Your Australian Shepherd is likely crying due to separation anxiety, intense herding instincts (wanting to keep the "flock" together), boredom, or a change in routine, as Aussies bond strongly and are prone to feeling stressed when alone or separated from their family. Crying signals distress, fear, or loneliness, often accompanied by other signs like destruction, indoor accidents, or excessive vocalization when you're gone.
Australian Shepherds often face separation anxiety and high energy levels requiring mental and physical stimulation.
Leave a 'special' toy
Always make sure that your dog has exciting things to do when you're not with them. You can give your dog a long-lasting chew such as a stuffed Kong toy, a meat-flavoured chew or a treat ball when you plan to go out. Make sure that they enjoy using it when you're there.
High anxiety in Australian Shepherds can manifest as constant whining and restlessness, often triggered by environmental changes. Symptoms include pacing, vocalization, and destructive behavior. Treatment involves behavioral modification, consistent routines, and environmental enrichment.
Time-line.
Expect to spend around two months working with your dog to alleviate his separation anxiety. Taking it slowly during the early stages–getting your dog comfortable at the moment of your departure–will allow the later stages of lengthening your time away to much more quickly.
The 3-3-3 rule for dogs is a guideline for the adjustment period after adoption, representing 3 days (overwhelmed/hiding), 3 weeks (settling in/testing boundaries), and 3 months (feeling at home/bonding) to help owners manage expectations and provide patience, routine, and a calm environment, understanding that anxiety is normal as they decompress from a stressful past. It's a framework for recognizing stress and fostering trust, not a rigid timeline, but it helps owners understand why a new dog might seem timid or act out initially.
Keep goodbyes short and sweet: Long, emotional farewells can confuse or stress your dog. Leave when your dog is calm: Try not to rush or leave during moments of high excitement. If possible, wait for your dog to settle down before you go.
Most puppies start to calm down around six months to a year. It can take up to two years for them to fully mature and settle. Puppy energy levels can sometimes overwhelm pet parents, but it's all about patience and consistency. As they grow and learn, they'll start to balance out that playful energy.
The 3-Bark Rule is a dog training technique that lets a dog bark up to three times to alert to a perceived threat (like someone at the door) and then teaches them to stop with a "quiet" or "done" cue, respecting their natural watchdog instinct while preventing excessive barking. It involves acknowledging their alert (sometimes with a "thank you"), letting them bark a few times, and then calmly asking them to stop, rewarding them when they do.
Use dramatic body language such as turning away from your dog or folding your arms across your chest and completely ignore her to indicate to your dog that her attention-seeking whining won't work. In addition to not reinforcing whining behavior, you need to reward your dog for being quiet.
The “cry it out” method is never recommended. Please notice the difference between whining/crying for attention vs crying because they have exceeded their comfort threshold. I know it may be hard to tell the difference but it's important. We don't want to give into the whining.
Some common concerns reported by guardians of aging dogs are increased sensitivity and irritability, increased fear of unfamiliar pets and people (sometimes accompanied by aggression), decreased tolerance of touch and restraint, increased following and desire for contact, and increased anxiety when left alone.
The dog breeds that are more likely to have this problem are the German Shepherd, Australian Shepherd, Border Collie, Jack Russell Terrier, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Bichon Frise, Toy Poodle, Labrador Retriever, Cocker Spaniel, and German Shorthaired Pointer.
They'll probably eventually stop crying. But that's only because they've learnt that no-one is coming to comfort them. Puppies who stop crying to ask for reassurance aren't coping better, they're more scared and anxious but they've just learnt crying is a waste of energy.
The good, the bad, the ugly
Top 10 Dog Breeds with Separation Anxiety
A red flag dog behavior signals deep fear, stress, or potential aggression, going beyond normal misbehavior, and includes intense growling/snapping without cause, sudden aggression in a calm dog, persistent hiding, resource guarding (food aggression), freezing, destructive behavior linked to separation anxiety, or signs of extreme anxiety like trembling, lip-licking, and tail-tucking, indicating underlying problems needing professional intervention.
Say “quiet” with treat in hand, wait one second before giving treat (if your dog stays quiet). Repeat D, gradually increasing the length of time before your dog gets the treat. Step 6. After a few training sessions, you may notice your dog stops barking and looks to you for a treat.
The 3-3-3 rule for dogs is a guideline for the adjustment period after adoption, outlining three phases: 3 Days (decompression, feeling overwhelmed/scared), 3 Weeks (starting to settle in, learning routine, personality emerges), and 3 Months (feeling secure, bonded, and truly at home). It helps new owners manage expectations and be patient as their rescue dog transitions, emphasizing calm energy, routine, and space in the early days to build trust.
They do sometimes tend to pick a favorite person, but are generally affectionate to their entire families. A working dog at heart, the Aussie has a built-in affinity for herding. In fact, he may even try to herd his human pals! Aussies are incredibly smart, and often make the list of the most intelligent dogs.
Also called sudden onset aggression, rage syndrome is a neurological disorder, not a temperament defect or training/socialization problem. Affected dogs go into a kind of seizure that makes them attack anyone or anything that happens to be in the vicinity.
Australian Shepherds are high-energy dogs that thrive on physical and mental stimulation, making them best suited to active lifestyles. They require more than 2 hours of exercise daily, which can include brisk walks, runs, or playtime in a secure area.
An hour for a dog feels much longer than an hour for a human because dogs perceive time more slowly due to their faster metabolism and heightened awareness of routines, so a 10-minute wait can feel like 70 minutes to them, and your hour-long absence feels like an eternity, though they don't grasp clock time but rather the intervals between events like meals, walks, and your return.
5 Ways to Say Sorry to Your Dog
There's no exact answer to this question, unfortunately. If you have a great bond with your pet and they still have good senses of smell and sight, your dog will probably remember you after 5 years. There's no guarantee either way.