Answer: No, Australian Shepherds are not necessarily prone to chewing any more than most dog breeds. However, Aussies have breed-specific needs and may start destructive chewing if those are not met.
This article will look at:
- Breed Specific Needs
- How to Keep your Aussie from Starting a Chewing Habit
- How to Stop Destructive Chewing if They Already Started
Breed Specific Needs of Australian Shepherds: What makes them “tick”.
Before looking at chewing, let’s look at what drives the behavior of your Australian Shepherd. We are not programming a robotic device. We are working with the deep motivation of a being with strong primal instincts and desires.
Let’s look at some of these instincts:
- First and foremost, Australian Shepherds are working dogs. They are very intelligent, but avoiding boredom is only part of the need. They want to have a job.
They are herders and protectors. Random dog games and puzzles are great for mental stimulation, but if you stop there with an Aussie, you will only be placating them. For them to thrive, they need to have a job and feel useful.
Does this mean I need a herd of sheep? No.
- One Aussie I know not only “herds” the two young children, but also tends the borders of the property. She has a dog friend next door that she visits, barks to get them to come out, and has taught her dog friend to border guard with her!
Together, they manage the borders of both houses. Even though she’s not herding, this dog is thriving and shows no signs of destructive behavior because she found herself a job.
- As working dogs who were bred and trained for herding, Australian Shepherds also have a strong need for connection and a bond with their humans.
They will tend to bond with one person in particular, but with intention, can adapt to a couple with “the pack” including children.
- You may have seen videos of herding dogs working with their handlers. The bond is incredible. You can feel it through a computer screen. Your Aussie yearns for this.
- Australian Shepherds are athletic and need at least 30-60 minutes of exercise every day.
- As with most dogs, Aussies have a primal need for “denning” with “the pack” that feels right to them.
Chewing on a bone or favorite chewy treat when everyone settles down together helps them settle and supports their mental health.
They may go into another room with the bone or chewy, but they know that this is something the pack is doing altogether, and that is what is important to them.
- Variety. Rotate and offer new and varied activities to your Aussie. They are too smart to be happy with a routine of activities that are the same every day for years. Switch it up and bring in new challenges.
Check out these articles if you need fun activity ideas for your Australian Shepherd.
- How to Entertain your Australian Shepherd – 11 Fun Activities for you and your Aussie
- How to Exercise an Australian Shepherd – 6 Unique Exercises to Try
Let’s find out how to avoid destructive chewing and how to stop it.
How do I keep my Aussie from starting a chewing habit?
If you have a pup who is less than 6 months old, this is ideal. Teach them to know what they can and can’t chew early on before the destructive chewing age sets in (6 months – 1 year).
Even if you have a new dog that is not a pup, this is a time to use as an opportunity. A new home is a massive change in their life and environment; train them now before they settle into any bad habits or destructive behavior!
My friend, who lived in a mid-sized house with a mid-sized backyard in a city purchased a 4-month Aussie puppy. She did this routine consistently and never had a problem with her pup chewing on the wrong thing:
• Scatter some shoes and other likely chewing targets around a room where you are hanging out with your dog.
(Make sure you can see them easily!) Have some super attractive chewing items that you want your dog to chew on next to your hand (you might put them in a plastic bag or container so that the smell does not distract the dog).
Just hang out, and gently correct the dog immediately when they go for the shoe, give them the chewy or chew toy instead. Swap it: “no” (shoe) and “good dog” (chewy). Do this often with praise and love. This works.
Rotate the chewing selection training above with this easy practice:
Begin a routine: Give them an approved chewing treat, toy or bone when they are settling down with you. Every. Day.
This meets the need for “denning” with “the pack” that feels right to them and, will train them to associate the chewing with comfort. When you have to leave them in the house (or crate) alone, their psyche is deeply wired to associate it with comfort.
Will my Australian Shepherd grow out of chewing?
The answer to that is…yes and no.
Yes, there is a “teething” age where the Australian Shepherd is feeling a physical need to chew that will dissipate, and yes, they will grow out of that time of physical need.
But no, they will not grow out of it if their breed-specific needs are not met.
The physical need for teething may set up a habit for their emotional comfort and anxiety release that reinforces destructive chewing as their “coping mechanism” of choice. You don’t want this!
See Also:
How do I stop my Australian Shepherd from chewing if they already started?
If your beloved Aussie is already chewing up your shoes or other non-approved items, this can be addressed and, in most cases, changed.
I recommend beginning by making a plan. Use the guide and ideas below to systematically make experiments and small changes over time in a range of areas: Chew toys, Interaction/bonding, exercise, mental stimulation, and usefulness (give your dog a job!).
Specific chew toys
Here are some standard products, find out what your Aussie likes and also what is appropriate for their age and teeth.
“Plushies”: This is the name for the general category of toys that are soft, plush, stuffed cloth toys. Individual dogs vary on whether they love them or ignore them.
