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Best Companion for My Aussie

by Shyla
(Texas)

Hi, I have a 15 month old Aussie, and I can't take him everywhere unfortunately. He has panic attacks if there are no other dogs or people around. So, the question is not whether to get him a friend, it's more along the lines of what gender and what breed. I can't take him everywhere, as much as I'd like to and it's not fair for him to be all by himself when I can't be there. I'm just wondering if my best option would be to get another Aussie, because I would really like another heeler. I'm just wondering if he would be more likely to get along better with another Aussie? If anyone has any tips, thoughts, or suggestions, I would be grateful.

Thanks.

Comments for Best Companion for My Aussie

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another aussie for sure!!!
by: Anonymous

Yes another Aussie!!!!!

Best Companion
by: jcrply

I too have been considering getting a second dog. It hasn't been as straight forward as I thought it would be. Very recently I have been reading lots of articles on the "pros and cons" of adding a second dog, and am having second thoughts. My advice to you is to do the same and GOOGLE and read as many of these articles as you can find before deciding to get another dog. There are ramifications that you may not have considered... I hadn't. They may or may not apply to your situation. Anyway, if you do get another dog, I would recommend one with similar energy level. After much reading ... (but before I read the "pros and cons of adding a dog") ...I decided on either another Aussie or a Golden Retriever, and another Aussie seemed to be the best choice. Everyone seems to recommend getting a dog of opposite sex of the one you already have. I hope you get some helpful answers... I look forward to reading them too.

companion
by: Gayle-- Big Run Aussies

I have 3 Aussie girls and they get along great. Aussies don't play the same way as other breeds. My Buchanan was in puppy class with all Goldens and he couldn't understand that they didn't want to play herding and tackle games. It just wasn't the same. I suggest another herding breed and particularly another Aussie. A female might be better, but as I said, my girls get along great. My youngest one also plays with our 1 yr old Bengal cat. They are great friends. Bryn plays herding with him, has him in her mouth and he never scratches or bites. They are BFF's. Another one of our dogs also had a cat that she was best friends with. The bengal has the same energy and athleticism as the Aussies. He is very doglike and has taken to clicker training. When I train the girls, he is right there.

companion (Gayle)
by: jcrply

How do you do the training with 3 dogs?

Adding a second aussie/dog
by: Anonymous

We have always seem to have two dogs (females). About 4 years ago it was an aussie and a pom and they got along great. When our aussie passed away we waited about 3 months and then got another aussie puppy Piper, our pom Allie wasn't too happy about this but I think it was because she missed Sidney. Over time they get along just find and understand each other great. About 3 weeks ago we deceided to get another puppy to play with Piper because Allie is getting older and really doesn't want to play aussie games with her. So we now have three dogs.....We added another aussie but went with a mini and a male (Mojo)this has worked out great he and Piper play from sun up till bed and it took the pressure off Allie now she can just lay back and watch them without being bothered to play.

Three dogs
by: Anonymous

I had two dogs a Pom and a Aussie and my pom just couldnt entertain my Aussie enough so we got a mix breed (shepherd husky) and they love each other! I see huge improvements in my aussies behavior, hes not so mopey and now have a friend to run in the field with. I havent had any negative effects with the third dog.

Thanks for the input...
by: Shyla

Thank you everybody for all the helpful comments. I did look up the pros and cons of adding another dog, and there were a few scenarios I hadn't thought of. On the other hand, I had to adjust the way I did things when I got Jake, and would probably have to adjust to living with another dog.I really didn't want to get another dog because of how busy I am, but Jake needs another friend who will be there when I can't,and I hate to see him suffer when he didn't do anything wrong.Fortunately, I'm homeschooled,and I train horses for my mom at our family ranch. The time I spend at home is the good part, but I am getting another part time job soon, so I won't be here all the time, my little sister is a middle school cheerleader, so she's always busy, my mom's busy, and the NBHA regional director for our area, among other things, and her puppy is with her, dad's busy or out of town fixing natural gas compressors, and that's pretty much everyone. Did I forget to mention I'm in drivers' ed., and fixing my truck in the meantime? I'll soon be competing on some of the horses I'm training as well, so naturally it's a tough decision. At least it was until this morning, watching how happy Jake was playing with my mom's puppy. She couldn't keep up with him though, after a while, so I'm almost positive I should get another Aussie. Like my papaw said, if you have the want to, you can find the can do. If it keeps Jake happy, then it'll be worth any trouble. Thanks, everybody.

