How trainable is the Australian Shepard

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Answer by can.mike
Submitted on 5/11/2004
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You will find that this is a very smart breed. They can very from one extreme to the next. I have found that most male's tend to be very dominant and females can be-very feminine.I have found that with a high intelligence of this breed experienced and knowledge of training and the reading of your dog's actions and reactions. If lack of proper obedience you may find that they may even out smart the inexperienced owner. They can be very strong willed. The previous comments about a male that questioned the son of the family...THIS CAN BE A VERY DANGEROUS POINT. Next he will likely challenge the Alfa male of your family. I do know all about this. My big old male and i have butted heads a few times and i am sorry i got just as hurt as he did i hope. yet i did win. I still to this day am the only person that can control this big old guy. He has aspected the number 2 position in this family (pack). Nether my wife nor kids can control nor discipline OZZY his name. When i am not home he is the boss of the house and family he sleeps where he wishes in my bed when away and the wife can not do anything about it. I have found it very easy to train a younger dog along side the older one and i work them against each other and they for ever try to out do the other. I have had 2 other Aussie that both lived to 18 years and also the two that i now have. My best advice is to learn as much as you can and if you are not a pro train some time they can really help.

Answer by Paula
Submitted on 7/16/2004
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Hello Aussie lovers! I too have a male aussie and he is incredible. We had problems with the nipping. My two kids learned fast, they yell no when they have had enough. Badger (aussie) backs away. Also I found that training with food is a miracle. Both my husband and I use captain crunch. Don't laugh too hard. It's small and we don't worry too much about over doing it. Badger can sit, stay, come, lay down, speak (bow wow), bark (loud bark), roll over, jump way high for a ball, fetch, and protect. We have to show him the treat then hold it away from him. He's very lovable and very much the thief. Keys and toys mostly. He digs alot but we learned to put chicken wire in places (potted plants, gardens) where we don't want him to dig. And we bury toys where we want him to dig. For almost 8 months old he's a spectacular dog.

Answer by Kay
Submitted on 12/13/2004
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I have an 8 year old Aussie Male, Jake. He's the smartest dog I've ever owned. House-trained in 3 days, rings the bell to go outside, we tell him to go to his room and he goes to his crate and lays down, we tell him place, and he lays down away from what you're doing, he has lots of other tricks. He does have a dominance issue. I'm the alpha, my oldest daughter is next, then Jake. Next comes my middle daughter, my son, and my husband is at the bottom. We got Jake when my son was 3, and my son could do anything to that dog. Now that he's 12, the dog is putting up with less and less. The dominance issue is mostly with my son. When my son gets a little carried away, Jake jumps on his back. My son has learned to drop to the floor. Jake then sniffs and licks around the back of his neck and ears. That is happening less and less. We stopped the nipping when someone would take off running by training Jake to grab one of his toys. The dog runs with the toy in his mouth which prevents him from nipping heels. My main mistake was not continuing to socialize the dog. He is very protective at the house and I can't stop him from threatening new people who come. He has to stay in his crate or wear a muzzle. He's okay most of the time when we take him away from the house. He's kind of a lazy Aussie as we're not home much, but he does stay out of trouble.

Answer by nikki
Submitted on 11/11/2005
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I have a 2 year old aus shepard named Trista. She was given to me when she was one by a lady who couldn't handle her dominant nature. She was pushy, nippy, which can hurt with such sharp teeth. She was hyper-active and liked to run off up the street at every chance. She jumps up and likes to lick people and nips my border collie on the back legs when he runs around. When I first took her in I thought what have I done? Now a year later after obedience training at a local dog club we have a completely different dog. She just passed obedience level 2 at 87%. Everyone comments on how far she has come going from a dog who would run from me in classes to chase other dogs to a dog who hangs on my every word and returns when called by name. She heels nicely, begs, roll-over,jumps into my arms on command, sits,drops,stands from 3 metres away,she is very good at agility courses. Loads of energy, very smart and very trainable especially when food is involved! A stubborn dog that needs a strong handler who can show them they aren't the boss.

