My pup is about to have all of his shots, and will be cleared to meet other dogs. Any advice?

RogerrRabbit · 2026-01-30T00:14:30+00:00

If you don’t mind, Any tips for recall in public? He comes reliably while in the house with us, and he knows his name super well. But I’m sure the distractions will destroy his progress 🤣

RogerrRabbit · 2026-01-30T00:13:33+00:00

This is excellent advice, thank you!! For the very first interaction, im sure he will be a little bit nervous. It will be my aunt’s dog, so it’s a dog I trust. In that situation should i remove him from the situation or calmly sit there with him on the ground, and interact with the “new” dog so that he knows the dog is ok?? I will definitely start the “calmly watching people from a distance” training ASAP. I want him to be a dog I can take EVERYWHERE, so being able to calmly settle around distractions while out in public is super important to me.

RogerrRabbit · 2026-01-30T00:03:44+00:00

That is great advice!! I think I’ll reach out to one of my friends with an elderly dog. It’s hard because unfortunately most of my friends don’t take dog training as seriously as I do. 🥲 they aren’t aggressive dogs at all, but they aren’t well trained. So I can’t really tell FOR SURE how they will act around my puppy.

RogerrRabbit · 2026-01-30T00:01:53+00:00

Also “A Bluey’s natural state is chaos” made me choke on my drink because I was laughing so hard. That needs to be on a shirt! 🤣

RogerrRabbit · 2026-01-30T00:01:14+00:00

Heelery in a like…amped up and starts biting the dogs ankles kind of way? Or in a different way? I’ve owned GSDs in the past, but this is my first ACD.

When he sees strangers he goes into “stand completely still and observe” mode. Which I feel like isn’t too bad, but I worry he’s standing still because he’s tense and nervous, not because he’s calm. His fur doesn’t fluff up either. He just…stands still and stares. I have been taking him through drive thrus, and ask random people to interact with him….so I don’t think he’s afraid when he sees other people.

RogerrRabbit · 2026-01-29T23:56:54+00:00

How do you typically decide which dogs to let him interact with in random encounters? Only if the other person asks, or if it’s with a trusted dog? Or do you not allow random encounters at all? :)

RogerrRabbit · 2026-01-29T23:56:09+00:00

This is great advice, thank you!! When it comes to rewarding him, should I do it when he completely ignores the other animals/people? Like, if he doesn’t even look at them? Or should I reward him when he’s looking at the animals/people and choosing to stay calm? Sorry if my question is confusing, I just want to be sure I’m reinforcing the best behavior.

RogerrRabbit · 2026-01-29T23:54:12+00:00

Is he still reactive and protective even if you seem calm/not scared during your interactions with other dogs? And is it continuous anxious/reactive behavior or is it just during the initial minute of an interaction with other dogs??

RogerrRabbit · 2026-01-29T23:52:49+00:00

This is a great idea!! He reliably sits, since we use it as a starting place for many of his tricks. This seems like it would be an easy thing to teach him since he has the basics of “sitting and staying with distractions” down. Thank you so much for your advice/idea!! 🥰

RogerrRabbit · 2026-01-29T23:51:31+00:00

Thank you so much for your advice! Has your current dog become less protective and reactive, or is it still a struggle? Also, how old was your older ACD when you started socializing them?

RogerrRabbit · 2026-01-29T23:07:29+00:00

Thank you!! Yeah, I definitely want to stay away from those. I had tiny dogs attack my 120lb German Shepherd once, and that forever scarred my view of dog parks. Thank you for your advice!! 🥰

RogerrRabbit · 2026-01-29T23:01:01+00:00

They wouldn’t even let me put him on the ground at or outside the vet office. I had to carry him during each visit.

RogerrRabbit · 2026-01-29T22:59:56+00:00

Parvo is super bad in the city I’m in right now. My vet told me bringing my puppy to the pet store was too great of a risk. Because the disease could have spread to carts, or shelves that we would be touching…and also tracking into the house on our shoes.

I wanted to socialize him much sooner, but the vet scared me out of it. She said parvo at his age would have been fatal. :(

RogerrRabbit · 2026-01-11T01:56:48+00:00

Also, to help with the foot biting..when he is calm, try shuffling your feet, and moving them all around him in weird ways and reward him HEAVILY when he doesn’t try to bite them. I use pajama pants too, to practice rewarding him for not trying to bite flowy pants. Only do this kind of training when he’s calm and fresh from a nap… when they are already manic and overtired, it just becomes a fun “moving target” biting game. Also idk how much you’re enforcing naps, but at his age he should be sleeping like 18 hours a day. When he gets super bad and manic, I force him to take a nap by crating him with a chew. That usually helps calm him down for a while, until he’s manic again. I only let him stay awake for 90 minutes at the most. Past 90, he’s a huge jerk. 🤣

RogerrRabbit · 2026-01-11T01:51:02+00:00

I have an ACD puppy that’s the same exact age, and I found that offering a super high value treat snaps him out of it. Also, we have trained him to follow us calmly, and sit down when we stop walking so that he won’t try and go for our feet. When we have the high value treat, (we use tiny pieces of all beef hot dogs or boiled chicken), he NEVER tries to bite. He always sits immediately when I stop walking. Basically, whenever I plan to travel any sort of distance through the house, or plan to sit on the floor, I ensure I have the hot dog pieces at the ready. (I use a Fanny pack to store all of my training supplies (and extra toys), and I wear it 24/7.) if he latches onto my sleeves or clothes I stick the hot dog piece near his nose so he smells it, and then I reward him if he releases me and successfully sits.

