Poor Duncan is currently 6 days post op a foreign object removal surgery. He is starting to go absolutely stir crazy! There’s only so many puzzles, stationary trainings and frozen kongs we can do lol. He just wants to run and play and go for a walk. It doesn’t help he’s only 8.5 months so it’s been an insane challenge. Hopefully he’s cleared semi soon😳😩
So a few weeks ago I made a post in here explaining everything I’ve done to crate train my mini Aussie. And I mean I’ve done absolutely everything and nothing was working. He’s 8 months now and I’ve been crate training him since he was 8 weeks old. Up until this point he’d scream and cry anytime I shut the crate door.
He knows the command “crate”, and when told to do so he’ll put himself in there. It’s just as soon as the door closes he’d go ballistic. Anyways, at around the 6 month mark I stopped crating him for bedtime and would only crate when we left the house. He’d sleep in my husband and I’s bathroom because he likes the tile. Well now that he’s a teenager he’s started being a little naughty, and about 5 days ago he started chewing on our pillows while we slept. So 5 days ago I started crating again at bedtime.
Well, my husband and I were absolutely dreading having to do so because of the absolute meltdown this dog would throw when crated. I’m talking 30 minutes of nonstop barking and crying. Well for some reason the other night instead of giving the crate command, I just scooped him up and placed him in the crate. Dead silence and he knocked out immediately.
I thought maybe he was just EXTRA tired, but then the next night I did the same thing and he went straight to sleep. I’ve done this every night the last few nights and he hasn’t made a peep. Did it tonight and he’s cool as a cucumber while I type this out.
I’m starting to think for some reason when he’s told “crate” it sends him into a spiral, but when I pick him up and place him there he’s fine. Does anyone know why this is happening?? Why he would be okay with being placed in there??
I’m not mad at it. This has been the first time since we’ve brought him home that he’s able to go into the crate like a normal dog. I don’t mind picking him up, although he’s 32 pounds and stocky. So he isn’t the most easily scooped but I manage lol.
Does anybody have any idea why this is??
He is soooo naughty lol
When Duncan (7 month old mini Aussie) first met this pony up the street he HATEDDD HIM. He would bark at him like crazy and scare the poor little dude!😩 I started to desensitize him over the last few months and slowly approached the fence. Now they’re best friends and look for one another every morning when we get up there. When Duncan can see we’re coming up to the ponies house he’ll start looking around and when the pony spots Duncan and I he runs over to greet him🥰🤣
I am at my wits end with my 6.5 month old mini Aussie, Duncan. We have been crate training since the day I brought him home at 8 weeks old. No matter what I do, he will NOT take to the crate. The ONLY time he is able to SOMETIMESSSS go into the crate without a peep is when he’s absolutely EXHAUSTED.
This isn’t an issue of not being stimulated enough either, we do stuff throughout the entire day (I’m a stay at home wife) and he WILLINGLY goes to sleep on the bathroom tile. That’s when I usually try to transition him into the crate when he’s already sleepy, but then he’ll just get riled back up and go crazy! He’ll bark and scratch at the door, you get the gist. After about 15-20 minutes of protest he does eventually knock out, but I have to be in the room for him to eventually settle.
I know that part is my fault because I never really taught him how to settle without me there, but at this point I don’t even care about that as much as I care about the fact that he’s absolutely doing my head in with the barking and the outburst.
I just want to be able to crate this dog for naps/bedtime/or when I have to leave the house without him having a full on meltdown for up to 20 minutes. He absolutely has to be crated when we leave because he’s pretty naughty, and we did try transitioning him to just sleeping outside of the crate in my husband and I’s bedroom. That went okay for a few weeks, but my husband has to leave for work at 3:30am every day and now Duncan has decided he cannot sit still in one spot. He climbs all over us, tries to get into stuff while we’re sleeping (luckily isn’t much for him to get into, it’s pretty puppy proof. But we can HEAR him trying to be naughty lol). Scratches at the bedroom door to be let out so he can walk around the house. It just isn’t working and completely disrupting our sleep.
