Aussie insights

[saddleup]

I lost my Aussie about 4 months ago due to cancer. She was almost 13, and I had owned her since she was a puppy. The best dog ever. I’m not ready to get another dog yet, but because she was the smartest and funniest dog I’ve ever owned I was planning to get another Aussie.

So I joined several online groups about Aussies, and reading all the problems people are talking about with the breed I’m wondering if my beloved and perfect dog was an anomaly? She was moderate drive, but had an “off button”. She was potty trained to a doggie door on the first day, at two months old. Yes, she was a challenge that first year because she was too smart for her own good! But never a barker, never nipped or growled, or a neurotic beast as so many people are describing. She was happy, loved everyone, super smart.

I’m now nervous about getting another Aussie. Before her I owned four different English Springer Spaniels and only switched breeds because my last Springer was an angel and I didn’t think I could fairly get another Springer…none could measure up, in my mind. But now I’m second guessing going with an Aussie. What’s your experience? Am I overthinking it?

[Texarkana]

Not an Aussie owner, but I’ve been pet-sitter/friend/family to many many Aussie owners to the point where I have strong opinions on the topic.

Yours probably wasn’t an anomaly, it just sounds like you’re probably the type of dog owner to meet their needs.

A friend said once, and I badly paraphrase, “if you don’t assign your Aussie a job, they will assign themselves one and you won’t like what they choose.”

In a nutshell, they are intelligent, high energy, working dogs. If you meet can meet those needs, you are golden. Problem is, too many people are attracted to fluffy Merle puppies without thinking about how it will work out in a 1br apartment with a 12 hour workday.

[Bluey]

@Texarkana

Not an Aussie owner, but I’ve been pet-sitter/friend/family to many many Aussie owners to the point where I have strong opinions on the topic.

Yours probably wasn’t an anomaly, it just sounds like you’re probably the type of dog owner to meet their needs.

A friend said once, and I badly paraphrase, “if you don’t assign your Aussie a job, they will assign themselves one and you won’t like what they choose.”

In a nutshell, they are intelligent, high energy, working dogs. If you meet can meet those needs, you are golden. Problem is, too many people are attracted to fluffy Merle puppies without thinking about how it will work out in a 1br apartment with a 12 hour workday.

What she said.^^^

We had one Aussie and many other dogs and she was the best ever.
In our performance dog club there was a member that raised Aussies and was showing them and the list for her puppies was long, some waiting two years.
They were amazing and beautiful dogs and did great in obedience and later agility.

Many dogs will go along with anyone that owns them, are love sponges and not demanding.
Aussies are a bit more particular, they need someone that respects them and they respect you back and are more of a real partner than a “yes sir/ma’m, whatever you say”, type dog.

I think that maybe we hear so much more about breeds and their good and bad points because so people can choose better, not necessarily because dogs of certain breeds are not as good as they used to be.
We do live in the Information Age, we know so much more about everything, about dogs too.

[Kemosabe]

I have been in Aussies for almost 20 years. When I read some of the FB Aussie groups postings frankly I am horrified.

Aussies have become quite popular and sadly that has led to backyard breeding for dollars or from the “I love my aussie and want to breed him or her” with no understanding of blood lines, genetic health testing, any kind of performance qualifications or show records, and no OFA on hips and elbows.

As another poster pointed out: Aussies aren’t for every one or every family. They are not golden retrievers.

The good news is that there are breeders dedicated to maintaining the standards (temperament, structure, health). You can find them through ASCA (Australian Shepherd Club of America). A good Aussie breeder will know her blood lines, can evaluate puppies in terms of drive and personality.

One of my boys may be bred this spring. He has a GCH CH title. He has an absolutely fantastic temperament and moderate drive. The bitch is titled in rally and working on an obedience title.

I recently lost one of my Aussies who was the poster child for couch potato. However, he would spring into life when it came time to do farm chores, greet visitors, inspect FED Ex and Amazon packages and offer his assistance to plumbers and electricians when they came to the farm. What an absolute character.

I would say every Aussie I’ve owned has been funny in their own unique way. I’ve never had a destructive Aussie or an aggressive Aussie or an excessive barking Aussie. I’ve had several sing the song of their people when the coyotes come through the farm. I have a young male now who speaks in very low soft tones: ARR ARRRAW-RAW ARR —mostly to tell me it’s time to get up, or time to eat dinner, or time to chase squirrels. He used to wake me up in the morning starting with his ARR RAW noises, and if I didn’t move, he’d go get one of his plush squeaky toys and drop it on my head…

[DiamondJubilee]

To me it sounds like you were the perfect Aussie owner. They need a job and once that’s satisfied, they are amazing little dogs! My friend has 2 of them and just loves them. She takes them for long walks as she lives in a sub division, and she adopts her Aussies from the US (we are in Canada) and there are always quite a few for her to choose from. But she hasn’t had any issues so far with them (one is a mini and one is standard size. She does say the mini gets away with a lot more as he is so small, almost toy sized at just under 20lb - he pulls on a leash and has boundless energy, but is a kind dog. Her standard is almost 15 years old now and is sadly going down hill but is a lovely dog).

