Australian shepherd breeders are very proud of their breed. This breed is very intelligent and very easily trained. These dogs required their name from the Basque sheepherders that came to America from Australia. The popularity of this breed grew greatly by the rise in riding in the World war II! They are versatile and very hardworking.

These dogs have a great eagerness to please the leader of the pack, meaning the owner. This breed is highly regarded by its impeccable obedience to the owner. Most get trained to preform certain acts by just a sound the owner makes. It can be taught to do many of these.

The Australian shepherd can be taught to preform more jobs than just herding due to their trainability. They have excelled at agility contests like frisbee and flyball. They have been some of the quickest dogs in the obstacle course run. These dogs have been successful at jobs like search and rescue, disaster dogs, detection dogs, guides, service, and even therapy dogs.

The australian shepherd breeders have specified to potential buyers that these dogs must be highly socialized to prevent meaness against strangers. They warn that new people to the dog should be on guard anyway when approaching it. These dogs have been greatly appreciated for the ability to handle any problem that life throws at it. It can solve problems in its own way to gain control of a situation. The guard dog instinct will come out more in the dog when the owner is not present.

The Australian shepherd breeders warn the potential owners that the “Aussie” threats are not a bluff. If that dog wants a cow or a sheep to move it will do whatever it has to to make it move. Even if he has to bite! This holds true with the watchdog instinct. If a stranger ignores the dogs warnings they will get a nice bite too. These dogs must be properly socialized as puppies to help lesson this threat.

Getting good knowledge of your breed of dog before the purchase will ensure that you are getting the right dog for your family. Some are more family oriented than others. Australian shepherd breeders say that they are good family dogs if properly trained. They need a lot of room to run and need to be given boundaries. They also need to be given a job to do so they do not get bored and find their own job. Like chewing your shoes!