I’ve tried
Feeding meals in the crate
Playing crate games
Shutting and opening the crate, repetitions so he knows he can come out
Only giving high value treats in the crate
Ambient sound
Covering the crate
Keeping the bedroom dark
Keeping the bedroom cool
Popping him in the crate at random times of day (per my trainers advice)
Rewarding silence
Never opening the crate to him barking
A cooling bed
Adding my scent to the crate
Exhausting all energy before crating
Probably missing some but you get the point. He isn’t dumb, he’s very smart and obedient. We go to training twice a week, do obedience and scent work at home. Herd his two big herding balls in the yard. We go swimming (he loves water), we play puzzles. We do all the things. His issue is this stupid crate. I know it can be done because people crate their high energy dogs all the time. My FIL has a Belgian Malinois (that’s a damn unit of a dog) who can be crated on command without a peep. I cannot think of absolutely anything else I can do at this point.
YALL GOT ANY SUGGESTIONS? I’m struggling😭
Hello! I have a 7 month old mini Aussie and he HATESSS the groomer. The last time the groomer came to get him (hired a mobile groomer because I thought it was less stressful) she went to pick him up like you would a baby and he bit her in the face😩 it was so embarrassing, it did end up drawling a little blood. Anyways, because he was so stressed out they weren’t able to do the full groom. But they’re coming back on Tuesday to groom him and I’m panicking because I know he absolutely hates it. Would I be able to just do a sanitary trim on him at home? He doesn’t mind when I handle him, and he lets my husband and my siblings and parents handle him too. He just doesn’t like being handled by people he isn’t close to or doesn’t know. Does anyone have any tips on how I could do this myself? Any YouTube recommendations? Or should I just suck it up and send him to the mobile groomer? Advice needed!
Here’s my big boy Duncan! He’s 6.5 months and still not fixed. My vet told me he’d prefer if I wait until 8 months, but ideally wait until he’s a year. I was cool with waiting for the 8 month, but oh my gosh! He’s completely potty trained, but now that he’s getting a little older he keeps marking on EVERHTHINGGG. The wall, my couch, I keep telling him no and immediately putting him outside, but he just keeps doing it! And it’s not like I leave him unsupervised for long, literally just this morning as soon as we got up to go potty, as I’m WALKING TO THE BACK DOOR WITH HIM, he tries to mark on the damn couch! I don’t know if I can wait 2 more months, when did yall fix your boy minis? Is this too early to fix him?
MY BABY😭 Duncan is a little over 6 months and I kept meaning to get him a herding ball and I finally got one ordered! He’s so freaking cute my beautiful baby
Anyone else’s mini a little strange? Duncan likes to sit on the ledge area of the pool and just stare out into the yard thinking about life🥰🤣 he’s such a little weirdo I love him.
I got married back in February and it’s now been 21 weeks since my wedding. My photographer hasn’t had any clear communication on when the photos will be done and kinda just has excuses on why they’re taking awhile. Exactly one month ago was the last time we spoke, and her reasoning was her bf was in the ER so she’s been super busy but she’ll be finishing them soon. Well today, like I said, is exactly one month since I last texted her. I went ahead and texted again this morning asking if there’s any other updates on an ETA. I texted her once in April asking for an ETA, then last month, and now today.
Before anyone mentions the contract, there isn’t anything about timeline expectations in there so that’s a no go. I’m just wondering if this is a long time? Google said it is but Google can be wrong lol. Has anyone experienced this?
Does anyone else’s mini love car rides?🥰💞 I’m so grateful he’s so good in the car lol. I see so many people say their dogs do terrible!
My puppy is nearly 6 months old and has been doing AMAZING. I’ve been socializing him since he was 8 weeks and he does great with other dogs and meeting new people. I wouldn’t call him nervous, just observant of new people before coming out of his shell. Just last weekend he met all of my in laws and their other kids and all their dogs and he did so so good. He played amazingly and warmed up to everyone so quickly.
