When people decide to get a dog, they rarely bring a new puppy home after just one day of thinking about it. In other words, they tend not to make any hasty and out-of-the-blue decisions, because they want to know precisely which dogs are right for them and which breeds they might want to avoid. You are probably the same. After all, nothing good can come out of randomly choosing a breed and getting it without first having all the necessary information about it.
Yet, even though you don’t want to make any hasty moves here, I suppose that you already have at least a few breeds in mind that you would want to check out and possibly get. Everyone has their favorite breeds and you are probably not any different in that regard. Given that you are here, I can take a guess and say that the Australian Shepherd is probably on the list of your favorite breeds and, as you can see at holistapet, there is a lot you need to know about this particular dog so that you can decide if you want to get it or not.
Sure, you could just randomly make that decision and say that the Aussie is right for you just because it is so beautiful, but that’s not how you should make these choices. Instead, you should spend some more time learning about this specific breed, so that you can learn as much about it as you can, with the aim of checking whether it would fit in with your specific lifestyle. I suppose you understand that not every dog is right for every person, meaning that you should definitely spend some more time trying to make this choice.
If you have decided to do the necessary learning and then choose if you want to get an Australian Shepherd or not, then you have come to the right place. We are now going to take a closer look at this breed and thus help you if you want to bring this puppy home or not. You will undeniably be able to make this decision once you get the necessary information, so let us start giving you the information you need.
An Aussie Needs To Be Properly Trained
In case you’ve never had a dog before, then an Aussie could be a real challenge for you. This is because it needs to be properly trained and you, as a new owner, might not know precisely how to conduct the training. Yet, this does not mean that new owners cannot possibly handle an Australian Shepherd. It just takes some practice. Plus, you can always get some useful advice from the people who have already owned this breed, or from professional trainers, so as to teach your puppy everything it needs to know.
Here’s more information on how to train an Aussie: https://www.wikihow.pet/Train-an-Australian-Shepherd
Now, if you don’t feel comfortable enough to train this dog, you should think about getting it professionally trained. This is a very good option for most new owners, but you’ll need to be careful when choosing the trainer. Not all of them will have the same amount of knowledge and the same expertise, and your task is to find a highly experienced, skilled and reputable trainer. After all, you do want what’s best for your new dog.
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It Also Needs Exercise
The next thing you need to understand is that an Australian Shepherd needs to get enough exercise in order to be happy and healthy. You probably understand already that every single canine needs exercise, but some of them can be quite lazy, while others are extremely active. Well, the Aussie falls into the category of the extremely active ones. So, if your lifestyle does not allow you to spend enough time being active with your canine, then you should think twice before getting this particular breed. On the other hand, if you are an outdoorsy and active type, then you’ll have a great companion by your side if you get an Aussie.
It Is Rather Protective
If you are looking for a highly protective dog that will always be on alert and ready to react if something unexpected and unpleasant happens to its owner, then the Australian Shepherd could certainly be the best choice for you. These canines are definitely extremely protective, which means that they are always wary of strangers. This is why you need to spend a lot of time socializing it from the very beginning of its life, so that your guests aren’t always met by an aggressive dog that is ready to bite whenever it feels even slightly threatened. While the fact that it is protective is certainly a good thing, you need to understand that socialization is also extremely important and you can find tips on how to socialize it on this page.
You Should Check If You Can Afford It
Now, you should never get a canine before you check whether your budget allows you to. Different breeds require different types of care, meaning that some can be quite more expensive than the others. Owning an Australian Shepherd is certainly not cheap, as you need to invest in training, grooming, food and regular vet checkups. Those are the costs that you will probably have no matter which canine you get, but you need to think about some other ones when Aussies are in question, especially those related to the diseases that are typical for this breed. Plus, they might chew your furniture, which can also be a huge expense.