11 Reasons Why Australian Shepherds Are Good Dogs + Tips

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Australian shepherds can be great dogs for the right family. However, they can also be a complete nightmare for families that don’t understand their needs as well as lifestyle.

In this post you’ll discover:

11 reasons why australian shepherds are good dogs
4 faults australian shepherds have that can make them a challenging dog
3 tips to help make sure your australian shepherd is a good dog (Tip #2 is the most important!)
And much more

Let’s jump right in.

Why Are Australian Shepherds Good Dogs:

Australian shepherds are good dogs for a family with an active lifestyle. They need plenty of physical and mental stimulation in order to be well behaved and not develop destructive behavior. Other reasons why australian shepherds are good dogs are because they’re loyal, affectionate, and smart.

11 Reasons Why Australian Shepherds Are Good Dogs

1) Intelligent

Intelligence is an important factor when looking at a dog because it strongly relates to their ability to be trained.

Which is no problem for australian shepherds.

A study done in the 1990s looked at 131 different breeds and ranked them based on their intelligence.

They looked at the number of repetitions it took for each breed to learn a new trick/behavior as well as how often they would listen to a command after only saying it once.

Australian shepherds ranked 42 of out 131 and appeared to be able to learn new tricks in as little as 25-40 repetitions while listening 50% or more of the time to the first command.

Which helps considerably when training an australian shepherd on how to behave in your home.

2) Will Keep You Active

Australian shepherds are active dogs that need anywhere between 30 to 60 minutes of exercise each day.

Because of this, they will help keep you active.

One of the best ways to ensure you stay with a workout routine is to have a friend do it with you. It helps keep you accountable.

And when you have an australian shepherd at home that needs plenty of exercise each day, they’ll happily remind you everyday that the two of you need to go out and get movin’.

3) Extremely Loyal

Aussies are known for developing a strong bond with their owners.

This largely comes from their background of being farm family dogs.

They have a desire to protect and do their job well.

If any predators would come on the property and threaten the safety of the livestock or their owners, australian shepherds are more than willing to put their life in danger to protect their loved ones.

Of course something like this isn’t likely to happen in your neighborhood, but it’s an example of how loyal aussies become to their family.

4) Eager To Please

Australian shepherds are eager to please.

While they won’t likely have any tasks or jobs to do around your home, they still have a strong desire to please their owner.

Which typically means listening to their commands.

The praise they get for a job well done and listening to what you say makes them super happy.

Learning new tricks and behaviors is something australian shepherds love to do which makes them great pets.

5) Affectionate

A big factor when bringing a new dog into your family is how affectionate they are.

Almost all dog owners want their new furry family member to be loving and affectionate.

And australian shepherds have that in spades.

Whether it’s cuddling, giving kisses, wanting to play, or spending quality 1-on-1 time, they have many ways of demonstrating their affection for their family.

6) Great Family Dogs

Australian shepherds are wonderful family dogs.

Whether you have young kids, teenagers or older grandparents living with you, aussies are great for just about any family dynamic.

They love to be around people and as mentioned earlier, are eager to please their owners and be of help wherever they can.

Which would likely mean protecting and watching over smaller family members and ensuring they’re safe.

The only thing that will have to be trained out of them is their instinctive herding which might cause them to nip at peoples ankles(INTERNAL LINK).

7) Can Keep Kids Entertained For Hours

Because australian shepherds have so much energy they will happily keep kids entertained for hours.

Whether it’s running around the house, playing fetch outside, or learning new tricks from their two-legged brother/sister.

You’ll be hard pressed to find a time that your kiddos want to play and your australian shepherd is uninterested.

*Sidenote: Be sure to always keep an eye on your aussie and kids while they’re playing in the beginning. Just to make sure your kids don’t grab sensitive areas on your aussie that make them nip to get them to stop.

8) Great Watch Dogs

Australian shepherds have strong watch dog instincts.

Again, from their herding background, they would spend their days watching over their families livestock and property as a whole.

If any intruders came on to the property or potential threats they would make their family aware of the situation by barking or howling.

And because they thrive when they have a job, they may take it upon themselves to guard and watch out for your family without requiring any training.

9) Friendly With Other Pets

If you have other pets the last thing you want is to bring home a new addition to your family that doesn’t get along with their siblings.

Which is another reason australian shepherds are great.

For the most part, aussies get along with other pets no problem and treat them with the same affection and loyalty they’d treat you with.

