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Unnecessary herding behavior from an australian shepherd can be quite alarming. If they continue to do it their aggressive nose pokes and walkway blocking can quickly turn into nipping.
Is it normal for my australian shepherd to herd me or is something wrong?
Why Does My Australian Shepherd Herd Me:
Your australian shepherd is herding you because they aren’t being mentally or physically stimulated enough. If they aren’t given a job or task to do, they will create one for themselves which can often lead to them herding you and the rest of your family.
In this post you’ll discover:
- The 3 main reasons why your australian shepherd herds you
- 6 tips to help reduce how often your australian shepherd herds you (Tip #5 is new and becoming more and more popular!)
- And much more
Let’s jump right in.
Table of Contents
3 Main Reasons Why Your Australian Shepherd Herds You
1) Instincts
For decades australian shepherds were used in farm families to herd and protect livestock and cattle.
Which means if your aussie is without a job in your home, they’ll naturally create one for themselves and start herding you and your family.
Whether it’s nipping at your ankles, poking at you with their nose, stopping you from walking in a certain direction, or unnecessarily pacing.
Your aussie may do one of, or all of, these things because of their instinctual desire to work and keep their family gathered together.
Related Reading: 9 Simple Steps To Create The Obedient Dog Of Your Dreams
2) Lack Of Mental Stimulation
Because your aussie was bred to herd, they’re used to having their mind stimulated all day.
For hours on end they’d watch their family’s livestock to make sure they were grouped together and keeping an eye out for any potential threats.
If they’re not getting the proper amount of stimulation from you, they may try to herd you as a way to mentally stimulate themselves.
This is often why aussies will herd their owners when they’re playing fetch or when they’re outside and trying to get them to come back inside.
They need something to keep their minds active and herding their humans is one way to do that.
Related Reading: 13 Best Mind Stimulating Dog Toys: Features & Benefits
3) Lack Of Exercise
While exercise is important for all dogs, it’s super important for dogs that were bred to work.
This is because they naturally have higher energy levels and can develop destructive behavior when their exercise needs aren’t met.
So, if your aussie is herding you, it may be because they need more exercise.
This is often the case with younger aussies as they haven’t reached their full adult size yet and require more exercise to burn off their excess energy.
Oftentimes 2 slow paced walks simply aren’t enough for high energy aussies.
They need faster paced exercise to help get their heart pumping and to stop them from wanting to create things to do to burn off some energy.
Related Reading: 12 Best Harnesses For Australian Shepherds
Top 6 Tips To Get Your Australian Shepherd To Stop Herding You
1) Don’t React
The number one way to get your aussie to stop herding you is to not react when they do.
If they nip at you and you scream, yell, or run away they’ll think that it’s an effective way of getting your attention and will continue doing it.
Instead, try to stay calm and act like their behavior doesn’t bother you.
This will help to discourage them from herding you.
Another way to not react is to completely ignore them altogether when they herd you.
For example, if they’re trying to herd you while you’re walking, simply change direction or stop walking altogether.
This will show them that their herding behavior isn’t getting them the reaction they want from you and they’ll eventually lose interest and stop.
2) More Obedience Training
If your aussie isn’t responding to commands like “come” or “sit”, it may be because they’re trying to take the lead in your relationship.
Obedience training can help to establish who’s the leader of the pack (aka you) and will show your aussie that you’re in charge.
Once they know that you’re the one in charge, they’ll be less likely to try and herd you.
Not only does more obedience training help teach them the proper family dynamic, it’s also a great way to give them mental stimulation.
Which brings us to our next tip.
3) Increase Daily Stimulation
Increasing your australian shepherd’s daily stimulation will help to keep their mind active and stop them from trying to herd you.
This can be done in a number of ways such as playing fetch, tug-of-war, taking them on more/longer walks, or even giving them puzzle toys to play with.
All of these things will help to tire them out both mentally and physically, making it less likely that they’ll want to herd you.
The more you can do to help ensure your aussie has gotten enough physical and mental stimulation on a daily basis, the better off your pup will be.
And as an added bonus, you’ll get to bond with your furry friend while doing these activities!
It’s a win-win.
4) Avoid Putting Them In Certain Situations
There are certain situations that may trigger your aussie’s herding behavior.
For example, if you’re outside and they see a cat or another dog, they may start to herd you in order to get you closer to the animal.
Or, if you’re playing fetch with them and they bring the ball back to you, if you stop throwing the ball they may start to herd you in an effort to get you to throw it again.
In order to help stop this from happening, try to avoid putting them in these situations as much as possible.
At least until they’ve learned not to herd.
If you can’t avoid them, then be prepared to take the necessary steps to stop your aussie from herding.
For example, if they’re starting to herd you while you’re playing fetch, have someone else throw the ball for them so that they don’t focus on you.
Or if they’re trying to herd you when you’re outside, try to keep them on a leash so that they can’t get close to the animal they’re trying to herd you towards.
The more proactive you are in preventing these situations from happening, the less likely your aussie will be to herd you.
5) Treibball
Treibball is a relatively new sport that is quickly gaining in popularity.
It’s similar to soccer, but it’s a solo player game, the players are dogs and the ball is a large rubber ball.
The goal of the game is for the dog to push the ball into a designated area with their nose or mouth.
This can be a great way to tire out your aussie’s herding instinct while giving them the mental stimulation they need.
Treibball is also a great way to bond with your furry friend and have some fun!
If you’re interested in learning more about Treibball, you can check out this post.
6) Give Them Jobs/Tasks
Australian shepherds are working dogs, which means they’re at their best/happiest when they have a job to do.
Giving them tasks or jobs to do around the house is a great way to help stop their herding behavior.
It can be something as simple as having them help you carry groceries into the house or having them clean up their toys when they’re done playing.
If you live in a rural area, you may also want to consider using them for pest control.
The bottom line is that giving them jobs/tasks to do will help to keep them mentally and physically stimulated, which in turn will help to stop their herding behavior.
Other posts you might find interesting:
8 Best Dog Beds for Australian Shepherds | Beds That Last
8 Reasons Your Australian Shepherd Is Scared Of Everything
9 Reasons Why Australian Shepherds Are Lazy + Tips To Help
8 Interesting Reasons Australian Shepherds Sleep So Much