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How Does Herding Manifest In Young Aussies?

I have a 8 month old female Australian Shepherd. We've been training her and she is, for being so young, fairly well behaved. She's very sweet and has not shown aggression towards visitors other than barking.

We've introduced her to children (ages 3-7, up to 12) and she's always been good with them. But today my nephew was visiting (he's 4) and she was very wary of him, even acting as if she was going to stalk him. She didn't, however, bite. She was also very well behaved with his older brother who is 5.

I'm really at a loss as to what sparked her behavior, since she's always been so accepting to other children. I was wondering if she was herding.

Comments for How Does Herding Manifest In Young Aussies?

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When does your Aussie show herding
by: Tamara

In my humble opinion, all dogs, just as us humans, have some people or other dogs that we just don't like or relate to. My 7 month old Aussie is very wary of most strangers and we are working on that. My last Aussie liked most people but occasionally would be hesitant or ignore them suspiciously. I think the main thing you need to make sure is that she doesn't get pushed into accepting ANYONE, because that could put her in a position to bite. She is also very young, so just patiently work on meeting lots of different people (and children). Just let her do it at her own pace.

Aussie puppies herding
by: carol

My 8 month Aussie wanted to herd from the day we got her at three months. My aussie is a very friendly girl, she wants to greet and play with all dogs and people and children are her favorite. When mine pup is around young children I put her in a down position and only then do I let them pet her. I have also taught them to put her in a sit if she keeps wanting to following them. This breed thrives on obedience training. The more advanced training they get the more relaxed and happy they are.

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