Australian shepherds are super easy going and friendly to other pets and might even become protective of them.

Especially if they’re introduced to other family pets when they’re a young puppy.

10) Love Outdoor Adventures

If you yourself love to go for long hikes, experience different trails and beautiful sights, an australian shepherd would happily join you.

They love to be active and outdoors as much as possible.

Being a couch potato isn’t in their DNA so if you’re someone who enjoys being outside an aussie is a great match for you.

They love to run around, smell as many different scents as possible and especially enjoy bonding with their favorite human.

11) Devoted Family Member

All in all, australian shepherds are devoted family members which makes them good dogs.

They’re super happy to be a part of a family and enjoy spending time with their loved ones.

Their loyalty knows no bounds and they’re always up for whatever your family has in mind when it comes to activities.

4 Australian Shepherd Faults

1) Need a Job Or Task

An australian shepherd’s herding background makes them thrive when they have a job or task.

If they aren’t given one by their owner an aussie pup will often take it upon themselves to create a job for them to do.

Whether this is herding the other pets in your home, your kids, or your neighbors dogs/kids.

Without something to keep them occupied, australian shepherds may often turn to undesirable behaviors.

2) Need Lots Of Exercise

Australian shepherds need at least 30 minutes of vigorous physical activity each day.

The closer to 60 minutes the better.

The reason I say vigorous is because a slow paced walk around the neighborhood likely won’t cut it.

Of course all dogs are different, but generally australian shepherds need more fast paced exercise to keep their energy levels balanced.

Which could mean games of fetch where they can run at their top speed, joining you for a jog/run, or going for a hike.

If none of these are something you’d want to do you’ll have to take them for a longer walk to give them the amount of physical activity their body needs.

3) Sometimes Stubborn

Intelligence can sometimes be a double edged sword.

While being smart makes it easier for them to pick up new tricks and behaviors, it also means they get bored easier and can become stubborn.

If they aren’t challenged mentally through consistent training, they may become stubborn and decide to stop listening.

It’s important for australian shepherds to get lots of training with some variety to keep them engaged.

Which means teaching them new tricks or bringing them to different situations/environments to help them learn with distractions.

4) Need Frequent Grooming

Unfortunately that beautiful coat of theirs requires consistent grooming.

Australian shepherds aren’t major shedders but if you don’t brush them a few times a week you’ll definitely notice more and more fur showing up on your clothes and furniture.

This of course adds to your list of things to do on a weekly basis, but with the amount of joy an australian shepherd brings to your home it’ll likely be a worthy sacrifice.

3 Tips To Ensure Any Australian Shepherd Is a Great Dog

1) Plenty Of Socialization

Socializing is important for any dog, but especially so for australian shepherds.

Because they’re working dogs they’re extremely loyal and want to keep their family safe.

This means without proper socializing when they’re young they’ll have more difficulty behaving nicely around unfamiliar dogs and people.

When an australian shepherd doesn’t get enough socialization as a young puppy they’ll see strangers as potential threats as opposed to potential friends.

Which is why giving an aussie pup plenty of interactions with different dogs, people and situations helps them become the best addition to a family possible.

2) Plenty Of Training

Because australian shepherds were bred to herd, they need plenty of training in order to be good dogs.

The reason for this is they’re naturally used to being stimulated physically as well as mentally for long periods of time each day.

When they were on the job and watching over their family’s livestock, they’d need to be paying close attention to stragglers, where the group was grazing, as well as keep an eye out for potential predators.

This kept them busy physically as well as mentally for the better part of their day.

Which is why giving your australian shepherd plenty of training is important to help them be a good dog.

Without it they can become destructive due to boredom and lack of stimulation.

3) Plenty Of Physical Activity

Australian shepherds are high energy doggos that need plenty of exercise each day in order to be a well behaved, good family pet.

Similarly to if they don’t get enough mental stimulation, if they don’t get enough physical activity they will also likely develop some destructive behaviors.

Not because they’re a bad dog.

But because they aren’t getting their exercise needs met and have too much pent up energy on any given day.

Other posts you might find interesting:

8 Best Dog Beds for Australian Shepherds | Beds That Last

9 Reasons Why Australian Shepherds Nip + 5 Helpful Tips

9 Reasons Why Australian Shepherds Pace + 4 Helpful Tips

9 Reasons Why Australian Shepherds Sit On You + 4 Tips