With all that said, he’s never been to a groomer before. Now when he goes to the vet he does okay being handled, a little weary but never aggressive. I’m so beyond embarrassed! I had a mobile groomer come out to my house to do a puppy package and get him used to grooms.
She came to my door and he was standing between my legs, just looking at her. He’s a mini Aussie and 30 pounds btw, and doesn’t really love to be picked up. Anyways, she bent down to greet him. He was smelling her hand and she asked if she should carry him to the trailer. I told her maybe, if he doesn’t follow on the lead. She reached and started to pick him up like you would a baby, and he BIT HER IN THE FACEEEE.
He bit her chin and drew blood. I was horrified and beyond embarrassed, I could literally cry typing this out. I apologized profusely and ended up carrying him myself to her trailer.
Her mom was in there because they groom together, and she gave him a treat and was able to pick him up in a scooping motion to groom him. It’s currently 9:25 and he should be done at 10. I cannot believe he did that. He’s never done that to anyone. I was going to have my breakfast while he was groomed but I lost my appetite, I feel horrible!
Does anyone have any reassurance or advice? He does leave on Friday to live with a trainer for 21 to do confidence building. At first I was feeling guilty sending him away, but this solidified how good this will be for him. Has anyone ever gone through this before? I’m literally mortified.
Exactly 100 days ago I posted in here about my at the time 9 week old mini Aussie. I was sleep deprived, frustrated, and regretting my decision. Now flash forward, my Dunk man is nearly 6 months old and such a joy. His training is going amazing, he’s able to settle in the house, he’s potty trained, he’s great with other dogs and people, he loves his walks, he does great in the car, he’s crate trained, he’s perfection! Now with all this said, it didn’t happen over night and it didn’t happen on its own. It took a few months of consistency, training, and time. But it’s really paying off. I see so many posts in here of people ready to give their puppies up after a few weeks because it’s hard. It IS hard. I was miserable for at LEAST the first 3-4 weeks. But my goodness. He’s my best friend, I take him everywhere and anywhere with me.
Obviously sometimes it really just isn’t the right fit, but more often than not I just see a lot of super overwhelmed posters in here who just want nothing to do with the puppy anymore. I PROMISE YALL. It does really get better. Just a little update for anyone struggling❤️
Hello all. My husband (28m) and I (26f) have been together for 10 years. He’s my best friend! We just got married in February and it’s been great. I was born and raised in Tx, my husband moved around a lot growing up before his parents settled on Tx when he was a late teen. So he’s lived around a few different states. My husband has ALWAYS said he hates Tx. Ever since I met him. He hates how crowded north Tx is, he hates how expensive it’s getting, he hates the brutal summers, he hates how flat and “ugly” it is. Pretty much everything you can dislike about Tx, he dislikes lol. He’s also never been super close to his parents and really only sees them 2-3 times a year for holidays. I on the other hand am EXTREMELY close to my family and see them every week. My husband said he’s closer to mine than his own.
With all of that being said, he wants to finish out this year with his current company and move out of state. He hasn’t decided exactly where, he just knows he wants to. I thought it was coming from a place of hating our area, so I told him we should move to east Tx because I love it out there. But no. He just wants to leave Texas completely. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of stuff I don’t like about it either, but I’ve always loved Tx and never planned on leaving it😩
On the other hand, we’re young, no kids (unless you count our puppy lol), I’ve never lived anywhere else, and my dad has always told me the story on how he left Alabama at 21 and moved all the way to Tx and that I should do that too and go where we want. I get what he’s saying, but I’m also so sad thinking about it. I love my support system, I don’t know how I could go a couple months without seeing my parents or siblings. I don’t have many friends so I’m not really worried about that, but I’m worried about leaving HOME😩
Has anyone ever been through this situation and maybe has some words of encouragement to face my fears lol? At the end of the day, I love my husband dearly and will go where he goes, but it’s a very daunting thought. Thanks in advance!
