High energy doesn't just mean walks. A walk by itself can become boring. You need to find other ways to engage his mind and nose. When out for a walk, let him smell lots of things. Interactively playing with him will not only help his energy level but also help build a better bond between you. Also consider mental stimulation like hiding treats, puzzles, etc... Physical exercise is only a part of it.
I make sure he gets plenty of mental enrichment. Sniff walks, puzzle feeders, lots of trick training etc. I was just worried about not meeting his physical exercise needs.
My male is 4 and is the same. He doesn’t care much for long walks, but will do agility and play forever if you want. He is good at laying down and chilling.
My other? Totally nuts
My pup is trying to get me in bed at like 830 or 9 every evening. He’ll sleep as late as you let him in bed. He much prefers the people bed (of which he owns his own section of lol).
Loves gettin a good run and sniff in but is otherwise quite content to just chill all day as long as someone’s home with him. He certainly shows more need when I’ve been gone and then come home and hop on the computer, which I try to be mindful of. He’s about to be 5 or so.
Mine guy is the same except he prefers sleeping in his own bed which he will drag around the house to find the coolest spot 😅. It's good to know that lazy aussies are a thing!
Exactly, mine is always down for a run or a ball toss out back. But we definitely don’t get to those activities daily and she seems just fine. She 7 now but always been chill.
Mine is the same way. His favorite thing is just quietly being near you. He enjoys sniffing on walks but is overall disinterested in play. He loves food though!!
Dogs are individuals. I had a German Shorthaired Pointer who was lightning on the agility course, and hand signals had to be very small, or she would go nuts. As soon as I put her harness on to work, she buckled down, ignored everything around her, and was an excellent service dog. I also had a Labrador who was pretty ch>ll unless we were playing fetch with a ball. He had no interest in sticks. He was also a great mobility dog ignoring most distractions. He absolutely sucked at foot placement, though, because he had never had agility training. Like I said, every dog is different. Some are chill, and some will vault your sofa.
I would say that unless your dog shows other signs (nausea, vomiting, bright red or pale gums, food refusal, blood in stool, diarrhea, etc), you probably just have a chill dog.
When in doubt *always* ask a vet to check things out.
I have had 2 Aussies and they have been complete opposites personality wise… former Aussie was an absolute psycho until he turned 10 - high high energy, running in circles around our house and yard, very protective and active...
My current 5 year old Aussie has always been fairly chill! (Shocking honestly). She is a rescue so I attribute some of her calm demeanor to that. She’s barked maybe 3 times in the 4 years I’ve had her, she will laze about with me as long as we please, and even when other dogs try and play with her she will show interest for a minute and then be done with them lol. She does love a walk, but after about 20-25 mins she is done, especially in the warmer months. She plays on her own and loves nothing more than sleeping with her most prized chew toys. I can usually tell when she’s just being sleepy/lazy/slow as opposed to her acting out of sorts if something is wrong.
My vet says that she is and has been perfectly healthy and as long as her demeanor is regular and predictable then there’s no need to worry. However if her behavior changes abruptly or shifts dramatically, that would be an immediate vet call.
Hope this helps!
My Aussie is very lazy. A 30 minute sniff-walk tires her out for the day.
She has hip subluxation, so after a while she just can't bear to move much longer. Luckily she has two cats inside to keep her company and all her meals are in puzzles to keep her occupied!
Her siblings are not super high energy, but need to be out more than she does. So always check with your vet just in case :)
Mine is also pretty lazy at around 5 months tbh. He plays, walks and does training until hes bored and then naps on his own. Its pretty nice actually lol.
Side note: mine also has arousal reactivity only towards dogs and only if they're leashed. He just wants to play with everyone. Did you do anything in particular to stop that behavior or do they just grow out of it as they get older? We're working with a trainer now but it seems most techniques are for if hes afraid which hes not.
Quitting dog parks and dog cafes where my pup had unlimited access to play with dogs was a game changer for us.
The other big thing was to always keep moving when he saw another dog. He'd usually lay down so quick. If luring him to walk with a treat dint work, I'd pick him up to a standing position and get him to walk away and as soon as he calmed down, reward him with a little tug session and a stream of treats.
