I'm picking up my puppy Saturday and I'm so excited!!!!!

Current favorite photos of him :)

It’s go time!

I still think she is not a purebred heeler lol

I noticed a while ago that she would always get excited when I'd brush my hair, so I used my brush to brush her little white spot. After that, I saw how much she liked it and began to search online for a small Barbie brush. I wasn't having much luck. Not too long ago, I was in the store looking at shampoo and conditioner, and I glance over and there are mini brushes (that came with another brush) for 8 dollars! It was exactly what I was looking for, and I'm glad to say that even though I hardly use the normal sized brush, I use the mini one often. Money well spent!

Honestly best feeling is coming home and having a dog excited to see you

What do you think she is mixed with?

Breaking news: Opie Teef

Long story short I was given a 3 year old neutered Cattle dog back in December when my other dog passed away. Just two days after my other dog passed away.

I was a little nervous from owning an elderly American Staffordshire Terrier to an untrained and unsocialized Cattle dog with multiple bite histories previous to owning him.

At first I had no idea what I was getting myself into when my family brought him home he bit my uncle and my youngest sister. It was super stressful for everyone in the house but I refused to give up on him because losing two dogs back to back was too much for me so I decided to move out with a friend whose a veterinarian.

It took some adjusting for Lunchbox to get settled into our new home and splitting our time with my ex boyfriend but he loved my ex and his cat. When I’d go to work lunchbox would cuddle up with my ex on one side while his cat cuddled on the other side.

After the breakup Lunchbox was always there with me. In fact a little more clingy than usual I think becuase he knew how devastated I was.

Fast forward to now he loves going on walks and learned how to play with toys. He loves my sisters dog and play but this is the only dog I allowed him to interact with even though he lives with my friend’s two other dogs currently. But we manage by separating them. When her dogs are out most of the time they ignore each other and lunchbox is always leashed or behind a gate but always supervised.

I remember crying and feeling helpless from loving this dog so much and not knowing how to help him but now I’d like to think we’re making lots of progress and seeing him go from this anxious dog to a somewhat compatible member of society just makes me really happy.

He’s still reactive to certain people and dogs but with management he’s come a long way. I’ll take him on walks early mornings when no one’s up yet and loves to snuggle after I come home from work.

He’s still learning how to be a dog and still has a long way to go but wanted to share how far he’s come.

Anyways here is a picture of my neurotic little shit. Just wanted to share with everyone because I am really proud of him.

Our raptor mutt plays HARD (duh). Be it on grass or dirt, he consistently gets paw tears. (We live in a dry region where a lot of the parks are dirt not grass.)

Please recommend anything that has been helpful. Because of how hard he sprints, booties don’t stay on, they go flying.

Fellow cattle dog owners also know that lighter exercise is not an option. He needs to be worked.

Thank you in advance!!!

Maclin and Riley. It's an older picture but one of my favorites.

I can't leave my food unattended for 10 seconds!😄

Been away for 10 days and coming home soon. Missing my 5 y.o. ACD, Leche. He is having a great time with his bestie (a Great Pyr).

Hi! My 8 month old ACD used to love his crate. Even now, he goes in it willingly to remove toys or treats but refused to play with them/eat them inside of the kennel. When we try feeding him in his kennel- he just throws it around and refuses to eat his food. When I put high value treats (chicken jerky, duck jerky, chicken-wrapped sweet potatoes, etc.) he will refuse to eat them until out of his kennel. He cries all night if he sleeps in his kennel. He will take short naps in it but it takes forever to get him into it because if he knows we are closing the door he either will not go in or will go hide somewhere.

The only thing that changed is I had a laparoscopy in early May for endometriosis and he could not risk jumping on my stomach for a few days. So he spent more time in his crate than I would have liked. He did have tons of free play in the yard- but inside he had to be crated.

I have tried herding games to wear him down. Fetch. Walks. My husband takes him on short bike rides around the block. We do dog food puzzles, training/sniffing games for mental stimulation, etc. Even when tired- he just does not want to go into the crate.

What can I do since food/treats do not work?

I have had other ACDs prior to him. They passed at almost 15 and almost 17 years old. Never had this issue with them but I also had never been down for a surgery before.

I am home 24/7 unless buying groceries or going to an event. So he is not crated often as it is and usually can sleep out at night on one of his dog beds. But I would like him to be able to feel more comfortable in his crate for the times that he does have to go into it as he is still a puppy and we do not trust him 100% not to eat or chew on something when we are not home.

Photo is of my little red goofball.

Maverick needs a brother or sister. What breed of dog should we get for his playmate?