How to Care for an Australian Shepherd

The intelligent and playful Australian shepherd has a strong instinct for herding cattle and sheep, but in the absence of both will have just as much fun playing with your little ones. This rambunctious breed needs a securely fenced-in backyard and a lot of daily activity.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Worming Medicine
• Dental Kits (for Dogs)
• Dog Beds
• Dog Bones
• Dog Brushes
• Dog Flea/tick Control Medication
• Dog Food
• Dog Leashes
• Dog Shampoo
• Dog Training Aids
• Nail Clippers For Dogs
• Dog Shampoo

1. Vaccinate your Australian shepherd when you first get her and then make sure she gets yearly booster vaccinations to maintain her immunity to disease. Also, worm your adult dog every three months and consult with your veterinarian about flea control products.

2. Feed your Australian shepherd high-grade dog food. The first ingredient should be meat if you want a quality product. Crude protein should be no less than 30 percent and crude fat no less than 20 percent. The fiber content needs to be 4 percent or less.

3. Socialize your puppy when she's young to be with children, strangers and other animals. Australian shepherds have a tendency to be guarded with strangers, as they are very protective of their home.

4. Know that an Australian shepherd, because of its herding instinct, tends to nip at the heels of children from time to time. This will occur especially if the child is running. Instruct your children to immediately stop running and stand still.

5. Train your puppy in obedience early on. This breed, because of its above-average intelligence, needs a lot of mental stimulation. Consider enrolling in obedience classes and/or reading appropriate materials about obedience training.

6. Exercise or run your Australian shepherd at least once a day. The Australian shepherd is a working dog and is abounding in energy. It needs a vigorous workout to prevent the formation of negative habits such as chewing and digging.

7. Brush your dog's coat as needed with a firm-bristle brush. Shampoo as needed and trim nails every two to three weeks. The Australian shepherd is a medium shedder.

8. Contact a recognized Aussie breeder to ensure that your Australian shepherd has been properly bred and tested for certain health conditions such as hip dysplasia (a malformed ball and socket in the hip joint), cataracts (cloudy eye lens), progressive retinal atrophy (blindness) and Von Willebrand's disease (a bleeding disorder).

9. Note that male Australian shepherds will grow to 18 to 23 inches and weigh between 30 and 45 lbs. Females will grow to 17 to 21 inches and weigh between 27 and 40 lbs.

10. Realize that an Australian shepherd's life expectancy is 12 years or more.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to securely fence your backyard; otherwise your Australian shepherd will likely chase down neighborhood pets and cars.
• Contact the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (see Related Sites) to learn more about hip dysplasia.
• Australian shepherds love to play fetch and Frisbee.
• They enjoy time in the water as well.

[steph501]

on 9/17/2009 I have a 6 month male Aussie who suffers from high anxiety when left alone for any period of time. Does this get any better as time goes on?

[jrivera711]

on 4/12/2009 WE just got are first Australian Shepherd and she is great were all very happy with her thanks for all the tips

[Jera]

on 11/13/2007 We bought our aussie a basket ball...it was 15 minutes of pure enjoyment!!!
He loves squeaky balls and does well with toys made by JW and West Paw-he has has the JW toys since we brought him home at two months, and now at nearly 10 months old he has yet to destroy one!!!

on 8/8/2006 Please buy quality chews (no rawhide) for your Aussie. Mine is a strong chewer and average dog chews don't last long at all. I prefer cow knuckles from the pet food store or I buy rib bones and roast them in the oven for my dog.

on 8/8/2006 I bought my first Australian Shepherd for my sons. He's great! We got him as a pup and he loves everybody in the family and our friends (who visit often). But he doesn't like my brother in law. The bad part is, my brother-in-law is only 6 years old. I'm not sure what it is about him, but he is the only kid our Australian Shepherd will bark at. My kids love the dog, and he actually tries to herd them as if they were cattle or something. My husband and I get a kick out of seeing them play in the yard with a soccer ball. I've been trying to teach him how to play with a Frisbee. I would recommend this type of dog to people who are active and stay at home. If you leave them it will drive them crazy. If you can't be with them a lot, don't get an Australian Shepherd. Our Australian Shepherd even follows me to the bathroom, he'll sit outside of the door as if he's guarding it.

I couldn't ask for an better dog! He's so smart! I always keep rawhides and lots of toys on hand to keep him entertained.