Expereince w/ Australian Shepherds?

[emma_Dad]

Do any of you know anyone or have personal experience with Australian Shepherds and be willing to talk or point me in their direction? I have a uncle who has 2 young kids who looking in getting one. They are a little computer illiterate and don't know how to search things up online. They're looking for a good breeder who they could talk with more about the breed and see if it will be a good fit for their family. I've reached out to some local flyball/agility people, but looking to caster a wider net to help them out as much as possible

Thanks in advanced!

[arentspowell]

Pm Lauranj, she used to breed Aussies and is really knowledgeable about them.

[emma_Dad]

Thanks! I'll shoot her a PM!

[Bamps]

I had one years ago but he was mixed. They are awesome dogs.

[SunDance]

Ah...I see Laura's name has already been mentioned....wonderful source of info as well as nice person (DNA test shows that my two have Aussie in them...which I saw even before the test results were in....so I was really interested).

[LuckyLuna]

We had an Aussie for 7 years before he died of lymphoma. He was absolutely the smartest dog we've ever had in all our many years of having dogs. Aussies want a lot of action and need something to do - makes sense since they are herding dogs. Running around in a fenced yard or taking a few walks a day isn't going to cut it for them.

I would hesitate getting an Aussie if the children are pre-school age. They might have difficulty with the nipping and herding even though it would be gentle. Aussies also need owners who are already comfortable around dogs and can show a consistent and steady hand in training. If an Aussie thinks he can walk all over you, so to speak, he will. To see an Aussie in action is really awesome. It's just that they are not as easy a fit with as many families as say a golden retriever.

[Maxx&Emma]

I have never had an Aussie myself but we have one in Nosework class, I would love to kidnap her, absolutely adore her focus! Having a 1/2 Lab-1/2 Border Collie has been a challenge! At 9 years old in one week she has just started to slow down and she herds my cats and Maxx all over the place. It has been a lot of work but gosh I love the herding personality, the drive and focus is amazing but I can imagine they can be a challenge.

[Labradorks]

They are wonderful working dogs! But I'm not sure I personally would be up for the challenge of one as a pet, especially if I had kids. They need a job and have serious endurance and need an experienced handler. They are very popular here and I had a couple in puppy class as well as a couple in advanced classes. Each owner was having a really rough go of it when the pup hit about 6 months. Lots of issues with the dog herding and nipping the children and doing things like biting the owners when they did things the dog didn't care for like handling their paws (puppy STAR class). Not biting viciously but putting their mouth on them as if to say "stop it" and basically throwing tantrums. They are smart but not necessarily people pleasers. They pick things up very fast -- both the good and the bad. In fact one Aussie/lab mix ended up fostering with me when the owners dumped him with the trainer. They thought he would act like a lab but he was all Aussie. He was small and young and had my two dogs obeying his every command. Smart pup! We did find him a wonderful home with no kids and a herding breed experienced owner. I have met a few recently from BYB/ rescue situations and each one has serious dog aggression issues. There's one in my neighborhood who as a pup would lash out at all dogs. I could hear her from up the street going after dogs on the other side of the fence. I think it was a fear thing. Now, she's about two and the owner muzzles her and exercises her by riding his bike through the neighborhood at a fairly fast clip every night. It's a breed that you only want to get working with a good breeder, IMHO.

that being said I have another friend with one and he is sweet and amazing. But she was single for the first few years she had him and trained and worked him daily. He was from an excellent breeder. She took him everywhere and trained him to be a therapy dog. Her work allowed him in the office and she brought him nearly every single day. She was also an experienced horse trainer for a hobby.

[HammerLover]

My bosses have trained many. They are easily trained if they are in the right care. Same with any dog really. Aussies are amazing and beautiful.

[Tanya]

great tips above and I was going to recommend Lauranj too!

If they have no experience with herding breeds and young kids I would go carefully. Herdings breeds are not like retreivers

Be SUPER careful about breeders. I met tons of nasty nasty aussie's (temperment wise). BUT I am friends with an aussie breeder and know others with ausseis from terrific breedings and they were wonderful. You need someone that breeds for temperment as well as health and workability. They have quite a few health issues there are clearances for as well