6 Reasons Australian Shepherds Become Destructive + Tips

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When an australian shepherd starts becoming destructive it adds a lot of unnecessary stress to your life. Not only does it cost you money having to replace things, but your aussie could also harm themselves during their destruction.

Is it normal for australian shepherds to be destructive or is something wrong?

Are Australian Shepherds Destructive:

When an australian shepherd is being destructive it’s always caused by something. Australian shepherds will not be destructive for no reason. The most common reasons for them to become destructive are they aren’t getting enough physical & mental stimulation or they’ve developed anxiety.

In this post you’ll discover:

The top 6 reasons why australian shepherds become destructive
A bonus reason that is only a phase
6 tips to help australian shepherds be less destructive (Tip #1 can help in most situations!)
And much, much more

Let’s jump right in.

Table of Contents

Top 6 Reasons Why Australian Shepherds Become Destructive

1) High Levels Of Anxiety

Many people think their pup has to go through a traumatic experience in order to develop high levels of anxiety or separation anxiety.

Which isn’t the case.

They can also come from big changes to their everyday environment.

And when your aussie experiences big changes to their day-to-day routine, one of the ways they can react is by becoming destructive.

Some changes that commonly make australian shepherds develop higher than usual levels of anxiety are:

A recent change to their home environment – This can be from getting a new guardian, moving with your family to a new home, someone new living in your home full time, you going away for a couple weeks, etc.
A recent change in schedule – If you recently got a job after not having one for a while or your hours increased/changed at work, this also changes your pup’s schedule. It can affect their bathroom routine, exercise routine, time they’re able to spend with you, etc. which causes them to feel anxious.
Losing a family member (canine or human) – Your australian shepherd is capable of mourning the loss of a loved one as well which can cause them to develop separation anxiety.

If any of these changes have happened recently they could be the culprit behind what’s causing your australian shepherd to become destructive.

2) For Attention

Some aussies will become destructive in order to get their guardian’s attention.

If you’re always working or out of the house, your pup may feel like they have to get your attention some other way.

Including being destructive.

Unfortunately, sometimes your pup isn’t too concerned about whether they’re getting positive or negative attention from you.

All they care about is getting you to interact with them.

Which means your australian shepherd may be destroying more and more items in your home because they’re feeling neglected.

And every time they destroy something, it gets a reaction out of you and brings you over to them.

3) Didn’t Correct Puppy Behavior

When your australian shepherd is a young puppy, their nibbling or destroying of toys is seen as cute.

You might think they’re simply young and don’t know any better and they’ll grow out of it.

Unfortunately, if your aussie didn’t learn that destroying things was bad behavior and was corrected, these bad destroying habits can get worse as they get bigger and stronger.

Which is because the bad habits have had more time to develop and are now a part of their daily routine.

It doesn’t mean your australian shepherd will be destructive for the rest of their life.

But it does mean they’ll have to unlearn this bad habit.

Which admittedly takes longer than training good habits from the beginning.

4) Afraid/Stressed Out

Similar to anxiety, fear or stress can also lead to your australian shepherd becoming destructive.

This may be due to a traumatic experience they had in the past or because of something that’s happening currently in their environment.

For example, if there was a fire in your home and your aussie was trapped in it, they would probably become scared of fire and anything related to it.

This may include the sound of a fire alarm or even seeing you light a candle.

If this is the case, your australian shepherd isn’t being destructive because they’re bad.

They’re doing it out of fear or stress and need help to overcome whatever’s causing them to feel this way.

5) Lack Of Exercise

Like humans, australian shepherds need to get their daily exercise.

If they’re not given the opportunity to do so, they may become destructive out of boredom or pent-up energy.

This is especially true for young aussies who are full of energy.

But even older aussies need lots of daily exercise to stay healthy both mentally and physically.

So if your australian shepherd has been extra destructive lately, make sure they’re getting enough exercise.

6) Not Enough Mental Stimulation

Similar to exercise, if your australian shepherd isn’t given enough mental stimulation they may become destructive.

