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Australian Shepherds are good “all-around dogs”. They are versatile in the way that they are great finesse herders, great family members and alert watch dogs.
They are quick to want to please their family and learn very quickly. Even if the puppies have never been around livestock, they still have a strong instinct to work. This can also be hindersom since they are not likely to be candidates for small closed in quarters. They need their room to run.
They can become protective over their family and property. They don’t take well with strangers which is why it is important that they be trained well or visitors may not be welcome.
In all the years that we have raised aussies, we have found that they are very instinctive of who belongs and who doesn’t. My females tend to be more possessive than my males and therefore meet people at the gate quicker. I’ve also noted that they will listen to me when I say “ They are okay girls”, and they will go about their business, but if they are not 100 % sure they will tend to stay closer to my family and watch more closely. My girls have been trained to accept command, but I can see where without proper training they could become too aggressive to strangers.
So when considering Aussies as pets, be aware of the great potential they have , but also of the aggression they could show without training.
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