Best Companion for Aussie
by: jcrply

A previous comment to this post advised that Golden Retrievers are not a good choice as a companion for an Aussie... and I should have listened to that. I love Goldens, and I love Aussies. This weekend we did a trial period with a Golden mix from a Golden Retriever rescue. He is a great people dog but he would not really play with my Aussie and became very annoyed by her jumping on him and slamming him. Sometimes he would just freeze like a statue. So he will go back to his foster home. My pup is 15 months old. She is in an agility class and they do let the dogs loose to play for a few minutes after class, so she does have some canine contact, and that will have to do for now. So, definitely, if you get another dog, GET ANOTHER AUSSIE!!

Just got a female Aussie for my male Aussie
by: Anonymous

I just adopted a female Aussie, 1 year old, as a companion for my male Aussie who is now 15 months. The male is a real alpha dog and the girl is smaller and more passive, definitely not alpha. They do play well together, but I think he resents her somewhat because she takes attention away from him. Sometimes his play gets too aggressive with her, but other times he seems okay, and she's always giving him the come on anyway. Since he loves playing with other dogs, I thought he'd enjoy having a full time companion, and it would ease the attention he demanded from me. Now she follows me 24/7, is very attached after only three weeks, and barks more than he does. It's double work again having two dogs, especially when they both need to be doing what the other is doing all the time. Walking them gets especially unnerving too when they both want to compete for the lead and one pulls one way and the other is pulling the other way. Agh!! Lots of patience, work, and adjustment needed on my part. After owning several dogs in the past, I think it really depends on a dog's personality whether it will be the right dog for another dog. But if a dog is high energy, definitely find another with a near equivalent energy level. But don't get two alpha dogs!

Aussies need a matching playmate
by: Anonymous

Once our Aussie was a year old and well-trained, we got an Aussie-mix from a shelter as a playmate for her. Although she got constant attention, it was not the same as another canine companion. They are excellent playmates, very rough play that most dogs would not enjoy. An Aussie's playmate MUST match them (similar breed, similar size, similar age, similar energy) which pretty much means that an Aussie's best playmate is another Aussie. My father's German short-haired pointer is the same size and age, but she ALWAYS gets hurt playing with my girls. She simply can't handle the rough and tumble that Aussies thrive on. My girls are constantly at each other outside, pass out from happy exhaustion, then start again. I'll never have just one.

Have an Aussie and a Golden
by: Topeka Husker

We have a 7 year old Golden and an 8 month old Aussie. They get along thick as thieves right now. My Golden has been super patient with my Aussie. The only bad point was my Golden's big fluffy tail. My Aussie thought it was the greatest toy in the world and would try to catch it constantly. He has grown out of that now.

Border collie/lab mix companion
by: Anonymous

We have a male Aussie and when he was about 2 we adopted an ~3.5 yo female border collie/lab mix from a shelter. She's the best companion. She's about 10 lbs heavier than our Aussie and they play very rough together. She's also a bit more reserved than him and less needy. Sometimes she needs her space from him, but often they'll lie right next to each other and nap. He really likes her and often grooms her. And she seems to like him, too. They get along great and she's a really good companion for him and keeps him from getting too bored or destructive.

Best breed choice for mini Aussie
by: Anonymous

I have a mini Aussie pup she’s about 12 weeks almost and once we get moved out into our own place I want to get her a friend. I was considering a chow chow or a Shiba Inu. Possibly a Pomeranian. I’ve always had Pomeranians in the past but I don’t know if that would be too small of a play mate for her. I’m in college and also have a daughter who is 17 months old so I don’t always have time to play with her and we aren’t always home so eventually I want a playmate for her so she’s not alone when we can’t be there but wanna be sure I get the right breed. I love chow chows but I’ve never had one so I don’t know how there personalities are.

