# Potential New Australian Shepherd Owner



## jbuck92 (Sep 28, 2011)

Howdy guys! I just registered here and was hoping for a bit of advice regarding an Aussie pup. I won't be able to actually get the pup for quite some time, where I'm living right now doesn't allow pets. But I hope to get one eventually and decided to start doing some research on different breeds.

From what I've read, Aussies are _extremely_ active and definite problem-solvers, but can be one of the most loyal breeds if trained well. I've also read that conventional techniques tend to not be quite as effective with an Aussie as with other breeds due to their intelligence and herding instincts. I haven't had a chance to get any books on the breed yet, but does anyone have any advice on the best ways to train an Aussie pup? Potty training, obedience training, etc. 

I also have seen that they are chewers, and chewing/nipping can be an issue if not handled properly. If I understand correctly, the best way to take care of this problem is to catch them in the act, discipline them and then hand them a chew toy, reinforcing their behavior that chewing on the TOY is acceptable, but the furniture is not. Any clarification on this would be appreciated as well!

Finally, if there are any Aussie owners out there that have any advice for me regarding owning an Aussie from a pup and onward, I would really appreciate it! The last dog I owned was 2 Basset Hounds, and they weren't exactly the most active dogs. I wasn't involved in the training with them at all because I was pretty young when we first got them. I just played with them! An Aussie will definitely be a shock regarding their activity level, but I'm excited to raise one!

*EDIT*

Forgot to ask; Any advice on an Aussie pup's diet? How often should I feed the puppy, recommended foods, dry, wet? I'm sure I can find this in an Aussie dog book but, as I said, I haven't had a chance to buy any books on the breed yet, just online research for now.


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

First if going with a breeder make sure 100% that the parents AND grandparents have ALL had CERF eye exams done well into their elder years. Cataracts are unusually common in this breed and it's due to genetics, If you make sure grandpa and grandma had good eyes into their elder years than likely your pup will too. The parents should also have Hip x-rays done and evaluated by ether OFA or Pennhip the breeder WILL be able to show you the paper work on this anytime you ask for it. If they make an excuse about not having paperwork or "We've never had problems with their hips so there is no need to test them" RUN AWAY from that breeder.

Traditional training techniques work just fine on an aussie.


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## jbuck92 (Sep 28, 2011)

I actually have found a few breeders online near my hometown and near my college town. They all mention their pups are AKC certified eligible and have all been tested for genetic diseases including cataracts, hip dysplasia, etc.


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

jbuck92 said:


> I actually have found a few breeders online near my hometown and near my college town. They all mention their pups are AKC certified eligible and have all been tested for genetic diseases including cataracts, hip dysplasia, etc.


just a heads up there is no such thing as AKC certified so if that's their words not yours I would be weary (if that's your words and you meant AKC registerable no problem we all make mistakes). Since they say they do the genetic testing ask in advance before the litter is born ideally to see the paperwork on that or if you know the registered names of the parents I can show you how to look it up yourself online.


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## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

I have an Aussie/border collie mix. Others will be able to answer your breed-specific questions better than I, but I wanted to share my own experiences in the hopes that it'll help you out. 

We got Gypsy at 10 weeks old and began training her using traditional, _positive _training techniques. Lots of treats, lots of praise, lots of happy energy. If she did something bad, we ignored or redirected her. Taught her sit and wait/stay almost immediately and worked on that as a request behavior. At meal time, she sits and waits for her bowl to be filled; when someone comes inside, she sits before being pet; when I take her out to potty, she sits at the door until I go out first and ask her to follow. 

Gypsy was a craaaazy puppy. If you're Aussie pup is anything like mine was, there will be times where you'll wonder why you got one. Don't worry; that feeling passes. For me, it took about a year, haha, but I'm so glad I stuck with it. She's a great dog. 

