Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Set up for success
• Part 2 of 3: Teaching your Australian Shepherd to respond to commands
• Part 3 of 3: Minimizing herd behavior

Australian Shepherds are sheepdogs and popular family pets. They are highly intelligent dogs that thrive best when properly trained. To train an Australian Shepherd you must focus on rewarding good behavior and reinforce training through repetition and consistency. With a little time and effort, your Australian Shepherd will become a beautifully trained companion for years to come.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Set up for success

1. Socialize your dog at an early age. Dogs that are socialized early are better able to interact with different people and function in many different situations. Take your dog to different places where he can interact with many different people. Showing your dog that strange people and new places are fun, rather than scary, is an important part of raising a well-trained dog.
   • Some things you can do to socialize your dog include taking him to a friend's house, walking in a neighborhood other than your own, and taking him with you when you go grocery shopping where dogs are allowed.
   • If you have an Australian Shepherd puppy, it is best to start socialization when he is seven weeks old. Between the ages of seven weeks and four months, the dog will go through an important socialization period.
   • Even if a dog hasn't been socialized between seven weeks and four months old, that doesn't mean he can't be socialized. It just means that it will be more difficult to get your dog used to different people and places.
2. Use reward-based training principles. Australian Shepherds respond well to rewarding training, or positive feedback training, that rewards good behavior. Rather than punishing unwanted behavior, this type of training motivates the dog to repeat desired behavior by praising it or giving it a treat when it does what you want it to do.
   • In reward-based training, you either praise the dog or give him a treat when he accomplishes desired tasks. For example, sitting and coming on command, and relieving yourself in time.
   • Buy high-quality rewards from the pet store to encourage your dog's good behavior.
3. Consider clicker training. Clicker training is a type of training that uses a sound to indicate to the dog that the command has been followed. This is a form of communication that works well for Australian Shepherds who receive extensive training.
   • With clicker training, the trainer first gives a verbal command. The moment the dog follows that command, the trainer clicks on the clicker and then gives the dog a reward. The sound produced at the time of completing the task clearly lets the dog know that it did what you wanted. Giving cookies, on the other hand, can also be interpreted by the dog as a reward for any previous action.

Part 2 of 3: Teaching your Australian Shepherd to respond to commands

1. Start training your dog to basic commands such as sitting and lying down. Getting started in training can be the hardest part as you need to develop communication with your dog to get him to understand what you want him to do. At first, wait until the dog is about to do what you want him to do, such as sit, on his own, then say the word you want to use for that command. After the dog has taken the action and you have said the floor, give him a reward. Every time you notice your dog is about to sit, say the word sits and reward him.
   • Through repetition, your dog will learn to associate the word you say with his action and will know that he will be rewarded for doing what you say.
   • Use cookies and praise to encourage good dog behavior. Australian Shepherds are highly motivated by cookies and praise and they are highly intelligent dogs. This works to your advantage during training.
   • You can also use cookies to make your dog unintentionally perform the desired behavior. For example, you can hold a biscuit in your hand and move it back in an arc over the dog's head, causing it to sit. Mark the behavior sits to say when he sits down.
2. Do short training sessions often. Dogs perform best when you give consistent training, but you don't force them into extended training periods. Do a workout with your dog every day, but let it only last 15 to 20 minutes. Short, targeted workouts provide consistent training for the dog and prevent forcing failure. In a long training session, the dog is more likely to lose interest and concentration which can be very frustrating.
   • After training, take a few more minutes to play with your dog. This ends the training with a positive atmosphere, so that the dog likes to continue to do the training in the future.
3. Keep your commands consistent. When training a dog, you should focus on clear communication. Choose a specific word for each command you want to learn and always use the same word. It also helps to say the word the same way every time, with the same volume and pronunciation consistently.
   • For example, if you are trying to teach your dog to relieve on command, choose a consistent command phrase. Don't just say one time go pee and the other time do your business. The different words confuse the dog, so he doesn't know what you want.
   • If you start to get frustrated, the tone of a command can change. For a dog it sounds friendly and cheerful sits very different from a frustrated and cranky one sits.
   • Using consistent commands will allow your dog to learn what you are trying to convey, which will help him respond to you better.
4. Work on different commands. Since Australian Shepherds love to learn commands so quickly, they can develop very well if they have to continuously learn more and more commands. Teach your dog to walk on the foot. Teach him to stay and come. Teach him to lie down, but also teach him fun commands, such as giving paws.
   • When learning new commands, do not forget to always reinforce the training with older commands. Refreshing the basic commands keeps the dog better trained and consistent in its responses.
5. Break advanced skills into parts. If you want to teach your Australian Shepherd to perform complicated skills, you will need to teach them little by little. Show the dog to perform one part separately, give biscuits or praise when he accomplishes that part, and then gradually knit the individual parts together.
   • For example, if you want to teach an Australian Shepherd to run an agility course, you must first teach him each part of the course separately. He must first learn how to jump, then how to walk through tunnels, and so on until he can perform all the parts separately. Once the dog has mastered all the parts, you can start knitting them together.
   • Australian Shepherds are very smart and physical dogs, allowing many of these dogs to perform well complex skills that take time to learn.

Part 3 of 3: Minimizing herd behavior

1. Anticipate bad behavior before it happens. Australian Shepherds are notorious guardians. In most cases, you will need to train them not to exhibit herd behavior unless they are working herders. Typically, an Australian Shepherd will display certain behaviors when preparing for herding. For example, he may bark at you or smell a person's heel before starting to herd the person. If you see the behaviors that usually indicate the start of herding, then it is time to divert the dog's attention and make it clear that this behavior is not desired.
   • The easiest way to anticipate herd behavior is to analyze the dog's actions over time. By taking the time to observe how bad behavior develops, you can usually identify how it starts.
2. Stop herd behavior immediately and clearly. It's important to always stop the bad behavior you want to eliminate right away so your dog knows that behavior is never okay. If your dog starts to love or shows the behavior that usually occurs before herding, stop that behavior immediately No to say and walk away. Do not physically punish or scare the dog. The goal is to make it clear that this behavior is unacceptable without making the dog defensive.
   • If you allow herd behavior to happen sometimes but interrupt other times, the dog assumes that sometimes it is okay. However, he will be confused about when to perform the behavior.
3. Edit your dog's energy. When your dog starts herding, the best way to stop it is to let him do something else. When you see the first signs of herd behavior, start playing right away or go outside with him for some exercise.
   • Editing with exercise is a good idea because Australian Shepherds need a lot of exercise on a daily basis. They need to be able to run and play outside every day or their energy will likely be expressed in herd and other bad behaviors. To give the dog consistent exercise, take him on at least two long walks every day, or let him loose at a dog park so he can run around with other dogs.
4. Consider professional training. If you are unsuccessful in stopping your Australian Shepherd's herd behavior, you may need to seek professional help. A professional dog trainer can provide both consistency and expertise in animal behavior that Australian Shepherds may require.
   • Talk to the vet, friends and family in the area who used a trainer to find a professional near you. If you can't get personalized recommendations, search online for professional dog trainers in your area.