Australian Shepherd anyone??

[silasandfocus]

We have two 5 month old Aussie pups ... and I am in love!! They are not as hyper and I thought they might be (at least at the beginning of our search). We walk them in our back bush for about 3 miles everyday too so that helps keep them exercised. They are loving, people oriented and smart!! Anybody else enjoying life with one??

 

[stormi]

I dont have an Aussie, but I would dearly love one when I am able to house/afford one. They seem able to turn their paws to almost everything :dogblush:

 

[jeepdog]

Jeep Dog is an Aussie Mix and has a ton of energy. Walks don't seem to tire him out so we have to run him. Usually a good 15 minutes of frisbee or fetch with a ball is what it takes to get him wore out.

 

[ruffmuttk9z]

They seem able to turn their paws to almost everything :dogblush:

Do your research before you buy/rescue an aussie. They aren't ALL so good natured. I've known some that are real buttheads. I do Border Collie rescue and take in the occasional aussie and for the most part they are a lovely breed. But there are bad apples in every bunch. Aussies are more carefree and goofy than BCs.

 

[silasandfocus]

I am afraid that the walks tire these guys out because they are still puppies. It could be though that because it is a bush trail and they can run if they want (they are not leashed) they are able to expend more energy. Time will tell!! Lots of fun at any rate.:dogbiggrin:

 

[silasandfocus]

That is really interesting about the border collie/Aussie comparison. I was led to believe that border collies were way more hyper and "out of control". I can see the goofy thing - the ones I have know are kinda goofy but the breeder we went through has built her reputation on their temperment and it really shines through!! What other similarities or differences have you noticed?? Is one "generally" more accepting/trainable than the other?? We were told that living with a border collie was like living with a nervous wreck - do you find that??

By the way I loved the pictures of all your dogs together!!

 

[stormi]

Do your research before you buy/rescue an aussie. They aren't ALL so good natured. I've known some that are real buttheads. I do Border Collie rescue and take in the occasional aussie and for the most part they are a lovely breed. But there are bad apples in every bunch. Aussies are more carefree and goofy than BCs.

Thanks ruffmuttk9z. Yes, here in the UK there are Aussies/lines of Aussies that seem to have bad temperaments too (happens in all breeds, but some breeds more than others). There are some breeders who seem to consistently produce dogs with exceptional temperaments though...and that is the kind of breeder I would want to get an Aussie from.

 

[storm22]

id love an aussie ive meet a couple that act similar to storms charater (my blue heeler) so thats a positve for me, but there coat is longer and thicker, the ones ive met are in colder climate areas and i was just wondering if they could stand a hot summer like we get because of there coat or would you have to shave them, but they excell at agility and they loves to learn

 

[silasandfocus]

In my very limited experience they would not do well in a hot climate. We are in Canada and even with our moderate summer (80degrees, odd 90 degree day) Silas was seeking shade and cool spots. He is a firm believer in air conditioning and has his nose "glued" to the cool air vent in the car when we drive. They thrive in cool temps. I am looking forward to seeing him playin' in the snow!!

Breeder told me a funny story - She was doing an obedience trial with one of her Aussies in an outdoor ring. He followed her perfectly until the shade ended and then he parked himself waited for her to do the sunny portion without him and rejoined her when she came back to the shade!! :dognowink:

Just my two cents...

 

[ella]

I do have an 11 month old Australian Sheperd. I would have never taken him for a 3 miles run, when he was 5 month old. You are not getting him tired, but you train him to want more....
The most important command I taught him from the beginning was "Pause" which means, go to your place, stay there and rest.
I play dogfrisbee with my grown up dogs on competition level and I never play longer than 4-5 minutes, Morris, the young one just about 2 minutes... some dog tricks, thats it...

 

[mojopup]

I know this is an old post but I'm new here so I just thought I'd throw my 2cents in to the ring. I spent a lot of time looking at breeds trying to find a dog that would be a good match for my family. I decided on an Australian Shepherd.

