They love long chats with their family and tend to bark a lot, making them suitable watchdogs. Australian Shepherds grow to be quite large. Their intelligence makes them easy to train and they thrive when taught new tricks.
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.
Despite their high energy, Aussies are usually quiet. They may bark to alert their owners of a stranger or an unfamiliar situation but other than that, you won't hear much from them.
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.
This breed is especially known for its loud, sometimes non stop barking. To understand why that is, we have to look back to the history of the humble Australian Shepherd. Since the 19th century when the Aussie was first bred, they were made to be livestock herders.
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.
While an Aussie may be left home alone for four to six hours at a time, crate training may be necessary for the dog's safety.
A variety of devices are designed to teach dogs to curtail barking. Most often, these are collars that deliver an unpleasant stimulus when your dog barks. The stimulus might be a loud noise, an ultrasonic noise, a spray of citronella mist or a brief electric shock.
Make sure your dog is getting sufficient physical and mental exercise every day. A tired dog is a dog who is less likely to bark from boredom or frustration. Depending on their, age and health, your dog may require several long walks as well as a good game of chasing the ball and playing with some interactive toys.
Your Aussie will bond to his family and be protective of and loyal to them. Many dog owners are surprised to learn that even though Aussies have strong guarding and herding instincts, they are sweet and cuddly indoor dogs that can even be kept in apartments.
Although Aussies are super outdoorsy, they are best suited to indoor living, like most companion pets. Many working Aussies even live indoors, these days. That said, as long as the conditions are safe, Australian Shepherds can sleep outside.
Australian Cattle Dog
Australian Cattle Dogs are smart and loyal pets that need a lot of mental and physical activity to keep them from getting bored. Crucially, they are not known for barking.
The answer is no — Australian shepherds are not inherently aggressive dogs. That being said, any dog of virtually any breed can display aggression given certain circumstances. For the most part, the Australian shepherd is a kind-hearted, loyal, protective dog who tends to develop very strong bonds with its owners.
Aussie Shepherds are typically quite vocal dogs. They can bark for numerous reasons, even if it's just for attention or because they're excited. As they're high energy, they get excited quite quickly. As medium-sized dogs, most of their life stock was taller than them.
They are a relatively easy dog breed to train, but will take a lot of work and patience. If you're willing to put in the work, your dog will be more than happy to learn. As one of the world's most intelligent dog breeds, you can train an Australian Shepherd to do just about anything you want them to do.
This is well-intended but incomplete advice – if you only ignore the behavior, your dog will probably never learn to stop barking, jumping, or pulling. Just ignoring unwanted dog behaviors misses an important piece of teaching your dog what TO do instead. Dogs learn by association.
The short answer is yes – it can cause a sore throat and damage the dog's vocal cords. In addition, the intense stress associated with prolonged barking can lead to a variety of behavioral issues.
Punishment does not teach your dog (or cat) what to do instead of scratch furniture, bark, dig, etc. Squirting your dog with a water bottle may stop the behavior temporarily. However, this punishment teaches your dog to practice the undesired behavior when you and the water bottle are not present.
If you are a first-time owner, you're probably wondering, at what age will my Mini Aussie calm down?! All puppies and young dogs experience a period of extreme activity. In Aussies, it should stop at around 2-3 years of age.
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.
Of course, Aussies need plenty of physical exercise: no less than one hour per day, and preferably upwards of two hours. This goes for both standard and mini Aussies.
Australian Shepherds are known for their fierce loyalty with one person, that doesn't mean every Shepherd will act like that. Some Shepherds might not build a particularly strong bond with any one family member. Others might like one of you more than another, but they don't sit on you to show it.
Whether it's because they are excited, seeking attention, or being protective, Australian Shepherds are known for being quite vocal. Barking shows that your dog has something to tell you, so it's important to get to the bottom of what they're trying to say.
In fact, sleep takes up a good portion of an Australian Shepherd's life. In adulthood, they sleep about twelve hours a day! This is an energetic dog who needs to recharge as often as possible to stay in top form.