Australian Shepherds are best known for their ability to work under various conditions. They are smart, focused and they are extremely good at following instructions – but only if you are prepared to keep him or her busy with dog sports and a number of physical activities.
If you are ready to put time and effort into keeping your Aussie occupied to his or her satisfaction, you’ll see just how intelligent the dog breed is.
Here are five proofs that demonstrate just about how smart Australian Shepherds are:
1. They are easy to train
Australian Shepherds are famous for their trainability. They respond very well to obedience training and they have no troubles remembering how to perform certain tasks. Plus, they are eager …show more content…
Australian Shepherds are very vigilant and will bark to let you know if he or she sees or hears something out of the ordinary. The responsibility is on you, as its dog parent, to harness this skill and teach him or her what constitutes as normal and otherwise.
If you are looking for ways to boost your Aussie’s IQ, below is a list of smart dog toys to consider. Not only are they good at keeping your Aussie busy, they also provide more mental stimulation than a normal game of catch.
a. Toy Puzzles
As toy puzzles are usually loaded with treats, Aussies really have a hard time resisting them. Basically, it needs to spin, paw or nudge specific parts of the puzzle to be able to get to its food. It’s is an excellent way to encourage your Aussie to work for its food.
b. Food Dispensing Toys
Similar to toy puzzles, these kinds of toys require dogs to perform a series of tasks before it can get to its food. It motivates Aussies to figure out how to make the toy release the food – whether it means pushing the ball around or bobbing it around the room.
c. Hide-and-Seek Toys
These kinds of toys help bring out an Aussie’s natural instinct to dig out and hunt. It usually involves “finding” a toy within a toy, so your dog has to figure out how it will do