Juju

Well there you go. I have dug deeper into the secret life of Peta and am pretty pissed off. Thanks for the heads up. I'm still going to do my bit on staying as cruelty free as I can

Hi everyone, It's been awhile since I've checked it here & after some reasercch I've been doing lately, thought this could be a good spot to share some knowledge & possibly change the world. I hope to make this a short post as this is a topic I have become quite passionate about and I can go on & on So my new years resolution is to go 100% cruelty free. It's not hard, you just have to look harder, download apps & think a little bit more. So with all my Googling I was utterly discusted to learn that big brand dog & cat foods inhumanley test on animals. How does this make any sense? What we feed our prized pets, other less fortunate babies, who have stumbled into the wrong hands of man, suffer horrible lives & eventually die the most awful deaths. It is F*#@%d up (please excuse me) www.crueltyfreekitty.com/pets/cruelty-free-pet-food/#brands Please view this website Brands such as Iams, Hills Science Diet, Eukanuba, Whiskas, Pedigree, Royal Cannin & more.....Yes, all test on animals. Theres more, The Body Shop and Avon are not 100% Cruelty free even though they claim to still be, as they are owned by L'oreal & they import to China where by law every product consumed by people must be tested on animals, which meas they are open to animal testing. Estee Lauder, Colgate, Palmolive, Revlon, Cover girl, Johnston & Johnston, Aveeno, Dove, just to name a small few Are you familiar with Lush hand made body products? 10 stars to Lush, they were offered business in China but turned them down, they said animals come before money. I think that's frickin awesome! If I can just change 1 person to think different from this 'board room/discussion' I will be happy. Did you know Beagles are the most common dog used in laboratories? I myself have an elderly cat with IBS..yes lovely..who can only eat Hills prescription i/d. I have started her on some human probiotics & am extra extremely slowly introducing a new cruelty free grain free diet (Core) & I'm happy to say things are looking good. If interested Google 'Modere' not animal products, but cruelty free, 100% environment friendly, including the plastic packaging, natural products. Check out PETAs website & they have a great app to down load. My favorite one use is the Cruelty Cutter app, by Beagle freedom. I'm going to stop there. This is where I could possibly get nasty about animals that suffer unnecessary pain & horrible lives. Thanks & sorry this is not really about border collies

Hi, There is a product called the Happy Hoodie. It is popular with dog groomers to minimise and dull sounds such as the blow drier or even the buzz of clippers for extra sensitive dogs. I like to use them in my salon. It is basically a thick wrap/ elastic head band that goes over the ears. Similar to the thunder shirts, it helps the dogs feel safe & takes away the bulk of the noise. Besides the fact it also makes them look like they are recovering from a head injury, I do feel it helps many dogs especially BC's & BC crosses with their extra sensitive hearing. It's great for puppies too. Maybe Juno would benefit with one while you start her desensitization. There is also another product similar to Rescue remedy called Emergency Essence. I find it works better than Rescue. It is made by Australian Bush Flower Essences (ABFE). Even though it's Australian, I'm pretty sure it is available overseas too. Again I use it with nervy dogs when they come in for haircuts. It stops their shakes & drooling down my arms!! Hope this is a bit helpful!

Hi there, The behaviour with your dog that you have been experiencing, is exactly how our BC started to show issues. We dealt with 3 behavioursts and the 2nd one diagnosed her with major personal space anxiety (and other fears & anxieties). Up until a point (for us her age was 4-5months) we could pat & interact with her, then anything could set her off & she became aggressive, even though she wasn't deep down. She would approach to be patted, then mid pat (maybe only after a couple of strokes) she would crack. This only got worse, picking up things near her, dogs coming near her. We did decide to put her on meds 9months ago as she was becoming to much to handle & we couldn't get through to her. One training technique we practice with her is her Stay command. Stay to be stroked, Stay, when walking towards us, when walking away from us, when walking to something/someone. STAY when about to attack, then followed by another command such as drop. We are managing her much better now & she is a delight, even if we can't fully trust her I would really recommend getting a good vet behaviourst out because like it said,our girl only got worse with her aggression, anxiety, fear & confusion I have a couple of posts her the latest behaviour one being 'The effects of Prozac'. If you perservere you will get through. I was told by this behaviourst dogs with personal space behaviour issues are the highest euthanasia cases (apart from the elderly/sick & pound puppies ) Every dog is worth it, we just struggle to read their signs and understand what they are feeling Good luck!!!

