Australian Shepherd: temperament, training and care

At a glance

Temperament

• Smart, busy working dog
• Herds children and bikes
• Reserved with strangers

Training tips

Give them a daily brain job: tricks, scent work or herding balls.

Australian Shepherds usually pick things up quickly, which also means they learn bad habits quickly. Keep sessions short and varied, and reward the calm behavior you want to see more of.

Start with a marker word, sit, come and leave it. For a puppy, see the puppy training guides.

Exercise and energy

A healthy adult Australian Shepherd typically needs around 90 to 120 minutes of activity a day. Walks alone rarely cover it: add sniffing games, training and play so their brain gets tired too. Puppies need much shorter sessions while they grow.

See how much exercise a dog needs and our games and enrichment ideas.

Health to watch

Things the breed is known to be prone to. Ask your vet what to check for your dog.

• Hips and elbows. Prone to joint problems: keep them lean and ask the vet to check the joints each year.
• Eyes. Prominent or sensitive eyes: see the vet the same day for squinting or a cloudy eye. See: Eye Injuries.