I don’t even know if this is the right place to ask, but I can’t tell! My puppy Duncan is 5 months old. I noticed this afternoon that he’s MISSING a canine😬 I can’t tell if it’s a baby tooth that fell out or if he actually knocked out his new adult tooth. I’m freaking out that it’s an adult tooth he knocked out. Most of his teeth have fallen out and grown back now, and I never noticed a canine missing yet. But how would I have noticed a tiny baby canine missing? I noticed this one because it’s so big. Is anyone able to tell? Please please help!
Idk what’s happening. I thought it was a one off. My now 5 month old puppy has been sleeping through the entire night since he was about 12-14 weeks. He’s now 5 months and it literally feels like I’m back to potty training him like I was at 8 weeks. Wednesday night he was up every single hour between 10-4, and I finally gave up at 4am. Last night same thing. He sleeps fine during his naps, which is usually between 8-10 after our walk, and another between 1-3, sometimes 4. But I never let him sleep past 4pm, and he has a bedtime between 9-10pm, just depends when he falls asleep.
Nothing has changed in our routine, his diet, if anything we’re doing more during the day since he has a bit more stamina and is fully vaccinated now. I’m just so confused what’s happening, I could cry. I was going to contact my vet to rule out a UTI, but he sleeps fine during his nap time and doesn’t pee excessively during the day or anything. It’s only at night. Help!💔
Duncan is NOT impressed that we’re having to do a lot of our playing and training INSIDE due to the Tx heat!😄🤣 Little dude lovesssss being outside!
Hello everyone! This little guy is Duncan. A nearly 5 month old mini Aussie. I’ve been socializing Duncan since he was 8 weeks old, I would put him in a stroller and take him to Lowe’s, petsmart, or just sit in the parking lot. I always had him observe because that’s what everything online said to do.
Well now that Duncan is old enough to touch the ground, I’m able to take him on walks! They’ve really helped his energy. But every time he sees another person or dog, he starts lunging and barking. He’s a very observant little dude, when we have new people or dogs over he never approaches. He sits away and just watches, and will only approach when he feels comfortable. I guess I had a false sense of hope that he’d be good on his walks out in the real world because he never shows interest in approaching anything until he’s ready. WRONG!
He starts growling, barking, and eventually lunging. I try to get his focus back on me, stay further away from people and dogs, and reward him when he DOES ignore whatever is happening. But sometimes he gets so worked up he won’t listen. Duncan will be going to a board and train for 21 days in July with a highly recommended trainer in my area, which I’m hoping helps. But I’d really like to start working on it now with him. He’s currently 23 pounds and will end up around 38-40 fully grown, so I really don’t want a 40 pound dog lunging at people.
Please help!
I would also like to add before anyone else gets confused, he does have a lot of outlets at home. I’m a stay at home “dog mom” lol so I’m with him all day. He isn’t my first Aussie, I just don’t remember my girl being as hard as him lol! But she’s also 12 now and starting to slow down so maybe that’s why
Hi everyone! This is Duncan, he’s about to be 5 months old. He’s currently 23 pounds😆🤣 Everything I’ve googled and even read in here said that’s completely normal and he’ll probably end up around the 38-40 pound mark fully grown. I read their weights can vary and it’s still a mini. Well I have Duncan’s dna test and also his parents full panel + akc papers and he’s 100% a mini. But his vet keeps arguing with me that he’s a mutt and refuses to update his chart, so now on all his vet papers he’s an “Aussie mix”. The vet told me last week that I was scammed and Duncan is mixed with a mini and a standard, and they didn’t care when I told them I have his dna test to prove otherwise. Is he truly that big? I’m very frustrated at the vet but now they’re making me question if he’s actually a mini lol. Here’s a pic of Dunk Man!
Duncan has a VERY hard time settling down while in the house, and the only way to get him to be calm is crating him. I didn’t want to always have to crate him in order for him to learn to be still, so today I started “tethering”. I don’t know why I haven’t done this sooner!🤣 Duncan is nearly 16 weeks and while he does great in every other aspect of training, turning off his brain and winding down is not his strong suit. I thought I’d never be able to teach him how to settle down in the house so I count today as a small win lol