Thanks guys, that's really helpful. I had a look on the clean run website & like their coats. There is one on sale which I especially like Although I wouldn't put a price on my dogs comfort. It is made out of the same fabric as the cooling horse rugs which I've had experience with & water can be added for maximum coolness. There is a couple of things I am concerned about with the ones you add water too- 1. As they are damp, do they make the dogs coat smelly once off? 2. Is the dog carrying around extra unnecessary weight while wearing this damp coat?

Hi Everyone, I was hoping some of you have had experience with cooling coats & which ones are the best to get. The Aussie summer is just starting and being active outdoors alot I am interested in getting a coat for River. It needs to be lightweight but durable and I'm not sure if I'm much of a fan of the ones that need water added or fridge/freezer time. But I'm happy to hear views My parents are in Colorado right now & are able to do shopping for us, if we make it clear & easy..hehe! So as long as it can be purchased from a main shop like Petco or another big store that sticks out they may not know where to search. Thanks in advance! P.S For those of you who have followed her behaviour journey, she is still improving. If your going to be an idiot & push her limits, then you pay the price. I love her to bits

Hi SS Cressa, Have you tried pet CD's? I have one I play sometimes for our household, it's a 2 set called Through A dog's Ear..one called pet calm & the other pet healing. Everything about the music has been researched and made at the correct frequencies to calm animals. It may not do anything to help your dogs but it is very relaxing. I will often put it on and soon enough I have a previously empty room now full of sleeping animals,so it's helpful for me to find my animals..haha!! It's also very relaxing for humans can you try Bach flowers (rescue remedy) or Australian Bushflower essences (emergency essence) Goodluck

Hi Teri, Congratulations with your achievements with Jade. It sounds like you are making patient progress like us with River. It is very rewarding hard work but when you start seeing results, you realize you made the right decision to persevere. I always enjoyed agility with our previous dog and was very excited for River to reach 14months of age so we could start up at the soonest opportunity. River lacks confidence, part of her reasons for her aggression. Agility works wonders for her confidence. Besides the part where she is super fast, energetic, eager to learn; teaching her an obstacle for the first few times eg Dog Walk, I could see she was scared, worried, unsure. After a few goes she gets more confidence, and then more and more. Letting her watch others have goes really helped, kind of like she was learning from her friends I wasn't in any rush, but she is a fast learner River is almost 2yrs and I'm very proud of her level at agility. She was never a very good sheep herder, I think because she lacked confidence & the sheep knew this, but agility seems to be therapy for her in a way. She can do all 12 weavers in a straight line & if it wasn't for me stuffing her up with my turns and crosses & forgetting the course, we could almost be trialing!! Haha, but its so fun and some nights at training I can't stop giggling..maybe its therapy for me too?! At agility, River wears a yellow vest that says 'Give Me Space' Most people at training know River now but there are quite a few similar looking borders, that I think it would be an easy mistake to think River was someone else. Also it helps when she needs to be staked while I help set up a course. This vest, I feel helps our situation as people are more aware and it is much easier to explain she has issues. These days River is more than happy to greet & be patted by others (infact, some would think I'm telling fibs about her behavior..thats how far she has come) However I need to keep reading her face and tail as to when to say 'that's enough patting' & then a big thank you to the person & a reward for River. Its much more easier for us. I totally reckon you should give agility a go. Just take it slow & be proud of her progress. There will be times you will go back a few steps, but with the right dog club, you will have endless amounts of support. As far as her herbs she takes everyday go, I personally have always had the feeling they are helping her for the better. Just this week, the selected herbs she has been on since the beginning (LDXGT..Long Dan Xie Gan Tang), my Chinese Medicine Vet instructed I try wean her off them & then onto a new type. However a few days after I started to wean her off, she got a bit touchy & weird in a negative way, now she is back on her normal dose and things are good again. Maybe she was having a bad few days, I'm not sure, but I honestly believe they are helping. If you have any Traditional Chinese Medicine Vets in your area, I would shoot them an email and ask a few questions. I am glad I found our vet, she also suggests acupuncture for her aggression but as much as I would like to give that a go, River would hate it to be touched and held down by someone else..maybe later.. Good Luck with your little Jade, she is a very lucky dog to have found you guys. If there is anything else I can help with, let me know Judith

