Aussie Attachment and Reserve

There are lots of things we love about our Aussies. One is the absolute joy they demonstrate whenever one of us returns home, even if we've only been gone a few minutes. Australian Shepherds bond closely with their humans and offer unconditional love, something all humans should experience (it's the greatest). They are loyal and protective and always willing to share our joys and heartbreaks. Our dogs would rather be with us doing something they don't enjoy than with someone else doing fun stuff. They really are 'velcro' dogs.

One down side of this close attachment is that Aussies are vulnerable to loneliness and separation distress. They need to be with you whenever possible and you need to teach them early on to accept separation when it's necessary. Although an Aussie will cope with a modern family that is hardly ever home, they shouldn't be asked to live an isolated life in a backyard while the rest of the family is indoors. Don't get an Aussie unless you truly intend to keep it for life and make it an important part of your family. Two dogs can be better than one if you are gone lots of the time, but please don't buy two pups at once. Talk to us about how best to structure your doggy family. 

A second down side of the close bond that forms between an Aussie and its owner is that some Aussies are 'reserved' with strangers. In the past, when Aussies worked for a living on farms, it was probably a good thing for them to show hesitation in approaching strange people and strange events. They were expected to take care of themselves and their owners. In our modern community, however, being reserved is not so highly sought after. A dog who is wary of strangers is more likely to bite somebody when put into an uncomfortable situation. They are also more difficult to re-home if necessary and they experience unnecessary anxiety coping with normal social events. Some of our Aussies are definitely reserved with strangers but it is something we are trying to breed away from.  We want our dogs to be comfortable in the average family home, where visitors are common. We also want them to be part of a family, which means feeling at ease at football games, picnics and in crowds at shopping centres, and when other dogs come to visit.  

To prevent our puppies from showing the reserve common in their ancestors, we try to select dogs for breeding that are outgoing and confident. We also spend heaps of time exposing our pups to strangers. Even so, we do see different temperaments emerging in our babies as they grow. Some are very outgoing and confident, while others are naturally more reserved and like to take a bit of time before trying something new or making friends. Some of these puppies can be guided through the fearful stage and we often ask owners to wait until their pup is ten weeks old before removing it from the care of its mum. Nonetheless, please think about the kind of dog you want to own and work with us to select one that will fulfil your needs. Don't buy a timid puppy if you want it to hang loose with your kids and all their friends. Don't buy something that loves everyone if you want it to be devoted to you alone. Most Aussies make great family dogs. Others are happier when they have a special human all to themselves and don't have to share. Remember that we are supposed to be the smarter of the two species. Why expect a dog to change its personality to suit our needs when we can easily use our brains to choose one that's perfect in the first place? 

Aussie Looks and Variability

We think Aussies are amongst the best looking dogs on earth and one thing we love about them is the great variability within the breed.  This comes from their working heritage, which stressed structure and function above precisely- described physical features. Variability is most obvious physically, with quite different builds and spectacular coat and eye colours being the norm. Even within litters there are huge differences. We also find that our Australian Shepherds vary greatly in temperament and personality. Sage was the perfect lady, very haughty and dignified and only ever naughty when she thought no one was looking. Sherbet, on the other hand, is the extreme extravert who has to be up and at it all the time and who is naughty just whenever she thinks it might get her some attention. Timmy loves strangers and is best friends with everyone, but is generally more relaxed than the rest of the gang. Deedee is the reverse, a busy beaver, always watching for new adventures. She likes nothing more than to climb into our bed for a special cuddle but is uneasy around strangers. Jemima is the sensitive one and just can't bear it if anyone is mad at her while Maddi takes the role of group clown and is always in trouble for something. Fergus is the worker. He always has one eye on Ron, waiting for a job to do. Boomer is different again. He has ultra strong herding instincts and has to be in the thick of any adventure, but is totally devoted to his mum. Our youngest aussie, Candy, is the product of Boomer and Maddi and we can clearly see this in her temperament. She is active and keen to work like dad, but just that little bit more reserved and also sometimes a bit silly. That's Maddi's influence and comes straight from grandma Sherbet. 