Answer by Pops Maloy
Submitted on 1/11/2006
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Aussies are one of the easiest breeds of dog to train, but can be a handful without proper attention to 'pack roles'. Aussies are almost hard-wired for all basic commands, and really quick to pick up advanced commands because they are incredibly smart and absolutely loyal to their owner. They will often wait patiently for every command as their eagerness to please and high rate of intelligence creates a dog that not only loves doing tasks, but doing them as best as possible as they are extreme over-achievers. There is a catch though, as these dogs are highly energetic. They are dogs that can run around a field herding sheep from sun-up to sun-down. Literally. But with reasonable attention to exercise, the energy of an aussie can be easily controlled. One of the best methods, for the common human, is to position 2 people at far sides of a field and have the dog run back and forth while the people call out. Aussies can cover plenty of ground at very high speeds (100 yards is child's play), and this method can keep the human from wearing down as the Aussie can out-run and out-last most animals you will come across. When it comes to actual training, you will be surprised at how much an Aussie is willing to do for simple love and affection. These dogs are such sponges for affection and so loyal to their owners that they can be completely trained without a single treat being given. These dogs, females more so than males, can also develop such close loyalty to their owners that anxiety can become a problem. But they are easy dogs to aleviate anxiety, they just need a good daily dose of exercise, and inclusion in a substantial amount of owner-activity. They want to 'help' with anything and everything, as long as they're with their owners. These dogs love going for rides in the car, running errands, and doing whatever the owner wants, as long as their included they're happy as clams. If all of these points are taken into account, Aussies can be remarkbly amazing dogs, constantly impressing their owners with intelligence, loyalty, and a personality to rival humans.

Answer by Tommy
Submitted on 8/29/2006
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My Dog is named Tiley she is a year old "Perfect Princess." We've had no need to train her as she has been kind enough to train us. For example, we now know that walking to the bathroom at night is never a safe proposition and stupid humans should be wary of such things as Large Chew Toys and RawHide Bones lining the bedroom floor. We have also learned to come when we are called; outside that is to let her back into the house and to stop before we enter any room to pet the Aussie princess gracing our path with her fat butt blockade. We come to understand that starring is never polite and are reminded with a sonic bark when we look at her royal highness fro more than a seconds glance. Finally, we've learned that children need to slow down when they run or else they might get tripped up and fall, scraping their ankles and heels. Yes, truly the question to ask is not how trainable is an Aussie, but How trainable are you?

Answer by mythhycca1
Submitted on 10/14/2006
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I have an Aussie who is just 6 months old. First Aussies like to chew and with teething she finds everything. I started trading a treat for everything she finds and now she brings me everything, so I say Give me and she puts it in my hand. With the kids socks its put it away and they go in the laundry basket. I taught her close the door by holding a treat up high against an ajar door and telling her close. As soon as the door closes by her effort she gets the treat. Substitute the treat for a toy. She learns to jump up for the toy. Now she'll jump off all four paws for a frisbe', ball or whatever, an agility jump is the same. You make her sit and stay on one side of jump and hold the treat up over the jump tell her come get it and say up or over when she hits the jump. Eventually you hold out on the treat until she clears the jump without knocking the bar down. I taught her weave poles the same way. I hold the treat so she can smell it, but can't get it until she does the job, eventually you say weave and she gets the treat when she does it right. Every trick is a step by step process. Kiwi is six months old and retrieves, catches, jumps,closes doors and helps sort laundry. Sit is taught with leash work pull up on leash say sit. Hold the leash taut until the dog sits. Lay down, pull down on leash to ground saying down, hold it until dog lays down. Treats and praise every step of the way. Once dog gets lat down. Hold treat hidden in fingers and put it over dogs shoulder keep her nose following treat in lay down position tell her roll over, be patient this is tough, but mine got it quickly. She even rubs my shoulders. I hold the treat between my fingers so she can't get it out and hold it over my head switching from one shoulder to the other. After 5 or six switches of her paws on each shoulder she gets the reward. I'm happy to help if anyone has any questions...oh yeah and about the nipping...With the leash if dog nips pull up(quick jerking motion.) Tell her "No bite" If she's nipping grab her cheek and give it a tiny shake tell her no in stern voice. These things work with Aussies. They are smart and aim to please, but you are working with a dog that is bred to be the boss of cattle or sheep, so you have to show that you mean it when you say it, rules and jobs to do makes the greatest dog ever. Mine is amazing. I have a border collie too and raised him before I got the Aussie. Same kind of herding instinct, but he's more laid back where as she's more hyper. Been training dogs for 17 years. Use to help raise German shepards...find Borders and Aussies even easier to train because they are so willing to do a job!

Answer by redwoman
Submitted on 11/28/2006
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I just got my first Australian Shepard and I am reading up! She is tri-colored and I think she's the most beautiful dog I have ever seen. I call her "beautiful" most of the time. I have had her about a week and she is about eleven months old. Her owner was sent to Iraq and she ask her sister to sale her, thus, shes mine. Her name is Mynni(pronounced minnie). She has been through a lot this week getting a new home with three new kids and a cat. However, she will already obey to both sit and lie down for me and my husband. She loves the kids as well. The only trouble I have had is that she jumps the fence out back (making me nervous that she will frateranise with other dogs), and she likes to jump up on everyone. She is a great dog though and we loved adding her to our family. We have high hopes that in the summer we can teach her to play frisbee.

