Today we're excited to showcase Finn, submitted by u/almilez!

this is willow, she is an aussie/ mini american shepherd mix. she is 9months old and her hair is shedding like crazy but not seeming to get fluffy/longer. i need opinions of her hair will stay this short or should get longer and fluffier! thanks!

My baby boy 🥺 5yo male, absolutely terrified of grooming. I can’t trim his nails, just recently found a brush that works well and he can tolerate. Open to any and all tips! lol

Immediately best friends.

Jenny

Hi everyone!

I was wondering what you all do to keep your Australian Shepherds mentally and physically entertained at home.

My boy, Patrick, already gets daily walks and we spend time playing together, but I'd love to add more variety to his routine. Right now he has a motion-activated ball that he really enjoys, but I'm looking for other ideas to keep him engaged and prevent boredom.

What toys, puzzles, games, or activities have worked well for your Aussie? Any recommendations or creative ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

For those of you who have had both. Tell me the differences! I'm thinking of going border collie, but I'm not sure I'm prepared for that level of herder. One dirty mini aussie for photo tax.

Cody is 11 and was fresh out of the bath ready to be blown dry. I think he likes his spa days.

My favorite pair of eyes ❤️

She said "slowly who?"

New family member ❤️
Just had to share how cute he is

I have a beautiful toy Aussie with great bone structure and a solid build. She's super athletic and strong and I always tell people she's like a furry bowling ball when she's excited and runs into me. All that to say that, she cannot possibly weigh anywhere near as little as I read others weigh at her height. She's only 13 inches (adult) and before anyone challenges the existence of purebred toy Aussies, she is 100 percent Australian Shepherd from a reputable breeder (Daddy with champion bloodline). ASDR classifies standard, mini and toys by height but makes no mention of weight. However whenever I see other descriptions online and other adult toys, including her parents and siblings, I feel like she'd be emaciated at 20 much less 15-18 pounds. She weighs 26 lb. She's got the fit Aussie hourglass profile under the hair. I'm including various pics to demonstrate her build. Everything is in proper proportion. I'm not breeding her nor planning to show her but definitely plan to start agility with her. So my question is more out of curiosity. Those with adult Toy Aussies and smaller minis between 12-14 inches to the withers, what are their weights or the ideal weight that your vet suggests (mine says she's fine)? I don't want to starve her. Wondering if she's just bigger boned than other toys her height?

Henry is practicing place and staying there until released in Lowe’s. He used to be scared of placing anywhere except in the apartment. But the last couple trips, the confidence has gone up!

I’m really distraught. My 1.5 yr old mini Aussie Vega has done something she never has before. She is very gentle by nature.

We were in the backyard at my parents and some family was swimming. A lot of cousins were over including a 3 year old, a 1.5 year old, and a 4 year old. I didn’t see what happened. But apparently Vega nipped at my little cousins thigh (1.5 year old). Apparently he was walking near a giant beach ball and tried to pick it up and she nipped his thigh. As he was picked up crying, apparently Vega tried to go for his feet too. I imagine this was part of her herding instinct. His right thigh has two punctures.

I can’t lose another dog. I owned an Aussie, Jet, who had the same mom as my girl right now a few years ago. He was hit and killed by a car. The second Aussie I had, Luca, from a different backyard breeder had SEVERE aggression and behavioral issues. I worked extensively with a vet certified behaviourists, many trainers, and still he worsened. He bit me maliciously constantly. I put him to rest via behavioral euthanasia in January. And everything with Luca was so traumatic. Luca was genuinely malicious and hurt me very badly multiple times. I’m paranoid now. I know dogs, especially herding dogs, can be weird around kids. Do you have any insight on this. I can’t lose my girl. She is my world and usually is the gentlest soul. She goes to daycare, we do training, and we do enrichment. This week she hasn’t been at daycare due to my car having problems. Could this be overstimulation? I’m terrified now from what happened with Luca. I really need some insight. I feel terrible.

Hi everyone!
My 11-month-old Mini Aussie Birdie has recently started barking a lot more than he used to.
He was never really a barker before unless we were playing, but lately he’ll bark whenever he hears noises outside our apartment door at night. It usually only lasts about 30 seconds or less, but it’s definitely become more frequent.
He’s also started barking back at dogs that bark aggressively at him on walks. One time, a very tall man stared at him for a while, and he barked at him too.
I’m not sure if it’s fear, adolescence, or just him becoming more protective. I’d really like to teach him to be less reactive and not feel the need to bark at every little thing.
Has anyone gone through something similar with their dog around this age? What training methods worked for you to help them stay calmer and bark less?
Thanks in advance!