# Tips for training Mini Aussie Shepherd



## tedsuxs (Mar 1, 2012)

Hello everyone, New to this forum and i would greatly appreciate any help with my *Aussie* who's name is* Molly*.

*Details: * : She is Only 6 month's old, weighs about 9 pounds. Shes very active, Been clicker training basic commands. She knows how to sit ( 90% time on command ), Lay down, Roll over, Stay (very good at this) , shake, play fetch (gets distracted sometimes, mostly by food or treats). Very good at walking next to me, On runs she sometimes runs in front of me. Loves people, kinda whatever about other dogs. Will play fetch with Frisbee but can't catch it out of air. I really want to train her correctly and ultimately teach her Frisbee tricks possibly agility.

*Questions: *
1. Being that shes so small (possibly "toy" size) and assuming she wont get MUCH bigger, Will she ever be able to catch small Frisbee out of air. ( If yes, Whats the best frisbee and where do I start )

2. She doesn't eat her dog food right away, I tried taking it away after 30 minutes and she doesn't seem to catch on, Should i try new dog food or will she eventually catch on. (currently leaves food in bowl and she slowly eats whenever she wants)

3. Her "currency" seems to be treats rather than toys (sad face) , Is there still hope on transitioning her to Frisbee being her currency?

4. I live in condo with largish enclosed outside balcony, how important is it that i walk/run her everyday knowing she does not have a yard?

5. What's the best method of getting training/and how do i find it locally ?

6. Whats best treats for training dogs?

7. Using Clicker Do you still ever reward for the tricks she knows pretty well such as sit and stay, or just click and save the treat for the "new" trick she is learning?:wave:

*ANY EXTRA TIPS/ADVICE* especially for this breed of dog is GREATLY Appreciated 
:wave:


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## tedsuxs (Mar 1, 2012)

Anyone!? Please!


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## luv2byte (Oct 21, 2009)

Talk to your vet or local doggy daycare about a good certified trainer, nothing better than a good, solid class. (or http://www.apdt.com/petowners/ts/default.aspx) The best treats for training are any soft treats that the pup finds to be high value, you learn this from trial & error. As for food, you might be giving too much too often. We feed twice a day (6am &4pm), measured scoops of 1/3 cup for the food we feed. As for excersize, a tired puppy is a happy puppy. A mix of play, walks, short runs & mental stimulus (such as obedience or trick training) will help tire the pup & keep them from getting bored. As for frisbee, just find her passion, for our pup it is frisbee but for yours it might be a game of chase, tug, or throwing a ball instead of frisbee. If you want to try frisbee petco has some nice nylon floppy frisbees you can try.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Walks are very important for dogs. Walking is exercise, yes, but it also is socializing (meeting people, maybe dogs), broadening their world (getting used to sights and sounds to help prevent fears), and it works their minds (sniffing, looking around, hearing things etc). Even small dogs need or benefit from daily walks and younger dogs of a high or medium energy breed definitely NEED walks. I would not run a dog until physical maturity at about 12 months of age for a small breed (18-24 months for large breeds). This helps protect their growing joints. Running around and playing on grass is fine, just not running on a leash like jogging with you.

For training treats, I mainly use their dry dog food. This is because I want to be able to give a constant stream of treats for good behavior for an hour or two, and using something richer will lead to upset stomachs and bad cleanups. For high-value treats to really get their attention, try things like- tiny bits of lunch meat or hot dogs, tiny bits of cooked meats (I pick the leftovers of chicken for this), tiny bits of cheese, and the commercial liver treats or meat rolls (looks like sausages at the pet store). You can also bake simple dog biscuits like pumpkin and peanut butter biscuits as healthy treats. I avoid most of the packaged stuff since its full of HFCS, coloring and other fillers/non-nutritional additions.

I like the KONG brand frisbees for being really durable and being soft on the dog's mouth. They have a smaller size that should suit a 10-15 lbs dog. the TUFF brand tennis balls are durable and come in peanut butter and mint scents/flavors to make them more enticing. 

When finding a trainer, ask for recommendations but then also go and observe a class (or two!) and watch the trainer's methods. I promote positive reinforcement, but some minor corrections I am cool with (as in, saying "ah ah" or a quick tug on the leash is fine). You have to find a trainer that suits both you AND the dog. Starting with a puppy class and then a Canine Good Citizen class is a great beginning and sets a strong foundation for continuing training.


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## Gally (Jan 11, 2012)

tedsuxs said:


> *Questions: *
> 1. Being that shes so small (possibly "toy" size) and assuming she wont get MUCH bigger, Will she ever be able to catch small Frisbee out of air. ( If yes, Whats the best frisbee and where do I start )
> 
> 2. She doesn't eat her dog food right away, I tried taking it away after 30 minutes and she doesn't seem to catch on, Should i try new dog food or will she eventually catch on. (currently leaves food in bowl and she slowly eats whenever she wants)
> ...