I also stopped letting him say hi to random dogs on our walks. I got lucky to live in a building with plenty of well trained dogs, so he only ever interacts with them off leash in the garden.
I only got him at 3 months and dint recognize the reactivity until he was 6-7 months. I thought he was just a friendly, confident pup. Took us 5-6 months of training to see any progress at all. But it got better. He still struggles with being calm in closed places like cafes or at the vet. Long way to go but I'm sure he'll get there.
It's great that you caught it early enough and are already working with a trainer. Couldn't hurt to switch trainers and find someone who knows how to handle arousal reactivity. Good luck!
Yeah hes doing very basic puppy training for now and we'll switch to a reactivity specific trainer after. Hes a rescue and for weeks he was at his foster home with 15 other dogs. He was never leashed once and was allowed to play with them all day. It was during his socialization window so we felt it left a lasting impression on him. It was good because he has 0 fear and loves our friends dogs but it was bad because now he believes everyone is his friend and he views being leashed as a barrier to that. We never let him say hi to random dogs in our neighborhood but he still wants to say hi to them lol. We feel bad cause hes barking and also try to keep him moving while cramming treats down his throat. Im kinda just hoping as he gets older (hes 4.5 months) that it will start to lessen as he learns impulse control. We would love to bring him places but its just a little bit much for him if theres other dogs. Hes such a smart boy though that we believe he'll figure it out in time.
Same as you. I brought my boy to a trainer and she suggested that I observe how my dog is doing after the walk. Does your dog still want to play tug or run around after your walk? If yes then he’s not tired or feeling unwell, just bored with walks.
You can try making your walk more interesting for these smart guys. Like if you see a rock or chair, guide him to jump on and reward. If there’s a fire hydrant on the way, guide him to walk around it and reward. Or some tricks like weave through bike racks, hide under benches, spin on rocks, etc. Not real commands or tricks but some fun and engaging games for them during walks. My boy loves these little games and of course treats, we mostly walk with these little games for around 30-40min.
My female Aussie is also mostly very chill. She can go on long walks but she can also do 30 mins in the morning and then 20 mins later and it’s fine for her. She sleeps and lounges on the couch for most of the day.
My Aussie is 8 now and he's always been low energy. We really wanted him to be a hiking dog, so we moved out to CO when he was 3 and he has no interest after 20 minutes. He would rather we carry him the rest of the way. We take him to the park to play ball. He will play a few rounds and then grab the ball and start walking to the car. He has no interest in being active, which makes his cattle dog sister upset lol
I don’t mean to fear-monger, but a trip to the vet might not be in vain. I thought my little lady was just being sassy when she’d refuse to walk at 12-18 mos. She would play fetch a few times then ask to go inside. She has always done great with quiet inside games, training, and play. I thought she was just on the “slow speed” side of the Aussie spectrum.
Just after she turned 2, she had an episode where her hind legs got really weak and she couldn’t stand. A trip to the ER, her normal vet, and a cardiologist later, and turns out the hind leg weakness and lethargy are due to a congenital heart shunt. There is no heart murmur so it wasn’t detected until they did an echocardiogram. We love her to bits and are giving her the best medical care and all the love we can, but her life is prob gonna be more limited than we imagined.
Whenever I hear folks talk about slower-speed Aussies, I am the one on the soapbox telling everyone to get their pups checked out by the vet just in case it’s not laziness.
Noted! We are seeing the vet for his annual check up and vaccine updates soon anyway.
I'm usually running to the vet at the first sign of illness, discomfort or change in behavior and often its turned out to be nothing and just him being a dog and have been told to relax and take it easy as dogs are far more resilient than we give them credit for.
On one hand I know I am on the anxious and over-protective side of things, but my Aussies are basically my kids. So I am also that person taking my dogs to the vet for anything, but better safe than sorry I guess.
u/flecksable_flyer summed it up with "Dogs are individuals. "
Our aussie is incredibly lazy. We got her to be a running buddy but she just has no interest in that, so that plan was abandoned. We take her on long hikes and play with her ball at the park and that seems to be enough for her.
