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Guide To Australian Shepherd Training & Care

Australian Shepherd Around Kids?


Hi! I have a beautiful blue merle Australian Shepherd named Luna, and she is amazing. Crazy smart, loyal, sweet etc. She has a brother, Navi (8 yr old Lab mix), to keep her company.

The only issue she has is how she reacts/behaves around younger children. It seems that the children closer to eye level to her are the ones that truly "bother" her. She is not aggressive (doesn't run towards, etc) but will growl and try to herd/nip them if they start making many sudden movements.

She did nip a family member's young child when she was a puppy and I was extremely upset. I have tried to slowly socialize her around children when I can keep her on a leash, etc, and once she has met a child once she is usually okay with them and doesn't seem to be stressed at all or want to herd.

Thanks for any tips!

Navi is amazing with kids, doesn't really acknowledge them unless he wants to be pet and will let them pull his tail etc. My husband and I aren't having kids anytime soon but I do have a lot of younger children in my family as does he and we want her to be able to be around them without worry.

I'm not sure if she just needs more socializing with children or what is the best way to go about it. Thanks!

Comments for Australian Shepherd Around Kids?

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Idea
by: Anonymous

I had a family daycare and the kids use to feed my Aussie its meals by hand. As long as you feel comfortable that the dog wont bight the child you could start by giving your dog extra yummy treats when children are near so your dog associates children with good things. After awhile you could have a child give the treats.Make sure the treats are something super exciting such as cheese or similar and do not attempt this if your dog is at all food aggressive. Good Luck.

Aussie around kids
by: BucksMom

I concur with treats. We took our Aussie "Buck" in as a rescue. His humans had no time for him and with a baby on the way, his increasing aggression was terrifying them. We have 2 young children ourselves. We really watched Buck hard around the kids, not letting them go near each other without a parent close to Buck. Constant treats for being a good boy and letting the kids give a treat, pet, repeat really made a huge impact. Fast. Buck is now the protector of my little ones and when a new kid enters the house, he's not as scared, though for safety measures we do have any new kids give treats and pet. I was worried this would encourage Buck being rowdy but he learned fast. Less than a month to teach him not to growl bark or nip at anyone. 😊

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Guide To Australian Shepherd Training & Care

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