Any Aussie Shepherd owners here?

[LesClaypool]

We got the kids an 8-week old female for Christmas. What an awesome dog!

We knew what we were getting ourselves into when we got such an active and intelligent breed but Holy Jeebus does she have a lot of energy! I’ve already been on more walks in the last week than I took in the last 12 months.

Here are a couple of pictures:

This was the moment we surprised the kids with her (on Christmas Eve)

Anyone else have Aussies in the LR?

 

[Wendy79]

I have a border collie mix. There are many Aussies at the dog park. Half of them are a$$holes...seriously. They herd and tend to bite more often than borders. Borders and Aussies are bossy and sassy and demanding and sometimes smarter than you.

Find a really good trainer, make sure the dog knows kids are alphas too, and give that dog a lot of exercise (there were days when Gable and I were at the dog park for 2-3 hours a day his first couple of years). Getting the dog involved in flyball or agility will also help. They need a job. Walks or tossing the ball in the backyard won't cut it.

Oh, and please teach your kids to not run so the dog can chase them. This is the case for any dog, but it triggers the herding response and greatly increases the risk of a bite.

 

[LesClaypool]

Yeah we’re definitely aware of the potential challenges.

And as far as dog parks, most dogs (that aren’t your own) are a-holes, in my experience. Exactly like kids in that respect.

 

[Wendy79]

Most of the dogs are fine, and my dog certainly has his moments where he's not. The Aussies just tend to hyperfocus on a particular dog that doesn't want the attention.

 

[JohnnieHolmesNole]

Nice looking kids and pup. Congrats and good luck. Relax and enjoy all of the challenges. They are actually the things you will later remember as a family. The “issues” honestly are not life-altering, so just laugh when the arise. Easier said than done, of course.

 

[MIKE_G]

Have one old boy we got from rescue. Had a mix as my first dog as an adult that got me into the breed. My wife and I fostered seven while we had both our own. Love the breed and haven’t experienced what Wendy mentioned. Ours never really had super strong herding drive. The fosters were mostly sweet. A couple had rough backgrounds and were dog-aggressive. But I don’t think that was due to breed. They do need exercise and agility is an excellent idea. You could set something up at home if you have a yard. Fun for the whole family.

 

[RangerNole]

Best dog we ever owned and he lived to be 19. Both our rescues we have now are part Aussie. Best advice I can give is work with the dog every day; even if for only 15-30 minutes. The dog loves to work and if do this he and you will be happier. I honestly believe you could teach Aussies to do anything.

 

[billanole]

My all time favorite was an Aussie. When I went to pick him up, it was at a friend’s house during a loud party. I walked in the room and stopped to look at him from a distance. He immediately walked over and lay down at my feet. Bonding, 101.
Strider was a world class athlete who would jump into the back of my F250 from a standing start. I can throw a frisbee a long way and he would not let it hit the ground. We fortunately had access to a lot of room to play and that was perfect. For a couple of years every morning he ran beside the truck up the mountain along a two mile gravel road and back down in the evening.
He also was quietly very protective of wifey and kids and in a few situations sent some folks moving away from them quickly. Best dog ever.

 

[LesClaypool]

Best dog we ever owned and he lived to be 19. Both our rescues we have now are part Aussie. Best advice I can give is work with the dog every day; even if for only 15-30 minutes. The dog loves to work and if do this he and you will be happier. I honestly believe you could teach Aussies to do anything.

19?!?

Wow - that’s awesome!

 

[billanole]

We got the kids an 8-week old female for Christmas. What an awesome dog!

We knew what we were getting ourselves into when we got such an active and intelligent breed but Holy Jeebus does she have a lot of energy! I’ve already been on more walks in the last week than I took in the last 12 months.

Here are a couple of pictures:

This was the moment we surprised the kids with her (on Christmas Eve)

Anyone else have Aussies in the LR?

Ours had very similar coloration, with a bit more white on the face that went from muzzle to top of his head. He was a pretty heavy shedder and developed a very thick coat. We spent a lot of time brushing him down. Oh, had a nasty habit of rolling in cow pies or anything else funky. Bath time was frequent at times, because he slept in the house.

 

[MIKE_G]

Ours is over 14 now. He’s a red merle, bushy coat that sheds like crazy. He was born deaf, and we knew that when we adopted him. He was always very visually attuned to us, so he was actually easy to train. Now he’s pretty much blind too. Still gets excited to go on walks, but his energy wanes after a block or two. Sweetest disposition, but not s confident jumper or climber. I always had to pick him up to get him into the car, even when he was perfectly capable. And he hates steps. Will miss him when he’s gone.

 

[RangerNole]

19?!?

Wow - that’s awesome!

Yep and it was a productive 19, only the last couple of months was he "old" When our kids were young and we took them all to the beach he would just walk back and forth keeping everyone in check. If one of the kids took off running he would look at my wife or I and then take off to "herd" the kid back into the fold.
When he was young we used to play "little Travis Minor" I would get him all riled ball and he would run through the house jumping over everything and you couldn't corner him or even think about catching him.

 

[LesClaypool]

Yep and it was a productive 19, only the last couple of months was he "old" When our kids were young and we took them all to the beach he would just walk back and forth keeping everyone in check. If one of the kids took off running he would look at my wife or I and then take off to "herd" the kid back into the fold.
When he was young we used to play "little Travis Minor" I would get him all riled ball and he would run through the house jumping over everything and you couldn't corner him or even think about catching him.

That’s fantastic. I can only hope we get so lucky!

 

[NoleGrad83]

We rescued a blue merle 5 years ago and she's been nothing but great. You'll enjoy having her after a couple of years and most of the puppy is out of her.

