Australian Shepherds

[4CrazyCanines]

Aussies are definitely known for their "push" - while BCs herd with an eye or stare, Aussies definitely have more of a physical presence and "punch". Aussies with strong herding drives (some Aussies can and do have little to none) can "push" their owners around with toys in attempts to herd them. I'm interested to see if Nylah has potential in herding - like I mentioned before, Diesel passed his herding instinct test with flying colors and so far has shown tons of potential in the herding world.

[kian]

That's great that Diesel has the instinct! I know you don't know me, I am a behaviorist specializing in Herding Dogs for over 20 years. I have owned and worked with Heelers, BC's and Aussies all purebreds which are which wonderful breeds.
BC's are the gatherers and Heelers, Aussies are the drivers or pushers. Around here BC's are the dogs of choice, I have seen where a rancher as used both BC's and a Aussie in different ways. Whenever I come across sheep being moved through town I love to sit and watch the dogs work while other drivers are getting impatient, not me.

Sometimes dogs do just play, I've seen non-herders do similar things just for attention. The Aussie is a smart dog, no doubt about it.
Doesn't Diesel have beagle in him as well. It is a interesting mix indeed. With the hound in him, I am curious as to his instinct to scent track as well, same question for Lori.

What do you have Diesel working on, usually ducks are the first to train with.

[4CrazyCanines]

Diesel was instinct-tested using Dorset sheep at 10-months-old. He has never worked geese or ducks, just sheep. We work him once a week and so far he's shown lots of herding potential - he definitely inherited his sire's strong drives. I'm hoping to show him once he's old enough for various herding organizations. Eventually, I'd like to work him on cattle as well (Diesel's sire works daily on a 200-head angus farm)!

Here are some pics. Sorry for the low-quality ... they are video stills. He turned the sheep beautifully for his first time out! I'll get some high-quality pictures with my fiance's DSLR the next time we work him.

[4CrazyCanines]

Sometimes dogs do just play, I've seen non-herders do similar things just for attention. The Aussie is a smart dog, no doubt about it.

Definitely agree - Evee (my Bichon Frise) has some herding instinct herself ... she used to herd my horses around!!! Haha.

And of course not all herding dogs can actually herd and some don't even show any herding behaviors or instincts. My friend has a show-line bred Aussie who was instinct tested and cared much more about the sheep poop than the sheep ...

[kian]

Is Diesel going to learn the lingo as well? I enjoyed the dog trials during our county fair until they discontinued it.
Thanks for sharing the pics, he is doing quite well. I would like to start Ice, however, the ranchers are really protective of thier sheep here. When we move I will acquire something to start him with as we will have land. Allie has the drive but she is really flighty, so she does SAR and I want to do agility with her, that would suit her much better.

[4CrazyCanines]

Is Diesel going to learn the lingo as well? I enjoyed the dog trials during our county fair until they discontinued it.
Thanks for sharing the pics, he is doing quite well. I would like to start Ice, however, the ranchers are really protective of thier sheep here. When we move I will acquire something to start him with as we will have land. Allie has the drive but she is really flighty, so she does SAR and I want to do agility with her, that would suit her much better.

Thank you!!! And yep, we are going to teach him the lingo as well! Right now he knows "watch your sheep" and "fall back" and is working on "right" and "left". I'll try to get a video next time if you're interested! I'm sure Ice would be great at it and that's awesome that you can buy some stock on your own - I'd love to be able to do that eventually! I still can't get over Allie doing SAR - I have to be honest and say I never imagined an Aussie doing that. But why not? They're definitely smart enough! Would love to see pics. And of course, you know how I feel about agility ... it's addicting!

[kian]

Aussies are great for SAR, in fact there is another one that has certified and he is really good. The trainer is using a golden but is quite impressed with the herding breeds for this. You can actually do a little of this with Diesel on your own for fun. I can coach you how to get going if your interested. When Allie makes the find, her excitement level goes up, she just loves to "search". At the last training we did cadaver and wow she caught on quickly, after all they love stinky things.

Yes a video of Diesel working would be fun to watch.

[jeanglee]

Oh, the pushing on the back of the legs with toys is a herding thing?
I was wondering why he always does that.
Do Aussies bark like crazy when they herd? Because Tesla will run beside a dog and bark until the dog stops running.
I know, so pushy.

I was just wondering, but does anybody else's Aussie bark at strangers on walks?
He started doing it a couple of weeks ago (he's almost 6 months old now) and I'm not quite sure what to do.
He only does it around the house...if we go to a new location he never barks at anyone.
I've read that they're wary of strangers, but nobody wants to pet him anymore, so I'm thinking it's a bad thing?
The strange thing is, if they come over to say hi, his tail starts to wag and he's so happy.
I've started squirting him with a watergun so I'm hoping he'll learn to not bark more than once.

[kian]

Some will bark more than others. Allie is a barker and Ice so far, not so much. I control Allies barking with a command. Impulse control is the trait that herders must learn and barking is one impulse control they must learn. Drop the water bottle, it won't work, instead teach Tesla to bark on command and once that is accomplished, ask her to bark and then teach her to quiet. It didn't take long to teach all my dogs that. I just pop my head outside and tell Allie to quiet and she stops.

