Say Hello to Loki
Australian Cattle Dog & Australian Shepherd Dog, 2 years old
My favourite thing about Loki is...
His face and he always wants by my side. I love how sweet he is to my wife and me but more importantly how gentle he is with my 5-year-old god-daughter. When she is around those two are inseparable, I am his person but if she is around he always looks at me as if he is asking if he can go be by her side. Of course the answer is always absolutely yes.
The biggest challenge with Loki is...
The biggest challenge is his prey drive and keeping up with exercising him daily and challenging him mentally. Giving him jobs and making him think to keep him on point. Training has been a huge part of learning how to read his body language & signals. His skill list is growing, sit, stay, heel, down, sit pretty, stand, come then stop, shake paws left/right, counting down vocal and finger counting.
The most surprising thing about owning a Australian Cattle Dog & Australian Shepherd Dog is...
their love for their human(s). He just wants to meet everyone and make new friends. He is not the biggest fan of other animals due to an encounter with an off-lead golden doodle that was in alpha mode. Namely, it came over and was naughty. I do not blame the pup, I blame the poor training. The other is a willingness to learn and please their person.
What I wish I’d known about Australian Cattle Dogs & Australian Shepherd Dogs is...
how stubborn they can be. Loki can be vocal but only if he doesn't want to do what he is told or if he is in a mood, just like a human. Another is the Shedding, as while he is a more a wire type coat he is constantly shedding. As much as he sheds he should be bald. Temperamental about his feet and toes, I as his human even have a hard time, he gets clipped at the vet.