Answer by Mike W
Submitted on 1/29/2007
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We have had a 1 & 1/2 yr old female Aussie for a year (from rescue) and she was incredibly easy to train. She will do anything we ask of her, learns quick (house trained in just one week, standard training of sit/stay/lay/come/bed/get down/no in just a couple days for each one. We loved her so much we adopted a 3 mo. old male. We hoped the female would teach him, but he seems very headstrong just like the other owners have said. We have only had him a week and he has yet to be house trained. We use reward training and no negative or disciplinary training out of experience that reward training is much faster, and does not endanger the bond and trust the dog has with us.

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Question by sim
Submitted on 12/16/2003
Related FAQ: rec.pets.dogs: Australian Shepherds Breed-FAQ
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How trainable is the Australian Shepard

Answer by Sara
Submitted on 1/7/2004
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how smart r Australian Shepard's? any examples Also r there high exercise demand?

Answer by sammyd43
Submitted on 1/14/2004
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I have an Australian shepard female. Her name is Missy. She is very smart because when she was just 2or3 days after I got her (she was a puppy) she started climbing out of her cage. Now I am saying this cage was 4 or 5 feet tall and she still climbed it. Missy also tried to dig in her water bowl like she wanted to go outside and dig a hole. But the vet said to keep Missy inside until she was two months old (I got her in September 2001).

Answer by Tracey
Submitted on 1/18/2004
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I've had a variety of dogs over the years. I now have a male Aussie who's almost 7. He's a very smart dog. However, we have had dominance issues with him when it came to my son. He is very strong-willed. I'm not sure if his personality is breed typical, or if it is just his particular personality. But, I have heard that Aussies can be stubborn. He was very easy to train because he's so smart. He's also a very good watchdog and cute as can be. But we always have to make sure he knows he's not the alpha around here.

Answer by DrFrankenboot
Submitted on 1/28/2004
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My wife and I have 2 male Aussies. They are wonderful even tempered dogs, and quite honestly, we can not seeing ourselves ever owning another breed. As a warning... Aussies need to have a job, and they are a high maintenence dog. The will become a part of your family, and they will be very loyal and protective. The do require quite a bit of excersize (after all, they were bred to herd animals all day long) but it's all worth it. They are great dogs to train, because often times, they will train themselves.

Answer by stevie
Submitted on 1/29/2004
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my dog Zoe was potty trained in a hour! we put a gate up on a doorway and a box on another and there was a little hole about an inch wide and she pushed the box out of the way and went under the bed (she likes it under there)! she is very fast! i play out side with her and she can see where the ball is going land before i though it! she likes to run a way and go visit the other dogs in the neighborhood! aussies are very smart! they are the best dogs in th world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer by cynethia916
Submitted on 2/14/2004
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I have an Aussie that is now 7 mo. old. She is very stubborn, but not very dominate. She love other animals and is great with adults. She's pushy with kids. She has been a problem to train;now that she knows the routine she ignores commands. She is the most affectionate dog I have ever had and is well worth the work. Always keep Aussie's busy or they will get into trouble.

Answer by barb
Submitted on 4/4/2004
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we now have our second aussie, who will be 11 years old next month.each of our babies have had complete opposite personalities, but wouldnt have had either any diffrent. the breed is very smart, and for the most part easily trained with time effort and lots of love from all.but as i tell anybody looking at this breed they must be kept busy or they make things up to amuse themselves!!!

Answer by terri
Submitted on 4/5/2004
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I have also had a variety of dogs in my 42 years. Gotta say Awesome Aussies in comparison. I have 2 rescue Aussie pups (10 weeks old) one of my gals is blind & deaf, but you know what? At 10 weeks she is all ready training (and incredibly quick) to my touch. All ready she knows her touch signal for sit, turn left/right, stop (Aussie's are incredible nippers- it's their natural herding instinct)and is currently learning to lay. Awesome?

Answer by Marc
Submitted on 6/1/2004
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I have a 7 month old Male Red Merle named Brady. He's my first dog. He's very smart and very trainable, but he's also a bit pushy and imposing from his strong will. All he wants to do is play, run, and play tug of war. I think I'm close to getting him to catch the frisbee in mid air, but I'm struggling. Does anyone know how to get that done? He's very loving, and within the last month has really started to show his strong bond with me. He doesn't give my wife the same respect, but she also doesn't spend as much time with him. Great breed!!! He's getting me in shape, that's for sure. Now all I need is a herd of sheep.

