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Guide To Australian Shepherd Training & Care

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At What Age Do Aussies Calm Down?

by Nancy
(Cheyenne)

At what age will my Aussie calm down?

Comments for At What Age Do Aussies Calm Down?

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Calming
by: Debbie

My aussie is 10 months old and I think she has always been on the calm side especially in the house. she plays on and off all day with toys and balls and she tires herself. she can become excitable but i try to keep her calm by telling her to be nice. she is so anxious to please she behaves herself. I am extremely happy with my aussie.

2 Years
by: Anonymous

As far as I've ever heard or experienced it's generally excepted that Aussies don't truly "grow up" till they're at least two years old.

Aussies never grown up
by: Anonymous

I have had Aussies off and on for over 20 years. Aussies need a job, every day. Our old dog, Zeke, worked on the farm until he was 18 and up until he was 16 years old acted like a puppy. He had lots of jobs... pulling hay bale & sleds, herding cattle, being the watch dog.

Our newest Aussie, Tucker is a year old Black Tri. He has a job...agility training and working on becoming a therapy dog. He is mellower than Zeke, who was very high energy.

Obedience training is very good for them. It gives them something to look forward to they like the stimulation.

Long walks helps promote a calmer Aussie but overall, they will act like a puppy into their later years.

Wild dog
by: Jody

Someone gave me an Australian Shepherd. He's now 4 months old, and he is driving us crazy! He runs, jumps, nips, and tears up everything. We've tried constantly to correct him with forceful "Nos" and "Down," but he ignores any commands. We walk him daily. I wanted to have him as a house dog, but I am beginning to think he is going to have to be an outside dog, which I hate. There are no dog trainers in our area. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Wild Dog
by: Rocio

Jody, if you keep your Aussie outside, he will get worse. Aussies need to do something every day. He can do agility, obedience competition, or you can train him to become a therapy dog. They are not like other dogs. They will do anything for you, but you have to keep them busy, and with you in the house.

Good luck

aussie's
by: Anonymous

It's takes a good 2 years for an Aussie to calm down. We have always lived in a military community, thus we have small yards. Therefore I became a runner, and I run him daily and play fetch with him daily. THEY NEED A PURPOSE!!! I went nuts the first year we had him... but hang in there, with consistency, discipline, and tons of affection u will have the most loyal loving dog ever

To Jody
by: Siri's Mom

I have my first Aussie, Siri, who is now about 7 1/2 months. He is similar to yours and drives me crazy most days but also makes me laugh and lets me know how much he loves me. On the days he is best I give him 2 activities, outside off-leash play (fetchin a ball or frisbee, or both) usually around 30-40 mins. And I walk him about 2.5 miles. He generally behaves well on those days. If I give him one or the other, he tends to act up more. He is neurotic and must be busy or exercised to the point of exhaustion. He has been through basic obedience training and was the only puppy that graduated actually. I am going to be bringing him to a herding for fun class soon. My main concern about him is how unaccepting he is of strangers. I appreciate it because I know he will protect us but at the same time fear he may bite a friend or family member someday. That is what I am most trying to get under wraps. Good luck!

Year old ... Still a puppy
by: Ibayiish

My girl is a year old and you'd never know it. She is very very active, jumps, runs, hops, plays wrestling with my 2 and 9 year old. I don't know if she'll ever out grow it, but I just have to say park and she lays down calmly by the door waiting for me to take her. We try to go 4 times per week and really get her tired out she loves to play ball and will run long distances until she gives up under some shade. We did training too and she's smart for the most part she's okay except when I come home from work I can't get her off me for a while. But they do learn and very quickly, you just have to be consistent.

love my aus
by: Gordon

I have a 9 month old albino. Well shes blonde and white. Shes just adorable and while high energy she is extremely smart and suprisingly well minded. I have been very persistent in teaching her and I think its has paid off as far as potty training, not begging (needs a little work ;) and basic obedience. However something I havent been able to break her of is jumping on people and whenever I try to pet her she wants to nibble and lick. She absolutely never lets u just pet her calmly its always play time when your hand comes near her lol. Any tips?

