hi,

i was hoping to get some help with a problem my 1 yr male austrailian shepherd is experiencing.

he has, on several occassions, charged and barked at family members in the yard or coming thru the door from another room. it appears that he does not recognize us! as soon as he realizes it's us, he's happy and sweet (his normal temperment)

he seems to see well on other occassions. can doggies be nearsighted?

another homeopath suggested this board and kkrista for some advice.

sure would appreciate it!

thanks
kppy

I don't think I would be alarmed about his vision. Most dogs (except perhaps sighthounds) tend to rely much more heavily on smell and hearing than on sight to recognize people, places and things. It may just be that he "greets" inapproriately or that his herding instinct is kicking in at inappropriate times. His reaction might be "hey, what are you doing on the wrong side". Does he try to grab or pull? Does he circle around you? Is it at all threatening in gesture? (What does his body language say?) It may just need training (like how to greet... keep him on a leash and make him lie down when people come in and make him ignore them until you give him permission to say hi...etc.)

hi kkrista,

thanks. his response is like he would react to a stranger coming in the yard. fierce barking, charging behavior.

no circling, nipping ect... because he realizes who it is when he gets closer. then he looks sheepish, submissive like "oops!"

we used a can with pennies to teach him to back off the door when he was a puppy (8+ months) he's still a little pushy, but responds quick with a reminder.

maybe the herding instinct though iv'e seen this in action. not aggressive at all.

i'll run a few tests on him. see if we can repeat what he's done and observe more closely. maybe we can figure it out.

thanks, i'm relieved that you don't think it's his vision!

kppy

Shaker cans have been known to produce jumpy or nervous behavior. Avoid if possible.