FYI: If you make a purchase via a link on this site, I may receive a commission from various affiliate programs, and as an Amazon Associate and Chewy affiliate I also earn commissions from qualifying purchases—at NO extra cost to you. See the Disclosure page for more information. Thank you!

Guide To Australian Shepherd Training & Care

Home

Aggression Concern With Australian Shepherd

by Alexis M
(Cleveland, OH)

Hey everyone! I am posting this because I am beyond stressed out this evening. We have a 7 month old Aussie - he is a male and we have had him for about 3.5 months. He is turning into a great dog and we absolutely adore him. He is AWESOME with us (my fiancé and I) and he is great around my parents who occasionally dog sit him...he also is fine around adult strangers.

However, we have one major issue...he terrifies me around children. There have been several occasions where he has growled, lunged, and barked at young kids (ages 1 - 12). We always have him on a leash for training purposes and because of our fear of him actually biting a child.

I genuinely could not imagine ever having to get rid of him but we want children of our own some day. We really need helpful information and tips so we can get him to relax around children. I love him to pieces and honestly just the thought of something actually happening terrifies me.

PLEASE send any information/tips to help us out. We have been going to puppy classes and plan on attending other classes after that but I would love to hear from other Aussie lovers who have experienced similar issues! Thank you so much.

Comments for Aggression Concern With Australian Shepherd

Click here to add your own comments

Aussie with kids
by: Anonymous

Get some professional help from dog trainer on how to socialize him properly with children. They are different than adults. Their body language is often uncertain around a dog or a new dog they’re unfamiliar with because we always tell kids...don’t pet a strange dog, be careful around dogs u do t know etc etc. Mine reacted by barking loudly at kids and I realized she was just curious and unsure herself...because this boy was just standing looking at her. She hadn’t been around small kids before and all her interactions were with adults or older kids who always just greeted her immediately and warmly using her name and a pat or belly rub. A child or stranger doesn’t greet that way and my Aussie senses the uncertainty. So...I made it a goal to arrange greetings and interactions with kids of various ages. "Planned greetings in controlled environment. Where the young kids knew her name initially and had a treat to give her so my dog had a good experience. I still do this every chance I get. And with older -senior people...as she seemed a bit u certain with them too sometimes and would bark. But as soon as she is greeted she quiets so it’s not aggression, just uncertainty. Aussies can have that FEAR trait so VERY important to socialize them in a variety of settings with ALLLL kinds of people. I think your fear will be alleviated with the proper socialization.

Trainable
by: Anonymous

Your dog, all dogs, are trainable and can be shown right from wrong. It is all in communication. It seems his herding instinct is being triggered around children and he wants to control their moves. But he doesn't yet understand this instinct he has and how to control or focus it.
I recommend watching all of the Cesar Milan videos you can. He is an excellent trainer of people and dogs. He will show you how to control your dog and convey good behavior. I also suggest you take your dog to a herding facility that trains these dogs how to properly use this instinct.
When your own child arrives, your dog will learn to accept it as one of it's own pack. Your training will help him know that he is "below" the baby in the pack order and you should not have any problems with him.

aggression
by: Michelle

just get him a trainer to work with him. A.S. are very smart and learn quickly. And love to please you. praise him when he does good also let him know that its not good. My A. S. can read a person well and if there is something that makes him uncomfortable He isnt shy to let them know.. A friend of mine acts terrified of him and he plays on that and acts like hes gonna eat her but hes just being ornery. I hope this helps you a little. This info is only from my personal experience with my A S. It will work out im sure. good luck hon

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Australian Shepherd Q & A.

Have Dog Training Questions?

Check out these introductory dog training videos...

I want my dog to stop being aggressive.

I want some help training my new puppy.

I want my dog to stop barking at everything.

I want my dog to walk nicely and calmly on the leash.

I want my dog to listen and come every time I call!

Back to Home

⌃ TOP ⌃

All Content Copyright © 2006-2024 by Anton Hout,
Australian-Shepherd-Lovers.com. All rights reserved.

Disclosure: If you make a purchase via a link on this site, I may receive a commission from various affiliate programs, and as an Amazon Associate and Chewy affiliate I also earn commissions from qualifying purchases—at NO extra cost to you. See the Disclosure page for more information. Thank you!

As stated in our Privacy Policy, Australian-Shepherd-Lovers.com
does not sell your personal information.