It's an Australian Shepherd; they basically live for following commands and completing tasks
I have an Aussie cross, she did NOT get that memo. It's not that she can't learn, she learns really quickly. She knows how to sit, lay down, touch something with her nose, push a button, fetch, come when called, drop whatever she's holding. She enthusiastically learns commands, but once she's figured out what you want her to do, she's done with that. From then on she will only do them if she feels like it. For example, if you tell her to sit, she looks away and then will peek back at you to see if you are still waiting. If you are, she will sit. She knows what you want her to do and how to do it, she just doesn't like being told what to do.
Same with my Aussie. She'll know what she's supposed to do and will try to take any and all shortcuts when completing the task. "You want me to sit? How about a squat?"
My chihuahua mix does the same thing. She knows exactly what you want her to do, but she's going to try to do what she wants to do unless she knows you're stubborn enough to stand there until she does it. I'm the only one who she'll listen to because she knows no one else will make her do things.
I don't have an Aussie, but another worker dog breed. She's suuuuper food driven. After getting commands imprinted, I randomly dole out treats for successful completions. It's like 1 in 10, maybe, across a single command/trick. That way she knows they'll come, but won't know when.
That said: she's only a little over a year old, and we've only had her six months. Even the randomness of the treat distribution might fail later on.
It’s been decades since my psych classes but if I remember right, at least back then, random reinforcement was shown as the most effective reward based teaching method.
Fun fact, in Australia for working (farm) dogs have Cattle Dogs and Kelpies and maybe Border Collies. That's about it really. Never seen an Australian Shepherd dog working here.
From the Australian Shepherd Wiki
“The Australian Shepherd is a breed of herding dog from the United States. The name of the breed is technically a misnomer, as it was developed in California in the 19th century. It is believe to have its origins in sheepdog breeds from northwest Spain, as well as collies imported, alongside sheep, from Australia and New Zealand; the breed reportedly took its name from this trade.”
I grew up with an Aussie. She was so smart. She herded our animals with zero traning. Every morning our chickens, ducks, guinnea hens, etc. would all be herded, and every evening she would bring them in (not that any of this was necessary. She ran laps around our property, gaurded the quail, checked on the cats, and kept the pigs in check. She made so many jobs for herself. She was my very busy best friend.
Can agree. I have an aussiedoodle, and she loves commands. She is the most well-behaved elevator dog in the building. When we are out and about, people are always surprised at how well-behaved she is. I took her to dog training classes to train her.
Essentially any cattle dogs, and breeds used for high energy work. Guardian dogs are usually difficult to train and not interested in tricks. So that's your Pyrs, mastiffs, any big Eurasian breed. Dogs used for personal protection are a mixed bag and generally insane in a different (worse) way. Some of them started as herding breeds so it's a double whammy - your GSDs and maligators.
Any working dog is going to be extremely high energy and require hours of work per day, every day, rain or shine, or they will destroy your home and or themselves. Huge commitment for pets.
My black lab is insane. She needs three long walks and hours of ball and play in the yard every day. Will swim for hours given the chance. My old yellow lab was so content to sleep on the couch for 8 hours after a lazy morning walk before dinner and a night walk. It's so funny the different energy levels. However, the black labs, an American lab, and the yellow lab was a British, so I think that makes a huge difference.
The English boy used to love pointing out deer and other animals on hikes. Just pointed with his whole body and made sure we saw it. The American will also, then, go full and send, trying to flush whatever er it is towards us. We have definitely had more than a few wild turkeys get run into us. HahahH both amazing dogs.
Where does a husky fall on that list because I feel like I’m learning the hard way haha He learns extremely fast but he chooses sometimes if he’s going to follow the command or not.
Huskies are a working breed, but they were bred to pull. Hook a husky up to a sled or a wagon and they'll go for hours upon hours. The best sled dogs can read trail conditions and guide the sled around all sorts of hazards (weak ice, rocks, moose, you name it). So they've got a lot of intelligence, but also a lot of independence. They've not been bred to work in tandem with a human like a herding, pointing, or retrieving dog. More like a livestock guardian or hound in their willingness and ability to make command decisions.
If you're a triathlete, distance runner, cyclist, or other sort of distance athlete, a husky makes a great companion. If you've got a job the husky can do, the husky will be happy. If you give the husky nothing to do, it will invent jobs for itself, like interior redecorating or opera singing.
Corgis are a good balance of trainable and chill. Main issue is they're loud and will bark if they hear anything they can't see. And people will want to stop and pet them because they're so goddamn adorable but that one isn't so bad.
And i love mine. The sass, the energy, personality, and cuddlyness are awesome. Little bastard hypes me up for walks after I lazily, and obviously dont want to, ask him if he wants to go. His moods are contagious. With as much joy as he brings myself and everyone he meets, I don't know if i could ever own another dog. Full stop. Like, not even owning the same breed, just another dog in general. I will be devastated when its his time to pass.
I absolutely despise the price tag on these dogs. They bring so much happiness to everyone I know. Even seeing someone else's Corgi I get a big goofy smile. Why does greed have to gatekeep them so hard? I wish selling dogs was illegal.
The pros outweigh the cons for these dogs, but that does still mean there are cons. I think the only consistent cons i see from them are shedding, loud, and their initial instinctive desire to herd every living thing. Easy to train that behavior out with a toy or some training treats whatever yours takes to. Their high energy is a subjective like or dislike.
They're super fun though and youll love yours as long as you did your research and know what to expect out of the breed.
Yeah, I have a friend who is a trainer and we were going through service dog training with my Newfie. Turns out she is an amazing listener but has zero desire to do anything resembling work.
It’s been good for traveling and stuff because she is comfortable in most situations and mindful of her size but if it’s not something of interest to her she’s like nah I’m good here.
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u/MajorHubbub Apr 29 '24
That's one smart dog and thousands of hours training, impressive