Aussie Intelligence and Trainability

Aussies are highly intelligent animals who are quite prepared to spend their entire lives learning behaviours that they can use to make sure their human companions are happy. They learn quickly and enjoy having new challenges, excelling at canine sports like obedience and agility. This is great if it's what you want, but be warned that Aussies will learn quickly and enjoy challenges whether you want them to or not. Don't assume that the well mannered dogs you see at shows and other doggie events were born that way. Owning a dog involves a huge responsibility and a huge amount of work, especially in the first year or so. Many Aussies are only happy if they have a job to do. It might be search and rescue, agility or stock work, or it might be watching the kids or keeping the couch warm. Whatever the job, Aussies need to feel like they have a central role in the family. 

Because Aussies are so intelligent, they won't be satisfied if you leave them in a backyard without company or don't take the time to teach them the good manners they need to be a  family member. When Aussies are unhappy or bored, all sorts of unwelcome habits can develop, like digging, barking, chewing the washing etc. The best way to stop these habits is to prevent them from ever starting. Don't buy an Australian Shepherd (or any other dog) unless you have plenty of time to spend with it. Make sure your Australian Shepherd always has heaps to think about and make sure it is part of the family. Think about providing toys or other distractions while you are away from home and make sure your Aussie is with you whenever it can be. When we first became involved with Aussies we declared we would never own more than four, since that was how many could fit in the bathroom or car comfortably. Aussies are addictive though and now we have several more than four living with us. We bought a huge property to accommodate our dogs and a huge car (the kennel on wheels) to transport them around. One of us is home 24/7 and the other works from home at least 2 days per week, usually with several dogs nestled under the computer desk. Nonetheless, it is really difficult having so many dogs and we don't recommend it.  Our dogs don't like sharing us around and each one wants to be with us all the time. Keeping them all amused is virtually a full time occupation.

All HevnSent puppies are socialised and receive lots of basic training prior to going to their new homes. We  spend a great deal of time handling and training the pups before they leave and potential owners are encouraged to visit regularly so that the pups get to meet lots of new people. We also require that all puppy buyers agree to attend a puppy training school when they first take their puppy home. At HevnSent we believe it is absolutely critical that you and your new pup get off to the best possible start together. Plan to spend a lot of time in the first few months teaching your pup all about life in the modern world.

Aussie health issues

Australian Shepherds are generally healthy, robust dogs. Like all pure breeds, however, they have suffered greatly from the widespread practice of too much inbreeding and experience a number of inherited health problems. We are lucky in Australia as most of our Aussies have been carefully selected from top American and European kennels and health problems are minimal. There should be nothing to worry about provided you purchase your pup from a reputable breeder. Make sure that the hips and eyes of the parents have been assessed by appropriate specialists (not ordinary veterinarians), and that your Aussie is similarly assessed before you ever decide to breed from it. We don't recommend breeding from your Australian Shepherd unless you plan the event very carefully. In fact, we strongly believe that all dog breeding should be left to those with sufficient time and resources to do it well. Nearly all of our pups are desexed prior to sale so our new owners don't have to worry about this process. 

Aussies are also robust in terms of nutrition and most will thrive on any good quality diet. At HevnSent we feed our dogs a diet called BARF, which stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food. Our aussies are fed once or twice per day with a mixture of raw meat and bones. When we have time they also get yoghurt, eggs, fish, oils, vitamins, kelp and plenty of fresh fruits and vegies. Occasionally, they get a meal of good quality dried pet food but we treat this like fast food. OK for special occasions but expensive and not nearly as nutritious as the stuff dogs are supposed to eat. Diversity makes for variety as well as excellent nutrition and all our dogs look and feel great.