# Australian Shepherds on a Farm



## milkmaid

How do Australian shepherds do with other farm animals? What about Aussie mixes, like an Aussie/GP or Aussie/Lab?


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## ksalvagno

They are herding dogs so you would need to be mindful of that. Also, they are smart so you need to keep them busy or they get into trouble. But I would think generally, they should get along fine as long as you do the proper introductions.


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## Trickyroo

Perfectly said


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## .:Linz:.

I think that with good training, they'd make a good "general farm" dog. I would stay away from an Aussie/GP mix, because the breeds have different "types" of instincts. With the Aussie/GP (or any LGD breed) cross you have a dog with the territorial guarding instincts of the LGD and the chasing, nipping, and herding instincts of the Aussie. You're liable to end up with a dog who has a high prey drive. LGD/other crosses seldom turn out well.


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## milkmaid

OK, thanks.  I am considering getting a puppy, and I'd like it to be part Aussie (not purebred). We have 2 other dogs that love to play, and it will have the run of about 3 acres of woods and field, as well as kids to play with every day. Do you think that will keep it busy enough?


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## WalshKidsGoats

We have two Aussies and they are very respectful of our goats, after an encounter with a new goat mom  Ours are very easy going and they learn really fast and are easy to train. We absolutely love them! Some Aussies are somewhat hyper, similar to Border Collies, so it's a good idea to meet the mom to see what her temperament is like. Puppies tend to take on their mom's personality.

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## hanna5977

milkmaid said:


> How do Australian shepherds do with other farm animals? What about Aussie mixes, like an Aussie/GP or Aussie/Lab?


i have a australian shepherd, border collie, blue heeler mix...you need to keep them busy...he does pretty good with the goats..just need to watch the nipping of the heels...i have a shock collar on him when he's in the backyard with them..in case i have to correct him..always use the vibrating mode..not the shock...works really well...good luck!!


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## maple hill farm tina

We have an Australian shepherd and rough collie (like Lassie) puppy we got as a basic farm dog. We've had him about two months. So far, training is going really well. He is extremely smart, and he does have to be kept busy. He's a digger, and we're working on that. And he's fine with the baby goats so far, but I haven't left him up there alone yet. He's VERY loyal and is not a roamer. He stays right next to me when I'm outside and waits for me on the porch when I'm inside. He's great with my five kids, but again. I'm not at the point where I trust him in the room alone with the baby... He was house trained after only two days, which totally amazed me. And he does not shed nearly as much as our little rat terrier... I'm just trying to mention everything I can think of... 
Hope that helps... If you have any questions, feel free to ask...
Oh! His father was killed by a mountain lion trying to protect the herd he was guarding. Which tells me that these dogs put their herd ahead of their own lives....


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## animalfamily

We once had an Australian Shepherd/Blue Heeler mix. What everyone above has said is very good advice. They would make great farm dogs, but you do have to keep them busy, and work with them.
I know from experience as when we got our puppy, we had just bought our 'place in the country'. We had nothing in the way of livestock, nothing for him to do, so he went and found someting to do; which just happened to be the neighbors' cattle........Long story short, it did not end well. Lesson learned . We found out very early on, good dogs don't just 'come' good dogs, they _grow_ into good dogs through love, dedication, and perseverance !!


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## peggy

Yep, good advice. I had an aussie/GP mix that had super prey drive, extremely smart but I never trusted him with the goats. I also had a purebred aussie a few years ago but never had animals at the time so couldn't say about that. She was an awesome family dog though.


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## spirithawk06

We have a pure Aussie from working lines. He stays inside with us and goes outside a good bit to play. He was taught to herd our ducks, chickens, geese, horses, and goats and also when to leave them alone. He knows what we mean when we tell him a certain species.

They're AWESOME dogs, but they are SUPER intelligent and NEED stimulation. Daemon turns destructive if he gets bored. He also mopes if we don't take him with us when he wants to go.

They need consistency with their training and they do well. They learn FAST and usually don't forget. They are high energy for the most part. Daemon is the most laid back Aussie I've ever met.









Thought I had a more updated picture. This was a year ago.


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## milkmaid

He is beautiful!


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## Trickyroo

Ditto ! He's gorgeous


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## spirithawk06

Thanks! I got him for my husband as a "just because" gift. He's a great dog. We wanted another aussie from the same breeder when we lost my golden retriever/ border collie mix but she had a waiting list a mile long. I wound up adopting a border collie/cocker spaniel mix. We're lucky that he took the BC herding and not the spaniel hunting instinct. He was also raised with our critters from a fairly young age. 

I forgot to mention that a lab mix might not be the best to pair with an Aussie for farming because of the hunting instinct. If you have birds, labs are bird dogs. We have a lab that we fostered and wound up keeping due to a failed home. He kills any chickens he gets a hold of and took a long time to learn NOT to go after my horses. It took a horse kicking him for him to be wary of them. Same with the goats. It took my friend's huge buck ramming him a couple of times to keep him from chasing my herd. We keep him away from the chickens but if one wanders in his pen....*chomp*


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## peggy

I guess we all have different experiences with different breeds of dogs. I now have a lab mix and 2 springer spaniels, all great hunting dogs. They are trained to leave the chickens and goats alone and have never bothered either even when one walks by. This is the exception and I would never leave them unattended but it goes to show that there are exceptions. I think if a person wants a dog for a particular thing like guarding, hunting, etc...... that is the breed they should try to get. It is more difficult to train a breed to do something not natural to them than to have a dog that already has the instinct for what it was bred.


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