Australian Shepherd

A very intelligent working class dog. They tend to be extremely loyal one owner dogs, however, they sometimes will bond with more than just one person. These dogs thrive on attention and need to play to prevent them from being bored. If ignored for long periods of time, they will play games by themselves. I adopted one for a while that would jump up for no reason and run laps around the yard for no apparent reason. Obvious signs of neglect by the previous owners. Additionally, because of their nature as guard dogs, if these animals are not properly adjusted or trained to accept strangers, they're likely to bite or nip adults and children.

Our Aussie just turned 9 years old, and the only thing we regret is not getting an Aussie sooner than we did! We had adopted a mixed breed shelter dog but she turned out not to be very playful, and because we really wanted to get into disc dog sports we looked to add a second dog that might be more toy-driven--but NOT hyper or neurotic. Our Aussie wound up being perfect for us. He's smart, confident, and always ready to go somewhere, as long as it's with us. He was catching soft fabric discs by the time he was 12 weeks old, and ever since then we've had to buy our tournament discs by the boxful. He's friendly with every dog he meets, tolerates rude kids, pulls pranks on us, and other than a harmless cyst he had to have surgically removed last year he's never been sick. Amazing dog!

The negatives? He follows us everywhere, sleeps on our pillows, demands a strenuous activity each day, eats like a horse, loves obedience classes, needs a lot of brushing, and understands too much English. If you're not prepared for a dog that's more like a happy, hairy, gifted human than you'd ever think possible, don't get an Australian shepherd!

This breed is one of a kind!! I had an aussie who lived to be 17 years old and didnt show his age until he hit 17! He was a low maintanced dog that was smart, learned super fast and had traits I still havent seen in other dogs before! He needed to be introduced to strangers since he was aggressive but once introduced he'd let the person come in but would still keep an eye on them. He had a GREAT memory when it came to relatives who he hadnt seen in years!! And was super aggressive to dogs he did not know! He was a natural born alfa and when we lived in California he had a habit of destroying our 2 by 4's whenever a big truck or dog would pass by!! This dog would literally bite the wood until the board broke in half! We at one time even had to build a double wood fence between our back neighbor because with our Aussie and his Heeler they were tearing down the fence with both dogs attacking both sides of the fence! These are dogs do have habits of nipping at heals so watch out when theyre pups. My Aussie was very cool and everyone was amazed with his personality. We had several ranchers who wanted to buy him off of us because of his size. For an Aussie he was pretty big since he weighed about 75lbs and was probably as tall as a Rottweiler, however he still was super fast on his feet and had the small Aussie paws. Another thing that surprised us was that he had pearly white teeth up until the day we had to put him down...no tartar build up what so ever!! These dogs do require a lot of exercise and demand a strong owner to train them. My aussie wasn't really good to have around kids until he was about 5....for some reason he didn't enjoy the smaller kids and infants.

Great dog . I have two wonderful aussies . In my opinion i feel they do better with another aussie or a dog that shares there zest for life . My two dogs play and run together , this helps drain alot of there energy. They will go in the yard and run like nuts then come in and collapse . I found training my pup easier because of my older boy . They are bright, sunny, happy energetic pups that wiggle with love

The origin of the Australian Shepherd is one of much controversy but the Aussie that we know today was developed in the United States, so much so, that it is considered to be more of an American breed of dog, then an Australian breed.  It is only Australian in name.  I grew up with Aussies and my first experience with them was being bitten by one.  40 some years later, I still have the scar on my face, which has become a wrinkle now.  None the less, Aussies are my favorite breed.  Aussies are by far one of the smartest and easiest breeds to train.  A well bred Aussie is a high energy, dog who is very loyal, and will give his life to protect his people and property.  A well bred Aussie will also work nonstop from dawn to dusk.  They are top notch cattle dogs.  Aussies prefer to be with their people and don't do well if left alone for long periods.  They will follow you all around the house and everyplace else that you go.  If you don't like a constant shadow, don't get an Aussie.  Don't get an Aussie if you don't have time to spend in training and exercising this dog.  Aussies with out lots of exercise and mental stimulation are not a joy to live with and neither of you will be happy.  I like lots of breeds of dogs but in my opinion the Aussie is the best of all the breeds but they do take a lot of work, so do think long and hard about your life style before getting one.

One of the best dogs I ever had. Friendly, loving, and loyal with just the right amount of energy. Lived till she was 17 and she is still missed.

cute but not 4 me

In my opinion, no other breed is better than the Aussie. Beautiful, extremely intelligent, loyal, loving, friendly and fun. Just a great family dog and so good with our 4 yr old from the day we brought him home. Both of our Aussies have the "wiggle butt" and one has the Aussie grin (his lips curl up like he is snarling when he is giving kisses).

Very good dogs as an overall!

If you have any dingo problems, get a couple of these dogs to hang around your place. Dingoes soon disappear!

By far the best breed for me! Aussies are wonderful, very intelligent, loyal to their family, humorous, protective of their family and so very easy to train. A common trait in an aussie is their "wiggle but", when they get excited to see you their back end just wiggles, sometimes we don't know which end will get to us first the font end or their back end.They are known also for their ability to solve problems, I have seen them in action in play time. I have some that are very active and I also have some that are more laid back. They are velcro dogs wanting to be with you always. When we go out to feed our horses an Aussie puppy will sit at the fence and watch our every move the whole entire time, just wanting to be with their people. They would rather watch us than play with each other. That says a lot to me. The big Aussies get to feed with us. I can't recommend them for everybody but for us, Aussies are the breed for us.

Tazzy is by far the most intellegent dog I've owned. He memorizes TV advertisements (ones with dogs or cartoon characters that he likes) and will instantly respond to one by grabbing a chew toy and "killing it" - does a vigorous head shake followed by the Head Down, Butt Up stance.
He loyal, playful, intuitive, house alarm, and teaches every new human how to play "Throw me the ball".

My breed! the main thing is to get a breed that fits your lifestyle. These dogs are intellegent and active and if left to themselves they will find their own job...and that may be destroying your house! Not a dog for those who don't like hair or active dogs! For me, they are great. I do competitive obedience and they like the mental stimulation.

Good dogs, but very hyper.

Since i'm an aussie, i have to support this dog 100% Certainly very clever and beautiful,my last dog was half an australian shepard and some of their unique feautures definitely showed up in her (I miss you!) Very loyal and trustworthy.

Probably the most (certainly in the top 5) intelligent breed of dog there is, which is why they make such wonderful working dogs. They need a lot of stimulation (mentally and physically) but are extremely loyal, hard working and loving. A wonderful breed.

No use for this breed.

Aussies are handy to have around the house and loyal, but be warned . They can sometimes be hyperactive, bark a lot, and will growl at people aside from their owner at night. We have an Aussie and he does that.

I've never owned one, but they sure are beautiful.

Very loyal and hard working dogs. They know from a very young age what they were bred for. I agree w/ moviefan, you must have a lot of room for them to romp around in.

I love these dogs. They're beautiful and fun, but you need tons of space for them to run around in, so I can't have one. Oh well.