Aussie Crated During Work

by Amber
(UT)

I have a 4.5 month old Australian Shepherd that I came into from a home that could not care for her. My plan was to find her a good home, but we have now had her for over a month and we love her. We are considering keeping her. I do have a few concerns and I'd like to hear other Aussie owners advice. Firstly she is very mellow. As she gets older will she become more hyper? Do Aussie's mellow as they age similar to other breeds?

Also both my husband and I work full time. We have been crating her. I do come home for lunch for an hour and let her out. She did alright, but would bark in her crate every now and then. I had her crate in our main front room. The other day I moved the crate to the back room. She absolutely hates her crate now! She barks and goes crazy. I feel for her but have no choice but to leave her in her crazy state and go to work. When I get home she is always calm in her crate and waits patiently for me to let her out. I know Aussies are people dogs and if I had a choice I would stay home with her all day... but that's not life. I walk her in the mornings and are always running around the mountains in the evenings. She gets plenty of exercise. I would feel much better about keeping her if I could figure out this crate thing. I have had dogs before but this is my first Aussie. I do know the breed traits, but want to make sure we are the right home for her. Any advice would be wonderful!

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