LOL. Incompatible owner was probably the answer. That Aussie looked like starving for attention, and any attention given (a pet on the head was all it took) made him jump out of skin. I can see him being a perfect working dog, one that works along the owner, has a set of structured directions and a job to do. Unfortunately around here he is expected to be just a farm dog, to hang around and chill sort of speak.
I have 2 Aussies and a Collie. One Aussie is a laid back female, and the other is a moderate-energy female who is also somewhat reactive. I have a dog door and a fenced backyard for them to go in and out 24/7. Not all herding dogs have a high herding drive, so that would be something to consider — if the parents are herders themselves, the offspring may not have as much drive, which would make it easier to keep them from chasing the horses. But it will take training — and they love to work, love to train, and are very smart.
That said, I would be very careful about getting an Aussie. Be sure the breeder is reputable, see what the parents and other offspring are like, and get the puppy YOUNG so it can be socialized. They need to be socialized early with a variety of other dogs, people and places.
I dunno. I’ve been around a lot of aussies - most very inexpertly handled and limited training with none of the issues here. My childhood dog was perfect and it was back when dogs went around the neighborhood. The only thing aggressive he ever did was to thwart a breakin of the house next door. My Aussie I had as an adult - embarrassed to say never got real training aside from puppy classes. She was just perfect with my little kids and everybody. My brother’s have been my niece’s best friends. You all talk about littermate syndrome - well they got littermates and my young niece did everything with those dogs from pouring water on their head (bad niece:)) to countless hours jumping on the trampoline. The dogs have never been the least bit cross or ill tempered with her and let her do anything with them. She adores and loves them, spends more time with them than anyone I’ve ever seen - and they reciprocate the love even when she does silly things. They are great dogs with no real training. Others I know well, or have known well, have been expertly trained as working dogs. Great temperaments, not neurotic, smart, cooperative.
I don’t know where you are finding the neurotic ones. These all have been great with other animals including dogs and cats, and good with all people. My childhood dog would have protected me but you’d never know it to meet him. I don’t know if my deaf Aussie would have - possibly as she wasn’t a shy or scared dog, but I never saw her exhibit any aggression whatsoever so I don’t know. My niece’s dogs have not aggression against anyone as far as we can tell.
I’ve always thought of the ones I’ve known as fool proof.
My mini does tend to be reserved with strangers, but I noticed this to a degree with all three of my dogs. That said, she is great when we go and do therapy visits at the nursing homes. I can get her to sit in a chair so the patients can pet her. She is not great with children as she isn’t around them much. She thinks they are something to herd if they act all spastic. My last dog always rode with me in the car. I could have the window open and people could walk past with no problem. Let them try to lean in the window and she let them know it was her car. My mini’s jobs include helping carry blankets to put on(she holds the straps that hang down, holding the end of the lead( no pulling just carrying). She also likes to fluff the hay when I put flakes down, she has to run over top of them and grab at them. She also thinks it is her job to eat any morsels of grain that fall on the ground. She is also a great co-pilot in the car.http://www.flickr.com/photos/simbalism/7794259784/
Inspecting trailer: http://www.flickr.com/photos/simbalism/11819218626/
I have a female Aussie who is almost two years old. She goes to my trainer’s barn with me three days a week, and plays there hard and fast with her three dogs. That leaves her tired and happy. The other days she hangs out at home with me, going out to feed or groom the horses and survey her domain. I don’t give her walks but I do throw the Frisbee for her. She’s incredibly smart, funny, and sweet. I’ve been very careful to socialize her with other dogs and small children, and she’s very tolerant.
I’ll be honest, for the first year I was ready to return her to the breeder. As smart as she was, she wouldn’t come when called, and it drove me nuts. She got out of the back yard and ran off down the street and just looked back at me as if to flip me off. At a year old it’s like the light bulb moment happened, and she realized that when she came it was a great thing to make me happy. Now she has a lightning fast recall when I trill at her, and it changed everything.