Rope chews: Some rope chews are designed to be a part of your dental health care for your dog.
Get the appropriate size for your dog and experiment with what they like.
Medium size stuffed Kong: Many dogs will be entertained for hours with a Kong stuffed with peanut butter or other stuffing that is compelling to them.
For an Australian Shepherd, the medium size is best.
Bones from the supermarket: You can purchase a bag of medium size bones in the freezer section of the butcher department in your supermarket.
Don’t leave toys lying around all the time. Give them at specific times, especially when you are settling down.
Do you play an instrument?
Give your Aussie a chew toy when you practice. Spend time at a computer or watch TV? Use these times for your dog to enjoy “denning”.
That way, when you give the chew toy to occupy them, they already associate it with comfort, not with being left alone.
Now for activities. There are many fun activities for dogs. The short list below is curated specially for what speaks to the soul of an Australian Shepherd.
Interaction & Bonding with your Australian Shepherd
Dogs don’t like their humans leaving them. “What are you doing? We’re supposed to be a pack! I don’t feel right when we are separated!”
With Aussies, this is intensified. Their instinct is to bond closely with their human(s) and want a lot of interaction. Think about it – herding is constant interaction.
The team of two is one mind. The dog is looking and listening to the handler for their commands, watching every move, using every sense to hear the commands and take action.
So how can you meet this need if you aren’t herding livestock? Here are a few ideas, and depending on what you do in your own life, you can come up with ideas of your own:
Errands
Aussies thrive when they feel connected to you. It feels right to be together, even if it’s just errands.
Bring them along when you go to the grocery store. Interact with them when you get in and out of the car, and if you have time, take a short walk so they can have a new place to sniff.
The important thing is to include them. You are doing this together.
Basic Obedience Training
If you haven’t done basic training, do 10 minutes every day. That is a wonderful connection for your Aussie.
If you have already got the basics down, do more advanced work, or just rotate in some basics practice every couple of weeks.
They want to be engaged and interact with you. Commands feel right when coupled with praise and accomplishment
Exercising your Australian Shepherd
Change your walks: If you walk around your neighborhood, that’s great. Aussies like to pick up their “mail” and get all the gossip. They also thrive on new input and places that will challenge them to think.
Opinions vary about how much exercise is needed – most say 30-60 minutes per day, some Aussie sites say 1-2 hours every day. Check with your vet about their opinion for your dog.
Vary the kinds of exercise:
• Dog parks
• Hiking or running
• Throw a ball or Frisbee (for adult dogs, not puppies or seniors) – (Use a soft one to avoid bleeding lips and damaged teeth. The beauty of frisbee is that they get to 1) run 2) jump and 3) test their agility to catch in midair.
Mental Stimulation
Continuity is important, and the thrill of learning something new is great, so both repetition and continuity is a part of the plan. Also, remember that variety is the spice of life for your intelligent Australian Shepherd!
Change the toys, rotate them and introduce new ones once in a while as well.
Hide and seek: Tell the dog to sit and stay then hide, then call them to find you.
Puzzle feeders and toys: These are more generic, but apply well to Aussies because they can tend to be obsessive and these can entertain them for hours.
Give your Australian Shepherd a Job
Teach your Aussie to herd and to know when to stop!
They need to know basic obedience: Sit, Lie Down and Stay
Add in training when they are on a leash for directional movement: “Come bye” for right and “Away to Me” for left are the standard herding commands.
If you are just doing this for fun, you can make up your own words.
The herding game
Once you’ve taught your dog the basics, a group of 3+ humans works best for this, but it can be done with 2.
This is fun for kids too. Note: this game depends on the dog being strong in basic obedience: Sit, Lie Down and Stay and knowing the basic commands for moving right and left.
• The group comes close together in the circle with the dog next to the handler in a “sit-stay”.
• The handler tells the dog to “Lie Down” and “Stay” and stays next to the dog.
• All other people in the group turn around and walk in different directions, scattering
• The handler then uses the herding commands to herd those humans together, mixing in “lie down”, “stay”, and the directional commands.
Most Australian Shepherds will do this without nipping. If this is an issue with your Aussie read more here.
Hide and Seek:
Similar to herding, finding a missing person is an excellent job for your Australian Shepherd.
If you are alone, make your dog Sit and Stay, then hide and call them till they find you. You can do this with 2 or more people as well. “Go find Steve!” They are so proud when they find the missing person.
Conclusion
Are Australian Shepherds aggressive chewers? Not inherently, but this behavior can arise when their breed-specific needs are not being met.
- Use game training to avoid or stop them from chewing
- Give your Aussie a “job” to do
- Include them in your life and interact with them a lot. Be bonded to them.
- You chose a smart breed – give them mental stimulation with training and games
- Make sure they get plenty of exercises appropriate for their age and health.
Taking these actions will be fun for you and your dog, and will enable you to have a deep bond and fulfilling relationship with your Australian Shepherd. Have fun!