Now my parents got a mini American Sheppard 2 years ago now and he has had nothing but issue after issue. He was from a well know Canadian breeder (shows and has one of the top dogs in Canada) but he was a return to breeder when he was 6 months old as he bit their child. Who knows what happened there (probably child not supervised etc, etc) but this dog is neurotic. My parents went to meet him and took him home. He is terrified of loud noises (cars, children, bikes etc) and does not like to go outside at all. He will shake and literally crawl back to the house once he hears something loud outside. They have tried everything with him. Been to the vets several times, tried CBD, had a trainer in for help but he’s still a mess 2 years later (though a little bit better). He can’t be off a leash as he takes off (to me this is a huge problem as he can’t get any of his energy out as they don’t have a fenced in back yard - so he is always on a leash). He has bit my sister a few times in the house, she is just standing there not facing him and he has gone up and bit her in the ankle and calf and just runs back. Unprovoked as she’s not even looking at him. He’s a hot mess for sure. He had a bad upbringing and it really shows how important it is.

My parents also have his vet records and it states when he was 8 weeks old he was an issue at the vets and they stated he needed a lot of socializing so it was always there. And then he was in a home with kids and they didn’t do much with him for the first 4 months of his life, so he went downhill quickly, which is really a shame and not the dogs fault at all. But they are left with a bit of a mess of a dog (they chose unwisely and did not listen to my sister and I as we told them not to get him).

I’m sure if you are mindful and pick the perfect breeder, you will have no issues. You know the breed and obviously handle them really well. Good luck and let us know if you ever happen to get a new pup

[2DogsFarm]

@DiamondJubilee

bad upbringing and it really shows how important it is.

Reading this thread as a current non-dogowner (DH & I had a LabX, but that was over 30yrs ago).
Friend has an AussieX who is pretty obnoxious.
Jumping on people, begging at the table (nose in your lap), insisting you play with her slobbery toys…
While owner - who has had this breed and various others for decades, as many as 5 in the house at a time - ignores it or is amused.
This is a farm dog, so LOTS of outdoor time daily.
When I met her she had an aged black Shepherd, huge mastiffy mutt, ancient JRT & none of them were annoying.
She had just the Shepherd when she got the Aussie, but often has a pair of Corgis belonging to a friend in residence. They’re beggars too, but less pushy.
So yes, early training is really important.

[S1969]

@Kemosabe

When I read some of the FB Aussie groups postings frankly I am horrified.

LOL was just going to jump in and say the same for my breed. Groups of owners (many of whom are not dog savvy at all) with poorly bred purebred dogs is a terrible place to learn about a breed. There are so many reasons they may not be representative of the breed type - mainly because many backyard breeders don’t even know what “breed type” even means.

That said - even within well bred pure breeds - there are temperamental differences, so it’s worth getting to know different breeders and talking about what you want. There are dogs in my breed that are bred for competitive field trials - they are specifically bred for the competitive drive and out in front running. Some of them are not even nice dogs but can win against bigger pointing breeds.

Then there are some that are just known for sweet personality. One of my friends is a breeder who is known for really chill Brittanys. Sometimes too much for certain activities. They are still within the normal range of temperament, but make fabulous pets for families (and also competitive in the show ring and field.)

I have 3 dogs that are all related and their temperaments are quite different. All still within “normal” ranges, but one is just super chill, and one that is literally a cannon blast to your face all the time. Not sure exactly how that happened, but just like human families, there are variations.

[Kemosabe]

I can’t speak to American Shepherds…they really are a different breed (and not just in size) than an Aussie. The American Shepherds I have met have all been wound so tightly they are like spinning tops. Have your parents done any clicker training with this dog? It can be helpful with a reactive dog, especially if the dog is food motivated

@S1969

That said - even within well bred pure breeds - there are temperamental differences, so it’s worth getting to know different breeders and talking about what you want

This! Even within a litter you may have one high drive pup, a couch potato, a Pick Me!, a judgey aloof type, an Einstein, a super intuitive sensitive type, and a goof ball.