Anyone here have an Australian Shepherd?

[Elizabeth86]

If so, I’ll get back with my questions tomorrow. 😂  I’m tired.I just wanted to see who had one before I typed up the whole thing.

Edited January 20, 2022 by Elizabeth86

[Selkie]

I have two purebred Aussies and two Aussie/Catahoulas.

[Spryte]

Yes. One now, miss our first like crazy (my doggie soulmate!).

Oddly, we also had a catahoula! 

[saraha]

We have two that are 50% Aussie shepherd 50% mystery but pretty sure some pit bull in there.

[Ottakee]

I had an Aussie mix...like Aussie/boarder collie mix for 8 years.  Best dog ever.

[Kebo]

Our current dog is an Australian shepherd, from herding lines.  Quite a character, and a fair amount of work to keep entertained and exercised, but we love him. 

ETA: obviously not the dog in my avatar.

 

Edited January 20, 2022 by Kebo

[Loowit]

We have an Aussie Malamute mix.

[Starr]

Okay my friends where are the pictures?

[Kebo]

Here's mine! 

[plansrme]

I have a 6 yo Aussie. We adore him. His primary job is to love us, and he does that very, very well. Other jobs? Not so much. He has always been an inside dog. We did not even have a fence in our backyard until a year or so ago, so he was always walked on a leash. Now we open the back door and let him go outside, but he still gets several 5 mile walks/week. He does not bother my chickens, who free range the backyard. He is not destructive now that he is past the young puppy stage, but we have a chewed-on stair (STAIR!) as a reminder that he once was.

[Faith-manor]

I do not own one, but helped rear one for a friend on her fiber farm. I loved Danny, just adored him. He was high energy, super duper intelligent, and needed work. He was from a working dog line. So his happiest days were when he had a big flock of sheep to boss around, LOL.

[Plateau Mama]

12 hours ago, Ottakee said:

I had an Aussie mix...like Aussie/boarder collie mix for 8 years.  Best dog ever.

I had and Aussie/BC too.  She was a great dog!

[EKS]

4 hours ago, Kebo said:

Here's mine! 

What a beautiful dog!

[Chelli]

We have a 50% mini Aussie and a 50% randy neighborhood dog. 

She's by far the best dog I've ever had. Super smart and sweet. 

[lauraw4321]

15 hours ago, saraha said:

We have two that are 50% Aussie shepherd 50% mystery but pretty sure some pit bull in there.

This is almost exactly what I have.  We did a doggie dna test. 

[Laurel-in-CA]

We have an Aussie + ? [something tall] that we adopted at about a year and a half old (feral until she was 6 months old, then in a family home). She's anxious and cuddly and very trainable. We have to use a gentle leader when we walk her or she pulls and barks a lot....not good at dog parks but pretty well behaved at home except when packages get delivered, has to go outside when we have guests.

[Spryte]

18 hours ago, Elizabeth86 said:

If so, I’ll get back with my questions tomorrow. 😂  I’m tired.I just wanted to see who had one before I typed up the whole thing.

Dying to hear the questions.

[DinCO]

Here is our border collie/Aussie mix Molly…we took care of her for a friend that went to Hawaii for work and she became ours 🥰. She likes to come from underneath the table and put her head in my lap while I’m working.

[Faith-manor]

15 minutes ago, DinCO said:

Here is our border collie/Aussie mix Molly…we took care of her for a friend that went to Hawaii for work and she became ours 🥰. She likes to come from underneath the table and put her head in my lap while I’m working.

That face! No one could help but love that face!

[Kebo]

21 minutes ago, DinCO said:

Here is our border collie/Aussie mix Molly…we took care of her for a friend that went to Hawaii for work and she became ours 🥰. She likes to come from underneath the table and put her head in my lap while I’m working.

I get that same look, same head in the lap, but mine has a ball in his mouth and he's begging to play. 

[Selkie]

Here’s my Tigerlily.

[Selkie]

And this is my Lupo, Tigerlily’s brother and littermate.

[Selkie]

And their half brother, Titan, whose daddy is a Catahoula.

[Innisfree]

All the dogs are gorgeous. 😍

[Loowit]

My Australian Shepherd/Alaskan Malamute mix, Mytraxion (goes by Trax).

[Elizabeth86]

1 hour ago, Spryte said:

Dying to hear the questions.