Hi all, I'm sure I will get a lot of negative support from my post regarding our dog going on medication for her behavior. However for us to manage her and for her to live a fairer life we felt it is necessary. I posted another post explaining most of our behavior issues we had with our pup, I think under something headed 'Anxious/aggressive border collie, or border collie snapping at kids' almost a year ago. I am mostly posting this post to help anyone who may be going through the same thing as we have/are. I found there was hardly anything to go by on the internet, whether border collie or not, any help is good help. Also this is our experience only, everyone reacts differently and most importantly talk to your vet. Let me just remind you we love our dog and as we have no children of our own we are able to spend more time and money than others may choose to in this circumstance. River is family, we chose to bring her home..we don't give up on family. The least we can do is try to help her through this confusing time. From the age of 4 months we noticed aggressive behavior in our pup whom we chose from a recommended, registered breeder here in Perth WA. (I think differently of the breeder now) by 6 months of age we had our first behaviorist out, by 15months our 2nd behaviorist out, and then at 18 months, a friend of a friend dog behaviorist came out to see if there was anything they could suggest, this was more like a freebie, I traded a grooming service, so I guess you probably wouldn't count this guy! Anyway, I'll take all the help I can. I personally have a background of dog and animal experience, but nothing can prepare you until you experience it first hand. From day one continuously to this day, we have kept up with her training and any social dog experiences there are. River excels in obedience and agility, has been trained and listens to commands. I wouldn't say she is a naughty dog due to lack of manners/training. One of the best things about her is she is always up to learn new things, she also just loves to be our personal assistant, taking things there, brining things here etc. Besides her aggressive unpredictable side, River is overly intelligent, sensitive, funny, social (although her anxieties would often get in the way of this bit) a great protector. Deep down she is the dog of your dreams and we felt she deserved an honest chance, she didn't want to be nasty and we were finding it very hard to teach her what behavior is expected from her at random times and how to control herself. So our female, sterilized, border, now 21 months, had become very aggressive due to feeling very anxious most of the time, day in, day out. When she felt the need she would react aggressively to anyone, whether it was my husband or I, friends, family or strangers. Our second behaviorist diagnosed her with 3 major anxieties the worst one being personal space, or her bubble. She used to hate being touched and would react with a savage bite, same sort of thing if you were to pick up something off the ground near by her, like a pen, you invaded her space and without warning (besides the brief eyeball stare) she reacts and goes for you. A cat walking near her, snap! I can't begin to imagine the stress she was going through. Her other anxieties were fears/noises & food aggression. When she would get herself in one of these angry states, she found it very hard to stop attacking (I'm talking about lunging to get to your face, wrapping her forearms around your leg to give her more control...shall I go on? It was frickin scary, especially when you need to stay calm! Anyway once we had got her to come back to Earth, (sometimes it could take 10 seconds for her to stop attacking,) with 1 of the few techniques we were taught, these aggressive reactions mentally affected her that bad that she would still be majorly touchy for a good 24hrs after. These attacks to my husband and I would occur almost daily or at least 3 times a week. It was bad. So we were all living on eggshells at these times. River was put on Endep by this behaviorist in early December of 2014. My husband and I would spend hours each day doing behavior training, mostly to allow us into her space and to touch/stroke/pat her as you would a family dog. I'm talking hours, anyone that came over was given strict instructions how to interact, we always had food in our pockets, always wore long pants, always on the ball. Oh yes, always many tears shed. Then late Feb she finally did it, she had been making a bit of slow progress over the weeks (still couldn't really pat her for long, though) and my husband was chilling with her on the lawn. Without thinking, he plucked a blade of grass near her. Well she lost it. In the blink of an eye she had lashed out and got his face, there was a puncture wound on his nose and chin and a lot of blood, it was the first time she drew blood (and so far the only time) My husband is tough and went on to make a full recovery, after a detour to the medical. So we had that talk..again. I don't think I have ever cried so much, after all the work we had been putting in, she was still unpredictable and unsafe and