Bossy Aussie

[AnnieOCFP]

I am dog-sitting my son's Australian Shepherd for several months. He is aloof--a herder, body butts, rounds us up, etc., but overall not a bad boy until he gets angry. Then, he uses his teeth. He has bitten me twice (not badly) when I forced him into his crate and when I refused to take him with me in the car. He has bitten my other dogs (not severely) when they wouldn't fork over their treats or growled at him.

He is a bossy Aussie. How can I get through the next few months without aggravating the situation?

[iceyshiver21]

ive heard of this once before what causes it i dont know ill check in to it

[ramanth]

I hear it's hard to break the herding instinct out of an Aussie. Thankfully, Kia doesn't have a strong herding instinct, but does like to round me or my parents cats up every now and then.

Has your son taken the Aussie to any kind of obedience class? That or a behaviorist would be the first place I would start.

Good luck!