Will An Australian Shepherd Protect You?

To answer this question, it is essential to understand why the Australian Shepherd was initially bred. As the name suggests, they were bred originally as herding dogs. They were developed in the 19th century in California to herd sheep.

When a dog is herding sheep, they are also protecting sheep to some extent. Many people assume that herding dogs are docile creatures that like to chase stuff, but this isn’t true. After all, the German Shepherd is likely one of the most well-known guard dogs of all, and this breed was originally a herding dog.

With that said, the Australian Shepherd does not have powerful guarding instincts like some other herding dogs. Many of these dogs were primarily bred for moving cattle and sheep – not necessarily protecting them.

However, like any dog, the Australian Shepherd will have some protective instincts over their family and property. They will likely bark at strangers, and some may be aggressive if they are not appropriately trained.

Are Australian Shepherds Good Protectors?

Australian Shepherds do not have powerful protective instincts like some other dogs. They are not very untrusting of people, though it depends mainly on how they are raised. Well-socialized dogs will typically be much more accepting of people.

If you want your dog to be a protector, then your primary focus should be on training your dog as such. They likely won’t attack someone without training.

In many cases, they are all bark and no bite. They are excellent watchdogs. However, they are not the best dogs for actually protecting anyone.

Even with the best training, these dogs usually won’t be as good at protecting people and property as other breeds. They don’t have the instincts to supplement any training they receive. While they are incredibly obedient and devoted to their people, they are not as fearless as many other protective breeds.

Can You Train an Australian Shepherd to Protect You?

You can train Australian Shepherds to do just about anything. They are entirely devoted and obedient. Many of them will listen to whatever their owner asks. Teaching them new commands usually isn’t an issue either. They pick up on new things quickly, thanks to their high intelligence.

In fact, due to their intelligent nature, they often require quite a bit of mental stimulation. This can often be accomplished through training. Otherwise, they can become bored and destructive.

After a couple of years of training, it isn’t odd to run out of new things to teach your Australian Shepherd. However, their intelligence means that you simply can’t entirely training without figuring out another way to provide the proper mental stimulation.

Training them as a protective dogs may be a way to keep their mind active and alert while training them to do something practical.

However, even if they are trained as protection dogs, they likely won’t be as great as other canines. They don’t have the instincts to supplement their training. For instance, they aren’t as untrusting of new people as some breeds. This can make it challenging to convince them actually to become aggressive towards strangers.

This is especially true if they are well-socialized. Unsocialized dogs may become fearful of strangers simply because they aren’t used to meeting new people. However, they will become fearful of everyone, including those you wouldn’t necessarily want them to become fearful of.

Therefore, we don’t recommend not socializing your Australian Shepherd to make them better protective dogs. It just isn’t worth the extra work of dealing with a canine that is fearful of every new face.

Do Australian Shepherds Get Attached to One Person?

Australian Shepherds do bond tightly to their owners. They love to cuddle and follow their people around all day. However, they are not classical “one-person” dogs that only get attached to one person and ignore the rest of the world.

It is true that they do not to approach everyone with kisses. They aren’t as people-oriented as some other breeds. This is partially because they were bred as working dogs, not companion animals. Herding dogs don’t need to be people-oriented.

However, these dogs will attach themselves to the whole family – not just one person. They will love just about everyone in their household and can be very protective of them in some cases. Socialization is essential to ensure that they are accepting of strangers in their homes.

Many are well-known for bonding closely with children. However, they may attempt to herd children, which can be a problem if this behavior turns into nipping.

Their lack of a close bond with a single person can get in the way of protecting someone. Most dogs that are well-known for their protective abilities are one-person dogs.

However, this won’t get in the way of them protecting the whole family or household. If you’re looking for a family protecting dog, the Australian Shepherd might be an okay choice. However, we do not recommend them for someone looking for a personal protection dog.

Would an Australian Shepherd Attack an Intruder?

It is hard to say. Some Australian Shepherds absolutely would, but others might not. It is likely to depend on your dog’s temperament and how well they were socialized.

How you raise your dog matters. If you socialize them properly, they will learn to accept strangers in their space, and likely won’t attack them. After all, your dog won’t be able to tell the difference between an intruder and a new family friend.

Those that are less socialized may attack an intruder, but they will also be unsure of anyone new you bring into your home. We do not recommend not socializing your dog in the hopes that they will defend your house while you’re gone.

A lack of socialization will often cause plenty of problems with aggression. You don’t want your dog aggressive towards friends – even if it would also mean that they would be aggressive towards intruders.

The actions of the intruder will also likely matter. If the intruder brought treats for the dog, they probably aren’t going to get attacked. However, if the intruder shouts or otherwise scares the dog, your Australian Shepherd is more likely to be aggressive towards them.

There are simply many factors at play here. We wouldn’t recommend relying on an Australian Shepherd to protect your home. That isn’t what they were bred to do.

Final Thoughts

Australian Shepherds aren’t the best guard dog out there – but they aren’t the worst either. Their caring nature and intelligence make them easy to train as protective dogs. However, they lack a lot of the oomph that some other breeds have.

You can likely train these dogs as protection animals. While they will likely learn the commands and respond well to the training, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they will be helpful when the time comes. They are not as fearless as some other breeds and can quickly be knocked off their game by an actual altercation.

Most are only so-so at defending homes as well. They are usually untrusting of strangers, but not so much so that they will attack someone who walks through the door.

In the end, we don’t recommend the Australian Shepherd for someone who is seeking a protection animal. However, if you have an Australian Shepherd, training them as a protection dog is possible. Just don’t expect them to perform as well as some other breeds.

Author: Kristin

Kristin was born in Tennessee and currently lives there with her husband and children. She is passionate about educating pet parents and helping them make the best possible decisions for their pets. She currently owns one dog, two cats, a lizard, and a variety of fish.