19 Ways Australian Shepherds Show Their Affection

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One thing everyone wonders about before bringing a new dog into their family is whether they’re affectionate or not. Australian shepherds look fun loving and positively adorable but are they affectionate?

Are Australian Shepherds Affectionate:

Australian shepherds are considerably affectionate dogs that love demonstrating their love. While they can’t verbally say I love you, many things they do share this message such as wiggling their bum, wanting to be next to you, acting protective, or rolling onto their back and showing their belly.

In this post you’ll discover:

19 ways australian shepherds show their affection
Whether australian shepherds are affectionate with their whole family
How to get an australian shepherd to be more affectionate with you
And much, much more

Let’s jump right in.

Are Australian Shepherds Affectionate With Their Whole Family?

Australian shepherds love being a part of a family and will be affectionate with all members of their family.

However, because of their working/herding background they will typically become more attached to one person.

This person is usually the one who trains them, takes them for the majority of their walks, feeds them and plays with them.

But this doesn’t mean your australian shepherd won’t be affectionate with the rest of your family.

They’ll still be friendly and want to spend time with other members of your family but it’ll likely be pretty obvious who’s their favorite.

How To Get An Australian Shepherd To Be More Affectionate With You

The best way to get an australian shepherd to start being more affectionate with you is to have more bonding experiences with them.

For example, because aussies are so smart, they thoroughly enjoy learning new tricks as it challenges them and stimulates them mentally.

If you spend more time teaching them new tricks and rewarding them for a good job with treats and praise, they’re bond with you will only grow stronger.

Which will positively impact how affectionate they are with you.

If you can become the one who feeds them, takes them for their daily walks, plays with them as well as grooms them, this will only help increase their affection toward you.

19 Ways Australian Shepherds Show Affection

1) Lick & Grooms You

One of the most common ways australian shepherds show their affection for someone is by licking and grooming them.

This indicates that they see you as a part of their family and are very comfortable with you.

Aussies will also lick and groom other family members, but it’s typically the person they’re closest to who gets most of this form of attention.

If you have an australian shepherd that likes to lick and groom you, consider yourself lucky as this is a very strong sign of affection.

2) Bum Wiggles

One of the funniest and most obvious ways australian shepherds show their affection is by wiggling their bum.

This is often done when they first see you after being away from you for a while or when they’re really happy and excited.

It’s their way of showing you how much they love and miss you.

If your australian shepherd wiggles their bum around you, then you can be sure they absolutely adore you.

Related Reading: 14 Real Reasons Why Australian Shepherds Wiggle

3) Staring Contests

Many people think that when a dog has a staring contest with you it’s a test to see who will look away first.

Whoever looks away first is seen as the less dominant of the two having the stare off.

However, this isn’t always the case with staring contests.

When you have a great relationship with your aussie, a staring contest can actually be a way for them to show affection.

This is because even a simple gaze between the two of you can release oxytocin in their body (the trust and bonding hormone).

And it would only create this type of feeling when they stare at someone they love dearly.

4) Likes To Play & Roughhouse With You

Australian shepherds love to play and roughhouse with the people they love.

This is a way for them to release all of their energy and have some fun.

To be able to play with you and know that you aren’t going to hurt them (outside of accidents) is a clear sign that your aussie trusts you.

And whenever there’s trust with a pup there’s affection.

5) Super Excitement When You Get Home

When you get home from work, school or wherever you’ve been and your aussie is super excited to see you, it’s a clear sign of how much they adore and love you.

Their bum will be wigglin’ so fast it’ll look like a blur, they’ll jump all over you and basically bombard you with affection.

It’s their way of saying “What took you so long, I missed you so much!”.

If your aussie greets you this enthusiastically every time you come home, then they definitely adore and love you very much.

6) They Smile At You

While many behaviorists say that dogs don’t smile for the same reasons people do, they can still smile to imitate you!

If they notice that you smile whenever you’re in a good mood, they may smile to imitate your behavior.

And if your aussie is close enough with you to pick up on certain behaviors you do on a day to day basis, it’s a clear sign of their affection toward you.

As the saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!

Also, while they might not understand a smile the same way you do, they do notice that whenever they smile it makes you happy and affectionate toward them.

Which makes them smile at you more simply because they love getting love and attention from you.

7) Being Protective

When an aussie is being protective of you, it’s their way of showing you how much they love and care for you.