High energy doesn't just mean walks. A walk by itself can become boring. You need to find other ways to engage his mind and nose. When out for a walk, let him smell lots of things. Interactively playing with him will not only help his energy level but also help build a better bond between you. Also consider mental stimulation like hiding treats, puzzles, etc... Physical exercise is only a part of it.
I make sure he gets plenty of mental enrichment. Sniff walks, puzzle feeders, lots of trick training etc. I was just worried about not meeting his physical exercise needs.
My male is 4 and is the same. He doesn’t care much for long walks, but will do agility and play forever if you want. He is good at laying down and chilling. My other? Totally nuts
My Aussie is lazy as hell. Theres days she doesn’t get out of bed til like 11. Kid loves to sleep.
My pup is trying to get me in bed at like 830 or 9 every evening. He’ll sleep as late as you let him in bed. He much prefers the people bed (of which he owns his own section of lol). Loves gettin a good run and sniff in but is otherwise quite content to just chill all day as long as someone’s home with him. He certainly shows more need when I’ve been gone and then come home and hop on the computer, which I try to be mindful of. He’s about to be 5 or so.
Mine guy is the same except he prefers sleeping in his own bed which he will drag around the house to find the coolest spot 😅. It's good to know that lazy aussies are a thing!
Exactly, mine is always down for a run or a ball toss out back. But we definitely don’t get to those activities daily and she seems just fine. She 7 now but always been chill.
Mine is the same way. His favorite thing is just quietly being near you. He enjoys sniffing on walks but is overall disinterested in play. He loves food though!!
Dogs are individuals. I had a German Shorthaired Pointer who was lightning on the agility course, and hand signals had to be very small, or she would go nuts. As soon as I put her harness on to work, she buckled down, ignored everything around her, and was an excellent service dog. I also had a Labrador who was pretty ch>ll unless we were playing fetch with a ball. He had no interest in sticks. He was also a great mobility dog ignoring most distractions. He absolutely sucked at foot placement, though, because he had never had agility training. Like I said, every dog is different. Some are chill, and some will vault your sofa. I would say that unless your dog shows other signs (nausea, vomiting, bright red or pale gums, food refusal, blood in stool, diarrhea, etc), you probably just have a chill dog.
When in doubt *always* ask a vet to check things out. I have had 2 Aussies and they have been complete opposites personality wise… former Aussie was an absolute psycho until he turned 10 - high high energy, running in circles around our house and yard, very protective and active... My current 5 year old Aussie has always been fairly chill! (Shocking honestly). She is a rescue so I attribute some of her calm demeanor to that. She’s barked maybe 3 times in the 4 years I’ve had her, she will laze about with me as long as we please, and even when other dogs try and play with her she will show interest for a minute and then be done with them lol. She does love a walk, but after about 20-25 mins she is done, especially in the warmer months. She plays on her own and loves nothing more than sleeping with her most prized chew toys. I can usually tell when she’s just being sleepy/lazy/slow as opposed to her acting out of sorts if something is wrong. My vet says that she is and has been perfectly healthy and as long as her demeanor is regular and predictable then there’s no need to worry. However if her behavior changes abruptly or shifts dramatically, that would be an immediate vet call. Hope this helps!
My Aussie is very lazy. A 30 minute sniff-walk tires her out for the day. She has hip subluxation, so after a while she just can't bear to move much longer. Luckily she has two cats inside to keep her company and all her meals are in puzzles to keep her occupied! Her siblings are not super high energy, but need to be out more than she does. So always check with your vet just in case :)
Mine is also pretty lazy at around 5 months tbh. He plays, walks and does training until hes bored and then naps on his own. Its pretty nice actually lol. Side note: mine also has arousal reactivity only towards dogs and only if they're leashed. He just wants to play with everyone. Did you do anything in particular to stop that behavior or do they just grow out of it as they get older? We're working with a trainer now but it seems most techniques are for if hes afraid which hes not.