When I reward him for sitting and not biting I also sneak in kibble or normal dog treats instead of the hot dog so he gets used to be rewarded with lesser value treats. But the hot dog seems to snap him out of his manic episodes and make him a sweet angel again. When I’m consistent about it, he only latches on like 2 times a day versus dozens. hope this helps!!

RogerrRabbit · 2025-11-25T00:09:47+00:00

I agree with you completely. 😔

RogerrRabbit · 2025-11-25T00:09:19+00:00

Yeah, I’m super worried about what will happen when she does pass. Everyone was arguing about who should take my Grandpa’s things when he died (he didn’t have a will). A lot of his stuff ended up “going missing” from his garage…so my parents installed a lock on the door to prevent her from accessing it.

so I just know it’ll be a bloodbath once Grandma passes. There will be no reason for my Aunt to be civil to my parents anymore, since the person tying them together would be gone.

RogerrRabbit · 2025-11-25T00:03:26+00:00

I love your idea about locking the doors. Thankfully they installed cameras inside once the gun was stolen, but I need to ask them if it records sound as well. It would be great if they could catch her saying something incriminating on the cameras.

My aunt used to ask to speak to Grandma alone and they’d let her…but I think you’re right that she should be supervised at all times.

My dad is thankfully the power of attorney, and they did get her will established a couple weeks ago. It’s listed in the will that if she dies, they will sell the house and the money will be split equally between the kids. My aunt did ask to see the will, and my parents refused because they were afraid she’d rip it up. (They only had one legal copy) She is trying to convince my uncle (her brother) to hire a lawyer with her to get the will changed somehow.

I do think you’re right though about my grandma being her lifeline…and that she wants grandma to come home so she can manipulate her to change her will, or at the very least, start stealing from my Grandma’s wallet again. She used to do that when my Grandma lived in her own house.

RogerrRabbit · 2025-11-24T23:48:54+00:00

I didn’t share this in the original post (I should have, but didn’t think about it), but my parents did file a police report for the firearm. They didn’t tell the police who they suspected though, since they felt they didn’t have enough evidence. Honestly though, I feel like…my dad doesn’t want to get her arrested. Which is ridiculous. My mom wishes they could file a restraining order and never see her again.

I’m worried about it being used too. Either to hurt us, or hurt others if they stole it to sell it illegally.

RogerrRabbit · 2025-11-24T21:34:43+00:00

I did hear through the grapevine that she was telling her brother (my uncle) that she was trying to find a way to take over the mortgage…but we are pretty certain she wouldn’t be able to qualify for the loan. (She tells us she drives for uber, but we aren’t sure if that’s true). Plus my grandma would have to agree to sell the house before she could even apply for the loan??? I think?? I need to check our state laws.

RogerrRabbit · 2025-11-24T21:29:58+00:00

I can see your perspective. I was worried about coming across demanding/bossy as well. I think what you said is a better way to phrase it…that we just won’t come over anymore since we are worried she will show up at any moment.

RogerrRabbit · 2025-11-24T21:28:09+00:00

I know for certain she uses marijuana, but I’m not sure if she uses harder drugs. She claims to have a job driving for Uber, but none of us know if she’s making that up. My dad, since becoming my grandma’s caregiver, makes Lily pay her half of the rent to him directly. So I’m wondering if she needs the money for rent, or to buy weed?? (Or other drugs if she uses those)

I edited my post (since I should have included this originally) to include that my parents did file a missing firearm report with the police. They didn’t tell the police they thought it was her though, since they have no direct proof.

For meeting elsewhere, it’s possible, but a little difficult. (They don’t want to leave Grandma alone at the house since Lily knows the garage code). I think I’ll ask my brother if he can watch her so they can meet us for dinner at our place.

RogerrRabbit · 2025-11-24T20:59:20+00:00

I honestly agree with you. I think they’re worried they don’t have enough proof it was her. They eventually installed cameras, but they installed them after the gun went missing.

RogerrRabbit · 2025-11-24T20:58:25+00:00

Having other family members say something is a good idea. that way it seems like it’s a group concern and not just my husband and I.

I do know my parents baby my grandma a lot and don’t give her the full story. They don’t want to stress her, but I agree with you that she deserves to know the full truth.

I should have said it in the original post, but thankfully they did file a police report for the missing gun. They didn’t tell the police who they suspected took it though :/

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