can't be living a truly happy life for a young border collie herself. After speaking with our vet we decided to swap her meds to Prozac and give her 6 more months just to see real improvements, unless something really bad happened in the meantime, then that was what we had talked about and agreed apon. Before I go on ( and I'm sorry this is so long) We also got help from a Chinese Vet who prescribed River some herbs (Yes, as the reader, you are open to have your own opinion of going down this road, but we didn't have much time left and we needed to try everything if we were going to make the inevitable decision, I invite you to be the judge of my next part. I'm sure every animal will respond differently anyway, this is just our experience) So the week she stopped her Endep was the same week she started her herbs (herbs take 1.5 weeks to kick in and still takes them to this day). 9 days after her last Endep she started Prozac, early March 2015. Prozac, from what I've heard and read usually takes 6 weeks to kick in. During those weeks many side effects can occur. The vets can tell you so much and the internet has bugger all on whats normal and what to expect. Again every dog is different. Which is one of the reasons why I am sharing our experience of Prozac. Behaviour training is still a must, the Prozac or herbs will not just fix a dog, they assist with the situation and it is up to you to do the real work. There is no quick fix for a dog with aggression issues. I kept a diary or each week. So, Weeks 1-4 of the Prozac experience River was very happy, lovely to be around, tolerable, relaxed; wasn't always panting, wasn't always on the alert, face and eyes had relaxed expressions, accepted/enjoyed physical contact; very unusual. A changed dog. She was a little off food, and River eats anything at anytime! Week 4, Touchy, reactive, lethargic/drowsy, runny nose. Much better appetite Week 5, drowsiness gone, gets tired on walks, runny nose, cautious, reactive, overall improving but this week doesn't trust my husband. Week 6, still tired on walks, far less reactive; only if you push her limits, reacts only with one snap then retreats, comes around after an attack much quicker like within the half hour (not 24hrs!) better with husband Week 7- present day, a changed dog. River has and is improving all the time. We do far less behavior training now than we have been, but we haven't stopped completely. It has been weeks, maybe over a month since her last reaction. She is much more at a manageable state, even if we will never be able to trust her. We are so proud of how far she has come. She has had such a stressful puppyhood and now her confidence is coming right out into the world. She is amazing. She will come up and nuzzle her head in you lap for you to pat her head and face..a big no no months ago. She greets people with love and excitement and in return she gets pats, something she is learning to love, still only short and sweet so she always wants more. She is learning to back away when she feels uncomfortable instead of lashing out. She is getting more confident with other dogs, again short and sweet meetings only and no boisterous dog meetings for a while. I do not trust her with kids and will not have interactions for a while yet. I do feel she has always been scared for her safety and it has taken her a mighty long time for her to really trust my husband and I. Our dog does need time out from the world, and will probably always will. It is something the humans in her life need to respect, so, her crate is her safe haven; she does not get bugged in there. She needs to trust we respect that. From our experience the tips I can give is no matter how high up you think you are in the dog world, if you find yourself with a dog with these type of issues, get yourself a good behaviorist. They are expensive, so you should look around and talk to people to find the right one. Furthermore, it is very, very time consuming and expensive in other areas and so if your heart is not truly in it or you just don't have the time, another decision may just be a safer, smarter alternative. Keep up with as much training as you can, find a club who will allow a dog with behavior issues to attend. All the training you put in, may in the end not be enough for particular dogs. We had a very rocky year and I can imagine there are worse off dogs out there than River. We are and still expect to keep up her behavior training for a long time to come. After seeing these improvements in just 2 months we are sure as hell not going to stop now. I'm sure there will be times that we might go backwards, but that's all part of it, we've seen first hand the goodness that can come out of hard work. River still takes Prozac and Chinese herbs, I've also added a Bach flower combo to her daily schedule. Just remember, dogs are not naturally nasty and aggressive, there is always something that is triggered or something that is just not right in their mind. They are dogs, and they are trying to live in a human world. So who is in the wrong, really? Thanks for taking the time to read this I hope I can help someone out there! Judith

