Australian Shepherd (Aussie) Appreciation Thread!!!!!!

[oldhenlikesdogs]

https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/slipperyjack

 

[Appalachickens]

Does anyone else have an Aussie that sneezes/snorts when excited?
My neighbors have one, and he sneezes, and I have a lab/aussie mix and he sneezes too. They are so weird

I read that dogs will sneeze when roughhousing to show that they aren’t seriously fighting. Both mine (a coonhound and a beagle/Aussie/coonhound mix) do that.

 

[Appalachickens]

Love the Aussie butt wiggle

Oh my gosh, our part-Aussie does that wiggle. It’s freaking adorable.

 

[ShrekDawg]

https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/slipperyjack

Gorgeous

 

[ShrekDawg]

I read that dogs will sneeze when roughhousing to show that they aren’t seriously fighting. Both mine (a coonhound and a beagle/Aussie/coonhound mix) do that.

I’ve heard that too.

Oh my gosh, our part-Aussie does that wiggle. It’s freaking adorable.

Awwwwww

 

[Cebarmlds]

My Aussie has a cute butt wiggle too!!

When she sneezes I say bless you! and she'll smile and sneeze again.

 

[paintedChix]

It also is not uncommon for dogs to get worse or develop new behavior issues after neutering. It really upsets hormone levels. I would just be careful though, the thing that scares me the most about having an intact male is that if they where in a backyard and smell a female in heat, their determination is enough to break out of even some of the most secure yards. Just something to keep in mind. I have heard many stories of males breaking out and getting hit by a car or lost.

Yes, we had what was supposed to be a show puppy. Our daughter was showing dogs w/ a friend. She was offered a puppy from a show kennel for a $1. She showed adult dogs for the kennel. The owner was a judge.

But her finkie (Finish Spitz) got out of a 5' chain link fence. He was "tagged" by a car right in front of our house. Vet did not give a good prognosis, he had problems off & on w/ his dislocated hip. He was neutered to reduce some of his drive.

I'm on the fence about neutering. I worked for a low cost spay neuter clinic for 10 years. Most were/are unhandled, aggressive & scared. And SCARY to work with. Our corgi/pom, Fizzy, was adopted from a rescue that took on 80 (yes, eighty) dogs from a hoarding situation. Fizzy came in w/ 9 other dogs that day including her dam, 2 sisters & several corgi/poodles. Some of those hoarded dogs were very sick & if I remember correctly 10 (of the 80) died while being treated at an ER vet. Some were pure bred breeds - pomeranian, corgi, poodle, some other long haired smalls... Every week, for 2 years, we spayed & neutered between 50- 60 dogs for just that rescue. We dealt w/ many others & 5 different ACs as well.

I'm using past tense because I haven't been at work since i broke my leg Feb 2024. I developed some other health issues as well...

If a person is conscientious about their dog, keeps him/her up w/ all the breeding checks/tests & goes so far as to both train & prove that dog, i have no problem w/ breeding dogs. I feel that we need good, purebred dogs.

When I was growing up, in the west, most dogs I was around were intact. If a female was in heat, she was kenneled - in owners home, barn or even the truck & trailers. If a male was persistent about harassing females (coming in/going out of season or not anywhere close), the owner of the male(s), treated them same. They would be left w/ truck/trailer - in a kennel - until we returned from whatever we were doing.

The first dog i remember, in Hawaii, was a papered dachshund. She had a couple unregistered, 1/2 doxie litters. Then we found a registered male whom complimented her very well. Some of those pups from 2 litters went on to show well - in breed/conformation & ... not sure what the classes were but they were fun to watch. BUT all pups, 4 litters, were worked with. They didn't go to new homes until 12 weeks (not typical 8). They were all handled a lot!! And had some basic obedience before leaving our home. The owner of the stud dog purchased Heidi when we transferred from Hawaii to VA, in 1974.

When we came back to states, we visited my Dad's parents in OH. I would have been between 10-11 yrs old. I witnessed 2 Dobermans & a Shepherd, all intact males, jump a fence and tear into my Dad - i was closer to the house... police, ambulance & AC showed up to deal w/ them. I do not remember what was done w/ the dogs... I know that dad had some serious lacerations, took months to heal & had to get Rabies Vax. Not fun & held him up a while... on base. He was NEVER comfortable around dogs again.
I am still uncomfortable around Dobies, German Shepherds, King Shepherds & Belgian Malanois. Since working at the Sandhill Spay Neuter Clinic, I've found polar opposites in Pits. We've owned one, tried several (didn't work with our small dogs, cats & ponies) & did foster 2. Soooo....

I've been ashamed of the # of military personnel that abandon dogs here in NC (where ive lived - between 1997 & 2004 - Cumberland & Robeson counties; 2004 to current - Harnett, Lee & Moore counties). Abandoned dogs often form packs. I've seen &/or had injuries & death occur to livestock (cattle, horses & ponies & chickens - HERE in NC.). Most are intact, so there will be bit - ches w/ pups on the fringes of these packs. They get hungry!!

A pack of dogs took down a "calf" (@ 7-9 months, he was around 550-600 #s. Not a newborn). This was a calf owned by the manager of a therapeutic riding center & their property was bordering the riding center. Our oldest daughter's way in the future husband had a much younger 1/2 brother who rode there (he is autistic). Several of our daughter's class mates had family members that rode there. This was a very distressing event & actually shut down the center for a bit.

A young woman that bred two of her Shetland mares to our Shetland stallion had the resulting colt attacked in Pinebluff, Moore county. While he wasn't killed, he was severely injured. Lots of muscle damage to his hind quarters, though he wasn't hamstrung. Her husband used a pitchfork & a whip to go after the dogs. No injuries to other ponies, her or her husband... Moore county AC recognized "the pack" when they were described (before cell phones were "a thing" so no pictures). At least part of the pack was caught & euthanized - female, males & pups. Different breeds/types & "the small one" was about 15#s. I don't remember the largest - just that small one, maybe because we've owned small dogs ourselves?

I have lost several flocks of birds to domestic dogs from Jan 2015 to Aug 2024. They jump our fenced pasture (was fenced for the TINY minis before we bought it), they dig under. They jumped hot poultry netting & I've had them tear through poultry netting that someone forgot to turn on (could have been me, ?) on our 21 acres here in Harnett/Moore county. One dog, I actually shot at since i was carrying a 22. Didn't hurt him, but he was a smallish hound. He had just started digging a hole at the pasture gate. Emaciated, I swear his testicles were bigger than his belly. Looked like he had had a collar/maybe a tie out? Neck was raw where a collar would have been. My neighbor wasn't squeamish. He did get him. Dog covered in ticks & fleas. Looked to have mange. His neck wasn't just raw, but was actively bleeding. The neighbor buried him.

So. All that to say Yes, I still believe we need good breeders turning out dogs matching their breed standards AND having good personalities. Just don't let him become one of the sad statistics.