Very Relaxed
by: Anonymous

I have had an Aussie rescue for three years now. She is the most calm dog I have ever owned. My prior dog was a border collie who was nuts. The Aussie might have been traumatized but even after three years in a loving home she rarely plays is content to sleep most of the day and only gets excited when I take her for walks or play ball for limited times with her in the back yard. As much as I try to exercise her she does not seem all that interested. She is a beautiful and loving dog and was described this way on Petfinder but shy and nervous around other individuals. So I would recommend everyone rescue not only because it is the right thing to do but you also understand the disposition of the dog before you own it.

Aussie
by: J

My Aussie is a 3-4 yr old rescue who is full of energy. We walk 3 miles a day, chase balls and his still has energy to burn. He is very affectionate but he has to be doing some kind of exercise every 6 hours or so or he gets antsy.

Lot of work but worth it
by: Kyle

I have an 11 month old female Aussie, we have had dogs before but never an Aussie. She gets plenty of exercise between playing with our neighbors border collie daily, going for a RUN with me etc. and she can still keep going, she literally went 12 hours without sleeping yesterday and that has happened before. However, i have never seen a more affectionate dog in my life honestly. If I give her attention whether it's exercise or keeping his busy little mind going she will love me forever. Very loyal dog. So beware, they are a LOT of work but well worth it.

need help fast!
by: Ashley

We have a 9 1/2 month old Australian miniature shepherd. we have had her since she's been 6 weeks old. she's never like loud noises. So if you take her outside she's she's always on her guard. we got her from our son. he is autistic and we wanted a dog to come help him. She does OK with him but stays away from in less he calls her. she is very protective of me when it comes from somebody outside of the home she does OK with my husband. we have recently started doing foster care and when we bring other kids in she's very protective of me and she gets in between me and some kids. Not all kids. And growls and tries to not even if they're not by me. I want to get rid of her so please if someone could help come up with suggestions it would be great.

They do mature quickly, just keep them busy
by: Giovanna

Ozzie settled at 6 months. He is most of the time inside the house. We keep him busy with toys, lots and lots of toys. He keeps himself occupied throughout the day. I started leaving Kongs filled with frozen broth with bits of cheese and pieces of chicken, kibble or whatever I had on hand. Or peanut butter. Also multiple balls that release treats very slowly. He has GoDogs, Braidz, ropes, nylabones, Galileo, etc. Literally a giant basket full of his things. When we come home from work his toys are scattered, so we know he plays all day long. I placed tennis balls inside a pieces of nylon panty hose, tying and leaving a six inches tail with 3 knots. He throws the ball swinging it from the tail and chasing after it! When I get home I praise his good behavior with nice long walks. He has never messed with anything else in the house. We switch toys very often. He gets very excited when an old favorite pops up again.

Digging problem
by: Rhea

My toy Aussie is determined to dig in the yard... it is driving me crazy! Any suggestions? She is going on 6 months and is quite the rascal. I put her in puppies day out once a week just because I have to have a break! I need help wh this one for sure.

Crazy Aussie puppy
by: Anonymous

I have an Aussie puppy and she's almost a year. She drives me crazy! I cannot walk her daily and I have a hard time working with her daily due to schedules, two small kids and a disabled husband. My biggest issue is her obsession with food. She is a poop eater to the extent I've never seen before. Any insight into the poop eating would be very appreciated.

PTSD Australian shepherd puppy help lol
by: Jackie

I have a Australian shepherd puppy in training to be my PTSD dog. She is so wild I need advice to calm her down. I can't have her jumping on people or being out of control in places. I let her run and I work her all the time. I just don't know what to do please help.

Aussie is so out of control! Why is he so crazy?
by: Anonymous

My Aussie is under a year old and he is definitely not a calm dog. My husband actual thought he hand a mental disability because of the way he acts. I just want him to be calm so I can pet him but he always bites and try's to play with me. I love my dog but have considered how easier life would be with another dog. I guess you can say I am envious of people who have a dog that doesn't ruin the house. Or a dog that just likes to relax.