I think he is handsome & he looks on the ball yet goofy. I would guess a Mc Nab or maybe even a Mc Nab x Aust Shep..the last pic he looks a bit like an aussie besides the ears & short fur. I don't think he is much if any kelpie, but I can see how someone could make a guess. Good luck. I hope he fits in!!

Maybe he's a Mc Nab? I think sometimes they have stumpy tails & more white with bat ears?

Cool..thanks very interesting!

I have really enjoyed reading all these threads. I have a show black and white border who is my second border (both long haired show bred). With our second, we have been attending herding classes once a week. She definatly has the instinct & is amazing to watch but shes just not 'getting it' as fast as the working bred kids. At the moment shes not including us in the picture..she feels her job is to group all the sheep together along the fence & to hold them there. If one breaks, she needs to decide very fast what she needs to do..Usually that involves threatening the flock with her stare & bolting to bring stray back. Yes, shes not there yet, but we all have alot of fun! Agility & Rally is more our piece of cake I agree there is a difference in working & show bred, but I also just love the long coats. I love brushing & trimming her paws & I know River feels pretty special after. I am interested to know the difference between a cattle bred bc and a sheep bred bc. Is it to do with the area of the animal being herded, such as face or hocks?

Thanks everyone. Yes, that is how we have trained her with this particular command..with higher priority treats most of the time. I thought maybe there was something else I could add. And yes, because of the fur eating she is locked outside most the day and only really comes in on quiet days when I can work with her or when one of her friends come in or if a client wants to say hello. Thanks for helping

Hi everyone. So River is doing really well. She has just turned 1 & we are doing our best to manage and redirect her outburst of snaps. From a very young age we taught her the 'leave it' command and she will respond & will leave the object/food/animal..whatever it may be, however 2 seconds later or when our backs are turned she is back at it. I am a dog groomer & work from home. It drives me crazy that she eats the fur that falls to the ground. Yes she will leave it when asked, but is right back at it the first chance she gets. She will drop the fur from mouth when asked & even lets me open & pull it from her mouth. I can only imagine the smells & flavours on random dog fur but also not only is it not healthy but it drives me crazy she wants to always eat fur & im always saying leave it!! I have tried numerous yucky tasting sprays, store bought & homemade. My next plan is apple cider vinegar..I just personally cant stand the smell of vinegar. I also avoid as much as possible fur landing on the floor, River gets crated or also goes outside. So any ideas how to reinforce this command so we are not always telling her the same thing over or removing her entirely from the situation? Also off the beaten track a bit. Do you think a dog who is crate trained is more likely to become protective of their space? Just interested. .thats all

There is another product called Canine Tranquil Formula by Vetalogica and it is mostly B group vitamins but helps with anxiety, nervousness & other scary situations. Ive known lots of people to swear by it for their troubled dogs and it is readily available over the counter http://www.vetalogica.com.au/dog-products/canine-tranquil-formula Has anyone tried thunder shirts for storms and fireworks? They are a very tight fitting jacket/coat much like a big supportive cuddle that are becoming more and more popular with anxious & nervous dogs

Yeah we australians have a funny language for most things. But then when I visit my aunt & uncle in Colorado (who are huge bearded collie fans), I would often giggle or be confused with the words they would use for everyday things.

Ive always used human zinc on my animals pink noses but have recently heard its too strong & not so safe for their skin. Wondering if people use something different that lasts, is safe and doesn't get licked off easily? Its only the end of winter here but my pup just loves to relax in the sunshine so need to prepare fir the coming months Thanks!!

Hi, I don't really have much to say but wish you all the best & it sounds like you are a loving responsible owner and no doubt any decision you decide to make will be the best one. Something that did come to my mind, however, and not everyone likes to go down the natural therapy road..but what about acupuncture or hydrotherapy? I used to work with an amazing animal acupuncturist and the results of the animals was out of this world. Some dogs would need to be carried in on their first one or two treatments then bounded out on their last. It was truely unbelievable to see this sort of therapy work its wonders. Our late border with hip dysplasia recieved acupuncture every 8 weeks and although obviously it wasn't a cure for him, it was definatly the next best thing. It was also so helpful for his arthritis is other areas. Good luck