Well someone at dh’s work breeds them and asked dh if he wanted to buy one. Dh said that we don’t buy dogs. He told the guy we would take a free one. Guy told him he would give us one if he couldn’t sell them. The best dog I ever had was a mixed breed with strong herding dog tendencies. I have had people guess she was an Aussie mix. She was the very best dog. If the dog is like her, yes I want one. I am just looking to hear the negatives because there were no negatives with her. She was high energy, but when she was inside she was just a good ole snuggle puppy. She was never aggressive or destructive or anything like that. She wasn’t trained, but she like intuitively knew what we wanted from her. She was so special. The pups are all boys. Is it going to be sweet? I always told dh only female dogs because every male dog we have ever had has been a jerk even after being neutered. All the female dogs I know are sweet. How do they do with cats and other dogs? My herder type mix dog I used to have was great with cats and dogs. How about shedding? My old dog didn’t shed much at all, little plugs of hair fell out, but it wasn’t lots of individual hairs. Idk? What else do I need to ask myself? For the record I always have worried about adding people to our family kids and pets l, it always seems like a bad idea, but it never is. 😅I’ll add a pic of my old dog if I can figure out how.

[TravelingChris]

I got a mini-American shepherd ( the AKC changed the name for the mini' because these dogs were developed by Basque shepherds in Nevada who later emigrated to Australia) that  a dog trainer said would be a good dog to train as a service dog.  He was 5 years old, had been a puppy mill breeder before he and another escaped zn joined z pack.  He was mauled by z pitbull, rescued and brought to a neighboring County animal shelter where he had surgeries and there was s court battle too.  Then a rescue group took him in and had him in a place where he was with other dogs again.  .

Well he turned out to be extremely anxious which I trained him yo be less so, but just didn't like being without other dogs or dog and it became clear he wouldn't be a good service dog-  of any service.

He had been at dd1's house and she had a dog and he was much happier being w dogs than people.

[Spryte]

My doggie soulmate (I still miss him) was my first Aussie. Everyone who knew me then, still remembers him as the Best Dog Ever. Kindest, sweetest, old soul. He would gently pick up fallen baby birds in the yard and bring them to me (much to the mommy’s terror). They were unharmed, and he slowly learned to leave them alone, that their mommy would help. My college roommate had kittens, and he nannied them. He’d hike for miles with me, camp, hang out at home and just be mellow. When DH and I got married and had kids, he took care of the kids. Babies crawled all over him. He napped beside every crib, every nap time. He loved to fetch, and give hugs. He was snuggly, and very sweet. Very easy to train. His best doggie friend was our chihuahua, they did everything together. He was fine with cats, if they were ours, but not fine with random cats coming into the yard and taunting him — those he would chase away. He would get into the trash when weren’t home, though, and we just put a lock on the trash can. No big deal. 

Our current Aussie was rescued from a hoarder home, and had some behaviors specific to dogs from hoarder homes, but Aussies are easy to train, and those are mostly gone now. She’s probably the snuggliest dog we’ve ever met. Super sweet, and wants to cuddle. She is, because of her background, a little bit skittish with strangers, and she has separation anxiety—she does not want to be taken to the groomer and dropped off, or taken into a separate room at the vet. She crouches, shakes, and pees, poor girl. No aggression, just fear. So we groom her at home, and stay with her at the vet. I believe that’s her background, though, not her breed. She’s great with kids and our other dog, also loves when other dogs visit. She chases cats that invade our yard, and desperately wants to catch a squirrel. She is a jumper, and can sail over our fence like a deer, so we had to get an electric fence as a back up. No issues since. 

Our two had a big size difference: current one is 46 lbs. Our other, the male, was much larger—healthy at 80 lbs with a tendency toward the end to overeat and weigh more. So there can be a size range.

[Selkie]

27 minutes ago, Elizabeth86 said:

Well someone at dh’s work breeds them and asked dh if he wanted to buy one. Dh said that we don’t buy dogs. He told the guy we would take a free one. Guy told him he would give us one if he couldn’t sell them. The best dog I ever had was a mixed breed with strong herding dog tendencies. I have had people guess she was an Aussie mix. She was the very best dog. If the dog is like her, yes I want one. I am just looking to hear the negatives because there were no negatives with her. She was high energy, but when she was inside she was just a good ole snuggle puppy. She was never aggressive or destructive or anything like that. She wasn’t trained, but she like intuitively knew what we wanted from her. She was so special. The pups are all boys. Is it going to be sweet? I always told dh only female dogs because every male dog we have ever had has been a jerk even after being neutered. All the female dogs I know are sweet. How do they do with cats and other dogs? My herder type mix dog I used to have was great with cats and dogs. How about shedding? My old dog didn’t shed much at all, little plugs of hair fell out, but it wasn’t lots of individual hairs. Idk? What else do I need to ask myself? For the record I always have worried about adding people to our family kids and pets l, it always seems like a bad idea, but it never is. 😅I’ll add a pic of my old dog if I can figure out how.

