How to stop my anxious blue heeler puppy from pacing indoors?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! She is adorable! Red heelers can be very energetic and challenging at times in terms of behavior. I highly recommend you seek help from a dog trainer or behaviorist as these behaviors can be modified. It just requires the right training. There are behavior modification medications your veterinarian could prescribe though in most cases are unnecessary as training is all that is needed. Sometimes both training and medications are combined. Good luck and have a good evening!

Poor Jasper! It sounds like he's quite stressed and anxious at the moment. Without more information, it's hard to say if this is simply due to all of the changes he's experienced recently (new home, new owner, etc.) or if he has some generalized anxiety issues. I would recommend giving him some time to settle in - this behavior may resolve over the next several days once he has a chance to adjust to his new living situation. You can help by giving him some tasty things to chew on (large rawhide chews, bully sticks, etc.) as chewing is a relaxing activity for dogs - just make sure to give him his own space while he chews, and don't allow your other dog to bother him. You may also want to try a DAP pheromone collar along with a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure. If there is no improvement in his anxiety within the next week or so, it would be best to consult with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate him in person and help you put together a detailed plan to work on his issues. He may also need prescription medication to help reduce his anxiety, at least for a while. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

Poor daisy! I recommend feeding royal canin calm food and using pheromone products also to help the transition of a new house and new dog and also create a safe indoor kennel with a covered crate, soft bed and pet remedy spray so she has somewhere to go if she needs to. They should make friends over the next few days and once they do the presence of a calmer dog is likely to help

Sounds like you have a rambunctious little puppy!. Australian Cattle Dogs have been bred for many years and made to think that biting at or herding together animals was their job. Part of what you are seeing, therefore, is instinctual. This is not to say that you will not eventually have a dog that stops biting at you. Just like any undesirable behavior, obedience training with significant repetition will be required in order to make Daisy understand what is appropriate and what is not. The mainstay of most training regimens nowadays is positive reinforcement. By this, I mean that anytime Daisy does something that you like, Whenever she takes the alternative, she needs to be rewarded accordingly. You may also want to consider obedience training courses with a reputable trainer. Hope your training goes well. Don't give up! It can be frustrating but things will come around.

Honestly, the best option is to consult with a professional, in-home dog trainer. In the long run this is going to be the most cost effective and will give you the best chance at resolving the issues without making them worse. These are times a professional needs to intervene. If you don't know what you are doing you can certainly make them worse. The trainer need to come to your house to see the behaviors and see how all the family members and/or other pets interact with him. Behavior problems are not quick fixes but you must consult a professional and be consistent. I really like BarkBusters and SitMeansSit but they may not have a trainer in your area. If not, call the closest one to you and see if they can refer you to someone else. You can also contact the rescue organization or your veterinarian for a training referral. ( https://www.barkbusters.com/dog-training-california-experts ) ( https://www.barkbusters.com/dog-training-sacramento-roseville-folsom ) ( https://sitmeanssit.com/locations/ ) In the meantime you can try some Adaptil diffusers, spray and/or collar to see if they help. You can usually buy these products at your local Petco. ( https://www.adaptil.com/us ) Hope this helps. If you have more questions you can always opt for a private consultation where we can chat back and forth. That way you can ask as many questions as you'd like. Best wishes.

That is not the type of reaction I would expect from a bug bite. I would be concerned about pain first and foremost. If she's still pacing, panting, or acting erratic, I would recommend taking her to a vet right away for evaluation. They will likely do a physical exam and take some x-rays, maybe run some blood work. I hope she's feeling better soon!

For a while when she is with your other dog or your kids you may want to keep her on a leash so when she does this you can correct her. This is a natural “herding” instinct of the healer, and may be hard to end all together. Warn the kids not to run in the house because this will most definitely excite that response. I would also encourage you to consider a lot of activity and a “job” for this heeler. Have the kids play hide and seek with her, teach her to “find” treats you hide in the house, maybe agility classes with her. These guys need lots of brain use ! Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.