Are Australian Shepherds Hyper?
I love dogs, and I love spending time outdoors doing things. For that reason, I chose an Australian Shepherd. What I didn’t know about this breed is if the dogs are ever hyper or if they are just always energetic and hard working.
I spend a great deal of time working and going on adventures. While I can accept a great deal of energy and fun in my furry companion, I don’t really want to deal with a hyper dog, so I did some investigating first. Here is what I found.
Are Australian Shepherds Hyper?
Australian Shepherds are a high-energy breed and can become hyper if their energy and work drive is not properly channeled. . While being active does not necessarily mean hyper, numerous activities and toys can help reduce the incidence of hyper behavior.
Bred to work and be active, the Australian Shepherd was bred for herding, which they love to do almost instinctively.
While being active does not necessarily mean a dog is hyper, the Australian Shepherd can quickly turn into a hyper dog if their need for activity is not considered, and an outlet is not provided.
The Australian Shepherd is not a breed for a families or individuals considered couch potatoes. They may quickly become hyper and act out their unspent energy in negative ways, like chewing things.
If a pet parent finds that their Australian Shepherd is hyper for no apparent reason, increasing physical activity can reduce this problem, but so can proper obedience training.
Australian Shepherd puppies can suffer from hyper behavior if they do not receive adequate exercise. Mental stimulation is also highly important for dogs with this much energy. Australian Shepherds are highly intelligent, which makes mental stimulation and exercise just as important as physical.
Thankfully, numerous activities and toys can provide plenty of stimulation on various levels to exhaust the Australian Shepherd and reduce the incidence of hyper behavior.
The Australian Shepherd is a working dog breed that was bred for herding. Unfortunately, this characteristic is so engrained in who they are as a dog that they will often suffer issues when they try to herd others like other household pets and the children of the house.
Obedience training can help with this issue, but Australian Shepherd will need a lot of stimulation of both the physical and mental forms to feel content and happy at the end of the day. This can reduce the chance of them being hyper versus simply energetic.
While the Australian Shepherds are not necessarily hyperactive like some dog breeds that suffer issues, it can be highly important for their pet parents to understand the breed and traits they have. This will help them be prepared for daily life with a very energetic dog.
Not everyone should get this dog breed as they not only need lots of physical activity, it is a MUST for them. If at any time in an Australian Shepherds life they seem to be behaving hyper or out of control, an easy fix can be increasing their physical and mental activity on a daily basis.
What Does It Mean For A Dog To Be Hyper
For a dog to be hyper means that they are overexcited somehow and unable to control itself.
Many dogs may behave in a hyper manner but not indeed be hyper. For example, they might get overly excited and act out this emotion when they see their favorite pet parent or family members.
They might jump up and down on them or dance around in a circle showing how happy they are.
Being hyper means that they can’t control their actions because of the way they feel. Any dog can be out of control and struggle with difficulty managing its emotions and responses to the world around them.
That being said, dogs that are tired are usually less likely to act out on their emotions. Likewise, regardless of breed, dogs that have had enough physical exercise and mental stimulation are less likely to behave in a hyper manner.
It can be challenging for dog breeds like the Australian Shepherd to reach that level of energy and exhaustion if you are not prepared to do that already in your own life.
Therefore, this breed is not for those who want to work hard, play hard and live an adventurous lifestyle.
Those pet parents who are active and have a lot to do, whether for work or fun, naturally keep things exciting and fresh, which prevents boredom which is often one reason why dogs become hyper.
How Can I Help My Hyper Aussie Calm Down?
One of the first ways to help your Aussie calm down if they act hyper is to pretend the behavior doesn’t exist and ignore it. The more excitable the pet parent or owner gets about their dogs’ hyper personality and behavior, the more likely that it is to continue.
While Aussies, as these dogs are sometimes known, don’t get hyper for no reason and are highly intelligent, meaning they will find other outlets to acting this way, if possible, that doesn’t mean the pet parents have to play into the behavior. Ignoring it is the first step.
Next, give them something to do, a job, something to work on, or a fun activity. This can be done together, but this redirecting is known as channeling.
Channeling negative behaviors like hyperactivity into something constructive is precisely what your Aussie needs.
As stated before, they are a working dog breed. Give them a job, and they will do it happily. It is what makes them happy and content—working, playing hard, having fun all the time and being active and physical.
Whatever the occupation or activity, it is likely that they will excel at it because they were built to work both physically and mentally.
Lastly, don’t forget playtime; the best way to calm any dog down is to give them some attention and playtime. So toss a ball or frisbee, play a game of chase or tug of war, whatever is exciting and fulfilling for the pet parent and Australian Shepherd, is a good choice.
How Can I Avoid Getting My Australian Shepherd Hyper?
There are a few specific situations that you as a pet parent can avoid to help reduce the instances of hyper behavior in your Australian Shepherd, such as keeping the dog entertained and interacting with them.
The first one is boredom. Beyond the typical providing enough mental and physical stimulation for your Australian Shepherd, boredom will cause any dog to act up or act out and misbehave.
This breed is an intelligent dog breed. Therefore they run the risk of becoming bored quickly if left to their own devices for too long.
Having exciting toys and activities planned throughout the day, both physical and mental, will reduce boredom. It can also be helpful to change the activities up from time to time so boredom doesn’t set in.
For instance, you are working outdoors with your Australian Shepherd, and the kids have come outside. The Australian Shepherd may attempt to corral the kids for a while but then get bored when they aren’t listening or wander back inside the house.
Before that happens, taking them for a nice hike or providing an exciting chew toy or outdoor game you can play with them can keep things fresh. After that, having them locate the newspaper or dig your holes for you in your garden can be interesting.
Once that is accomplished, you should have other things for this breed to reduce boredom and keep them happy and interested.
The second one is leaving them alone for too long. The Australian Shepherd is a herding and working dog, but they thrive best when close to their human companion.
Therefore if they are left home alone for too much time, without their loved one, they will act up and behave badly at times.
This issue can be reduced by keeping them close whenever possible. However, this dog breed will not be best for families where the pet parents must be away from home for an extended period each day, where their dog can’t tag along.
Having a trusted and likeable caregiver can mean a lot for you and your dog when it comes to boredom. However, it can be common for this dog breed to be wary of strangers and those they don’t know well.
Suppose this is an option that must be used. In that case, patience must be given initially so the Australian Shepherd can get to know and accept the caregiver as they will become a part of the Australian Shepherds pack and family.
Lastly, situations to avoid my be different for each dog. Any problems that appear to cause stress in your Australian Shepherd or make them hyper or nervous are best avoided.
The best way to do this is to know your dog well. Know who they are, not just genetically and historically as a breed but also who they are individually.
This makes it easier to understand what motivates them but also where their challenges are. In addition, understanding them helps reduce negative behavior traits like acting hyper.
Hyper Australian Shepherds
Hyperactive behavior can happen to any dog, but some dogs are more susceptible to it due to their nature, intelligence, and breed background.
Keeping them busy and providing diversions when these moments strike as well as knowing your dog can go a long way to fixing this behavior.
While Australian Shepherds can be a bit needy in this department, they don’t mean to be. Hard work and play are a part of who they are as a dog. It should be embraced and channeled for their happiness instead of regarded as unfavorable!