I have two young kids (3 & 5) and live in an urban setting. We walk pretty much everywhere we go. We also have a large yard and a nice, long ball-throwin' hallway inside. We rescued Blue a few weeks ago from a city shelter and I couldn't be happier. According to the shelter workers a breeder dropped him off, along with three littermates. One of the town residents heard the remaining litter was at the shelter and came down to adopt one. She had bought a dog from the same breeding pair a few years earlier and (though she was not in the market for pup) went down and adopted one of the four.

We had been looking for an Aussie for a while. It seems that as a breed, they can be badly behaved esp. with children if not socialized well as puppies. I make a point of taking Blue with me everywhere and he is smart, funny, and loveable. He gets along with other dogs and people. He learned 'shake' this afternoon. He's a good boy and very eager to please. I do exercise him often - I take him for one or two 3-mile walks a day and then I take him with me most everywhere else I go - walk to pick the kids up from school (very good for socializing him), walk to the store to get milk, walk to visit friends for playdates (also good for socialization skills), Starbucks, postoffice, dance class, etc. etc. etc.

I can tell a difference in his demeanor towards people and places even in the few weeks we've had him. At first he was shy and reluctant to interact. Now he is eager and friendly. I think they are a great breed but do be prepared to make your Aussie a member of the family. Be clear about human/dog boundaries of course but let your Aussie participate in every aspect allowable. Physical exercise is great but -imho- mental/emotional exercise is equally exhausting.

I love my Aussie and I'm glad you do too!
Shelley

 

[ozjen]

Yay! Aussies rock, super smart, and love to play the clown. I am currently owned by one Aussie hopefully soon to be two. I do conformation showing, obedience and agility and of course we love tricks. My girl will soon be on materity leave and hopefully will give me my second Aussie. My sister also has two Aussies and her daughter has one,we love this breed. My girl is a black tri and is 4 years old, she is an Australian Champion in conformation but we are yet to add a few titles at the other end of her name as nerves always get the better of me and then she starts to stress about me. She is my heartdog. I have posted a couple of videos of her doing tricks if you want to check her out.

 

[tigerlily46514]

I dog-sit an Australian shepherd whenever his owner goes on trips. Maggie is lotsa fun, bright, SUPER ENERGETIC, learns tricks readily, eager to please, and did i mention Maggie is SUPER ENERGETIC? Doesn't misbehave, but wants to play almost 24/7.
Maggie pants within 10 or 15 minutes of playing, she does not stop playing on her own, so I make her stop playing for a while every 10 or 15 minutes. Maybe i worry for nothing, but she really gets panting. Yeah, Maggie seems hot in the summer, too, i know what you mean. I will have to notice if Maggie specifically looks for shade...
Beautiful dog, except i always miss seeing the tail wag when i'm with Maggie. but what a pretty coat she has, a merle, so very pretty, a very very sweet affectionate dog, too, and yeah, like the other poster mentions, Maggie is more goofy and carefree than my BC, well said. Yeap, it's true of these two particular dogs anyway!!

 

[Gunnar_&_Me]

I have two Aussies a 7 month old blue Merle and a 5month old red tri they are the best dogs I have ever owned they are truly the best company at first my male was a little weird around kids but after showing him they weren't going to rip his ears off he loves them now!

My blue Merle male is very energetic and loves playing while my female is laid back and would rather sleep all day they are both Definatley great dogs all around!

 

[lazer nart]

I love Aussies! i'm getting one next week (unless something goes wrong) She is so pretty! but she was $600... But it's worth it! Anyone know how to introduce an Aussie to a cat?

 

[Ripleygirl]

Lazer nart, I hope you don't take this the wrong way but when asking questions like introducing your dog to a cat I think you should ask more generally in a thread how to introduce you dog to a cat rather than being breed specific about everything, you would get more answers and advice that way. I am not saying you shouldn't ask stuff specifically about learning about Aussies but if you started a thread about introducing dogs to cats you would definitely get more responses. Aussies are a great breed and you do need to think about learning about particulars of that breed now you are getting one but there are a lot of people on this forum with dogs of different breeds that can help you learn a lot about owning a dog in general. Not everything you need to know is specific to the Aussie breed.