FELINE
by: gregg

Dog is never alone with the 2 cats. Always has company without the added cost of another dog.

Getting another Aussie
by: MJB

We have 2-year-old altered male Aussie! He's a wonderful, high energy, intelligent dog. That being said, he's also mischievous and seeking attention.
We have the opportunity to rescue a 2-year-old spayed female Aussie. After reading all the comments, we have decided to go ahead and adopt this playmate for our boy!
We have several fenced acres in the country, so we're counting on them wearing each other out at the end of the day!
We're retired, so they will also get a lot of human time too!

Help please
by: Anonymous

Do Aussies get along with small dogs? I have a 6-month-old small breed dog and have thought about getting an Aussie.

Aussie and Lab
by: Anonymous

My Aussie (boy) does great with my Lab (girl)! I kind of consider her his dog😁 They have also grown up together.

can't decide
by: Anonymous

We had two female Aussies one year apart. last year our 11 yr old got cancer and lost her. Don't know if it was harder on us or her life long companion. Sometimes I think Katie is happier being the only one. Then I look out and see her laying by our back gate where she can see dogs next door across the pasture. She isn't very active and that worries me. She has arthritis so can't play ball. Maybe she really is happier with just being our center of attention but we don't speak dog.

Aussie Chihuahua Corgi Pack
by: Anonymous

We have a Chihuahua and a Corgi both were almost 9 when we got our Aussie. Our Corgi is also a herding dog but obviously quite a bit smaller. Our Aussie loves the littles and plays very gently with Chihuahua who weighs 4 lbs. the Corgi was not very sweet to our Aussie as a puppy so that relationship took a bit to form. The key with an Aussie is to keep them busy. We live in the dessert and our lot is less than .50 of an acre. I started running with our Aussie at 1 yrs old and she now is almost 3. She does about 30 miles a week running. If she does not run she plays too rough with the littles. All 3 have somehow become their own little pack just took a little bit to figure out everyone’s place... all 3 are alphas. It’s definitely been challenging but the reward is 3 very happy dogs and 4 very happy humans.

Definitely go for 2 Aussies
by: Anonymous

I have a mini Aussie and added a half mini/half full size Aussie. My first is very obedient, but still likes to play rough. The second is an absolute handful difficult to train, food crazy, etc. Pretty much the only thing they have in common is breed name and energy level.

Thankfully they both like to run wild and play fight all day long but it can get pretty aggressive sometimes. I've considered getting another dog but I would like a smaller one and I just can't find one that can match the rough housing. Worried that my larger Aussie would easily hurt a smaller dog by accident.

2 mini aussies 3 months apart!!
by: Anonymous

I got a Mini Aussie (red) at 9 weeks. He was my baby and went everywhere with me. But, when he had to be left alone he stressed out terrible. He's 6 months, Aa bundle of energy and I have trouble tiring him out. I got a 3 month old pup for companion and a play mate. Best decision I ever made. They are close enough in age to play the typical Aussie games of slamming into each other and exhaust each other. The older one is alpha and loving it. Best decision I made.

Aussie is probably for the best, but....
by: Anonymous

If you already have 1 Aussie then you know they can be a bit... hyper, i guess you could say. I have 2 Aussies, and they basically ganged up to make my life miserable (Dont worry, i still love the little fuzz butts!). 2 can be alot, but its definetly the safest option.

As long as they have the same energy levels…
by: Kota

I just got an Aussie that is now 3 months old. He is super playful, as Aussie’s are. I live with my parents who have a year old Great Dane as well as two small Chihuahua mixes (both males). My Aussie (Goose) gets along very well with the Great Dane (Rexi), however not so much the smaller dogs. The chihuahuas are older and have way less energy and kind of despise my puppy. He will follow them around trying to play and get ahold of their tails, and they of course don’t like it and have snapped at him a few times. I believe that as long as they are around the same age and match each other’s energy level, then a companion is a great idea.

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