Adopting and Caring of an Australian Shepherd — How It's Done

We humans are, in one way or another, social beings. Although the number of social interactions we need differs between each individual, it is true that even the most introverted person enjoys a good social exchange with other people, even if it is online or in person. However, there's a lot of people who need to have social interactions to remain happy, and to a certain extent, mentally healthy.

Of course, for those people, the whole COVID-19 situation made it impossible for them to reunite with friends and family. This aspect of the lockdown and quarantine happening all around the world has eased up quite a bit ever since it started, mostly thanks to vaccines and properly managed countermeasures. However, it is true that there are stills some rules that need to be applied and socializing in person with others is still quite complicated.

Here's where the idea of adopting a pet comes in. It is well known that owning a pet, more specifically, a dog, is great for our mental health, and to some level, our physical health. When the quarantine started and people started to notice that their mental health was being affected, a lot of professionals recommended engaging in certain activities, and one of those activities was owning and taking care of a pet.

If you are considering adopting a dog, especially an Australian Shepherd dog, there are some things you should have in mind before doing so. But before that...

Make Sure to Commit!

There was a sudden alarm among the dog-owning community related to the people who were returning their dogs to the shelters months after they adopted them. Although this was proven to not be as alarming as this news wanted them to be, it is true that there are people actually returning their newly owned pets.

When you adopt a dog, you inherit several responsibilities, and as time goes on, those responsibilities only grow their roots deeper in you. If you want to adopt, make sure to commit to it!

Adopting an Australian Shepherd

If you are specifically aiming to adopt an Australian Shepherd, you have to understand various things about them, from their size to their diet and even their exercising needs. This will let you know if they are suitable dogs for your circumstances, and if they do fit your needs, the coexistence between you and your new friend will be much more fruitful.

Of course, Australian Shepherds are still dogs, so there are some things you have to keep in mind when adopting them.

1. You have to ensure that they remain healthy
2. You have to ensure that they are happy and in peace
3. You have to take care of their needs
4. And lastly, you have to consider your dog when making decisions

By following these 4 rules, you are most likely to become a great dog owner. But, as always, things are not as simple-

Getting to Know the Australian Shepherd Breed

First, let's talk about the Australian Shepherd's physical traits. First of all, it is usually considered a medium-sized dog with a medium to large coat, usually varying in a wide range of colors, combined with one another. You can find black and white shepherds or white and slightly red ones.

Now, an important thing to consider about all shepherd breeds is that they tend to be very physically active and require a lot of exercises. This is the reason why it is usually owned by people who engage in physical activities on a regular basis or don't mind training with their dogs or owned by families that can provide them with enough playtime outdoors.

If you are new to the world of owning a dog and don't know how to exercise with them, you might want to check this guide over here https://www.thesprucepets.com/great-ways-to-exercise-with-dogs-1117865.

Besides that, you should also pay attention to their coats. An Australian Shepherd's coat can vary between curly, wavy, and straight, and depending on its type of coat, you might want to take care of it using different products and techniques.

They also might not require as much bathing, since their skins are considered sensitive in comparison to other breeds. Ideally, you should only bathe them if needed, but you might want to wait around 7 to 8 weeks between baths.

Also, grooming is something you might want to learn doing. You'll need some tools to do so, but if you learn how to do it, you won't need to hire others' services, so it can be considered a great long-term investment.

Besides that, there's the matter of their diet. They can eat dry food as long as it is of good quality and provides enough nutrients, and since dry food is fairly inexpensive and easy to obtain, it can be a solid advantage.

You can also feed them wet food, but this choice is considerably more expensive, and if they only are fed with it, they will require more dental care because of their gums and teeth.

Ideally, you should go for both options, with wet food every now and then, and dry giving them dry food regularly.

Getting to Know the Australian Shepherd's Personality

Australian shepherds are usually considered very familiar dogs. It's easy to gain their trust, but they can be very protective of their family, which is the reason why they are used as shepherds.

They can be very friendly as well, and when it comes to the Australian shepherd personality, you won't have to worry about having other pets since they tend to get along with other animals fairly well.

Australian Shepherds are highly intelligent dogs and training them is considerably easier than training a lot of other breeds out there, just because they can understand their tasks and what they gain from them.

This, of course, can be considered an advantage, but when they don't spend their energy or have their attention invested in something, they can get anxious or depressed, and at times become destructive. That is why it is recommended for physically active people.