To deal with all that energy, we played TONS of fetch and did TONS of trick-training. Still do. We went to puppy classes, also. With herding breeds, don't underestimate the usefulness of mental exercise. I highly recommend stuffed Kong toys or kibble dispenser toys (for meals) if you need some sanity time. Also, are you planning to crate train? That helped me a lot house-breaking Gypsy and keeping her out of my hair for a couple hours if I needed to study. She loves her crate now, goes in it to sleep and to hide during thunderstorms. 

Gypsy was a landshark as a pup. She was always nipping. We tried a number of different methods to discourage her from biting and I'm not sure which one (maybe all together) worked. She no longer nips, thank God. 

As far as food is concerned, I recommend going with a high quality (grain free) kibble. Taste of the Wild, Blue Wilderness, Wellness Core, Evo, Orijen, Acana are some good brands. Otherwise, if you search "dog food advisor" or "dog food analysis" or "dog food project" on Google, you'll get some good sites to help with food selection. Stay away from Pedigree, Beneful, Science Diet, Iams, Eukanuba, Purina, etc!


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## KodiBarracuda (Jul 4, 2011)

Be VERY careful with vaccines. Some Aussies have a mutated gene (MDR1) that make then have VERY bad allergic reactions to high doses Ivermectin like what is found in wormers. 

Thats all for now, I will be back later though with some tricks and tips. I have a 13 month old Aussie right now named Kodi and I could write a book about how crazy he is.


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

KodiBarracuda said:


> Be VERY careful with vaccines. Some Aussies have a mutated gene (MDR1) that make then have VERY bad allergic reactions to high doses Ivermectin like what is found in wormers.
> 
> Thats all for now, I will be back later though with some tricks and tips. I have a 13 month old Aussie right now named Kodi and I could write a book about how crazy he is.


Vaccines are ok, just certain medications shouldn't be used, and you can also know if the dog has the MDR1 mutation by asking if the parents have been tested for it.


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## jbuck92 (Sep 28, 2011)

Keechak-Sorry, yes I meant AKC registerable. I don't know the names of the parents but I'll be sure to ask about the paperwork before I go to see the pups in person. 

Kirsten&Gypsy- I do plan to crate train the puppy. I'll be gone for a few hours at a time during the day for class so I'll definitely have to crate train him/her. I have heard about the stuffed toys and what not for mental exercise. I'll be sure to pick up several of those to keep them occupied for a while. I've heard they can be a lifesaver! I haven't decided if I'll be taking an obedience class or not yet with my pup. I'll make that decision as the time gets closer.

I'll be sure to ask about the MDR1 gene as well. Thanks for all the help so far everyone!


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

I got my first Aussie in 1970 as a college student, and haven't been without one (or a few) since. Some are more active than others, some are more gregarious than others. I've seldom met an unintelligent one. Intelligence is a mixed blessing. It makes them endlessly fascinating, but it also means that you need to be one step ahead of them in the thought process. They have high average exercise requirements, higher than that for mental stimulation. They have a tendency to be a one person/one family type of dog and so it is essential to do a lot of well-planned socialization when they are youngsters. They tend to potty train easily , and shed - a LOT. They do tend to want to control motion - whether livestock or kids on bikes, so good training and an excellent recall/leave-it are important. They are territorial so you will need to exercise good judgment about situations where they may feel like they need to guard what is theirs or yours. I don't really "discipline" my dogs. I just teach them what I want, and reward good choices.
A couple of good books on the breed are "All About Aussies" by Jeannie Joy Hartnable (I helped illustrate the first edition) and "Aussies, Champions of Versatility" by Liz Palika. Haven't seen a recent edition of this one, but there may still be a couple of my dogs in it. The dog barking at the schutzhund blind, and the first dog to win HIT Obedience at an AKC National Speciality. I wouldn't necessarily go by the training advice, but look for good sources on positive reinforcement based training.
You want to choose a breeder who breeds for solid temperament (without shyness or aggression - a little reserved is fine) and good health, as Aussies are a relatively healthy breed but can have hip or elbow dysplasia, numerous eye defects, MDR-1 mutation (which makes the dog sensitive to some medications) and epilepsy. Some of those things you can test for. Some (like epilepsy) you can't, though there may be a family history of the condition. Ask about these - ask about parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings. Ask about testing. Breeder should be able to (at a minimum) show you OFA (or PennHip) certification that the parents are free from dysplasia (PennHip only does hips), and CERF paperwork that they are free of eye defects within the past year (some don't show up until the dog is older). If they can't do that, or tell you that their vet says their dogs are healthy, run away. If at all possible, at least meet the dam. Ask the breeder what their considerations were in choosing these two dogs to breed.
I feed my dogs Taste of the Wild.


