Australian Shepherd owners, tips please!

[Rose_adamaj]

A little background on me. In the 90s I owned & trained obedience dogs.
My dogs are always trained using motivation. We won many competitions, we being myself, Crystal & Oscar. Crystal & Oscar were German Shorthairs. I have always had hunting breeds, and my shorthairs all had hunting titles. I always had a lab to remind me how awesome life is.
Fast forward to 2023. My husband & I have been so happy with our two little doggies! A 7 yo Chiweenie & a 15 yo terrier mix. Retired, did a little traveling, so happy!
Then - a starving puppy showed up.
Too many unwanted animals, no group or shelter would take him. We agreed to foster him. Told to give him a good name. What is a better name than JJ Watt
JJs behavior confused me, I thought I knew a thing or two about training.
So much guessing about what breeds were mixed up in this sweet, extremely intelligent guy.
JJ is now 6 months old and it is obvious that he is an Australian Shepherd mix. I have sent his DNA test in to see what else is in there, but I’m sure there is also Labrador because of physical traits.
Yes, we are foster failures We have adopted JJ Watt Smith!
***If you made it this far Thank you! In looking up information about Australian Shepherds JJ Watts behavior started making sense. Very mouthy, wants to nip ankles, smart beyond belief. Last night I read a few articles about training a herding dog, not to train JJ, for more information about his behavior.
JJ Watt seems to have all the desired instincts to be a great herding dog.
I have ordered a ‘herding ball’, and three treat puzzles and balls. The herding ball is an oversized soccer ball, was recommended in an article for JJs age & size. They all get here tomorrow 12/24.
JJ is food motivated. He is trained to come, sit, down, don’t jump on people and sit when meeting someone new. My husband takes JJ somewhere every day for a walk and is trying to make sure JJ is exposed (safely) to as much as possible. All of the above is generic, something I have done regardless of breed.
Now that I know JJ isn’t defective, I want to do right by him. (defective, kidding!)
I need to stop JJ from nipping our heels, we are old people and don’t want to fall. Tips or suggestions please.
Any and all advice, suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated!
I will add pictures.

 

[AidKD]

@ThePhoebeFive

 

[GreenJay]

A little background on me. In the 90s I owned & trained obedience dogs.
My dogs are always trained using motivation. We won many competitions, we being myself, Crystal & Oscar. Crystal & Oscar were German Shorthairs. I have always had hunting breeds, and my shorthairs all had hunting titles. I always had a lab to remind me how awesome life is.
Fast forward to 2023. My husband & I have been so happy with our two little doggies! A 7 yo Chiweenie & a 15 yo terrier mix. Retired, did a little traveling, so happy!
Then - a starving puppy showed up.
Too many unwanted animals, no group or shelter would take him. We agreed to foster him. Told to give him a good name. What is a better name than JJ Watt
JJs behavior confused me, I thought I knew a thing or two about training.
So much guessing about what breeds were mixed up in this sweet, extremely intelligent guy.
JJ is now 6 months old and it is obvious that he is an Australian Shepherd mix. I have sent his DNA test in to see what else is in there, but I’m sure there is also Labrador because of physical traits.
Yes, we are foster failures We have adopted JJ Watt Smith!
***If you made it this far Thank you! In looking up information about Australian Shepherds JJ Watts behavior started making sense. Very mouthy, wants to nip ankles, smart beyond belief. Last night I read a few articles about training a herding dog, not to train JJ, for more information about his behavior.
JJ Watt seems to have all the desired instincts to be a great herding dog.
I have ordered a ‘herding ball’, and three treat puzzles and balls. The herding ball is an oversized soccer ball, was recommended in an article for JJs age & size. They all get here tomorrow 12/24.
JJ is food motivated. He is trained to come, sit, down, don’t jump on people and sit when meeting someone new. My husband takes JJ somewhere every day for a walk and is trying to make sure JJ is exposed (safely) to as much as possible. All of the above is generic, something I have done regardless of breed.
Now that I know JJ isn’t defective, I want to do right by him. (defective, kidding!)
I need to stop JJ from nipping our heels, we are old people and don’t want to fall. Tips or suggestions please.
Any and all advice, suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated!
I will add pictures.

Congrats on your new adoptee! JJ sounds adorable, post a picture!

Aussies are wicked smart and the original Velcro dog, they want to do everything with you, except maybe bath time

Our older one, Yoshi, didn't really nip except couple of times when kids where here playing. Getting removed from the "fun" with a lot of no's etc taught her quickly that nipping at the kids heels meant game over for her.

Our younger one, Royce, would nip at my leg to get my attention (I'm in the kitchen, he has a toy). When he'd nip, I'd grab his snout, told him no biting, then I'd bump his nose against my leg and tell him "nudge me" if you need me. Took couple of times but high praise first time he snout bumped my leg, never nipped again. Now fast forward 3 years- 45 lbs of solid dog nudging your leg like a little kid tugging on your shirt tale going mama over and over

Bless their hearts, wouldn't trade mine for the world no matter how much they can get underfoot .

