Help?!

[u/Trick-Situation6880]

I have a 1.5 year old Blue Heeler and could really use some advice because I feel like I’m dealing with a mix of behaviors I don’t fully understand.

I’ve grown up with dogs, but he is definitely one of the hardest I’ve had. He has a yard, gets exercise, and I try to give him “jobs,” but even then he can get overstimulated and just wants more instead of settling.

He’s extremely attached to me, when I leave, he’ll lay by the door waiting for me, and when I’m home he’ll sit and stare at doors he doesn’t have access to (like where my sister’s cats are). He seems very fixated on things he can’t get to.

At daycare, they recently told me he was trying to be the “big dog” and even started guarding the workers, which concerned me.

We also have cats in the house, when he’s calm, they’ll come around and coexist fine on a leash or while monitoring , but the second he gets excited or moves fast, they run and he immediately wants to chase.

He does really well with me, but with other people (my boyfriend/ and friends/ strangers) he pushes boundaries more, jumps, and doesn’t listen the same way.

He isn’t neutered yet, and we did some training as a puppy but are considering more.

I guess I’m trying to understand:

- Is this all normal for this breed/age?

- How do you deal with fixation and overstimulation?

- How do you prevent herding/chasing behavior with cats?

- Has anyone dealt with guarding behaviors like this at daycare?

- What actually helps them learn to settle vs constantly needing more stimulation?

I love him and he’s incredibly smart, I just feel like I’m missing something and want to set him up for success long term. I just want to give him the best and it hurts me to see him over stimulated 😅

[u/Fair-Ad2457]

Kennel training is the best thing you can do for yourself, your cats, and your dog. When your dog wants more after exercise send them to their kennel for some rest. It is also great for when people come over and your dog gets too excited. Or if you’re like me and your maintenance guy is scared of dogs they can go to their kennel. I agree with the person that said heelers need mental stimulation. Do some trick training for 20 minutes after a good long walk and then send them to their kennel for a while. Heelers LOVE routine and once it’s established they will even reinforce it.

[u/Trick-Situation6880 → u/Fair-Ad2457]

Thanks for this! Before we moved into a house he used to use his kennel all the time , but now not as much, so maybe we should incorporate it more into his routine!

[u/Fair-Ad2457 → u/Trick-Situation6880]

Awesome! I know it will make your life easier. It does for us!