Calm indoors, reactive and overexcited outdoors
by: Anonymous

We've had our 1.5 year old Australian shepherd for about 6 months. We adopted him from a shelter. He is calming down indoors. He used to bark excessively at all sorts of things and nip at our kids but that behaviour has settled down. He is very alert on walks and is quite reactive on leash. He is not good at the dog park. He does not approach other dogs well and is always getting overexcited and starting a scuffle. He is great at our dog day care, they do a slow introduction behind a fence before putting the dogs in. We are working on obedience training and will be starting agility. He is very smart. We are going to get a tread mill and I think it will help a great deal along with the agility training. I have also noticed he is very sensitive to light and sounds, much more so than other dogs. We have had other types of dogs and have a lab puppy to compare him to. With work I am seeing improvement in behaviour but I expect it will take time before he is a really calm, always under control kind of dog.

When do Aussies Calm down
by: Keith Wood

I read all the comments, (after two years etc. etc.) my Max (the greatest dog in the world) is now 8 years old and has not slowed down since the day he was born. Six am your ass better be up because its time to play!

People are right, they need something to do. Max is my velcro dog, ALWAYS by my side. He loves going out on the boat to bass fish, even at home I can't walk from one side of the house to the other without him next to me!

Herding Dogs, that rings true.. he guides me every morning to the food bucket.

Calming strategies
by: Anonymous

My Aussie is now 4 years old, not my first Aussie but my smartest and most active.
Sophia Yin's books were my answer, learn to earn, he is now almost perfect although it has been hard work and a mind set of positive reinforcing.
I have trained him for service work, so jobs are constant within the house, walk 4 miles each day with on and off leash training.
Know their stress points, it is small people, he is a rough dog, and a barker, but now he is working on talking not barking in the house with 89 percent accuracy.
No attention for loud barking, praise for softer sounds, learning and pleasure.
Aussies are not for everyone, one should really be around several different aussies before getting one.
I am 71 years old so that should give you a picture of what is possible.
Good luck

Keep them busy!
by: Anonymous

We have two Toy Aussie/Maltese Mix puppies that are 9 months old. They are very intelligent and active! They have escaped from crates and gates and they play hard! I have treat puzzles, kongs and bones from the butcher that have the bone marrow in it that keeps them busy for hours! Having each other to play games with and bones with bone marrrow and kongs has really helped them not become bored and destructive!

Aussies are like Australia, from down under, just call them kanga butts
by: Anonymous

Love your puppy no nmatter what breed or what demands. Check out kikopup for help and training. Always be persistent, patient, positive, peaceful and progressive, and know all that you are will be tested. You need support for this pup, and you will not be disappointed, but they are all individuals. I have raised many dogs, breeds, ages/stages and health issues, aussies are unique, even more so than border collies. Take their abilities and make them stronger, train them on cue so you can also shut them off, yes there are days you will be embarrassed at your own feelings no matter how much you love them, but please don't give up, you will be happy in the end. Use a crate to help train them but never as a punishment, most dogs do not fully mature at until about 2 years of age so expect nothing less. Keep your aussie healthy, excellent food, care and test to rule out disease, they have a very smart brain so use it. My pup is nuts, we call her the the perky pup or the painful princess, but so far our cairn terrier has not killed her, and no blood drawn-lol. She has save my life 2x due to illness, she is happy with lots of short increments of play which helps my illness and she keeps my mind keen so I have to stay 2 steps ahead of her. Every day is better but every day has its dark spots but most of it is great, she loves us all and I love her. Just bummed right now because she has lyme disaease and she was to be my service dog, so far there is not symptoms so we are hoping with human grade food and holistic treatment with the antibiotics we will be okay. So love your dog, if you have kids figure out who can help and how, just have them herd balls and not kids, or other dogs. Find small rags that do not look like your stuff and they will try to untie them and uncover balls, they love puzzles. Pray every day and I believe the best will be found in your dog, your dog came to you for a good reason so stick with it. Hoping you all hang in there, if I can with my illness and very bad knees you can too. Godspeed!