I'm in a hurry right now, but I will try to answer some of your questions:

Mine are all high energy. My experience has been that Aussies do best when they have at least one other dog to play with and run around and wear off energy. I think that many of them really need that outlet. Not all of them, of course, as temperaments vary, but that has been true of all the Aussies I have known.

Mine aren't aggressive, but they are wary of strangers. They aren't the friendly-to-all type of dog like golden retrievers. They are extremely bonded to our family, though.

Mine have all been destructive in a normal puppy way for at least the first year, sometimes until they are two. Lots of chewing!

I have had many dogs and do not think males or females are sweeter in general. It is an individual personality thing. 

Mine are great with cats, having grown up with them since they were babies. They are not crazy about strange dogs.

They shed a lot.

 

[Elizabeth86]

3 minutes ago, Spryte said:

My doggie soulmate (I still miss him) was my first Aussie. Everyone who knew me then, still remembers him as the Best Dog Ever. Kindest, sweetest, old soul. He would gently pick up fallen baby birds in the yard and bring them to me (much to the mommy’s terror). They were unharmed, and he slowly learned to leave them alone, that their mommy would help. My college roommate had kittens, and he nannied them. He’d hike for miles with me, camp, hang out at home and just be mellow. When DH and I got married and had kids, he took care of the kids. Babies crawled all over him. He napped beside every crib, every nap time. He loved to fetch, and give hugs. He was snuggly, and very sweet. Very easy to train. His best doggie friend was our chihuahua, they did everything together. He was fine with cats, if they were ours, but not fine with random cats coming into the yard and taunting him — those he would chase away. He would get into the trash when weren’t home, though, and we just put a lock on the trash can. No big deal. 

Our current Aussie was rescued from a hoarder home, and had some behaviors specific to dogs from hoarder homes, but Aussies are easy to train, and those are mostly gone now. She’s probably the snuggliest dog we’ve ever met. Super sweet, and wants to cuddle. She is, because of her background, a little bit skittish with strangers, and she has separation anxiety—she does not want to be taken to the groomer and dropped off, or taken into a separate room at the vet. She crouches, shakes, and pees, poor girl. No aggression, just fear. So we groom her at home, and stay with her at the vet. I believe that’s her background, though, not her breed. She’s great with kids and our other dog, also loves when other dogs visit. She chases cats that invade our yard, and desperately wants to catch a squirrel. She is a jumper, and can sail over our fence like a deer, so we had to get an electric fence as a back up. No issues since. 

Our two had a big size difference: current one is 46 lbs. Our other, the male, was much larger—healthy at 80 lbs with a tendency toward the end to overeat and weigh more. So there can be a size range.

Holy smokes! 80 lbs! I didn’t realize they got that big.

[Spryte]

7 minutes ago, Elizabeth86 said:

Holy smokes! 80 lbs! I didn’t realize they got that big.

I think my first was an outlier.

He also was an over-eater. 🤣

Edited January 20, 2022 by Spryte

[Loowit]

Our dog has a very sweet nature.  He is very friendly with people and other dogs.  He has never been around cats before, so no idea on that.  As a puppy he was a chewer, but we were able to get him toys that helped so he wasn't chewing on things he shouldn't.  He loves being around people, and while he enjoys his backyard, he does prefer when people are out there with him.

We got him from a former breeder who wasn't planning to have any more litters.  This was a surprise litter.  We got to meet both parents.  His dad is an Alaskan Malamute and his mom an Australian Shepherd.  All of the puppies were cute and healthy.  He was around 8 weeks old when we brought him home, if I recall correctly.  We had him neutered when he was 6 months old and it had no effect on his personality.  He is still his same sweet self.

He can be suborn at times, and doesn't always listen to commands the first time.  But a lot of that is lack of training/follow through on my part.  I am a pushover.  He is a family dog and he obeys enough to not be a problem, he just needs to be reminded to mind his manners sometimes.