They see you as an important member of their family and it’s instinctive for them to want to protect you from anything that may harm you.

This is one of the most common ways australian shepherds show their affection.

If your aussie is always alert and keeping an eye on you, it’s because they love you and want to make sure you’re safe.

8) Nudges With Their Head Or Nose

If your aussie is constantly nudging you with their head or nose, it’s because they want to get closer to you.

They may also do this as a way of asking for attention.

This is another one of the most common ways australian shepherds show their affection.

If your pup is always nudging you, it means they want to be close to you and get as much attention from you as possible.

Related Reading: 12 Best Harnesses For Australian Shepherds

9) They Share Their Favorite Toys With You

If your aussie is always bringing you their favorite toys with you, it’s because they want you to know that you’re special to them.

This is one of the most selfless things an aussie can do and it’s a clear sign of their affection.

If your aussie is always sharing their toys with you, it means they see you as a close family member and want to show you how much they trust & care about you.

10) Following You Around

Another one of the most common ways australian shepherds show their affection is by following you around everywhere you go.

This is their way of showing you that they want to be close to you and be a part of whatever you’re doing.

They see you as the leader of their pack and want to make sure they’re always close by your side.

If your aussie is always following you around, it’s because they want to be around you as much as possible.

Simply because being with you is so much better than being by themselves.

11) Leaning Up Against You

When your aussie loves you they’ll do whatever they can do to have as much physical contact with you as possible.

One way they’ll do this is by leaning up against you while you pet them.

This is their way of asking for more affection and love from you.

Recent studies have actually found that any form of physical contact between a dog and their owner releases oxytocin.

And this only happens when there’s strong feelings of love between the two.

If you and your aussie were strangers it wouldn’t have the same effect.

12) They Sleep Close To You

If your aussie is always sleeping close to you, it means they feel safest and most comfortable when they’re near you.

They see you as their protector and want to be as close to you as possible while they sleep.

Where a dog chooses to sleep is a big deal because instinctively they know how vulnerable they are when asleep.

Which means if they choose to sleep close to you they have a high level of trust with you which is absolutely a sign of affection.

13) Picking Up On How You’re Feeling

One of the coolest things about australian shepherds is that they’re incredibly in tune with their owners’ emotions.

They can pick up on how you’re feeling and will do whatever they can to make you feel better.

If your aussie is always trying to comfort you when you’re upset, it’s because they love you and can sense how you’re feeling.

Related Reading: Top 8 Best Beds For Australian Shepherds

14) Showing You Their Belly

When an aussie shows you their belly it’s a sign of complete trust and submission.

They know that they’re vulnerable in this position and are showing you that they trust you completely.

It’s also their way of asking for a belly rub which is one of the things they love most.

15) Cuddle With Things That Smell Like You

If your aussie is always cuddling with things that smell like you, it means they love the scent of you and want to keep it close to them.

They may also do this as a way of comforting themselves when they’re feeling down.

If whenever you come home you find your aussie stole one of your pieces of clothing and laid next to it all day it’s a sign that your scent makes them feel safe and secure.

It helps them deal with being separated from you and makes them feel like you aren’t too far away.

Only an aussie that adored you would get this type of comfort from cuddling with things that smell like you.

16) Listening To Your Commands

When your aussie listens to your commands it’s a clear sign of love and respect.

If they didn’t respect you they’d be stubborn and decide that they don’t have to listen to you.

But when they do listen to your instructions there’s always a level of respect there.

And wherever there’s respect there’s love & affection.

17) Climbing Onto Your Lap

When your aussie climbs onto your lap it’s their way of saying “It’s time to pay attention to me”.

Australian shepherds that act like lap dogs behave this way because they love getting your attention and affection.

They won’t do it with just anyone, so the fact that they do it with you is just another sign of how strong their feelings are toward you.

18) Jumping On You

If your aussie is always jumping on you, it usually means they’re overjoyed to see you and just want to show their affection in the most physical way possible.

Of course you wouldn’t want to allow them to continue behaving this way.

But until they’ve learned that jumping isn’t okay, it’s most definitely a sign that they love and adore you.

19) Periodic Check-Ins

Throughout the day your aussie might want to check in with you to see how you’re doing.

They may come up and give you a quick lick on the hand or face.

Or they may just come and sit next to you for a few minutes before moving on.

These periodic check-ins are their way of showing their affection for you and making sure you’re doing okay.

It’s also their way of getting a little bit of attention from you, which they love.

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