11 month old Aussie
by: J.D.

We have a pure breed Aussie female, now 11 months old. She has been a high energy girl from the start and over time has learned basic commands, but is still very unaccepting of strangers and anyone outside. She will bark from inside the house at anyone walking their dogs, she will bark at dogs outside on walks. I take her on 3-4 walks per day and about 3 weeks ago started using a gentle leader. This seemed to make a great improvement at first, but for some reason this week has been like she has not learned anything. She tries constantly to get the gentle leader off her nose and she goes to puppy day care usually 1 day a week and some weeks twice per week. Today she was out of control when I picked her up, she was barking (not necessarily unusual), howling and would not calm down. They told me she had been on a crazy rant all day. I'm not sure if the cooler weather has something to do with her behavior or what is going on. She is a challenge and if she does not calm down I'm not sure what we will do. We have a female trainer now, suggestion by vet's office was to try a male trainer and switch to see if that helps. I fear she has developed bad habits we won't be able to break. Any suggestions?

11 month old Aussie
by: Anonymous

11 month old Aussie, I know exactly where you are coming from and have experienced the same thing. My aussie is now 2 years.

Your aussie has become reactive. I think this is common, perhaps because aussies are very sensitive and often hyperactive. It can be fixed but it is a slow process. First you need to make sure the daycare is a good place for your dog. My daycare divides the dogs by size and temperament. If they are not divided this could be what caused the reactivity. If all dogs are grouped together then this is not the right daycare for you and stop going immediately. Dividing dogs by size and temperament in dog daycare is common and you should be able to find a daycare like this.

You will need to start working on managing your dog's behaviour before you are able to be successful with training. Use a no-pull harness for walking. Muzzle train your dog with a soft muzzle and treats. Very easy to do, look at a youtube video. Take a break from walking everyday. Throw the ball in the backyard instead and short walks every 2nd or 3rd day.

Use the backyard for exercise and walking for learning to walk on leash. Wear the muzzle for walks and positive reinforce with high value treats like chopped hot dogs. A dog can eat a treat with a soft muzzle on. Remember that a dog can not wear a soft muzzle for more than 15 or 20 minutes because they can not pant. My dog does not mind putting the muzzle on at all.

For now try to keep your distance or change directions when you see other dogs on walks. Read up about what 'threshold' means in training reactive dogs.

Start working on the barking out the window. Stop the barking and have the dog move away from the window every time. Do not leave your dog where they can see out the window when you are not home, this may mean a kennel or staying in a bedroom.

When you have a guest over put your aussie on a leash before they arrive put a bowl of treats at the front door. When the guest arrives have the dog back away from the door and sit for a treat. My dog know what 'back up' means as I ask him to 'back up' from guests and the door all the time. My dog is nervous at first around guests and I don't let him approach the guests or let the guests pet him for the first 30 minutes sometimes not at all. He is wearing his leash so I can control his excitability. I just want my aussie to remain calm while guests are there. At the beginning I held the leash the entire time and he wore the muzzle for the first 10 minutes as he might unexpectedly lunge and nip somebody. Now I keep the muzzle attached to the end of the leash and if he becomes excited and starts barking I put the muzzle on until he acts calm. I want to repeat that he does not mind the muzzle. It's almost like a security blanket and since he wears it for walks he has positive association with it.

Some of this may seem harsh to people but I always use positive reinforcement, never shouting. My aussie was very insecure and reactive. He was and is still capable of biting if he gets too over stimulated and excited. It has been a year since we adopted him and he is slowly growing into a calmer more confident dog.