This can be anything from not being challenged with frequent training, to not having challenging enough toys/treats to play with.

Aussies are very smart dogs and need plenty of things to keep their mind active.

Otherwise, they’ll find their own ways to entertain themselves.

Which usually means getting into things they’re not supposed to or destroying items in your home.

Bonus: Teething

If your australian shepherd is a puppy, they may be destructive because they’re teething.

Puppies go through a lot of changes during this period of their life and their gums can get very sore.

So they may start chewing on anything and everything in an attempt to relieve the pain.

This includes furniture, shoes, clothes, and anything else they can get their tiny teeth on.

The best way to help your puppy through this phase is by providing them with plenty of chew toys specifically made for teething puppies.

It’s normal for their teething phase to last anywhere from four to six months.

So you’ll need to be patient and pay extra close attention to them during this time.

6 Tips To Help Australian Shepherds Become Less Destructive

1) Structure & Routine

Aussie’s crave structure and routine.

If they don’t have a clear understanding of what’s expected of them, they may become destructive as a way to release their energy or boredom.

Also, if your pup has gone through a big environment change recently, giving them more structure and routine in their new environment can help them stop their destructive behavior quicker.

Helping them establish their new normal is one of the best ways to get them back to their well-behaved selves.

If their destruction is because they’re sad or frustrated with you, doing things on a daily basis that they really enjoy (car rides, dog park visits, etc.) can help them snap out of it.

2) Keep Them Entertained

If your australian shepherd is bored, one of the easiest ways to stop them from being destructive is by keeping them entertained.

This can be done in a number of ways such as providing them with plenty of mentally stimulating dog toys, increasing playtime, or even enrolling them in obedience classes.

The more mentally and physically stimulated they are, the less likely they are to become destructive.

3) Longer/More Walks

If your aussie isn’t getting enough exercise, they may become destructive as a way to release their energy.

While all dogs are unique and have varying needs in terms of how much daily exercise they need.

Australian shepherds as a breed have higher than normal exercise requirements and if they aren’t getting at least 60 minutes of vigorous physical activity they can develop destructive tendencies.

For some aussies, a simple 20 minute slow paced walk doesn’t do it for them.

They need a longer walk to help tire them out or to do something faster paced to get their heart pumping.

4) More Training Sessions

Australian shepherds are smarter than your average dog breed.

Which means they need plenty of mental stimulation to keep them from becoming bored and destructive.

One way to do this is by increasing the number of training sessions you have with them each week.

Not only will this help solidify the obedience commands you’re teaching them, but it will also challenge their mental abilities.

The more you can challenge them mentally, the less likely they’re to resort to destructive behavior.

5) Limit Where They Have Access To

In the meantime while you’re helping your aussie overcome their destructive behavior it might be helpful to limit their access to certain areas of your home.

This could mean putting them in a kennel or crate when you’re not able to watch them or putting up gates blocking their access to anything outside of the room they’re gated in.

This enables you to move all valuables out of the area they’re in to ensure nothing gets destroyed when you’re gone.

While this is only a temporary solution, it’ll help keep your items safe from destruction as well as making sure your aussie doesn’t eat something potentially harmful.

6) Speak With a Professional

If you’ve tried everything on this list and your aussie is still destructive, then it might be time to seek professional help.

This could mean making an appointment with your veterinarian to rule out any possible medical conditions that could be causing the behavior.

Or, if there are no medical concerns, then meeting with a certified dog behaviorist to get some tips on how to stop the destructive behavior.

Certified dog behaviorists have specialized knowledge in helping dogs with all sorts of behavioral problems.

So you should be able to find one that can help you figure out why your aussie is being destructive and give you some tips on how to stop it.

Other posts you might find interesting:

8 Best Dog Beds for Australian Shepherds | Beds That Last

Are Australian Shepherds Good First Dogs? The Truth + Tips

Are Australian Shepherds High Maintenance? (Explained!)

Are Australian Shepherds Vocal & Talkative? (Explained!)

Sources:

Separation Anxiety