4 year old male mini aussie

Question
I am at witts end. My aussie is 4 years old and neutered.  He ws such a wonderful dog until he turned 2 or so.  I am at fault on this but I walked him without a leash for a long time with him running after joggers, walkers, etc.  I don't understand how I could be so stupid.  Last summer while 2 of his play buddies were romping around in the park, off leash, a girl walked by and my dog went over to her, and while she walked away, he nipped her and drew blood.  Animal control was called and we were given a warning.  Last week, while I was recuperating from back surgery, my dad offered to walk him.  I told dad to make sure he put the leash on, he took it off and another jogger went by and he nipped him also.  He is not considered a dangerous dog.  I hired a trainer several months ago and was told he, not me was in charge. I have been working with him while on leash and he is very good.  My questions is, even though he is on a leash, he is still aggressive and territorial.  Do you think he can change or, while breaking my heart, should I put him down.  I have been around aussie's for 40 years and have not seen one this aggressive.  It just breaks my heart because I know if I had been in control from the beginning, we would not even be having this discussion.  With alot of work can they ever loose this aggressive and territorial behavior or am I just kidding myself.

Thank you  so much for reading this.

Nancy

Answer
Hi Nancy,
Firstly, I believe you already know that this is NOT an off leash dog now, for any reason.  If you need to exercise him off lead, you must insure that he is in a safely enclosed area.  That said, this behavior is not as uncommon in the breed as you think.  The breed standard calls for a dog with "strong herding and guarding instinct", as you know.  Show breeders have tended to breed toward a heavier boned dog with less sharp temperament, while working dog breeders opt for the original characteristic of being able to do the job for which the dog was intended.  But, you never know when the territorial nature will surface, as it is certainly in the gene pool. I know you are aware that Aussies were bred to "grip" cattle but not damage the animals - the trouble is that human skin tears more easily than cowhide.  Your dog may just be trying to move the jogger along, or stop movement, rather than be "aggressive" but he is still inappropriately making decisions on his own that will result in him being labeled that way.  Dogs like this need solid obedience training (and not with physical corrections, which often makes dogs more aggressive, not less) and strict management.  It's difficult to own a dog like this, but not impossible.  You just have to be prepared not to let your guard down and to do lots of training.  Aussies are soooooo smart, and can be trained to  have a "shut off" switch.  That said, I would still not allow this dog off lead in public, although you will need to find an outlet for his energy, so if he is social with other dogs, consider day care.  Or, play frisbee or fetch with him in a safely enclosed area.  Do NOT have people walking him who are not 100% committed to following instructions!!!
I'd like you to take a look at this site: www.clickerlessons.com.  The first step in this process is to gain absolute control over his movements, so begin with the "Attention" exercises.  And, I want you to get the book "Click to Calm" by Emma Parsons, which will help you, step by step, to begin to have more safe control of the dog while he's on leash, too.  By the way, I never consider putting a dog down without first getting a personal and professional opinion from a qualified Ph.D. or DVM level behaviorist.  If you are seriously thinking of euthanizing your dog, please consider that option.  Another option is to ask Aussie rescue to help you rehome him.  If he has lots of drive, he might make a good working dog, or an agility prospect, for someone who has more experience managing this type of Aussie.