Reply to Wild Dog
by: Megan

My Aussie, Sadie, is about a year and a half now. She's still a wild child but she was much worse from 3 months to 7 months. Smart as a whip, learned her commands (sit, stay, lay down, shake, come) in about 2 hours at 3 months old. God forbid she LISTEN though. I hate to admit it, but a swift smack to the arse whenever she was being disobedient made her realize that I am the alpha. Only happened a handful of times then and once in a blue moon now but it helps. As with nipping, grab their bottom jaw and say "no mouth". They begin to understand that that they really don't like having a hand in their mouth and soon the command is enough. For any hyper behavior, getting them to lay with you or sit by you helps significantly. My boyfriend and I have an 8 year old German Shepherd, Sadie, and recently got a 7 month old mutt name Malibu. Malibu gets worn out very easily and just wants to lay down while Sadie is still pedal to the metal trying to rough house. Having Maui lay on one side and Sadie lay on the other helps everyone relax and makes for a calm day. Just reassuring Sadie that she can lay down and using my voice to calm her makes the play calm down. Granted she still paces around the house when she gets bored of sitting with me but at least she's doing it calmly.

10 years old mini Aussie
by: Anonymous

I’ve had my dog for over 10 years now. He’s always been extremely calm and well-behaved-smart with learning new thing and tricks. His only problem is being traumatized when a dog attacked him when he was young. He never fully got over it. He was a sensitive dog already who was afraid of vaccine and fire alarms. Now he attacks trucks, bikes, lawnmowers and if he had the chance, any strange men that he doesn’t like. Other than that he’s still calm and Mr Perfect any other time. He still has the energy of a puppy but he only gets over-excited over cats and other dogs outside. I love him to death lol

Rusty Brown
by: Sheldon

We have had our Aussie since he was 8 weeks old, and he turns 7 next week. Yes, those first two years brought me to my knees. As a puppy, I would jog two miles (later upped to 5) with him every morning, followed by 30 minutes of fetch, then as I got ready for work, we would play fetch in the apartment. I live 15 minutes from work, but I would crate him as a puppy from 7:30AM to noon. I would rush home on my lunch break, take a quick walk around the block, throw the Frisbee for 5 or ten minutes, put him back in his crate, and go back to work. I would get home at 3:45PM, and walk him from 4 to 5, followed by 30 minutes of fetch, and then another 1/2 hour walk after dinner. This is a lot. Now, I still walk for 30 minutes and 30 minutes of fetch before work, a dog walker comes at 12, I'm home by 3:30PM, but everything is just a lot calmer. Even feeding time, it used to always be a struggle to try to calm him down while I was preparing the food. Now he stays very calm as I prepare his food. There are still times I'm on the couch at 8pm and really don't want to get up, but who can say no to those pretty brown eyes. So it's all good. Usually I look forward to our walks, visits to dog parks, etc. So I will only have Aussies from now on. Incredibly awesome dogs. I'm in love!

Senior dog and ball obsessed
by: THS

Hi: I just recently adopted a 12 year old mini Aussie who is ball obsessed. I mean she will not go slowly to retrieve the ball, she will run over rocks, through rough terrain, etc. to get the ball. I don't have those sort of things for her to worry about, I just toss it in the yard for her, but just tossing it a few feet away has her scrambling to get it, there is no moving slow when she is in the "ball" mode. I'm worried about her hurting/injuring herself since she's getting older (though you would not guess it from her spunk). Is she still young enough to handle this type of activity? I am taking her on 3 walks a day (about 20-30 minutes each) to help burn energy but sometimes feel that even that might be too much for her, not sure how much she was walked before I got her. I'm going to purchase some mental games to see if that might peak her interest, but truly she is SO in love with fetching the ball, I hate to take that away from her since she's been doing it all of her life. Her health at this time is good, she did have a small cancerous lump removed about three years ago, and has a heart murmur, but otherwise is in good shape. Not overweight or anything. Any suggestions on curbing her ball playing or should I just let her enjoy it for now. Is 12 still young for Aussie's? Will she stop when she's exhausted or is there some way I can tell she's had enough. Thanks for any suggestions.

Enjoy your Aussie
by: Anonymous

I think that sounds like a great life style for her and you should continue. My aussie is only 3 years old and loves his ball but our dog before him was a similar breed, a border collie mix and she was very ball crazy, she just loved to run period. I think she was the fastest dog I've ever seen. She did not really slow down until her last year, she lived to be 16, and even then she was still playful until the last month. We were lucky she did not fall ill to any disease. She just seemed to wind down. Let your pup enjoy her life to the fullest, being a smaller dog she may live even longer than our Oreo did.