 

[Rose_adamaj]

A little background on me. In the 90s I owned & trained obedience dogs.
My dogs are always trained using motivation. We won many competitions, we being myself, Crystal & Oscar. Crystal & Oscar were German Shorthairs. I have always had hunting breeds, and my shorthairs all had hunting titles. I always had a lab to remind me how awesome life is.
Fast forward to 2023. My husband & I have been so happy with our two little doggies! A 7 yo Chiweenie & a 15 yo terrier mix. Retired, did a little traveling, so happy!
Then - a starving puppy showed up.
Too many unwanted animals, no group or shelter would take him. We agreed to foster him. Told to give him a good name. What is a better name than JJ Watt
JJs behavior confused me, I thought I knew a thing or two about training.
So much guessing about what breeds were mixed up in this sweet, extremely intelligent guy.
JJ is now 6 months old and it is obvious that he is an Australian Shepherd mix. I have sent his DNA test in to see what else is in there, but I’m sure there is also Labrador because of physical traits.
Yes, we are foster failures We have adopted JJ Watt Smith!
***If you made it this far Thank you! In looking up information about Australian Shepherds JJ Watts behavior started making sense. Very mouthy, wants to nip ankles, smart beyond belief. Last night I read a few articles about training a herding dog, not to train JJ, for more information about his behavior.
JJ Watt seems to have all the desired instincts to be a great herding dog.
I have ordered a ‘herding ball’, and three treat puzzles and balls. The herding ball is an oversized soccer ball, was recommended in an article for JJs age & size. They all get here tomorrow 12/24.
JJ is food motivated. He is trained to come, sit, down, don’t jump on people and sit when meeting someone new. My husband takes JJ somewhere every day for a walk and is trying to make sure JJ is exposed (safely) to as much as possible. All of the above is generic, something I have done regardless of breed.
Now that I know JJ isn’t defective, I want to do right by him. (defective, kidding!)
I need to stop JJ from nipping our heels, we are old people and don’t want to fall. Tips or suggestions please.
Any and all advice, suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated!
I will add pictures.

 

[Rose_adamaj]

Congrats on your new adoptee! JJ sounds adorable, post a picture!

Aussies are wicked smart and the original Velcro dog, they want to do everything with you, except maybe bath time

Our older one, Yoshi, didn't really nip except couple of times when kids where here playing. Getting removed from the "fun" with a lot of no's etc taught her quickly that nipping at the kids heels meant game over for her.

Our younger one, Royce, would nip at my leg to get my attention (I'm in the kitchen, he has a toy). When he'd nip, I'd grab his snout, told him no biting, then I'd bump his nose against my leg and tell him "nudge me" if you need me. Took couple of times but high praise first time he snout bumped my leg, never nipped again. Now fast forward 3 years- 45 lbs of solid dog nudging your leg like a little kid tugging on your shirt tale going mama over and over

Bless their hearts, wouldn't trade mine for the world no matter how much they can get underfoot .

Yes, Velcro is such a good description!
I love love love the ‘nudge’ advice. As you already know, JJs intelligence is off the charts. Teaching the nudge isn’t going to be terribly difficult. What a great solution!
I quickly learned to not have JJ & the chickens loose together. I didn’t know what JJ was trying to do, but the chickens were not cooperating I know now that he was trying to herd them. A few more fences and everyone was happy.
I have only had one other doggie this smart. My husband and I want to try to not mess JJ up! His studying of things & situations constantly blows my mind! Then the rascal goes at the same thing he has been told ‘no’ for in an entirely new way! I’m sure you aren’t surprised.
I am trying to be careful about the ‘unintended consequences’ when training or correcting JJ. Example- I have been trying to get him to leave the kitty alone. What JJ learned - don’t bark when harassing kitty
Oh my, I have no hope & that’s okay I did use a vibrating collar and he now leaves the kitty alone. No kitty abuse here.

 

[ShrekDawg]

He’s adorable! Although he looks more border collie to me. But either way, very smart herding breed still

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

None of my Aussies ever tried to nip my heels. Hopefully you can get it to stop by just whatever word means no to you, and redirecting. My Aussies haven't been as reactive as the border collie we had. She was very reactive and busy all the time. Curious to see what breeds are in your new pup.

Aussies have a way of thinking for themselves, and sometimes can be dominant in behaviors, and need direction. I read a lot of people have troubles with the breed. I think understanding their nature and reason for the breed can help people to know what to expect.

They were bred to move cattle forward in a boisterous way, so they are pushy and sometimes noisy. They also are sensitive to corrections, and do better when you explain things to them. They are an interesting breed that can drive you bonkers, or make you happy, but usually it ends up being both.

 

[GreenJay]

He is a cutie!!

They will try to outsmart you for sure! And they learn all kinds of words and how to spell them besides what you teach them -
"Have you checked the mail?" *hysterical dogs, ready to race to the mailbox* changed to -
"Have you checked the m-a-i-l ?" *hysterical dogs etc*
Now the current verbage is"have you been to the box?" or "has postal gone by?" . They're gonna figure that one out any day now!

 

[GreenJay]

How is JJ doing?

 

[Yardmom]

We just adopted an Aussie from our local shelter. I don't have advice to give, but will be following along to learn as well.