I can’t imagine not having her. She’s careful around the horses, great with my grandkids, affectionate and enthusiastic.
I did not see that anyone mentioned a health issue some Aussies have, which is a mutated gene that lets some chemicals and meds cross the blood/brain barrier. There is a test for it, and if a dog is positive the vet will know what meds can and can’t be given.
[QUOTE=csaper58;7394800]
I did not see that anyone mentioned a health issue some Aussies have, which is a mutated gene that lets some chemicals and meds cross the blood/brain barrier. There is a test for it, and if a dog is positive the vet will know what meds can and can’t be given.[/QUOTE]
Are you talking about Ivermectin toxicity in collies and other herding breeds where they can be harmed by extreme doses of ivermectin for heartworms? There were alternatives for ivermectin developed for all collies. Now there is a test for the genetic makeup so that the vet will test before administration of high doses of ivermectin and some other medications. I think this is a non-issue as far as their being healthy dogs, and the research is leading to medications that are safer for all dogs.
Rescue Aussies
I have had 3 Aussie rescues (all from breed rescues). Each totally different! I absolutely would encourage you to foster first, and most rescues would work with you. They have many young (1-2 yr old) dogs - that’s about when the owners are overwhelmed and can’t take it anymore!
They are intense, but if focused, intense in a good way. Prepare to be followed and herded about the house. I haven’t really been alone in years!
I admire many Aussies, too, but wonder if you have considered a similar breed, the English Shepherd? I’ve only known a couple, but they are terrific, a bit less intense than the Aussies I’ve known, and they do have a tail, which personally I prefer. Anybody else familiar with this breed, and could compare/contrast them with Aussies?
I have two that I got from Aussie rescue at 3 months of age. They will be 14 in March. Both are great dogs. Their “job” is to keep the neighbors cattle from rubbing on the fence and protect my cats from neighbor dogs and they do both jobs very well. My neighbor doesn’t mind them a bit because the only time they bother his cattle is when they are rubbing on the fence. The dogs bark until they stop and then leave the cattle alone. I did take them to two levels of obedience training and they both have their CGC.
The barn where i work has a mini-aussie. (I guess technically a toy? She didn’t grow big enough to be a mini) She’s dumb as a post but super, super sweet. She follows me everywhere. She avoids the horses for the most part. The barn’s Jack Russell has taught her some bad habits, and if he’s in the barn, they’ll jump at the horses’ noses and bark. If it’s just her, she doesn’t do it.
She was my co-pilot to Ocala last year and went everywhere with me. However, we were stuck in the tent that got quarantined,so I stopped taking her to the show for the week or 10 days, and she stayed at the farm. Somehow during that short period she became quite dog aggressive, growling and barking at strange ones. However, she seems to have gotten over it. She’s super sweet with kids, and if one does something she doesn’t like, she just looks at the nearest adult like, “please do something…”
Some pictures because she’s adorable.
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m279/July_Photo_Contest/e7c643bc729a372d083cee10d018d718.jpg
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m279/July_Photo_Contest/52cc6e55a5931943b42a0aff0f6796d4.jpg
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m279/July_Photo_Contest/62e5d38f83314446ddb36965740342ba.jpg
And she’s bffs with my border collie mix puppy.
We had an amazing 1/2 Aussie ( mama was full, papa was a rolling stone) who was such a terrific barn dog once he understood the rules. That took about 2 trips to the barn. My husband didn’t learn that fast;)
Whoever said that you are never alone is exactly right. They are nippy, they can be very reserved and do take some effort to socialize. We now have a 12 week old Aussie pup who we purchased from a breeder. He is one busy little dude.
I spoke to a slew of breeders, some of whom were so helpful and generous with their expertise. The general consensus from most breeders that I spoke with did not give much credence to the herding lines vs. show lines. Every dog is an individual and should be judged on their own merit. Good breeders will tell you if their puppies will be suitable for what you want. Not every puppy that comes from a herding line is super intense nor is every show dog a moron.