1. If she's only 6 months she probably has at least a few months of growing left. As long as her hips and joints are good I don't see why you couldn't teach her to catch a small/soft frisbee out of the air but no jumps until she is fully grown.

2. Take the food up if she doesn't touch it in 15 minutes. Put it down at her next feeding and repeat. A healthy dog wont starve themselves. You can try a different brand or protein source, my dog goes crazy for any food but seems particularly fond of anything fish based.

3. You can train her to love her frisbee but if she's food motivated then why work against that? You can still treat her for retrieving a frisbee while making her into a frisbee crazy dog. I've been told the first step is to feed her her dinner from her frisbee so frisbee = treats/food.

4. Very important for a dog to get at least a walk everyday. Even dogs who have a yard should get a walk everyday. It's good mental and physical exercise and a good bonding experience for you both. Plus it's a great time to work on obedience with distractions.

5. You can try a class or a personal trainer. Look up local dog clubs they will probably be the best resource for finding a good positive reinforcement based trainer.

6. I feed our dog his dinner as training treats, so kibble in his case. When we need something more high value, meat is really the best thing whether it's cooked/boiled chicken or dehydrated liver, smelly meat usually does the trick.

7. I will occasionally reward our dog for doing tricks he knows well, just to keep him guesing. I will also string his "old" tricks in with new ones so he has to perform them in a sequence before he is clicked and treated. If you click you always treat but you don't have to click for every old trick. Instead increase the time they have to perform the trick for or have them do several tricks in a row before you click and reward. We use "jackpots" of several high value treats when we want to really reward a dog for making new progress on new trick.


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## tedsuxs (Mar 1, 2012)

Wow Molly and I say *THANKS *to everyone who posted advice on training my dog!!


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## tedsuxs (Mar 1, 2012)

Since she's not eating the dog food right away...Should I try a new dog food? I want something she will eat right away that I can also use instead of treats. 

Anyone Have any dog food recommendations for Aussie's?

Should i buy small amounts and do a "trial and error"


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

tedsuxs said:


> Since she's not eating the dog food right away...Should I try a new dog food? I want something she will eat right away that I can also use instead of treats.
> 
> Anyone Have any dog food recommendations for Aussie's?
> 
> Should i buy small amounts and do a "trial and error"


Your dog isnt really an Aussie. She is a TAS or MAS, but they come from different stock than Aussies. I have Aussies and feed Taste of the Wild, but would recommend that for many other breeds as well.


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## tedsuxs (Mar 1, 2012)

Pawzk9 said:


> Your dog isnt really an Aussie. She is a TAS or MAS, but they come from different stock than Aussies. I have Aussies and feed Taste of the Wild, but would recommend that for many other breeds as well.


Witch Flavor do you use?

Did they Dis-continue the venison from the Bison Flavor that i was gonna try. If you use this type, would u still recommend it with one less meat.


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## AustralianShepherdOwner (Dec 24, 2013)

I also have a mini aussie (4 months, ~ 20 lbs which is much more than yours, but I guess each one is different). She just waits for the frisbee to land and I'm having trouble getting her to catch it. I'm just gonna keep trying. She also doesn't finish her dog food on the first try sometimes. I remove it if she stays away from her food for more than a few minutes. Then I give it back at the next feeding. If I leave it out for her, she would be pooping constantly throughout the day.


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## Rootin'Rigby (Dec 21, 2013)

Don't have much advice for you. But, my Sister just got one from a friend of hers. They got rid of it because she's due with her 4th child, and just didn't have the time for her anymore. Her name is Porche, because of her speed. LOL She's beautiful with bright blue eyes. I DO know that she needs A LOT of room to run and play and has a lot of energy. She also doesn't like my son very well, but she eventually got used to him. He just kept his distance and didn't try to pet her or anything. Eventually she got used to him, and he was able to give her treats and stuff.


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## littlesoprano (Sep 21, 2013)

AustralianShepherdOwner said:


> I also have a mini aussie (4 months, ~ 20 lbs which is much more than yours, but I guess each one is different). She just waits for the frisbee to land and I'm having trouble getting her to catch it. I'm just gonna keep trying. She also doesn't finish her dog food on the first try sometimes. I remove it if she stays away from her food for more than a few minutes. Then I give it back at the next feeding. If I leave it out for her, she would be pooping constantly throughout the day.


With Cosmo (he's a 20 pound Shetland Sheepdog-so they are pretty small), I just started with rolling this rubber frisbee I got at Meijers, along the ground. And eventually he started catching it before it stopped rolling--click-treat. And then I slowly transitioned to tossing it up in the air, and if he caught it, click-treat. If he didn't I went back to the ground, and eventually (took a few weeks), he got to the point where he will catch it in the air about 75% of the time.


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## CesarMillan56 (Oct 14, 2013)

Thank you to everyone who adviced on training my dog. its really working.


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