"The Truth About Australian Shepherd Temperament" - 7/2006: Aussie Times, bi-monthly magazine; published for the breed education committee “Aussies were not designed or bred to be pets and as pets, with no job to do, they get into trouble. An Aussie with no sheep to herd, ducks to drive or cattle to round up will herd the kids instead. All Aussies need a job to do; maybe three or four jobs!” - Liz Palika, “Is an Australian Shepherd Right for You?” The “Aussie needs a job to do” mantra has been around a long time. It's a cliché within most working breeds, but is it true for the Australian Shepherd today? April Metroulas' article on petplace.com is a good example of the kind of information available to the general public about the Australian Shepherd: “An active and friendly herding dog;” “They are also instinctual herders and will tend to nip at your heels;” “Aussies are very high energy;” “They need loads of exercise and demand time and attention;” “Some can be cautious with strangers, but most are highly loyal and affectionate;” “These dogs are exceptionally easy to train.” Is Metroulas accurate about the Australian Shepherd in general? These days, there is no denying that a split in the breed has occurred between the originally intended “old-style” working Australian Shepherd and the “new” suburban Aussie. The Australian Shepherd of forty years ago had a very different purpose to its existence and, as such, a different temperament was required of it. While the old breed adage may be “the Australian Shepherd is not right for everyone,” there are individuals in the breed that are likely “right for many.” The key, however, is finding the dog that is right for you. The Reality of and Reasons for Variety in Personality “The Australian Shepherd is intelligent, primarily a working dog of strong herding and guardian instincts. He is an exceptional companion. He is versatile and easily trained, performing his assigned tasks with great style and enthusiasm. He is reserved with strangers but does not exhibit shyness. Although an aggressive, authoritative worker, viciousness toward people or animals is intolerable.” - ASCA Breed Standard, 1977 The breed standard provides a general blueprint of the ASCA-approved Australian Shepherd temperament. But what exactly do terms “guardian instincts,” “exceptional companion,” “reserved,” and “aggressive, authoritative worker” translate to? For many breeders, these can equate to different things. As the Australian Shepherd evolved independently, without outside aesthetic and organizational influence, the concept of form following function should be evoked through the entire standard, not only the character section. Illustrated by the phrase “primarily a working dog,” the Australian Shepherd fits amidst a class of dogs bred to be employed by their owners or handlers – in “primarily” the form of herding and guarding. As noted earlier, the emphasis on both of these functions has been removed for the “new” Australian Shepherd, and thus much of the personality has changed as well. The correct personality described in the breed standard is a reflection of the working Aussie's environment and responsibilities. Cattle rancher Norm Andrews says in his article, “Why I Chose Aussies”: They own you, and form a relationship with you and your place like no other thing does.  I can train a little with the dog, but the Australian Shepherd follows me, seems to learn what we are doing, and just gradually steps in and takes over with a minimum of correction and effort.  They have trained my cows, made my life so much more efficient, and keep every day fresh and enjoyable. It takes an intelligent dog with trainability and enthusiasm to perform helpful work on a ranch with minimal training effort. It is this trait that attracts most Aussie owners to the breed, “old” and “new.” Much confusion exists, however, about those pesky descriptions of “aggressive, authoritative worker” and “reserved.” Many individuals today tend to take “aggressive” to mean seeking confrontation, and “authoritative” to mean dominant in personality. Nothing could be further from the truth if looked at with the eye of a stockman. If a person is described in a business setting as “aggressive” it means that person is a go-getter, and this is no exception for the working Aussie. Terry Martin states in “What is the Australian Shepherd?” that: A good Australian Shepherd will work silent or use bark for authority.  A dog who barks and does not bite is of little use for ranch work. . . The dog will have the confidence to walk in on standing stock to move them. [. . . ] The good Australian Shepherd is always eager for physical confrontation with the stock. Does this mean the dogs are constantly looking for opportunities to take a chunk of flesh or nip at your children's heels? Not at all. While no one can deny the utility of strong herding instinct, the importance of the strong guardian instinct well applied is best described by Roger Stevens in his article, “A Tale of Three Aussies”: For all their working aggressiveness, [they] were good-natured dogs.  This is not saying they weren't good watch dogs, they were.  But I didn't have to worry about them biting everyone who came into the yard.  Again, they seemed to instinctively know who to watch and who was okay. The function of a dog with strong guardian instinct in a ranch setting should be self-explanatory – run off those not welcome and be reserved enough to leave those visiting alone. “The Aussie was not developed in England or Scotland to herd sheep in a pastoral setting,” states Martin, “The Aussie was developed on American farms and ranches and was not only a working stockdog but a guardian of the family and home. An old timer in Colorado told me one time, 'I wouldn't have a dog who would let himself be stolen.'  