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

Keechak said:


> hips so there is no need to test them" RUN AWAY from that breeder.
> 
> Traditional training techniques work just fine on an aussie.


And positive reinforcement produces brilliant, enthusiastic dogs who will knock your socks off!


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## luv2byte (Oct 21, 2009)

You can do a search by mdr1, there are a couple good website. there is also a recent thread about mdr1 that might be helpful.


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

I'm actually more interested in if the dog is ASCA registered than AKC. Because of the way Aussies were introduced into AKC, I really don't trust their stud book.


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

Pawzk9 said:


> I'm actually more interested in if the dog is ASCA registered than AKC. Because of the way Aussies were introduced into AKC, I really don't trust their stud book.


^^^This!

ASCA registered litters are more important to see than AKC registered litters. Not to mention the DNA requirements for ASCA do tend to weed out a few of the more bad apples who so easily get their dogs AKC registered.


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## Charis (Jul 12, 2009)

Everything already mentioned is awesome. 
With food - dogfoodadvisor.com is good. I feed kirkland but any good food will do for aussies. Wet/dry doesn't matter. 
Training - I use positive reinforcement methods.
Breeders- Everything mentioned. A breeder should not be sidestepping anything - they should question you as much as you question them.


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## jbuck92 (Sep 28, 2011)

Thank you very much everyone! I'll look into those books you mentioned, Pawzk9. I had actually found "Aussies, Champions of Versatility" on-line. Good to hear that someone confirms it's a great book!

*EDIT*

Another breeder I found has dame/sire's listed and both are ASCA AKC CH (not sure what CH means). I went ahead and emailed them asking questions about the health just to confirm, but I definitely have high hopes. They say online that the pups are tested for all health problems and have a health guarantee


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## lisaj1354 (Feb 23, 2008)

> They say online that the pups are tested for all health problems and have a health guarantee


Unless they're able to be specific about exactly what they test for, and are able to prove it (see all the comments above) then stay away.


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## jbuck92 (Sep 28, 2011)

In my emails with them they said that the bloodline has been CERFed consistently, they have both OPA and PennHip (I think OPA is the right acronym, its the one for dysplasia) and have MDR1 testing done. All negative. Talking to another breeder later today about his line. He has thousands of pictures and has been breeding for 15 years so I'm hoping that he has the paperwork to back everything up. He's only an hour from my house!


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

Herding dogs csn be land sharks, Izze was, Josefina (my ACD-possibly something else rescue) i had to resort to putting bitter spray on my hands to curb that. The best thing you can get is a horse jolly ball, as they are practically i indestructible & a dog csn satisfy its herding instinct by "herding" a ball around, better then nipping at your heels or anything else inappropriate lol.


