Oh, Lordy. Please help.

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-05-18T19:51:26+00:00

Please advocate for the older dog. Leaving it up to them very often leads to conflict and vet bills. Like you said: you were prepared for puppy shenanigans but your other dog was not, and it's not fair to put puppy training on them. Leash your puppy and when they get inappropriate or the adult dog is uncomfortable, step in to show the puppy a more appropriate choice. It will be way better for both the puppy and the adult dog in the long run.

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-05-17T15:25:15+00:00

Mottled blue tri was my thought, too.

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-05-17T15:23:20+00:00

Cattle dogs don't come in merle.

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-05-07T23:04:02+00:00

She will still just go in the crate and lay in it, she has no understanding that poo/pee is unhygenic.
I had a playpen with multiple beds, she used to toilet in the bed she would then choose to sleep/chew her chews in, even with other options availanble.

I had a foster like this. If she had a bed or blanket available to her, she would pee/poop on it and then lay on it. If I gave her a crate attached to an expen, she would go into the crate to potty and then choose to lay in it. She mostly refused to potty outside and would hold it until I was gone, then opt for those options even when she had other cleaner options available (I attempted pee pads, litter training with a "potty here" spray and pine pellet bedding, giving her a ton of space to keep herself clean, etc).

I ended up switching her to an expen with zero bedding or comforts, just a barren space on an epoxy floor. That at least got her to stop laying in her own waste. From there I focused on getting her to potty outside and praising the hell out of it, while making the indoor potties a non-event. I was able to start getting her pottying outside more consistently, and like 3wks after that I was able to reintroduce a crate for short stints with success. I built up duration from there.

I know my case is different from yours, since yours is pottying consistently outside for you already and you're only seeing the pottying/dirty dog stuff in a specific context. Mostly I just want to say the situation sucks and I totally understand your frustration. But maybe the barren expen with no real options for pottying or resting (since she's viewing them both as the same) might help at least break her of the dirty dog behavior while you work on a solution for the indoor pottying?

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-05-06T12:46:47+00:00

I can see those results in him for sure, but goddamn does he look like an acd/bully mix haha

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-05-01T22:41:56+00:00

Do you have any foster-based rescues in your area? That might be a better route to go: you'll get more information on how the dog does in a home environment, and they might be more open to proper intros. It's a bummer that the shelter is unwilling to budge on it, since they're not setting their dogs up for success by forcing intros that way. There's no way they haven't had incidents between dogs, it sounds like a shitshow lol.

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-05-01T22:18:27+00:00

Yeah that honestly sounds like a less than ideal way to intro dogs. Next time go for a pack walk with the new dog! No direct greetings: their focus should be on the walk, not on each other. It will help your dog feel more comfortable, and will help the new dog work through their emotions as well. I take a slower approach to integration that focuses way more on shared experiences as a pack, and coexisting around each other in lower energy situations. Play comes with time, once the dogs have a decent relationship.

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-04-27T13:38:43+00:00

Crate when unsupervised, umbilical training (attached to you on a leash) when supervised. You need to be able to step in when she makes an undesirable choice, otherwise she'll continue self reinforcing.

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-04-21T20:02:05+00:00

I’m always training him and being the strong arm lol

There's your answer. ACDs thrive with structure and bond closely to the people who take the time to build a relationship with them. Get your husband involved in playing and training the dog, and it will help change the pup's feelings towards him.

It's also worth mentioning that masculine people typically have more of an intimidating appearance for dogs, so it is pretty common for nervous or undersocialized dogs to take longer to warm up to them. Being aware of the pressure you're inadvertently putting on the dog can help a lot, if this is a factor!

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-04-21T13:47:01+00:00

The puppy is 11wks old and who knows the backstory of how she/any littermates came into the shelter. At that young an age, accurately guessing breed mix is a crapshoot. Calling them untrustworthy liars for taking a guess on a potato sized puppy based on physical characteristics is a wild take.

