With an Aussie's boundless energy, channeling it into something constructive can do wonders for your dog. These dogs bond strongly with their families. Their loyalty with their intelligence and high energy makes them very easy to train. Regardless of the activity, your dog will love doing it with you.
Australian Shepherds can typically be potty trained very easily. The key to potty training your puppy is consistency. One of the easiest ways to housebreak an Australian Shepherd is by crate training. This caters to the dog's natural denning instincts.
They've often got their agendas and will let you know what they want. However, because they mature faster they tend to learn as a puppy a bit faster than their male counterparts. The females from the same litter tend to be a bit ahead of their brothers in training classes and house training as well.
Aussies learn quickly and enjoy a challenge. Repeated “drilling” can quickly bore or even cause an Aussie to dislike the activity. Many Aussies will try to insert something of their own into the “game” and what they insert isn't always ideal for working or competition!
Start by letting him start barking, then when stops barking, say "Quiet" in a firm commanding voice and give him plenty of praise and a treat or two. Repeat until he associates the cue "Quiet" with stopping the noise and getting a treat.
Most Australian Shepherds should begin calming down at two years of age. At this point, they're considered mature dogs who can better regulate their energy. That said, not all Aussies will tone it down at this age. It may take them reaching seniority for their energy to drop off.
Australian Shepherds will bark at strangers, loud noises, and other animals as a way of getting rid of all that excess energy. More so, they can display the same type of behavior towards squirrels, thunderstorms, or even a passing car.
The breed is considered highly intelligent and easy to train. Aussies are known for being especially eager to please their owners. True to their herding instincts, Aussies are very protective of their families and territory and will let you know if strangers approach, but they are not considered aggressive.
Australian Shepherds have plenty of intrinsic knowledge, so they may follow their instincts rather than follow orders straight away. Australian shepherds often show their smarts in different aspects such as: Herding – Australian Shepherds are known far and wide as a herding breed.
Australian Shepherds are known to be one of the most intelligent dog breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club, and are renown for their obedience, agility, and excellence in herding and other active sports.
The Aussie's desire to cuddle
Dogs in general are known for being happy, cuddly, sweet, and soothing for a human to pet. Some breeds are, by nature, more affectionate than others. While the Aussie will typically reserve cuddling for one person or a group of trusted people, sometimes he won't want to cuddle at all.
While adaptable, the loyal and devoted Australian Shepherd does best with its people nearby. They are often demanding of attention and they do not like to be left alone.
Standing around 18 inches high and weighing up to 40 pounds as adults, these smaller versions of Australian Shepherds are also similar to them in many ways. You may be familiar with the breed's passion for the outdoors. Aussies and Mini Aussies love outside exercise and activities.
Australian Shepherds can be relatively easy to raise, but like all breeds, they require time, effort, and training to become well-behaved and well-adjusted pets. Australian Shepherds are intelligent and respond well to training, but they can also be independent and stubborn at times.
Australian Shepherds succeed with reward-based training, also called positive-reinforcement training that promotes good behavior. Instead of punishing unwanted behavior, this type of training encourages the dog to complete preferred behavior by giving it praise or rewards when it does what you have asked it to do.
Aussies can be very clingy. They crave human companionship and love being included in pretty much everything you do, including being involved in all family activity. Since they require an active lifestyle, they will want to join in everything and anything that is going on around them.
Australian Shepherds tend to whine for all sorts of reasons, such as to get your attention or if they're sick or injured. If you can rule out a medical condition, then the next step to quiet your Aussie is to train them not to whine. Failing to indulge in their bad behavior will clue them in to stop. Good luck!
In addition to being herding dogs, Australian Shepherds serve as Seeing Eye dogs, hearing dogs, drug sniffing dogs, and search and rescue dogs. Because of their high intelligence, Aussies are well suited to do a wide variety of jobs.
An Australian Shepherd has a dominant personality and will want to be the alpha: Ask yourself, “Are you prepared to fill that role?” An Aussie will want to please his owner, but his strong drive and work ethic will be difficult to overcome by an owner who is a pushover.
Aussies are very sociable dogs. They can feel lonely when they're left alone often and are prone to suffering from separation anxiety. This is when dogs feel an overwhelming sense of anxiety over being apart from their owners.
Australian Shepherds do not have powerful protective instincts like some other dogs. They are not very untrusting of people, though it depends mainly on how they are raised. Well-socialized dogs will typically be much more accepting of people.
When your dog licks you, he may be showing his affection, or simply because your lotion or skin tastes good. A compulsive licker may have unintentionally been taught this behavior by his owner: He learns that licking gets him attention, even if it's negative.
It simply means they're having a great time. Your dog might even growl during a particularly pleasing cuddle or patting session. Many dogs growl talk to communicate contentment or as a greeting. These types of growls simply indicate happiness.
Dogs will give a warning growl in situations involving things like resource guarding, stranger danger, feeling cornered, or feeling stressed. Dogs use these warning growls to communicate to you or another animal to “back off” because they are uncomfortable.