With what I see on the news every day I have to wonder why in this day and age it isn't more important to breed for a dog who wouldn't let your child be stolen as well.” A good question, indeed, but when burglars win lawsuits against individuals protecting their homes from intrusion, the strong guardian drive of a dog willing to hold the meter reader until help arrives can trouble many dog owners. With the advent of the “new” Aussie, which is finding a following in suburban America, to primarily serve as a family companion, therapy dog, or conformation competitor, form has to follow function. In the environment of close neighbors, constant contact with strangers, less exercise naturally offered, it makes sense that fanciers of the Australian Shepherd have started to breed away from traits that might be contrary to successful evasion of lawsuits and fit the needs of inquiring puppy buyers. It is because of this that most people coming into contact with Australian Shepherds these days expect friendly dogs. It is important that potential puppy buyers are aware that there are still lines enduring that do not fit the “new” Aussie temperament – but rather conform to the ASCA breed standard as described precisely because they are still filling the requirements of a working stock dog – or are bred from these lines. In both temperament cases, the Aussie still serves as an exceptional companion, but dealing with the different kinds of temperament issues that can arise from puppy buyers unaware of the lack of uniformity with in the breed is the responsibility of any Aussie owner, breeder, or fancier. Common Temperament Issues and What We Can Do to Avoid Them Kay Marks, long time Aussie rescue representative states: “There is probably no single area besides genetics that has more affect on temperament than a lack of socialization.”  Pat Hastings, in "The Puppy Puzzle", refers to the "Rule of Sevens" (http://www.katwala.com/sevens.html). In this article, Hastings advises that puppies, by the time they are seven weeks old should have seven different: walking surfaces, playing objects, location experiences, challenges, eating containers, eating locations, types of people. “Starting right from birth, Aussie pups should be exposed to all sorts of stimuli and situations,” warns Marks. “That should continue as the puppy grows and then goes to its new home, right through all the crucial socialization periods and adolescence.” Person, fear, and dog aggression are also common problems in Aussies with temperament issues. Many of these can be avoided through proper socialization throughout their lifetime, but breeders and buyers should be aware of the very real genetic inheritability of such traits. The breed is also famous for its tendency toward dominance issues. Marks suggests: “Spaying or neutering as soon as the pup reaches the proper age can prevent dominance and other behavior issues, especially in males.  Aussies are not little people in furry coats and need structure so that they know their place in the 'pack.'” Hyperactivity is a common complaint of long term Aussie owners and breeders – something many mistake as a mark of the “ability to work all day” that our Aussies are structured to be able to do. Australian Shepherds are not necessarily dogs that need jobs. Those working in Aussie rescue get a lot of, “This dog would be better off on a ranch.” But the fact is that an aggressive, unfocused, or hyperactive dog wouldn't be of much use on a farm or ranch. An Australian Shepherd possesses razor sharp intelligence and applied energy, but one with the correct temperament will not resort to destruction if it doesn't get a walk every day or to bring in the cattle. According to Terry Martin: “My kids' dogs were content to live on the kid's bed, come out for supper to mooch what they could, maybe lie around in the family room and watch TV a bit - and this was all of their lives.  Both were real working dogs and did love to work but neither cared if they never worked if they could live that life.” Wonderful Aussie Character Traits That You'll Find in Any Kind of Aussie Marks says, “I loved horses first, and it gives me great pleasure to watch my Aussies and see things that remind me of what I enjoyed about horses.  There are so many things that made me fall in love with the breed-their intelligence, willingness to please, loyalty, devotion, enthusiasm, athleticism.” While the annotations to the character section of the breed standard state wryly that “the breed standard is not a place to brag about our breed.” This is. Australian Shepherds are loyal. Beyond loyal. They are your shadow. Again, there are many Aussies that are not quite one-person dogs, and there are many Aussies that would go home with a stranger or show him the keys to the safe in your home, but the dogs will always prefer you to others they encounter. The Australian Shepherd is smart – which can be confounding if you're not used to dealing with it – but a blessing if you can enjoy it. A friend told me on a day out in the forest, “Your dog is just interesting to watch!” As we go about our business, the Australian Shepherd is attentive and animated both to us and its surroundings – finding things to look at or play with when the mood strikes and our attention is not on them. The Aussie really can do anything. It may be able to work any kind of stock, but it can also do any thing you ask of it: trialing in dog sports, search and rescue, ratting, sled or weight pulling, bird hunting: you name it. Its intelligence, combined with its sublime athleticism makes anything possible. Is there a glass ceiling for this breed? It hasn't been found yet. The Truth The ASCA breed standard was created only 30 years ago, a minuscule time period compared to other breeds.  Twelve years ago, the AKC formally recognized the Australian Shepherd.  Today, the Australian Shepherd is listed at the thirty-fifth most popular dog in AKC's breed registry (an incredibly high ranking out of the hundreds of breeds recognized by the AKC).  This kind of sudden breed popularity can bring both negative and positive side effects to all aspects of a breed, and has definitely begun to affect the Australian Shepherd.  It is the responsibility of every owner and breeder of Australian Shepherds to recognize that such an enormous leap in breed popularity in recent years has caused a split in the breed, a split that involves not only looks, coat length, and size, but also the most central part of the Aussie....TEMPERAMENT.

Kristin Tara McNamara 805.748.1478 maculated@gmail.com

Copyright Kristin Tara McNamara 2006