I won't allow my two to bark at strangers when walking and Allie tries it as well. Yes they can be wary of strangers, however, once I approve of the stranger I want them to be friendly. I will touch the person (asking first of course) to show that this person is a friend. With Allie she is a little more cautious, Ice is everyone's friend. However, we when do Search & Rescue with Allie, she never barks at anyone and is very friendly to all.

How is Tesla with kids? Aussies have a natural love for them.

[jeanglee]

I've been trying to teach him to bark on command but it's hard because he never barks otherwise.
I'll try to make bark noises at him to incite him to start barking too, but he just gets really confused and starts whining.

Tesla loves kids, but he's too energetic for most.
He ran up to a toddler at a picnic, the toddler fell over in slo-mo and then began to cry.
Then Tesla ran up to the next toddler and started to lick her all over her face (my friend's one year old who lives with a great dane so she wasn't fazed at all) before he took off again.
He won't jump on them but he'll run into them.

(-_-)...

[4CrazyCanines]

I'd be careful with training an Aussie to bark on command ... Some dogs will go through their entire repertoire of tricks in attempts to receive the treat or reward (and I think I remember you saying Tesla does this in his bio) and that might mean constant barking when he's working. And if "speak" becomes his favorite trick, you're in for a treat haha! Some Aussies are definitely not silent workers - I've met plenty of them who bark constantly throughout entire agility courses. Go to a flyball tournament - the majority of Aussies are barking throughout the entire day's tournament! And while BCs tend to be silent workers on the farm, Aussies are often barking while they work sheep. Some people don't mind the barking, others do. It's all personal preference.

I would teach Tesla the "watch me" command. If you go to the "Behavior and Training" section and look at the thread regarding "Training a BC puppy", I explained it more there. Whenever you see a passerby or anything that causes Tesla to bark (i.e. runners, bikers, kids in strollers, etc), do the "watch me" command to gain his attention. Once the passerby leaves Tesla's immediate view, allow him to look towards the stimulus. You can even use a "look at that" command when you let him look towards the stimulus. If he starts to bark, immediately do the "watch me" command again. You want him to understand that whenever something exciting passes by, it's not something to be barked at and he needs to look to you for directions. Another thing you can do is the "removal technique". Whenever Tesla barks or gets overly excited about something, simply remove him from the situation so he can't see the stimulus. Don't use a negative correction, just do a 180 and remove him from the situation. Once removed, you can do a "watch me" and regain his attention. Once he's settled down, take him back to the situation or stimulus that caused him to bark or get excited. Again, if he starts riling up again, repeat the removal and "watch me". Keep repeating this exercise - eventually Tesla will understand that if he acts up, he will not see whatever it is that is exciting him. I have seen this technique work wonders on dogs (including my own)!

Hope this helps!

[4CrazyCanines]

You can actually do a little of this with Diesel on your own for fun. I can coach you how to get going if your interested.

I would love that, thanks!!!

[jeanglee]

I'm going to try the "watch me" command tonight on our walk.
That's such a great idea and I'm excited to work on it.
Thanks for the great advice, a merle and me!
(I would have quoted you but I have no idea how to use that function).

[4CrazyCanines]

I'm going to try the "watch me" command tonight on our walk.
That's such a great idea and I'm excited to work on it.
Thanks for the great advice, a merle and me!
(I would have quoted you but I have no idea how to use that function).

Awesome! And you're more than welcome. Hope it helps --- keep me updated!

[kian]

Good question Merle&Me, though I never encountered that problem with any of my dogs or those of my clients. If they do the tricks or bark out of the command, then that is actually easy to remedy. Allie will bark or gruff to get my attention, but never for a treat, at least for me. OH has her spoiled, he comes home and immediately she barks for a treat, which he freely gives. He taught her that, against my wishes, but she will not do it around me or anyone else. It comes down to leadership and they know who they can buffalo into doing something. If she were to go through her tricks with me, she would get a cold shoulder and ignored as I did not command her. Ice has never tried it and once we are moved, back together as a family, OH will get a stern warning from me......again.

To start having some fun with Search Training, first Diesel must be reliable off leash which I bet he is. Start with "runaways". You hold Diesel on the ground, holding his front legs up. Have a victim show Diesel his favorite toy or treat and tease him with it and jump up and down, you want to get him very excited!!!!! Have that person run about 100 feet and partially hide by a tree or something. Then let Diesel run with all his might! Try to stay caught up with him...good luck there. When Diesel gets there have the person keep him there until you arrive as quick as you can. Then have your victim give him the treat or toy and reward him with both of you there for about 3 minutes. Act like this is the most exciting thing in the world! Do this for 3 times in one session, one day. That is all, then do it again another day. You gradually increase the distance and have a complete hide. Be sure to check the breeze to make sure the scent is down to Diesel.

Have fun, this addicting.