Personality

Like any animal, Australian Shepherd’s have a personality and temperament. Before bringing a dog into your life, you should be fully aware of what to expect with an Aussie.

As I have written about in a previous blog, Australian Shepherds were bred for herding. Even if your Aussie has never seen cattle or sheep, they still have the herding instinct. For example, my Aussie pup LOVES children. So much so, he tries to herd them. Because of this insticnt, Aussies need lots of playing and running time. This is not a dog you get to be a couch potato, this dog requires lots of exercise or they will get into trouble. If an Aussie is bored, like most dogs, they will start chewing furniture, shoes, and going through the trash.

Australian Shepherds are insanley smart, this means they are fairly easy to train. However, this breed needs to be trained quickly while they’re young because their herding instincts can get them hurt. For example, my Aussie will chase cars, squirrels, and everything in between. This breed craves to be taught, they love learning and thinking. Sometimes they think too much and are too smart. My Aussie will try to trick me into feeding him a second time after my boyfriend has already done it.

Along with craving knowledge, Aussies also crave companionship and want to be involved in everything. If I’m walking somewhere, I know my Aussie is one step behind me. This is nice because I wanted a dog to be attached to me. However, it is difficult leaving the house because my pup will start barking. This breed is highly prone to separation anxiety. A way to help this, is to spend quality time with them every single day. This time can be spent playing outside, taking a walk, or simply playing with a toy.

Usually Australian Shepherds are outgoing and very friendly. Once trained to not herd and nip at children, they are great family dogs. Since Aussies require so much attention and companionship, a family with a few children would be the perfect environment. However, with any animal there are a few exceptions to this. Of course there are a few Australian Shepherds that might not like children, but this is very rare.

Overall this breed is usually very happy and easygoing. However, their temperament will show if they are not happy. These dogs are very vocal when it comes to their food, bathroom breaks, and attention. Whining and barking are how Aussies usually get their points across, they aren’t likely to bite, but of course every dog is different. Compared to other breeds, this dog has a very low temperament.