She's aussium
by: Jessie

Jessie is great! It took her 2 years to calm down. I mean it. 2 years of running, jumping, chasing, play biting, play fighting - every minute of every day just about....

She now sleeps a lot more..but needs about 2 full bouts of playtime at 1 hr each play period per day. If she doesn't get it - she lets you know it - and she will not give up on getting you out to play until you give in.

Don't get an aussie if you aren't going to spend the time playing with her/him. They NEED to exercise or they will have serious behavioral problems.

If you don't have or won't invest the time in them - get yourself a couch potato breed of dog. I recommend rescue greyhounds.

Jessie is the sweetest most loving dog - she loves people (she hates other dogs though). She is full of personality and awesomeness.

MY BABE SAM
by: SAM

HI,
I hope I can get some help with my aussie hes almost two years coming January. he striked a little girl whom was trying to play with him. he broke skin most defiantly tasted blood. he then did the same this to my niece when she held up snacks over her head. my dad made me push him out to the back yard which I feel awful for, I take him out for runs every night and I make sure to make time for him. I really want him back in the house but i am afraid he will attack my 1 yr old. what do I do :(

Make Time For Them
by: Danielle

I have a 2-year-old male Aussie and he is still a handful. I don’t have access to a yard in my apartment complex so making sure he gets exercise and attention is a priority for me. On days when I don’t get to take him anywhere, he’s very anxious and tends to act out. But when I make time to take him to the park or on a hike he has the chance to get rid of that excess energy and calm down. Most people say 2 years before you start to see a change in their "craziness". I agree that he has matured some but can still be a handful. The more I take him out and socialize him the calmer he is. I love this dog and have never seen such a devoted and happy pup. There isn’t a mean bone in his body and he loves everyone and every dog he meets. Great breed but you have to find time to devote to them or else they might drive you crazy.

4 year old Aussie
by: Anonymous

It may be a good idea to muzzle train your Australian Shepherd. My Aussie happily puts on his muzzle and leash before meeting strangers, especially children. There are a lot of YouTube videos on how to muzzle train your dog. It’s easy. He sits and can take a treat with his soft muzzle on. I discourage him from approaching the guests and I ask the guests not to pet him. After a few minutes we take the muzzle off but he drags his leash the entire time so that he can quickly be under control if he gets over excited. Now that he is older he doesn’t wear the muzzle when greeting guests but he does wear his leash and he has to be sitting when the guests enter. Remember that a dog can only wear a soft muzzle for a short period of time (10-15 minutes) they can not pant with it on.

My crazy Aussie
by: Angel

I have a miniature Australian Sheppard. She is just over a year old and I've had her since she was 8 weeks. She's very sweet and loving, but acts crazy. She definitely has a lot of energy and loves playing with my other dogs. But she has severe separation anxiety from me and won't listen to anyone else in the family if I'm not there. She chews things up and jumps on people and nips a lot. She's very smart. She knows how to tell me to go out and has been potty trained for a long time. She doesn't do well on the leash, but will run off and refuse to go to the bathroom in our yard if off the leash. And she barks at everything she's unsure of. She's afraid of new people, especially little kids, and will run away and hide when in trouble. I don't know what to do for her when I'm away from the house and can't take her with me. She's driving my family crazy when I'm not there. Any tips?

Aussies are worth the hard work
by: Tracy

We have a 5-year-old blue merle Aussie. We have had him since he was a puppy. He is extremely smart and nightmarishly active. Very high energy. The first 2-3 years literally brought us to our knees. He can go from sun up to sun down and not stop.
Extremely friendly and wants to socialize with everyone he sees which makes it hard to walk him at times. Still has problems listening. Loves to play frisbee. Not a mean bone in his body, very affectionate. He is the fourth Aussie we've had, the most energetic one by far.
Aussies require a lot of exercise, a lot of attention. They are "velcro dogs", they like to be with you all the time. Not a dog for people who are not willing to give them the time and patience they require.
They are a lot of work but at the end of the day, it's all worth it. Very loyal and loving.

