Finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!
I got my Aussie, Moose, at 4 months old. He was the best puppy until around 6 months, and then sh*t hit the fan. He became super reactive, didn't want to listen to commands, had intense separation anxiety, would wake up in the middle of the night, and started chewing everything and anything. He would also jump up on the table and counters to find things if I left the house, even humping guests when they visited (??). I was getting super frustrated, had multiple mental breakdowns, and felt like I couldn't have a life outside of him.
He's now about 16 months old, and I swear it's like a different dog. While he does still have some leash reactivity and a few quirks, he's so much better now. I can leave him alone completely fine for 4+ hours at a time; he's set on a routine now so I can relax most of the day before exercising him, gets along well with other dogs, the only thing he likes to chew are socks (compared to floorboards, pillows, literally anything with fabric..). I can see the adult dog that's forming, and I'm hoping this forward progress continues.
Just wanted to share this success story so far in case anyone is in the weeds right now. While I'm sure there's going to be something else that happens, I see now why people love this breed. He is the silliest dog and best adventure buddy I can ask for!
Of course, here is the dog tax photo.
Posted Dec 1, 2025, 7:00 PM UTC