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I have an Australian cattle dog with a biting problem. (lemmy.world)

submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by Zannsolo@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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So I was 37m single set on not having kids when I got an Australian cattle dog. Literally the day he got his final parvovirus vaccine I took him out with me to drinks with a couple coworkers where I met my now wife who was a friend of a coworker.

Fast-forward 4 years I'm married have 2 kids (both conceived after marriage tyvm #firstinmyfamily #generationalfamilyissues #omgwhyisthisboomerusing hashtags #causeimaddandalreadyinsideaparenthesies) and my dog is a absolute love but very protective and has a biting problem.

He's never broken skin on me my wife or kids but he does regularly bite my older daughter. He has broken skin on several people we are close to though. I'm not worried he will mail our daughters but it's very difficult to have a dog you have to lock away whenever people are over and my wife hates that he bites our daughter.

Should I try and re-house him, are there ways to fix this. I love the guy but he is a problem.

Edit: I would have never gotten an ACD if I thought this was going to be my future. I knew what I was getting into with the breed, I just didn't think I was ever going to have a family. He does love our daughters too but a two year old doesn't understand why he bites.

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[–] BassTurd@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

We had a rescue rottie that was aggressive when we got him. It took years but through controlled exposure to new people, some professional training, and just working through different situations, we got to the point that I was never concerned about him hurting any guests. Maybe he would body a small child because of his size, but never bite.

We currently have a personal trainer coming to help with our husky/pit/German shepherd rescue. She's a great girl and unless you're a rabbit, would never hurt you, but she's very reactive on walks and when people walk by with their dogs. It's helping a bit, but it's a marathon, not a sprint.

So my anecdotal advice is to get a private trainer with recommendations and good reviews. Your vet may be able to guide you to someone or perhaps a local shelter or doggy daycare place. My wife volunteers at one of our local shelters and she found someone through networking there who also volunteers her training at said shelter.

In the interim, keep the dog separated from your daughter. Any way you can associate your daughter as a positive thing for your dog is good. Positive reinforcement is king