So here is an update for those who are interested and would like to give their 2 cents. I feel River is making progress but I still know if she is left alone on any of her beds (3 inside & 1 outside) and Jed or another cats just walks on by she will still fast as lightning snap & make contact (still I think she knows what she's doing as none of them *touch wood* has never lost even the smallest bit of fur from this, they usually get just a wet patch. I read somewhere, maybe in 'Mine!", maybe on these boards, that dogs know their strength of their bite and will inflict damage if they want to. So I like to think it is just a warning as I know she does love the cats and tries her hardest to get them to play. I think if she really does inflict pain onto the cats they would stay away from her but as they are not frightened of her and also enjoy her company (at times) so they are not worried about keeping their distance. She is trying so hard to be good around them and as long as we are there to talk and reassure her she is fine and during some of these times when previously she would snap, very rarely she will put in a quick lick on their face and then walk away. The 'Leave it command' is very useful in this situation She is super super sensitive and I think her feelings get hurt very easily, when she has done wrong in anything we just need to pull an angry face and she hangs her head in shame. We can see that she is trying so hard to make us happy but there is obviously a lot of miscommunication happening that I need to understand and work on. She is so beautiful. Even when she hops in her crate in the dog business and a dog may approach all I need to say is 'good girl river' or 'gentle' or 'leave it' and when she is really good she gets a yummy treat. I am trying to avoid dogs approaching her in her crate in the business as I know its her space but sometimes you can't stop everything and when I'm not on the ball she will have a go through her crate. This will be a work in progress, either way, her positives out do her negatives by far & we wouldn't swap her for the world!! We have a lot of patience and as long as we know how we are working/dealing with issues is the correct way to go about it, then bring it on!

Our 11 month does this too, but mayb not so stalk-like, more of a pounce. I love to watch her stare at a toy, lock in, lift her front left paw up on a angle then.. pounce!! Sometimes she does an awesome curved high pounce & lands dead on her toy, other times she doesnt judge the distance well enough & needs to add a few steps in. She looks a bit like a ballerina when she has her paw up

Hi, I am & have been a dog groomer for the past 14yrs. I agree a well cared for/groomed/brushed border has an insulated coat, cool in summer & warm in winter. However once mats start occuring this insulation goes and the dog will be hot and irritated over summer, not to mention skin problems start occuring with severly matted cases. I personally love the look of a well groomed border with their full coat, I usually talk my clients into having just a tidy up which would include trimming paws & legs, trimming belly & sometimes shaving groins. Come summer and most large dogs do have a close cut haircut, breeds can include goldens, GSD, corgis, any breed. The fur always grows back after a couple of months, usually 3-4months for a full coat. We would shave our elderly border maybe 3 times over summer (West Australian summers are very dry, muggy & hot) maybe the well groomed dogs dont 'need' it but they sure did love it through the heat. Not only that owners can see how much their dogs love to be short in summer so they keep bringing them in for their summer haircuts. I have found the fur always grows back the same with regular grooming, the only times I've noticed it doesn't is when a dog is not on a complete & balanced diet. The most popular summer clips I do for borders is a size 5 (about 1cm) all over and I like to leave their tail & leg feathers (like a fox) unless instructed otherwise from their owner. I would also suggest if you are not going to have your border clipped, which is completly fine, to cut any knots you may come across out as they will only get bigger & tighter & very uncomfortable

Thanks everyone. We are unable to contact our behaviourist as she is away for a few months..ofcourse. She is well known in our state and very good. I will be looking for the book 'Mine!' I have heard alot of people rave about it. I personally am unsure if giving the cats more attention shows they are above River. I guess I just assumed it would help. For all I know it could be making matters worse. For the last 48hrs we have monitored each interaction very closley and havent had an out break for over 24hrs. When we sit down & River will come for pats, if/when Jedi approaches, I can tell she is thinking bad thoughts but as her lips haven't raised at all (she just stares) I just keep saying 'good girl' while still patting her. When Jed gets really close to me, River moves her head away as not to make eye contact with Jed & will actually walk away if he stays or gets on my lap. I don't know for sure what she is feeling, my guess is she doesn't want to snap & thinks it best to move away to prevent disapointing me & getting in trouble??!! Does it mean she understands the cat gets priority?? Today, whilst I cleaned out the piggy, River always 'helps' I put the bowl of piggy water on the ground for her to taste..sometimes she finds hay, food & other 'suprises' I always let her have this moment. So, Jedi approaches & she moves away. I dont know if she was moving from the cat or giving up the tasty water for him. It is extremly rare for her to give up food for anyone but us atm. (Something we're working on) I think if I wasn't in the picture, she would have snapped at him if he came too close to the water. Should I be reasuring her in these situations when she isn't showing any signs to snap, do you think thats making it worse or helping? Just this afternoon they were both sitting at the back door side by side waiting to come in. They definatly like/tolerate eachother

