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Aussies And Children

by Chris
(Harrisonville, MO )

My family and I are thinking of getting an Australian Shepherd. I have three children, the two youngest are 1 year of age and 5 years of age. I have read that they are a protective dog, but how well do Aussie's handle being pulled and pushed on by young children.

Comments for Aussies And Children

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Kids and Aussies
by: Kym

Aussies make fabulous dogs for children, AS LONG AS they are well exercised, and trained well. A hyperactive Aussie is a naughty Aussie if not given an outlet to express this energy. They tend to have a high pain tolerance which is helpful when a child is pulling, tugging, hugging, falling and the like. They are a gentle, kind dog that bonds naturally with their families. They are protective of the family, and are not slow to react. They do/will however, herd your children. Mine (back in the day) would keep my kids away from the stairs-like they knew there was danger, and walk in-between the kids and the stairs. They would also, however, herd them (instinct of course) but would not bite or nip, as they had herding jobs during the day, and of course were told not to, hence training. They want to be WITH the family not outside alone. My opinion is that these are the greatest family dogs. But keep in mind, they are high energy and need regular exercise (the backyard is NOT enough, nor is a WALK), they want to please and be WITH the family not looking in from the outside, they are a loyal dog and thrive with companionship, they are protective and will keep your family safe from harm. If you can provide these things for your Aussie, he and your family will be the best of friends and you will enjoy every minute of it!

a game
by: Anonymous

young toddlers seem to only have one speed, aussies love to herd usually nipping or barking i felt secure when the chid could speak to my aussie your 5 year old is a good age let the little learn how to handle the situatoin from the older one.many breeders socialize pups with young kids around use one of them

Aussies outside
by: Anonymous

I have an Aussie and a Lab (both 1.5 yrs). They are outside/kennel dogs when locked up and 2.5 acres of land to roam when we are home. They stay in the garage sometimes. As long as your Aussie has a playmate, they can be outside. You know they live outside in the prairie in the old days. They are the best dogs in the world.

aussie = childrens dog
by: Anonymous

I would highly agree an aussie is a childrens dogs, AS long as you have enought time to excersive it everyday for at least an hour! As our aussie starts to chew things if she is not excersized. But yes a great childrens dog

Great :)
by: Anonymous

I was raised with Aussies (ages 0-7) and am no worse for wear :) Actually the only possible negative side effect I can think of is an enduring, fiercely loyal, deeply seeded love for the breed that has plagued me my whole life! Both of our Aussies where fun, playful, intelligent, and loyal companions who never tired of sharing my adventures, or childish antics; and probably most importantly from a parents always made me feel safe.

I have a scar on my face from where your loyal family GOLDEN RETRIEVER bit me when I was 3 (Note: This incident was completely my fault as I was worrying him incessantly and getting in his face while he was eating, even knowing he didn't like it)But aside from the odd playful nip at my heels every now and again our Aussies never so much as growled at me, even though I was a rambunctious and mischievous child.

I always felt safe and cherished with my Aussies, both safe from them and from anything else the world could throw at us. Though it must be taken inconsideration individual temperaments (Golden Retriever story case in point) I eagerly recommend the Aussies as child pets(though they'll want adult attention too and don't forget it)from the very bottom of me heart <3

Love grandchildren
by: Anonymous

I have 13 grandchildren, when they were very young, our red Australian shepherd was very protective of them and they could do anything to her and she loved it.

Aussies and kids
by: Anonymous

Aussies are so sweet and wonderful! We have one with two kids, ages 6 and 9. But they do get bored if they aren't excercised a lot. Our Aussie generally is walked by me for at least 1/2 a day, then by a dog walker 2ce a day for half an hour, our nanny for 1/2 hour and then we head the dog park in the evening for 45 min or so. He also is frequently with me on car rides. And he often plays with our neighbor's puppy for about an hour at a time (maybe 3-4 times per week) and whenever we are away for awhile at kids' swim meets. I love, love having him and it's worth it to me to meet his needs (exercise, vet trips (schedule and emergency ones), Dogsitter when we can't take him on vacation). But i have many friends who feel like a dog who needs that much exercise is too much when they have young children.

Aussies
by: Anonymous

I would not recommend this dog with young children. I have had an Aussie for 4 months now and he is going back to the breeder as he won't stop nipping and biting the kids. My kids are 7-14. We have taken him to behavior classes and done everything they recommend.

Not a great dog if not worn out.
by: Anonymous

Not a good dog for kids. When my children run my dog will chase and bite them. He has not bit down hard, but if he gets ahold of a shirt or an article of clothing he pulls them down. He thinks they are runaway farm animals. Today he tore my daughter's shirt pulling her. He will be getting a muzzle tomorrow. I am the only person he seems to listen to, but when I turn my back he gets into trouble. He steals the children's toys and runs with them, so they will chase him and they start screaming. I love my dog, but he is a royal pain in the butt. Very protective of me, and gets jealous when I hug the kids. He is very smart and I'm not giving up on him. Just know this is a farm dog not a house dog. A ton of work, easy to train, but will act up if it wants attention or is bored. No one human could match the energy of these dogs.