He does shed, but not as much as our husky did.  I think it is because he has thicker hair from his malamute side, but it isn't outrageously bad.  Our roomba is able to take care of most of the shedding, along with brushing.  He is also on the bigger side.  He is around 90 pounds.

I have never been a dog person, but I am very glad we got our dog.  He has been a great addition to the family.

[itsheresomewhere]

I have 5 as clients and 4 of the 5 are wonderful dogs.  The other just needs an owner who would actually take the time to train the dog and show it the dog the love it needs. For the most part they are smart, active dogs. 

[Selkie]

A bit more on Aussies:

They are my most favorite breed of dog in the world, and that's saying something, because I love all dogs. They have the funniest, quirkiest personalities.

Mine have all gone through the silly puppy phase for the first two years. Then, like clockwork, they all started to settle down a bit right after their second birthday and became the most loyal velcro dogs. If you are their person, they will follow you to the ends of the earth. You will never go in the bathroom alone again!

Some of them make a funny snarly face that is actually a smile. My two merles both do it and it is adorable. 

They also wiggle their butts a lot when they're excited, which is very cute.

A lot of Aussies end up in shelters. People get them because they're pretty, and then don't like their energy level or their herding behaviors. 

They might try to nip at your kids' heels to herd them. Ours have never tried to herd people, but they do herd the cats sometimes. The cats love to egg them on and play with them.

They need to be brushed often or they will get tangles and mats. Mine need to have their tail feathers trimmed regularly.

Let me know if you have any other questions.🙂

 

[Elizabeth86]

Here is a picture of my dog I used to have. Wdyt? Is she Australian shepherd mix?

Edited January 20, 2022 by Elizabeth86

[Jean in Newcastle]

9 minutes ago, Elizabeth86 said:

Here is a picture of my dog I used to have. Wdyt? Is she Australian shepherd mix?

She looks like possibly a collie mix. 

[Selkie]

9 minutes ago, Elizabeth86 said:

Here is a picture of my dog I used to have. Wdyt? Is she Australian shepherd mix?

Could be! Her coat and ears make me think of a collie, too. What a pretty girl.

[MercyA]

So many gorgeous dogs!!! 💕

[Ottakee]

We loved our Aussie rescue.  To be fair, when we got her, she was 3 and we lived on a hobby farm.  She spent tons of time outside with me and the animals.  She never bothered the chickens but loved to hang by the horses.  Sue would come along on our trail rides too and lead the way or follow the horses.

She NEVER barked.  Like, as in less than one bark a month if that.  She also never pooped in the yard but went out to the woods to poop.  Never messed in the house from the day we got her.

She did though get tons of outside exercise on our hobby farm

[Kebo]

Absolutely male dogs can be sweet!  Ours is. But your best indicator of any particular dog will be the temperament and personality of the parents.  Meet both if you can.  

Australian Shepherds will vary a lot.  There are some that are mellow, but the breed was developed as a working dog, so most of them will have high energy, and need an outlet (physical and mental).  We wanted a dog for agility and trail running, so we accepted that the early years were going to be some work (true!). He's only a year old, though, so we are expecting him to mellow eventually. 

My dog has significant FOMO --  He wants to be a part of whatever is happening, and has a bit of anxiety (not too bad) if he can't be.  He likes a schedule so he knows what is coming next, and really pays attention to what is going on around him.  He is friendly to other dogs (loves them, but can be over exuberant) and people (ditto).  He tends to chase my cats for fun, but not in a serious way.  The ones that don't run he shows no aggression with, but does try to play (which they aren't a fan of).  

If you get a double coated dog there will be average to high shedding, partly seasonal.  Most Australian Shepherds (the typical show dog) have a double coat, though mine has a single coat and sheds less (I'd say a low-average to average amount) and needs less care.  Again, look at the parents to get an idea of what to expect. Show/Bench lines will tend to be double coated, typically very pretty, and possibly mellower.  Herding lines may have a thinner coat, possibly be smaller (mine is 40#), and have high energy/drive.

I've met lots of Australian Shepherds, but this is my first to have as part of the family.  He's a lot of fun and would play all day.  He keeps us laughing with his quirks.  He's sweet, smart, and tries hard to listen and learn.  I wouldn't call him an easy dog, yet.  But he has been a good addition. 

Edited January 21, 2022 by Kebo