She has been a pain in the ass to train, absolutely maddening at times, and really bossy and argumentative when something isn't going the way she wants.
Then sometimes, like a little bit ago, I was able to leave her off leash outside while I did yard work and she was happy as a clam and was just running around in the front yard watching people and dogs but never left the yard.
I don't think I will get another Aussie after this, but she isn't even 10 months yet. It may change 😂
Still just a kid. Every dog I've had had calmed down around the 2-3 year mark, keep at the training and you'll have a good companion for life 🐶👍
She's doing good overall just much more difficult to train than my last. Leash training has been very difficult. She has taken to off leash and recall training well though. Her basic commands are decent but when she's tired and hungry she gets lippy and stops listening lol
I grew up with cattle dogs, border collies mostly, working dogs on a ranch. I can't imagine trying to leash train them, they just want to go go go 😂
Couple of neighbors have border collies and those things are intense. One is from a working line and has to be run constantly. The other is from a show line and is more chill
My Aussie is from a show and agility line. Every Aussie owner and my vet said I'm lucky because she's very chill comparatively to other Aussies.
I still remember getting out first pair of border collies as a kid. Rounding up cattle went from an hour of frustration and running around, to a few whistles and a few minutes. Amazing animals, any herding breed.
I've always loved watching dogs work. My uncle raised cattle and would run dogs for it and he trained bird dogs to sell. Always amazed me to see them in action. Wish he was still around to get some advice.
Sounds like raising a child
Any dog is really. You're trying to train something that is not in their brain. You're giving it rules to follow, tasks to complete, boundaries and teaching new things. Kids and dogs are pretty resilient as long as you do everything even discipline with love . If that makes sense. Not being all froofroo, but don't beat your dog when it messes up in other words
Aussies are considerably more intelligent than many other dog breeds. They have a tendency to be hesitant to do things they dont understand, and understand alot
more than most people think. They also respond based on relationship more than any other dog breed i’ve encountered.
Our last was a golden German shepherd mix and was absolutely epic. The problem is it's been 14 yrs since we had a puppy and no we have two young kids in the mix. It's just growing pains.
She isn't the most confident dog but is getting better. I get her down by the water at the beach on the weekends and she slowly warming up to it. I had to take treat and put them on automatic sprinklers, running vacuums and mops for her to get comfortable with them. She has the intelligence and emotional intelligence of a young child.
She's doing much better. I've been doing a lot of recall training with her and taking her off leash. She has responded so far to the extra trust in her really well and you can see it's matured her. When she gets tired though holy crap watch out lol. Luckily we've broken the nipping at my kids pretty much and easier than I expected.
Is this a good dog to get if you’ve never had a dog before
Be ready to walk them alot, dogs like this need a lot of exercise.
I don’t like to walk
You can tell if she has too much mental and physical energy and when it gets pent up they get very destructive. The smarter the dog the crazier and weirder the destruction lol
She gets 2-3 walks a day and you 100% need to engage them mentally. You can slack on the exercise if you wear their minds out. A good balance is key though.
Are you really active? We travel alot and when we do we generally go where we camp, hike or spend a lot of time outdoors. That's why I went with this breed to try.
I will you I'm tempted to get a second dog and will get either a golden Aussie mix or a golden shepherd mix.
Too much walking for me
Do you live near water?
Not right now but could change
A water dog may be a good idea if there's dog parks or water somewhat near you. You can always go and swim them. Mine would retrieve training toys in any body of water for 30-45 min when younger and would be good for the day.
Current dog I'm trying to get to become comfortable with water. Other dog just took to it instinctively