Answer by katie
Submitted on 7/1/2004
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i i just got an australian shepard mix a few weeks ago. Already you can tell they are smart dogs but they need a lot of attention and time. I haven't had her for long but shes starting to get the training...probably not as quick as the lab i just raised as a guide dog. Australian shepards have a short attention span so you have to take breaks when they're doing training. Georgie likes to know everything that goes in the house. If you leave the room shell stop what shes doing whether she was eating or sleeping to see where your going. they can be really pushy about where they want to go, so they don't like being tied down. overall shes great and adorable

Answer by Wendy
Submitted on 8/5/2004
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I recently adopted a 1 year old Aussie from a shelter. My husband and I have had him for 2 weeks. He has become very protective of me in this short time. The dog was on the bed with me the other morning. My husband bent down to kiss me good bye and the dog lunged at him and bit him on the face. The shelter has offered us time with a trainer since we do really like the dog with the exception of this one incident. My question is - Can we resocialize him in time to not have another incident?

Answer by Anonomyous
Submitted on 9/8/2004
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I kill Australian Shepards for fun.

Answer by sterling62
Submitted on 10/17/2004
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aussie's are extremely impressive. my dad's knows what time out means and lays in the corner where he is told until my father tells him he is allowed up. my grandfather swears he is "hoodine" b/c he gets out of everything, knows how to unlatch his cage, leash and chain so now he stays loose but stays around the house anyway. well i gotta say A+++ dogs if ur lookin for 1

Answer by honeybuns
Submitted on 10/26/2004
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I just got an ausie mix that they say is shepard, but looks more like kelpie. we've had her about 3 weeks, but she's about 3 months old. she is so smart and has learned "sit", "stay", "roll over","crawl" and we'reworking on "come" and "shake". She's def. doing the nipping thing right now, but as a form of play. So we're trying to break her of that and teach her to use her jaws for good. She's gonna be an awesome dog!

Answer by Stumpy
Submitted on 10/31/2004
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My family and I just adopted a Aussie Lab mix and she is wonderfull. So far potty training is not an issue. She sits, She hasn't barked much and we are all falling in love with her! She is very calm and docile. So far love the mix.

Answer by Trak
Submitted on 2/3/2005
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Aussies are very easy to train because i potty trained my dog in one morning!!my dog name is Missy and shes 10 weeks old and the smartest dog Ive ever had and if i ever get another dog it would be another Aussie Shepard.

Answer by alover
Submitted on 4/5/2005
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I am a well experienced aussie owner and I have to say it is a lot of work but if you stick with them they can be the most awesome and fun dogs.

Answer by junie j
Submitted on 4/6/2005
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I own two Australian shepherds and consider them the most unique and intelligent dogs that I have ever had the privilege of being part of their lives. They are loyal hard working and the most wonderful pet a person could want.I highly recommend these dogs,but they do need a lot of space and exercise. I cannot imagine my life without these great dogs.

Answer by Alyssa
Submitted on 4/28/2005
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I am 11 years old and I have an Aussie named Bella she wont really pay attention and is not very easy to train. She can learn these tricks but she just wont pay attention. Can i have help Bella and I would like some help.

Answer by Tam
Submitted on 5/9/2005
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I have a female Aussie, Riley, a little over a year old....she is affectionate and protective, real smart and REALLY strong willed. She has been known to push my kid off "her" side of my bed...lol The only real problem I have had with her is her aggressiveness with our male silky terrier...he's fiesty and is trying to keep the alpha dog status...she has attacked him more than once over a toy or food. She plays endlessly and amazes me daily

Answer by yugi
Submitted on 5/19/2005
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What an amazing dog! Aussie/chow/lab, at 7 weeks she's totally house trained. Sits, stays, shakes, and speaks. Lots of energy, lots of love, and an absolute beauty! At times she's pushy, domineering, and bull-headed. Sounds weird, but growling (sometimes loudly) seems to really get her attention. Yelping has cut down on the nipping, and this little girl will do anything for food (cheerios). Very easy to train, and very enthusiastic about learning!

Answer by kevin
Submitted on 6/10/2005
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I, too, and the proud owner of a wonderful Austrailian Shepard. Tootsie is a little over 6 months old. I've seen many of the traits, characteristics, and behavior in her that I've read here. And YES!!, you can teach them to catch a frisbee - Tootsie LOVES it!! I started out with a cloth-type frisbee (from Walmart) called a "Flippy Floppy", so she could catch it easily. Once she mastered the cloth one, I went to the real thing. She didn't even realize it. The only problem is, she gets very agressive when I retrieve the frisbee from her. So watch your fingers!! She's the greatest dog I've ever had.

