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.
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.
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.
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!
1. Border collie. According to The Intelligence of Dogs, which ranks 131 dog breeds in terms of their relative intelligence, the border collie is the smartest dog breed known to man.
The average dog's IQ is about 100. Based on the results done to test a dog's IQ, it turned out that dogs, even the average ones, have the IQ same as a 2-years old human.
While Australian Shepherds are known for being strong working dogs, they can be cuddly and affectionate, too. Your Aussie will bond to his family and be protective of and loyal to them.
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.
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.
All shepherd breeds are naturally very active because of the herding work that they were originally bred for. That is why, today, Aussies are regular competitors in dog sports. A lot of hyperactivity in Mini Aussies stems from not meeting their needs for physical and mental exercise.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Just as humans stare into the eyes of someone they adore, dogs will stare at their owners to express affection. In fact, mutual staring between humans and dogs releases oxytocin, known as the love hormone. This chemical plays an important role in bonding and boosts feelings of love and trust.
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.
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.
Einstein never took an IQ score test. However, based on his historical records, academics have estimated his score to be around 160.
Dogs, it turns out, have about twice the number of neurons in their cerebral cortexes than what cats have, which suggests they could be about twice as intelligent.