and they are licking each other. Then he's bringing her his tug-of-war rope toy to engage her in tug of war, and she happily plays. They were sleeping curled up together last night too. I just don't like the staring thing, but I'm thinking it's just "herding" behavior and not an aggressive challenge.

So does anyone have 2 herding dogs, or 1 herding dog and another type of dog? How do they get along? Does the behavior I described sound like aggression or they are practicing their herding on each other?

Here's a link to our 6-month old Aussie/BC mix:
[linkhttp://home.earthlink.net/~notasoccermom/id9.html]http://home.earthlink.net/~notasoccermom/id9.html[/link]

Here's a link to the 7-week old Aussie "mix"
[linkhttp://home.earthlink.net/~notasoccermom/id11.html]http://home.earthlink.net/~notasoccermom/id11.html[/link]

TexasDaisy

Posted : 12/9/2006 1:51:36 PM

I wish I could say I had more experience with your situation, but I'm on my first Aussie as well. He's 3 month old right now. We've also got a toy poodle and an elderly great dane (yeah, I know, what a combination. But it works pretty well for us). While my little guy definately prefers being with his human family every waking minute, he LOVES other dogs. Human or dog alike, he seems to want to be as close to the other living being as possible & follow them every step they take. But that may just be a puppy thing? Everything I've read or heard from other owners say they're really good with other dogs.

I wouldn't worry too much about the stare-down thing. Bandit has given me "the eye" a couple times while we were playing, too. I assume it's just an instictive thing that he's figuring out. Or kind of like little girls pretending to be mommies, carrying around babydolls....only the puppy is pretending to be a big tough herder! I've read Aussies catch on pretty quick to pack-order stuff. So as long as no one acts like they're being seriously hurt & they keep on playing like nothing's wrong, I wouldn't worry too much. If your girl is very small, you might want to watch & make sure the 6 month old doesn't hurt her accidentally--mine gets pretty rough without realizing it & looks ashamed if he hurts someone. Not being an expert, though, I hope someone else has something to say. *waiting for spiritdogs to appear* Good luck!

denise_m

Posted : 12/9/2006 4:41:36 PM

Welcome to the forum 2crazyaussies. I am no expert, but my 3yr Aussie is definately more a people lover than a dog lover. Up until he reached maturity, Kobi loved all dogs. He lived to run, wrestle and play at the dog park. At that point he became very particular about his doggy friends. He has a few dogs he really likes and the rest he basically ignores. As an adult Aussie though, he adores people! Hopfully yours will become best of friends.

Katie M.

Posted : 12/10/2006 3:45:58 PM

I have Collies and that is what playtime looks like around my house! It's loud, it's rough and you don't want to get in the middle of it!! There are teeth flying everywhere, dogs flipping and slamming into furniture, but no one ever gets hurt.

Katy Harvey

Posted : 12/11/2006 9:44:44 AM

I think they are just playing, and trying to establish who is going to be Alpha (second to the humans, of course), but the smaller one does get hurt sometimes. But then again, she asks for it sometimes. They will be playing, she'll start crying because the big guy has her pinned down, so I yell at him to "leave it" and then as soon as he lets her go she goes after him again. Stupid me for getting 2 dogs at such different stages of growth, but I know it's only a matter of months until she catches up to him and there's a more level playing field. They do love each other, once they're both tired out they curl up and sleep together, but both at my feet!

It's been interesting around the house, to say the least!

Now another thing happened last night with the baby girl. She was under my daughter's bed chewing up some cardboard game pieces of my daughters. My husband reached under there to pull her out, and she started snarling, growling, and about bit his fingers off, it seemed to be very aggressive. He got a hold of her with both hands, pulled her out held her up in the air and stared her right in the eyes and said firmly "NO". I think it was the right thing to do, but it scared me. After he let her go, she went right back under the bed and proceeded to chew up the pieces again. I reached in to get her and got my finger under her collar and tried to GENTLY pull her out, and then she started yelping like I was going to kill her. I let her go and then coaxed her out with my voice, and she came right out. I think that was just a "testy" moment, I hope.

tiffy

Posted : 12/11/2006 9:47:49 AM

I have two herding breeds. An ACD mix and a pembroke welsh corgi. They definitely love each other, but always prefer humans.I also want to say how brave you are for having two pups at once and two herding breeds at that.Good luck!![

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tiffy

Posted : 12/11/2006 10:20:29 AM

Resource guarding. I would nip that ASAP while shes a baby.

brookcove

Posted : 12/11/2006 11:28:32 AM

I think all these guys go through at least one episode of I'm not gonna, you can't make me! as babies. I think you just went through it - it doesn't last longer than a day unless they get the message that they behavior they offered that day was "OK".