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## synrgy501 (Sep 19, 2011)

My first aussie was a puppy and she was insane. Now don't get me wrong, now that I have them I will not own another breed again (no offense to the Collie). I have fostered many Aussies for my local aussie rescue and I love puppies, so I have had many an aussie puppy in my house (and 1 mix that never left). High energy does not begin to cover most aussies (although I have met a small handful of lazy ones). The key to keeping your aussie happy is to keep their brain going all day. Annie has a series of trick treat balls and that is how she gets her morning meal. I have to alternate what trick toy she will get everyday and I buy or make a new one almost every week. 
Be prepared to be outsmarted. After a week of having Annie home she was house traine, crate trained and slept through the night. We brought her home just before christmas and we were able to spend almost three fulls weeks home with her. When we went back to work Annie got upset, and this is where she began to outsmart us. She was only alone a maximum of 5 hours a day as my husband and I had slightly different schedules and someone always came home for lunch. Well Annie was in a appropriately sized life stages crate with a plastic tray that slides in and out. One day we came home and she had slid the plastic tray out. We assumed (never assume with an Aussie) that she had been playing and had accidentily slid it out. The next day we came home and she had pooped in the crate, but she had slid the tray out so that she was not sitting in her poop. No problem, we latched the tray in and figured that would solve the problem. Wrong, she un latched it and again we came home to poop in the tray but the tray not in the crate. I would also like to mention that every time she slid the tray out she kept her blanket, poop-free, in the crate. This went on for a week and finally we had to put bricks in front of the tray to get it to stop. 
The biggest piece of advice I can offer is to socialize the Aussie as young as possible. At 8 weeks old Annie was riding around in a (thoroughly cleaned) cart at petsmart. Training classes started at 10 weeks (I like puppies to have 2 rounds of shots before direct contact with other puppies), and every week we try to go somewhere new. She is a guard dog through and through. I doubt that we will ever be able to get her stop barking when people come to the door (the UPS man is so scared of her he leaves things at the garage door). My goal is and always has been with Annie and all of my foster Aussies, to be well behaved and good with strangers in public. My collie would let someone rob the house as long as he got a couple of pets along the way. I like that she guards the house, especially when my husband is out of town. I always feel safe with my Annie next to me, however I do not want to own a bite dog either. I have a creepy neighbor who rings the doorbell from time to time and I just let Annie bark and growl away, but when people I want to let in the house come to the door I can tell Annie to stop and that these people are fine and she instantly relaxes. If you get an Aussie you need to be sure to install and on/off switch or you will be in trouble (and your dog likely will be too). 
I could talk about Aussies all day, but I will stop for now. Good luck


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## Austinsmom (Apr 5, 2011)

I could show you three inactive Australian Shepherds. It depends on the lines. Mine have off buttons,
once they are inside the home. This is why it is important to find a good breeder that knows their pedigrees
and what they produce; ie temperaments, health concerns, longevity ect... There are many health issues
from B sensitivity to epilepsy. There are no "clean" pedigrees. If a breeder tells you that, I would think twice
about their honesty. Look for a breeder that dual registers AKC and ASCA. I do not like to see just one or the other.
Sends off red flags. Treat all puppies as they are MDR1 M/M. I know of several people who have N/N dogs that react
to medication.
List of better breeders.
http://theaussieconnection.info/links2.htm
MDR1 problem drugs
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts-VCPL/drugs.aspx
Health Concerns
http://www.ashgi.org/
Aussie Board
http://www.aussieboard.info/index.php?sid=47e087baf367a1e5d4408f0629549125


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## GOAussies (10 mo ago)

Pawzk9 said:


> And positive reinforcement produces brilliant, enthusiastic dogs who will knock your socks off!


Have you ever owned an Aussie and raised small children at the same time? I love nearly everything about the Aussie breed. My last one grew up with me and my brother ever since my brother was two years old. She never tried to "herd" us. I realize not all herding dogs are like her and not all children are like us, though. I want to one day get married and have children, and I'd much prefer to have a dog that will not only be good with children, but will also protect them when the man of the house is away. I'll sacrifice the protection quality if I have to, if it means keeping my small children safe, but I'd rather have the complete package.


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## DaySleepers (Apr 9, 2011)

This thread is over a decade old, so I'm closing it to further replies. Feel free to start your own thread or join in any of our current discussions!


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