Answer by Jetmanaussie
Submitted on 10/26/2005
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I have a 1.5 yo male Aussie, he is a great watchdog. Just recently however when i'mnot home he has started humping everyones leg. My wife, kids, friends. He won't try it with me but he goes after everyone else. He gets a bit snippy with the children when they play and he likes to be the boss. Only I can control him and he will only listen to me. He will not let any stranger near me, if you come to close. Whamo! you are in his jaws. This is the perfect dog to have to protect your yard or home, no stranger will be allowed in your yard or house unless i tell him it's ok. He is a great dog though

Answer by Tabitha
Submitted on 11/6/2005
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We are adopting an Aussie/St Bernard mix, he is about 2 yrs old, neutered. He was great with the kids today! We have a 3 yr old and a 1 yr old. We have a fenced backyard and plan to let him come inside some too. My question is this, he seemed very docile and calm but are there ANY behaviours we need to be aware of with aussies? I am concerned, ofcourse, about our children, he seems fine but I always worry. What I have read from the Breed standard, they are great with kids but I would love to hear from those that live with an Aussie and kids! Thanks so much! Youc an email me at magsmoma@hotmail.com

Answer by Sue
Submitted on 12/15/2005
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My Aussie is not yet six months old. I can't imagine life without her! She's so smart, I can almost hear her think. Getting around her strong will isn't easy, but I pretend I'm going to steal her bully stick so she will go away and leave me alone for a few minutes...the reverse psychology works--for now. Yes, she's pushy, but darned, we all want smart friends, and that's what she is..soooooo smart, loving and entertaining. Getting an Aussie pup is the smartest thing I've ever done.

Answer by whit0
Submitted on 1/2/2006
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I have three aussies and they are very anoyiong!!!!!

Answer by Sarah
Submitted on 1/4/2006
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I got my first Aussie when I was 15 and since then, my parents have one, my brother has one and I have another. They are the most amazing, smart, lovable, loyal dog I have ever been around. My friends with other breeds are jealous of how well she minds and how devoted she is to me. All of our Aussie's have been wonderful with children. The two females have been more protective than the two males but I love them all just the same.

Answer by reb
Submitted on 2/9/2006
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Aussies are too smart for their own good...My story is that no matter what I did my Aussie of 7 years would not and did not leave me alone. She one time followed my car to the store which was not far away... I didnt know it...I was in the produce section, turned around and there she was....Time went by and she followed me to the neighbors house where I was having some coffee she crossed the street to find me...and the rest is bad history...Muffy was her name.

Answer by Pat
Submitted on 2/24/2006
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I have an Austrralian Shepard we adopted from the pound when he was 1 year old. He is by far the smartest dog I have ever known, and my family raised dogs all my life. He knows the names of all his toys and will retrieve the correct one when asked. He also is very loving and loyal.

Answer by atahualpa
Submitted on 3/20/2006
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I own an australian sheperd mix. And he is down right crazy! He wake's me up at five in the morning to play!Of course there is the occasional whine and be cute.One thing I can agree with is that this breed is very smart. At ten weeks old he can sit,shake,and come to his name (Blue). He is the cutest thing I,ve ever seen! he's also one of the most protective dogs i,ve ever seen.

Answer by kimi
Submitted on 3/28/2006
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i'vegot an awsome aussie namned malakhi. He is very smart. I have always had labs. love this breed

Answer by kelsey
Submitted on 4/5/2006
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My boyfriend and I got an Aussie about a year and a half ago. He's our baby. Its nice to hear stories of other males that are protective and nippy like ours is. Both of us have had other dogs and this is the first one we've had that has ever given us problems. So unless you have a strong will, lots of time and energy yourself, and a lot of stuffed animals(Russel's fav is a kitty head which used to be a whole kitty till a tragic game of tug of war) i would sugest getting a different breed. As for us we love our bullheaded, nippy, protective baby :)

Answer by apple
Submitted on 5/11/2006
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I have a 1.5 year old Aussie Mix who has proven to be the most intelligent dog I have ever owned. He has a personality- he talks, looovvess to hang out with me, and is an excellent guard dog. I don't think I'll ever own another breed of dog. He's perfect- I think I love him because he has his own mind- and he's not afraid to tell me what he's thinking!!!

Answer by vick
Submitted on 7/15/2006
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an auissie isn't that hard to change because they're quick learners take my dog for exsample he was 10 weeks when we got him and he was trained by a dog named otis which barked at everything ,knocked you over ,and backed down easily we had to take him back to the pound because he gotten crazy but over the past 5 weeks I train this 3 year old puppy at heart and he's turned out great but we still need to work on that barking thing