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Fearful/Aggresive Aussie Puppy

by Rachel
(WA)

Ellie May

Hi, I have a 9 month old female Toy Australian Shepherd who is very fearful of strangers. We got her when she was 2 and a half months old and tried to socialize her. But for the last few months she has started barking/growling at anyone who comes to the house. She then runs and hides under the bed. She also is very afraid of my dad, even after living with him for 6 months, he has never even touched her. She also aggressively barks and tries to lunge at dogs when ever she sees them on walks or when were out and about.

Recently, I have been bring her to dog 4-H meetings in hope of helping her to become more socialized, but she becomes extremely fearful and continuously barks and lunges at any dogs or people who come near. I really want to take care of these behavioral problems before she gets any older and it's an even bigger problem such as biting people. I really want to be able to do agility, obedience, and showmanship with her.

Please Help

- Rachel

Comments for Fearful/Aggresive Aussie Puppy

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Fearful
by: NONNIE

Keep working with her, don't give up. Our mini-Aussie was very fear aggressive and protective. We have been in training with her for almost five months now. She is better, but at times she will just not feel right about a person or a particular dog and she becomes difficult to handle. She only weighs 30 pounds so she is not unreasonably heavy. She is strong. She gets better each time we go out, then we will step back a bit and then move forward. Just keep working with her.

It Doesn't always Work Out
by: Anonymous

Aussies need a lot of socialization within there first eight weeks. I got a puppy from a top toy breeder that did not socialize her correctly. The puppy was fearful from the day I got her. The breeder continually told me she was in a shy stage. I followed all the breeders suggestions and even took her to puppy classes for over a year with a very well established school that tried to help me work with her. In the end, we figured out she would never get over her shyness. Although she hadn't bitten anyone, I was afraid she would one day due to her intense fear of strangers.
Try working with your puppy, gently exposing the puppy to new people. Talk to your vet for suggestions. Try taking the dog to puppy classes.
Unfortunately, in my case the puppy never came around. After a year of working with her I had to find a new home for her that was not as active as mine. It was the first time I have ever done this and it broke my heart.

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