 

[tarheelinfl]

I have an Australian Cattle Dog, or Blue Heeler, he's a good dog, very loyal. He tends to follow me a bit too close at times, that's his worst habit.

 

[SeaPA]

I have an Australian Cattle Dog, or Blue Heeler, he's a good dog, very loyal. He tends to follow me a bit too close at times, that's his worst habit.

We also have a blue heeler that we got about years ago. She's been a great dog. Overall sweet nature, but if you messed with my wife, the kids, or me she would most certainly go after you.

She's deaf, which is common with them - but has amazing instincts. For some reason, she hates one of my neighbors (but loves his wife, as well as the neighbors on the other side). But she goes nuts whenever he's around. She will be sound asleep in our living room - from where you cannot see any part of the neighbor's house. But if he walks out of his door, she somehow knows - and runs to the window barking & growling.

 

[TexSkills]

We have a rescue who is half Aussie Shepherd and half Yellow Lab. Not apples to apples since he's not a purebred but he's a great dog. Very good with the kids.

My sister in law lost her pure bred Aussie Shepherd last year. That dog was high strung as hell. She was a sweet dog, good with the kids and good around other dogs but damn she was always worked up.

 

[HilltopperNole]

Wife and I got one from a older couple that couldn't keep him. He's about 3 now, goes absolutely ballistic whenever anybody comes over, barks and every car that comes down our road and can chew through any toy.

Despite all this, he is a great dog. Once he calms down he is great, good around children and very friendly.

 

[RangerNole]

Wife and I got one from a older couple that couldn't keep him. He's about 3 now, goes absolutely ballistic whenever anybody comes over, barks and every car that comes down our road and can chew through any toy.

Despite all this, he is a great dog. Once he calms down he is great, good around children and very friendly.

Maybe you are but it sounds like he is not getting worked. you want a happy Aussie you have to work them.

 

[vichogan]

ours is 12 years old. got her as a 3 year old rescue. sweetest dog of all time. she doesn't bark. maybe 5 woofs in 10 years. for years she would circle the kids or guests trying to heard them. she would open her mouth towards the ankle but never tried to nip. We have read reports about how aggressive they can be but fortunately have never experienced that. She doesn't even growl. our's is a red tri-color. yours is beautiful.

 

[LesClaypool]

ours is 12 years old. got her as a 3 year old rescue. sweetest dog of all time. she doesn't bark. maybe 5 woofs in 10 years. for years she would circle the kids or guests trying to heard them. she would open her mouth towards the ankle but never tried to nip. We have read reports about how aggressive they can be but fortunately have never experienced that. She doesn't even growl. our's is a red tri-color. yours is beautiful.

Thanks so much. I hope we have a similar experience with her as you did!

 

[angusnole]

I've had 3, awesome dogs. They can do anything as long as you are willing to put in the time. I would start with a soft frisbee and then work up to regular ones...all three I have had liked playing frisbee more than anything. Also get one of those tug toys and she'll wear you out. Finally, I did have to have a come to Jesus meeting with all 3 over the nipping. After that not one nip.

P.s. if you don't have one already, get a crate now!

 

[Wendy79]

I've had 3, awesome dogs. They can do anything as long as you are willing to put in the time. I would start with a soft frisbee and then work up to regular ones...all three I have had liked playing frisbee more than anything. Also get one of those tug toys and she'll wear you out. Finally, I did have to have a come to Jesus meeting with all 3 over the nipping. After that not one nip.

P.s. if you don't have one already, get a crate now!

WestPaw has a few different frisbees (a small one, a bigger one, and a mich more durable disc) that are safer for their teeth/gums than traditional Frisbees.

 

[MIKE_G]

Even though he’s deaf and never a confident climber or jumper, ours used to catch a soft frisbee. He had to be facing you, but I could toss it to him from 20-30 ft away and he’d catch it. Being deaf limited his ability to track it with his back turned. He was great with hand signals though.

 

[OHNole43123]

We had 3 Aussies. We went to a breeder and narrowed it down to two 6-month old pups --- a very handsome blue merle male and a very sweet red-tri female. Ended up bringing both of them home. When the female was 3 y/o, we let her have a litter of pups. One morning I went out to prepare food for the pups and almost stepped on one that had managed to climb out of the pen and make her way to the stoop. We kept her, a red merle. We had the male another 10 years. The pup lived to just shy of 14 y/o and her mama lived to just shy of 17. They were absolutely the best dogs I have ever had. It has been about 18 months since we had to put the mama and her pup to sleep (mama had kidney failure; the pup, liver failure). I am teary now just writing about them...miss them terribly. Your children and you are part of that puppy's herd...she will protect you with everything she has...best dogs, hands down.

 

[LesClaypool]

We had 3 Aussies. We went to a breeder and narrowed it down to two 6-month old pups --- a very handsome blue merle male and a very sweet red-tri female. Ended up bringing both of them home. When the female was 3 y/o, we let her have a litter of pups. One morning I went out to prepare food for the pups and almost stepped on one that had managed to climb out of the pen and make her way to the stoop. We kept her, a red merle. We had the male another 10 years. The pup lived to just shy of 14 y/o and her mama lived to just shy of 17. They were absolutely the best dogs I have ever had. It has been about 18 months since we had to put the mama and her pup to sleep (mama had kidney failure; the pup, liver failure). I am teary now just writing about them...miss them terribly. Your children and you are part of that puppy's herd...she will protect you with everything she has...best dogs, hands down.

I can hear the heartfelt pain/joy in your post. Thanks for posting!