So just in the last week we have seen, what I feel, are some jealousy signs coming from our 10 month pup towards one of our cats (11yr old whom I bottle raised from 2 weeks..my bin baby) We know she has insecurity issues (especially over food being taken from her, which we have since almost resolved with the help of a behaviourist) and are trying our best to work on it, but to be honest we get told to do something different from everyone we speak to regarding this jealousy issue and past issues (as in hierarchy and kids) She is sensitive, and for matters not to worsen or progress to become more serious, I really need to address this now and to get the most correct & functional method to help her overcome this, even if it takes time. We have 3 cats, and I try to give them more attention to show they are higher up in our pack than she is, they get fed before her & have been with us for the past 11 years or so. 1 particular cat Jedi, mentioned above has started coping it from her. Jedi is and has always been a very social & friendly cat towards people, cats and dogs (he even likes River pup but just cant match her energy anymore) I love this cat, we have a really strong bond & I do not want to reduce cuddle time or any attention towards him just because our pup is jealous. So, when we are patting the pup and Jedi approaches she will snarl & snap at him, most of the time making contact but not actually hurting him. I feel shes not trying to intentionally hurt him but just to warn him this is her time for attention. She is discouraged to be in the kitchen while we are preparing dinner, but if there is smelly raw meat on the menu and Jedi is near by, he will get a snap. If she is sleeping or resting outside her crate and Jed or the other 2 approach she will fast as lightening, snap. (this particular behavior isn't jealousy, I think its more she feels vulnerable while she sleeps, and when we first noticed this particular sleeping behavior about 2 months back, we thought she was dreaming and got a fright as the cat walked by, now I don't think its that at all) Using soothing 'good girls' when she is being nice around the cats seem to help her but I don't know if they are the correct thing to do to solve the problem In the end I am worried for my cats' safety and bond/trust between them all. I know they are animals and can figure eachother out and give eachother room. But it frightens me this will get worse and my cats will get hurt. Our pup gets a lot of one on one attention & training, and I know we too are forming a strong bond, which I love but can see it could be making matters worse? Do you think I should be ignoring River pup more? Has anyone got an experience similar they can share with me? Maybe what I shouldn't be doing? I think out of all 3 cats, Jedi is her competition, our oldest cat won't stand for any of her bitchiness & River knows not to mess with her & our middle cat is one who like to be alone a lot so doesn't seem to be a threat We try to be there when Jedi & River are together, (and they do play, mostly boxing fights) we need to watch her face for any signs. We say 'good girl' or 'gentle' when she is being nice and then Don't, or River, or Arrrr, in a growl if shes about to do something then good girl when she relaxes. Is this correct? We have raised a lot of animals before River came along, mostly orphans ranging from kittens to puppies, to farm animals and wildlife and besides the wildlife they have all turned out to be friendly, tame, social. People would tell us its easy to see that our animals reflect us as their owners, and our pup is absolutely gorgeous in most her ways but she just has this insecure streak, which shows as being nasty in her that I feel is going to get worse. We love this pup to bits, and I'd like to say we don't 'spoil' her, but having no human kids of our own, our fur kids are our life. I get really upset that we have worked so hard with her behavior and still get her being unpredictable around older small dogs, kids and now our cats. Sorry this is so long *photo..at play, 5 months old *

Thanks again everyone for your different opinions. I have taken them all on board. It does make it harder that we don't & probably won't have kids of own own, but we have heaps of small kids in our life not to mention kid friendly parks & schools in our neighborhood. Our neices we see all the time & are the ones we will be able to do more one on one work with. I was thinking of taking River for a walk to the park and have the neices accompany us. The chuck-it is a really good idea, I think I will get one tomorrow. We regularly walk past the primary school when schools just out and kids & their families will ask to pat her. These situations are completely different. She is relaxed and seriously happy to be meeting people. I keep her on a tight lead & keep watching her face for any signs of distress, I only keep these meetings short and sweet (a few seconds). I think these meetings are good for her. When we pass the part of the school with the playground behind wire fences; we've got kids running & screaming, chasing eachother..being kids, River is still happy to watch them but also switched on and very alert. If there was no fence & she was off lead I know she would be in there terrorising some how. I know we have a long road ahead of us, but I am prepared to make it work & to put the time in. Thanx everyone!!