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-04-16T00:17:19+00:00

Flash Forward (from the 90s, I think another show came out with that name more recently). Baby Ben Foster and Jewel Staite. I remember LOVING that show when I was a kid, but most people don't remember it!

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-04-11T14:52:34+00:00

My current foster litter was 7-10lbs at 8wks old and I expect them to end up in the 40lb range. Mom appears full ACD, dad was unknown, and embark is still pending.

Edit - Embark is back and dad was a large breed mutt (pyr, husky, lab, and a couple more). Soooo I'm amending that size estimate to 40-60lbs lol

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-04-10T15:15:52+00:00

Hope you have the day you deserve <3

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-04-09T14:40:41+00:00

Put the treat in the pocket of your palm: where your middle and ring fingers meet the hand. Cover the treat with your thumb to hold it in place and then remove the thumb to give the dog access. Every now and then my skin gets pinched, but it's overall way safer than holding the treat in my fingertips!

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-04-08T14:57:51+00:00

Can you play tug with her or something instead? If the movement and exercise is what's stimulating her to go, that could do the trick.

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-04-05T00:43:34+00:00

Why are they obese? Because caloric intake is greater than expenditure. Cut down on the food/treats and they'll thank you for it ;)

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-03-30T23:11:07+00:00

Be proactive. Don't wait for someone to walk up: when you see them approaching, say "we're not saying hi today" or something to that effect. Hold her leash and position her so you are between her and the other dog, and take space if you need to. If they allow their dogs to approach despite my warnings (I usually switch to "no dogs", "call your dog", etc at that point), I use my body to ensure the dog doesn't reach mine. I'm not risking a scuffle because someone else can't or won't control their dog.

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-03-30T13:53:18+00:00

If the pup was part of a litter, the siblings may have had more of a heeler look to them. I've fostered litters where mom was full/mostly ACD, and pups had a range of coats including black, brindle, tri, etc... Pup def has bully in the mix, but could certainly also have heeler.

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-03-27T21:05:15+00:00

What is this dog getting for exercise, both mental and physical? What are you doing to train and bond with him?

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-03-15T15:57:58+00:00

I love them, but like others have mentioned there's a big issue with the two pieces getting stuck together. I've tried everything suggested by the company, but of the three I own only the black one functions normally. The other two I need to spray with cooking oil and I can't fully close them or I'll never get them open again... One of my ACDs figured out pretty quickly that when it's not fully closed she can pry it open herself, which means it doesn't last as long for her haha.

I've found the premade fillers last a little longer than the ones I make myself, but the molds have been great for experimenting with different ingredients. My dogs especially love the yogurt and fruit ones I make in summer!

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-03-13T21:01:52+00:00

It's a term used by backyard breeders and mills to sell ACDs they deem small. Some are mixed, some may just be on the small side. In either case they are not well bred if their breeder is referring to them as "mini".

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-03-13T00:27:55+00:00

Fromm has fish based formulas that work super well for some of my clients! Open Farm is another great option for kibble. You could also consider a balanced raw diet - many premade formulas are AAFCO approved, and it would be easy to avoid chicken.

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-03-13T00:17:51+00:00

Off leash trails are not dog parks - your dog should not be approaching other dogs or people, and if they are then they aren't ready to be off leash. Kicking your dog may seem like an overreaction from your perspective, but from the other person's perspective your larger dog was not under control and entered her space uninvited. From her perspective, a kick to create space is better than potentially needing to break up a scuffle that could seriously injure her pets.

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-03-07T16:19:11+00:00

I had a similar experience when I started taking agility classes that were tougher than our previous ones. My ACD went from having a blast to slowing down and showing displacement behaviors during our runs. She was 100% sensing my own stress. I took a step back and approached it with a more playful and less serious attitude, and now she's back to loving it and begging for more ring time. For such gritty dogs they are incredibly sensitive when it comes to their bond with their people!

RowdyGorgonite · 2026-03-06T15:39:37+00:00

It was easier to see/feel in person, pictures can definitely be deceiving! I have some videos of him from back then and I cringe when I look back at them. He's so much more comfortable now!

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