# Australian Shepherd 4 Month Pup Energy Level



## pixelpea (Aug 18, 2011)

I came into a 4.5 month Australian Shepherd. I had originally been trying to find her a good home, but have now had her for over a month and we love her. She is very mellow and is well mannered. We have been thinking of keeping her. My problem is both my husband and I work full time and school part time. This is my main reason for not having a dog and why I had originally thought I was just going to foster her. 

I heard somewhere that Australian Shepherds are easy puppies. As of now she has a great energy level for us. Will she become more hyper as she grows? I know a good portion of dog breeds mellow with age is this the same for Aussies?

I take her out in the mornings and have her run alongside my bike for about 20 min. I crate her and have been coming home for lunch to let her out. I crate her again until I'm home. She always gets a good amount of exercise after that. We are very active people and she has been all over the mountains with us. My concern is that her energy level is perfect as of now. She seems to be getting enough exercise, but if she becomes more hyper our schedules may not allow us to always come home during lunch. If she is exercised properly will crating her during the day for 6-7 hrs be ok?

Also she seems to like her crate. She goes in it well and she is always mellow when I let her out. I recently had to move the crate from our main room to a back room. She did not like that at all. She barked and barked and barked. I imagine she is just adjusting to a new room. Any tips to help her feel more comfortable.

We do love her but I'm asking these questions because if we do keep her I want to make sure we are the best home for her. I'm still willing to find her a good home. I understand we are busy people and though we do love dogs we want her to be happy. My concern is that she is being an "easy puppy" and by the time she is 10 months she will have too much energy for our schedules.

What do you think?


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

1. She may change as she matures, but training will help keep her mellow.
2. At 4 - 5 mos, she may be teething and that's why she's subdued. Only possible.
3. If you keep the current schedule, I believe that chances that she'll remain like this are reasonable.
4. When she reaches 6 mos, 10 mos, and ~ 18 mos, she may go through some maturity phases. At 6 mos, she'll start maturing sexually, and may increase her energy level... talk to the Vet.
5. To insure that she remains mellow in more situations, I suggest that you socialize her with many different animals, people (men with beards, hats, uniforms, on horses, on the roof, etc. clam and noisy children, and so on)... and as many situations as possible. 
6. You might find out about Canine Good Citizen (CGC) training, as well as therapy dog training. Even if she isn't a therapy dog, the training will help.
7. And if you have trained her in Bite Inhibition, it is a good idea, so she learns to control her instincts in case of an emergency.

Sounds like she's a great dog... keep up what you are doing. If you notice changes, consider if you changed anything, then consider if she reached a new maturity phase.


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

At 4 months old she should not be running along with your bike. Her poor joints.


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

She sounds wonderful. As long as she has time with their people, good socialization and training, I suspect she will be fine. If her crate's been moved to an area of low activity, I suspect she's feeling a little ostracized and would rather be in the areas where her people are most active. Even when they aren't there..


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

katielou said:


> At 4 months old she should not be running along with your bike. Her poor joints.


Missed that. Yes, walks are better for a puppy. The growth plates on an Aussie usually close at around 14-18 months. No heavy exercise til then.


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

Finally, pictures, we require pictures, before we give any advice will be given (J/K of course, but we still love pics   ).

Whwn they start teething, pups can go a little kooky (like doggie puberty) so be prepared for some surprising behaviors.


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## Sendiulino (Jun 20, 2011)

Sounds like she has an awesome home with you. Just cut back on the bike rides until she's over a year, and make sure to keep up with training her for mental exercise and obedience, and you'll be golden. You've developed a bond with the dog at this point, or at least her with you.. I think she's good right where she is.

You mentioned not knowing if you'll always be able to come home on your lunch break... If you aren't able to get back to her during the day, is it possible to hire a dog-walker to stop by and take her out for a potty break? Or would it be possible to give her the kitchen (we put Sam in the kitchen with baby gates and she knows where her puppy-pad is while we're gone) as "her area" when you're gone? 

I've read resources that say crating for up to 8 hours is acceptable once they are older (at 4 months, the puppy's bladder is not up to that challenge most likely) which would make your 6 to 7 hour window well within that, but in all honesty I can't confirm or deny that -- even if it were true, I don't think personally I'd want to do it. But you say the dog loves her crate, so don't go based on that. Sounds like she'd be fine for extended-crate-stay I just don't know what the maximum amount of time is you can keep her in there. We don't crate train, we give her the kitchen instead.


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## pixelpea (Aug 18, 2011)

Thanks everyone for all the info. Greatly appreciated.



katielou said:


> At 4 months old she should not be running along with your bike. Her poor joints.


I was actually being very cautious at first with her running and her joints. So much so that I would even stop her from running and playing with other dogs. I talked to my vet about it and he said if she doesn't seem tired let her get her energy out. I started taking her on a few short hikes after that since we spend a lot of time in the mountains. I have started having a obedience trainer come over and she said make sure on her morning walk before being crated that she is walked at a fast pace. She is definitely not jogging along side my bike (bad choice of words) just a brisk walk. I'll stop this right away since that was my concern to start with. I'm trying to find the balance with a happy healthy puppy. How do you get a puppy not to run? We have a large yard and park by our house and it's her favorite thing.


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

pixelpea said:


> Thanks everyone for all the info. Greatly appreciated.
> 
> 
> 
> I was actually being very cautious at first with her running and her joints. So much so that I would even stop her from running and playing with other dogs. I talked to my vet about it and he said if she doesn't seem tired let her get her energy out. I started taking her on a few short hikes after that since we spend a lot of time in the mountains. I have started having a obedience trainer come over and she said make sure on her morning walk before being crated that she is walked at a fast pace. She is definitely not jogging along side my bike (bad choice of words) just a brisk walk. I'll stop this right away since that was my concern to start with. I'm trying to find the balance with a happy healthy puppy. How do you get a puppy not to run? We have a large yard and park by our house and it's her favorite thing.


No reason to not let her run. The running and jumping that puppies do on their own is different from asking them to jump in a formal way, or do long on-leash jogs with you or your bicycle. When the pup is running, in a safe enclosed area I do encourage them to check in with me frequently for a treat, as I want to be sure I stay a part of their picture. By the way, we DO want pics. I got my first Aussie in 1970 and they are a habit. Still the breed that I prefer to own.


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## HerdersForMe (Jul 26, 2011)

I will reiterate the point of not letting her run alongside your bike. While running once in a while isn't going to hurt the puppy, the long distance, constant running every day could do damage over time. 

I think your situation is fine to raise a pup. While going to college my gf and I both worked internships and we raised a sheltie. Now we're both working full time jobs and are raising a rough collie. I think as long as you have time for several decent walks and a half hour of play time, you will be fine. Pups are fine being crated 6-7 hours, it will likely sleep the whole time. Just be sure to give it a good exercise session or walk before crating and leave it with an activity (stuffed Kong).


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## Papa Deuce (Mar 26, 2007)

My pure bred Aussie was a couch potato UNLESS we took him out for fun. Then he was non stop energy. He could and would go on 5 hour hikes with me.... and he would go 3x as far.... he would run ahead, come back, run ahead, sun sideways, come back.... so if I did 10 miles, he probably did around 30 miles.


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