Last Saturday we picked up an 11 month old Australian Shepherd / Shih Tzu mix from the SPCA after being spayed. Do you think she is the wrong dog for us?

Question

You came highly recommended by a coworker and I could really use your advice. Last Saturday we picked up an 11 month old Australian Shepherd / Shih Tzu mix from the SPCA after being spayed. I have two girls one 8 and one 12 and a 13 year old cat. So far the cat and dog definitely do not get along and the dog has gone from constant submissive urination to becoming aggressive, hyper and even destructive. Unfortunately, I have had her crated all night and then again during the day while we work.

    Last night she was jumping on me trying to rip my sleeves and just being completely defiant. My children are not able to get her out of her crate when they get out come home from school because she will growl and bark at them. She does sit, give her paw and lay down if I have a treat but otherwise she is no good on a leash or listening to anyone. I have enrolled in a beginner class at Pet Smart beginning tonight but I am not sure if it will help. After spending a full night crying due to fear I will need to take her back to the SPCA and just plain frustration at her behavior I thought I would ask your advice if you think there is a chance for her. I am willing to do the work but I do not have a large fenced in yard or a farm. I live in the Phila suburbs and my children have a very active life. If her behavior improves I would love to bring her with us to soccer games etc. Do you think she is the wrong dog for us?

    If there is a possibility that she will calm down and be the good family companion I am searching for I would love to purchase some of your videos.

    Thank for in advance for your help,
Tara

Accepted Answer

I have reviewed your email and believe that the first thing you need to do is to establish clear leadership with your dog. This is achieved by restructuring your dog's daily life and controlling all privileges through our groundwork program. Please read this article first.

Pack structure and how to live with a dog in your home are the very first issues to deal with whenever you add a new dog to your family or have problems with an existing dog. We are taking orders for a new DVD that extensively covers the way Ed and I live with dogs in our home.

You also need to look at this from the dog's point of view. I can only make assumptions by my perceived tone of your email but I get the feeling that you are unsure and emotional about all of this. This kind of attitude on your part will actually create hectic and unsettled behavior in this dog. She's already feeling insecure from being in a shelter and then is taken in to a home where nobody really knows how to deal with her. She's asking for leadership in the only way she knows how.

You don't need a fenced yard or a farm to be a good dog owner. You need to be willing to put in the time and do what it takes to help this dog adjust to life with you and your family. If you are not willing or able to do that, then it would probably be best to rehome the dog.

If you spend some time using the search function (located in the upper left hand corner of the website) you will find many useful articles and posts that address all the problems you are having. You can start by searching on the term "cats" and you will find out how to deal introducing the dog to your cats correctly.

I hope this helps.

Cindy