My Australian Shepherd pup is about 4 months old. I don't think she's actually afraid of the lawn mower; but maybe. I think she just gets really worked up around it. My kids also have a wagon they ride down our hill. In both cases, Suzzie chases after and bites at the wheels while barking in her frustrated, high-pitched voice. I want to break her of this habit, but I don't know how.

Start with the mower off (getting it out, sitting there) and when/if she goes for it, tell her no. Get her focus then redirect on to a toy she can chomp on while you mow, throw it periodically for her or stop and tug. WOrk your way up to starting the mower, then movement with the mower. I did this with my last GSD and the vacuum and the mower and it worked well. Or maybe a RMB while you mow?

 Quote: Doug Alcorn

. My kids also have a wagon they ride down our hill. In both cases, Suzzie chases after and bites at the wheels while barking in her frustrated, high-pitched voice. I want to break her of this habit, but I don't know how.

I know this behavior is not 'cute', but it sounds like she's herding!

Michele's advice sounds spot on...

PS, are you giving her any herding outlet? ie eGGe toy or large ball that she could herd by herself?
eGGe

Right on with the herding Lynne. In fact, my current GSD just began to "herd" the sitdown platform swing my son was playing on last night. I was up on the deck, and saw it happen, as he was swinging, Ava began with a gutteral yip (very funny sound--unlike any I've heard from her before--or any other dog for that matter! lol) and grabbed the base of the swing in full swing. THankfully, my son had a good grip and was steady.

Of course, am starting in on the redirect stuff now with the swing. Previously, we had to get through a mini course in "the kid is not a squeaky toy" too. :rolleyes:. But redirects definately worked for us...persistance with a calm insisting the dog do something else will pay off.

 Quote: Michele McAtee

I was up on the deck, and saw it happen, as he was swinging, Ava began with a gutteral yip (very funny sound--unlike any I've heard from her before--or any other dog for that matter! lol) and grabbed the base of the swing in full swing. THankfully, my son had a good grip and was steady.

It amazes me how strong instincts are in dogs; the herding thing especially...

I'd forget about the lawn mower and work on the other.

With the lawn mower, I'd be a little more worried about Suzzie catching a rock with her forehead. Put her up.

 Quote: lynne barrows

I know this behavior is not 'cute', but it sounds like she's herding!

Michele's advice sounds spot on...

PS, are you giving her any herding outlet? ie eGGe toy or large ball that she could herd by herself?
eGGe

I'm not doing anything for herding atm. She definitely has some kind of "grip". When she's frustrated with me at my desk she'll grab my tricept much the same way I'd imagine she'd grab a sheep or something who wasn't doing "right". I've seen her do this at other times when someone isn't going/doing what she expects/wants.

However, it's not clear to me that what she's doing is herding. Of course, I've not ever seen natural herding instinct in action; so I don't really know. This looks to me like good old fashioned dog car chasing but on a much smaller scale. In fact, she used to make a jump towards cars while we were on our walks. I've mainly broken her of that through leash corrections and distracting her when I see cars coming.

Michele's advice looks good and I'll work on that.

 Quote: Michael_Wise

I'd forget about the lawn mower and work on the other.

With the lawn mower, I'd be a little more worried about Suzzie catching a rock with her forehead. Put her up.

I thought about just putting the dogs away too, and yes, if you cannot for some reason focus on teaching the dog, by all means, put them up. However, by doing so, it teaches the dog nothing of course. Given what she already displays at even the sound ? of the mower, it will build more frustration if she is put up during a mowing. Dogs need to learn self control in situations like that IMO. Eventually, work up to a platz on the deck, or somewhere out of the way of the mower.

 Quote: michael_wise

With the lawn mower, I'd be a little more worried about Suzzie catching a rock with her forehead. Put her up.

I think this is good advice. What I ended up doing (as I mowed this morning) was put her into a down tied up about with the mower about 10 feet beyond what she could reach. I started towards the mower and when she got up, I'd return and put her back in a down. I keep her in a down (with many times returning to her and "downing" her) until I could go start the mower. Eventually she lost interest. What I should have done was redirect her to something else more interesting than the mower rather than just bore/frustrate her out of it. I ended up finishing the mowing with her staked away from the mower.

I'd like her to be out and enjoying the outside while I mow since she's still in her crate a good bit of the time. I figure if I'm outside, most of the time she should be too. But if I'm too busy and distracted to supervise what she's doing then maybe it's not such a good idea.

Edited by Doug Alcorn (05/26/2009 10:38 AM)
Edit reason: clarify language

Some dogs genetics and drives may make desensitizing difficult, if not impossible. the problem is that your timing needs to be really good, all the time.

Whether it's herding or prey drive, this can become a serious obsession with many dogs. You'll see similar behavior with vacuum cleaners with many dogs.

I disagree with giving the dog an alternate object to obsess with for a few reasons. I don't like my dog to get in that state of mind for any reason, not a toy, not a vehicle. I want my dogs to be clear headed and clear thinking. There are many dogs that can play with toys and it's fine but there are a number of dogs out there that become even more obsessive/compulsive if allowed to play with toys that bring that behavior out. I know this because I have owned a few over the years.

IF you can't get success with desensitizing, then I recommend making the mower, wagon and anything else that causes her to escalate into this behavior an aversive. The drive you see in her now is nothing compared to what it will be when she's 3 years old so I would suggest you nip this in the bud now.

I bet I get 4 or 5 emails a week minimum about this issue and the majority of dogs that I get emailed about are cattle dogs, aussies and Malinois that become ocd over this. It's a very dangerous obsession to have, maybe one of our forum members will weigh in on this. Her dog had to have dental surgery last week because of an obsession with anything on wheels. ( 4 wheeler incident)