An exception
by: Anonymous

I have read from many websites about Australian Shepherds about how kid-friendly they are, but I have an exception. My Grandpa has an Australian Shepherd that does great with my brothers and I (youngest is 10), but she does horrible with other children. There are several kids in the neighborhood who are afraid of her because she barks and growls at them. She never bites them, but she is intimidating. I am guessing that she is great with my brothers and I because she grew up with us. P.S. She is the most jealous dog I have ever met.

Yes, yes, yes!
by: Anonymous

I can't say enough how much this breed is compatible with children. My first Aussie was two and a half years old when I had my first baby and he died shortly after my seventh was born. He loved all the children, saved one from the road, followed one up the road when he wandered off and stayed by his side, and for the first six he would position himself in such a way that when the children were learning to pull themselves up they would use him. He was fiercely but gently protective over all of my children. Our second Aussie came after he died at the age of 15 and seems to be the same way and we now have a third.
While it's true they need a lot of exercise, I think an active family is what they need. If we're not hiking or taking them on a daily walk, for us a game of search and find, fetch, and playing in a large backyard with the children has been sufficient.
They are so smart, so are easily trained. You will have to teach your children as well, though. The Aussies do chase, but I tell all my children they are the boss.... They are to stop running full their hands stomp on the ground and say no. That has always worked. They are not aggressive and I have not ever experienced consistent biting or nipping, just an occasional chase and nip. No one has complained that it was painful. There is one other downfall when dealing with your Aussie and other children and guests... They run so fast to greet people that it scares the daylights out of them. They mean no harm but they are fast on their feet and can look intimidating. However, our second Aussie is a little more aloof with strangers, but never aggressive.
I hope this helps. They are one smart dog! Who loves with such a devotion!

Bad experience with this breed
by: Anonymous

I had to rehome my Aussie of 3 years. Had him since he was a puppy and he was always weird around kids. Nipped multiple kids in the face and bit any stranger. He loved my husband and I and was very protective of us. I strictly watched him around my kids and kept them separate if I couldn’t be watching 100%. He eventually got my toddler in the face unprovoked so he had to go. Found a farm for him with other herding dogs and thought it was the perfect fit. Got a call after a few weeks that he bit down on her hand hard and sent her to the ER with deep punctures 😢

Great dogs
by: Anonymous

We have 2 Aussie’s (2 yr old male, & 1 yr old female) both love kids so much. We have a 4 yr old neighbor who my 2 yr old let’s sit on him. And Both listen to her, we had to teach her what to say and the hand movements. They will heard anyone who will let them. But my whole neighborhood loves my dogs, no ones been nipped, bitten or growled at. Now My 2 yr old only nipped the 4yr old once and was barking, (we all hang out in the afternoons and let the dogs play together) when we went to see why it turned out he was actually protecting her from a snake, and even then he didn’t break the skin and she not scared of him. They are very hyper, so I have to agree with the other comments about playing and running them. But they are like any other type of living thing they can be sweet or you can get a rough one, we could tell our twos personalities within the first 2 months of getting them (got them when they were 8 weeks). But they need to be socialized, we took ours to dog parks, family events regular parks and the pet stores to get them use to kids, people and dogs.

From a 12M baby perspective, 12/10 experience.
by: destiny

Getting a toy Australian shepherd for our son was the best decision we’ve ever made, we got him from a breeder when my son was a year old and having our puppy for a year, we have no regrets at all. Having a few dogs in our past lives, we have both said our aussie was the most easily trained, gentlest, patient and intelligent breed we’ve ever dealt with. As my son is learning words and sentences, so is our dog which is pretty shocking to see with how many dogs we’ve had. With the pulling and tugging, our aussie was extremely patient, with the help of training on both ends. Not an hour goes by without our Aussie making our son laugh, they are literally best buddies and play with each other every single day, it’s actually so heartwarming to see. I will say they are very protective over your children, like when they get hurt or another dog quickly approaches them but not in a bad way, they will get in front of your children and making sure the dog doesn’t harm them, well as least mine will and that’s a good thing. Aussies are quick to be antisocial with just your family, if you don’t socialize them. If you get them out and socialized with strangers and other dogs, they won’t bark or show any aggression unless you show some kind of danger. Aussies are known as herd dogs so nipping at the ankles is pretty normal if research is done, ours doesn’t bite down or has my son cried about it, it’s just their sign of play since that’s all they really know. A quick training will help if you mind this, you can easily adjust their behavior to children, strangers, children’s toys and about anything else, they are truly an intelligent breed that will quickly learn yes or no’s. You just have to teach them correctly and early.

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