[OverOverWeight]

I have an Austrailan Shepherd/Blue Heeler mix...looks like Mad Max. He loves to "hunt" so we play hide and seek with him. Luckily we have a couple of acres so he entertains himself for the most part and our neighbor walks him for us. He's an elderly man and walks up and down our street (no thru traffic) a couple times a day and Blue likes to go with him....no leash, just tags along.

[L R K]

Hi thinpossible

I have a miniature Australian Shepherd with a not so miniature amount of energy!

<--------------- this is her, Kammi

We walk her everyday, 2mile walk + 30mins off leash playing fetch at the park. Backyard play, house play and short walks will just not cut it. Aussies are not only high energy but the are also very intelligent, they need activities / jobs that will tire them mentally as well. I agree with AuntyJam - try Dog Agility or other fun activities that will get your dog thinking.

Because yours is mixed with an Eskimo it may not need quite as much but I would say you are looking at at least a 2mile walk everyday.

They do need A LOT of exercise! And they love it But with enough exercise you'll have a happy, both physically and mentally, and healthy dog!

[Foxlette]

I have two Australian Shepherds, and they are such wonderful dogs! Talk about smart. Their job is to hike up, over, and down mountains with me. Lots of walks, exercise, and we've done a few Agility classes! They really excel in obedience trials, games of hide and seek... and really anything that gets them thinking. They're on the same wave-length as Boarder Collies.

Chuck-its are WONDERFUL. Aussies, if you have one that's fetch-oriented, can make great frisbee dogs. One of mine, a 3yo female named Zoey, is very high-drive and is a great retriever. She'll go after anything - even plunge into the pond after pebbles or sticks. She's hilarious. My 2 and a half yo male, Shadow really can't be bothered. He's one of the most chill/relaxed Aussies I've ever met.

I've seen a few people mention it already, but yes, Aussies are a US breed that originated in California (I think I read that somewhere once, but not 100% sure) but were really perfected as a breed by American Stockmen in the Midwest who exclusively bred them to be sharp-eyed, intelligent herding dogs. The Aussies became more well known after WWII when rodeos and horse shows were rising in popularity. They were often shown off as amazing stunt dogs.

Another "job" to give them is to constantly work on discipline and new tricks. One game I play with my pups is toy/name association. Their toys are kept in a basket, and I tell them to "Bring me football," or "Bring me penguin." We work on learning which toy is which. Keeps their minds active, and then we get to play tug, or toss, etc. when they bring the correct toy.

Sorry to ramble on for so long - I'm just an extremely proud Aussie Momma, and I LOVE talking dogs. I've met so many friends just because of my dogs! Obedience classes are nice ways to meet interesting people!

[Phoenix301]

Foxlette, I have a 10 month Aussie mix (with border collie i believe, we dont know 100%) and I have been wanting to teach her the name thing too! We have some problems with my dog Asia and clicker training, it has the reverse effect as most dogs. she is intimidated and startled by the sound, so we don't use a clicker..In fact we have been using it at times when she is misbehaving to get her attention..its been kind of slow going to get her to do some things because of this..but she is also very smart as you might expect! She is already a budding Frisbee dog..some day i want to train her to do the big stuff, but for now I'm just keeping it to fetch and catch because shes still a pup and it would be bad for her joints. Anyways, yay for fellow Aussie owners!


This is Asia