If you get the under the bed stuff again, use a leash to control her in a little less confrontational way. She may still scream like she's being killed if you gently pull her away from her treasure - just ignore it and put her away until she cools off. Then you want to work on NILIF type stuff. You won't have to make it a way of life, just long enough to guide her gently through this period of NO NO NO I WON'T WON'T WON'T. [

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Don't let her manipulate you with the screaming and whatnot - I have this feeling that she's caught on that she can get a rise out of you with that (possibly by noting your reaction while she's playing with the bigger dog).

The staring is perfectly normal. I know it's a little uncanny when BCs do it but it's not aggressive at all - even though the WWIII that then breaks out may seem pretty wild! I do interfere if the pup is getting a bit overwhelmed but doesn't seem able to get out of it. I try to catch it before the screaming stage. [

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dogslyfe

Posted : 12/11/2006 12:02:31 PM

Can't say it any better than Becca, but here's my illustrative contribution:

lol

TexasDaisy

Posted : 12/11/2006 12:25:42 PM

I think Becca's probably hit the nail right on the head with the screaming thing turning into manipulation. My little guy is already pretty good at that, though in a different form. They're eerily brilliant, even as small pups! My vet & the vet's assistant (my aunt) both have Aussies & warned us when we got one, not to give him an inch or he'd try to outsmart us with everything! & oh how true that is...[

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brookcove

Posted : 12/11/2006 5:32:28 PM

That's just perfect, Laura! Poor June, she's like, make it stop, please! Ted has started doing this (well, he's been doing it for a couple weeks) - unfortunately it was during one of the wild dashes around that Zhi got the hole in her rear end a few weeks ago (which has healed nicely, BTW). So you do have to watch that it doesn't get too crazy and that the zoomies don't break out in unsafe places. I thought 30 acres of pasture would be open enough for safety, but noooooo, my Chinese crested has to find the one pile of sharp branches on the place . . .[8|]

dogslyfe

Posted : 12/12/2006 8:27:27 AM

That's just perfect, Laura! Poor June, she's like, make it stop, please! Ted has started doing this (well, he's been doing it for a couple weeks) - unfortunately it was during one of the wild dashes around that Zhi got the hole in her rear end a few weeks ago (which has healed nicely, BTW). So you do have to watch that it doesn't get too crazy and that the zoomies don't break out in unsafe places.

[

] This was right before she decided maybe he was pretty cool and she'd like to play with him. After he hit the fencepost running with her they've been put on "running the fenceline together" probation. Glad to hear Zhi's all good as new!

Katy Harvey

Posted : 12/12/2006 8:52:19 AM

Ha ha!! The "zoomies"--that's a great name for it! I call it "spazz-ing". We've never had that happen in our house! [sm=wink.gif]

SLIIIDDDEEEE --- BANG!! Into the kitchen cabinets. Or, launch off the third stair from the bottom onto the ceramic floor and all four legs spraaawwwlllll (ouch!).

P Smitty

Posted : 12/12/2006 2:28:38 PM

Oh, Laura! That pic is to die for! [

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I have one herding dog and one non-herding dog. But, they play like mad, and if you didn't know better, you'd think they were killing each other. It sounds to me like the OP's dogs are just playing and as long as the little one doesn't get overwhelmed, all is well.

As for Aussies being more people-dogs than dog-dogs, I don't know, but there are lots of Aussies at my training club, and they live to play with each other!

Kara

Posted : 12/12/2006 8:06:35 PM

Sam, My aussie, is a dog-dog and a people-dog. I don't think it matters to him, except whoever will give him more attention. Herding breeds do tend to attatch themselves to their main caretakers, though.