Crazy at 11 months
by: Anonymous

Our girl is 11 months. She was born with ectopic ureters and some other genital defects. So much time was spent with surgeries, treating UTIs, and balancing her meds that training was for the basics - sit, lie down, leave it, fetch, toy. House breaking was an on and off again challenge when meds didn’t work or the UTI set in. Walking is a walk run. She was also aggressive because of her meds (until we got that under control). We took her for a walk in a park and had the typical walk, pull, run, stop, walk, repeat. By mile 4 we were frustrated with working on training, noticeably so. A man came over to meet our dog and gave us some tips on getting her to walk nicely and a collar to use. While my husband was annoyed, I took it in because any advice was welcome. Anyway, he was familiar with Aussies and said our girl was actually pretty well behaved for 10 months (this was a couple of weeks ago). I was shocked. Others I talk to, it takes two years to get them fully in line (out of high energy puppy stage) but they never really calm down. But, this is what we signed up for. We wanted a dog for running, hiking, camping, snowshoeing, and just having fun with. Those posts about having a ‘job’ is true. Exercise is good, but they need something to work their brains. We have puzzle games, play hide and seek, and agility training starts in a month. Now if only we could get her to put her toys away! Anyway, we seem to be getting her medical issues under control, so she can be with other dogs now and we are going to introduce her to the cats again. The medication was making her difficult to train and control. Now, she is just a sweety, even if a little energetic.

At What Age Do Aussies Calm Down
by: Kathy Holbrook

When I see this question, one thought immediately comes to mind after I bust out laughing; this must be your very first Aussie!

excessive barking
by: Anonymous

My Aussie is a year old and is pretty calm indoors as long as he gets lots of exercise however, he has started barking at me during the day when we are indoors. I have tried ignoring him and having him go to his crate but he is getting worse. Any suggestions would be great and definitely save my hearing. :)

Reply to Jodi
by: Lynne

Hi Jodi
I lost my first Aussie a couple of weeks ago. I was and am devastated. He was, as I like to say, a herder with the heart and soul of a lap dog. When he was very young (months) he was a bit crazy, but quickly calmed down by 1 year. He want to be with me. That's it.

I have a 3 year-old Aussie, a great-nephew to my first Aussie, and he was and is a completely different story. He is relentless and has been since I brought him home. He runs, and jumps in the air, as if he is spring-loaded. He was destructive for a while but that stopped. I notice that now he is much calmer, more receptive and his intelligence is astounding. It's easy to miss it when they are in a constant state of crazy. But, he behaves on HIS terms. A real thinker. Constantly weighing his options. I adore his spirit and I'm just a little bit afraid that he is smarter than I am. I think it can take a while for an Aussie to figure out who he is and where he fits....like a new employee at a job...learning how to read the room...

20 + Years Wth Aussies
by: Anonymous

The Australian Shepherd is a herding dog. That being said - he is VERY intelligent and has a lot of energy. He will herd anything, kids, other animals, etc. As all dogs he needs to be socialized - take him places with you so that he sees other people and other animals. Do NOT put any dog outside by himself and away from you. You are asking for trouble. My first two were rescues. One was a couch potato and the other had an average amount of energy. Both were 3 yrs. old when I got them.
I now have and 11 mo. old male and he is very high energy. He's been to obedience class (did great) but the key is to keep training them EVERY DAY. When you go outside - YOU go first as you are the leader. Make him sit before you put his dinner down. No sit-no dinner. They are wonderful dogs—very devoted and loving. Wouldn't have any other.

Got 2 Aussies at same time
by: Glenda Walsh

I have two very active Aussies they are now almost 9 months old I see them calming down but getting two Aussies at the same time is a lot of work but I do love the Aussie breed and we're almost there so yes I recommend Aussies but you got to be up for the challenge got to stay on your toes but they're one of the most loving breeds on the planet

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