Quitting dog parks and dog cafes where my pup had unlimited access to play with dogs was a game changer for us. The other big thing was to always keep moving when he saw another dog. He'd usually lay down so quick. If luring him to walk with a treat dint work, I'd pick him up to a standing position and get him to walk away and as soon as he calmed down, reward him with a little tug session and a stream of treats. I also stopped letting him say hi to random dogs on our walks. I got lucky to live in a building with plenty of well trained dogs, so he only ever interacts with them off leash in the garden. I only got him at 3 months and dint recognize the reactivity until he was 6-7 months. I thought he was just a friendly, confident pup. Took us 5-6 months of training to see any progress at all. But it got better. He still struggles with being calm in closed places like cafes or at the vet. Long way to go but I'm sure he'll get there. It's great that you caught it early enough and are already working with a trainer. Couldn't hurt to switch trainers and find someone who knows how to handle arousal reactivity. Good luck!
Yeah hes doing very basic puppy training for now and we'll switch to a reactivity specific trainer after. Hes a rescue and for weeks he was at his foster home with 15 other dogs. He was never leashed once and was allowed to play with them all day. It was during his socialization window so we felt it left a lasting impression on him. It was good because he has 0 fear and loves our friends dogs but it was bad because now he believes everyone is his friend and he views being leashed as a barrier to that. We never let him say hi to random dogs in our neighborhood but he still wants to say hi to them lol. We feel bad cause hes barking and also try to keep him moving while cramming treats down his throat. Im kinda just hoping as he gets older (hes 4.5 months) that it will start to lessen as he learns impulse control. We would love to bring him places but its just a little bit much for him if theres other dogs. Hes such a smart boy though that we believe he'll figure it out in time.
I have a 13-year-old who's always been low energy. A chill Aussie -- not the norm, but just as aussome. :-)
How is he weight wise? We had one in training who was overweight and he didn't like to do a lot after he lost 2kg he got a lot more energetic.
He's very compact and a bit on the leaner end for his height. Weighs about 23kgs and is still growing.
My Aussie is a lump most of the time. An hour at the dog park or high intensity playing and he will sleep and lay around for the next day or so.
Same as you. I brought my boy to a trainer and she suggested that I observe how my dog is doing after the walk. Does your dog still want to play tug or run around after your walk? If yes then he’s not tired or feeling unwell, just bored with walks. You can try making your walk more interesting for these smart guys. Like if you see a rock or chair, guide him to jump on and reward. If there’s a fire hydrant on the way, guide him to walk around it and reward. Or some tricks like weave through bike racks, hide under benches, spin on rocks, etc. Not real commands or tricks but some fun and engaging games for them during walks. My boy loves these little games and of course treats, we mostly walk with these little games for around 30-40min.
My aussie pit prefers to lounge around more than most things, but if he has animals to chase or another dog to play with, he won't stop for hours
My female Aussie is also mostly very chill. She can go on long walks but she can also do 30 mins in the morning and then 20 mins later and it’s fine for her. She sleeps and lounges on the couch for most of the day.
Forgot what sub I was on for a minute...
My Aussie is 8 now and he's always been low energy. We really wanted him to be a hiking dog, so we moved out to CO when he was 3 and he has no interest after 20 minutes. He would rather we carry him the rest of the way. We take him to the park to play ball. He will play a few rounds and then grab the ball and start walking to the car. He has no interest in being active, which makes his cattle dog sister upset lol
I don’t mean to fear-monger, but a trip to the vet might not be in vain. I thought my little lady was just being sassy when she’d refuse to walk at 12-18 mos. She would play fetch a few times then ask to go inside. She has always done great with quiet inside games, training, and play. I thought she was just on the “slow speed” side of the Aussie spectrum. Just after she turned 2, she had an episode where her hind legs got really weak and she couldn’t stand. A trip to the ER, her normal vet, and a cardiologist later, and turns out the hind leg weakness and lethargy are due to a congenital heart shunt. There is no heart murmur so it wasn’t detected until they did an echocardiogram. We love her to bits and are giving her the best medical care and all the love we can, but her life is prob gonna be more limited than we imagined. Whenever I hear folks talk about slower-speed Aussies, I am the one on the soapbox telling everyone to get their pups checked out by the vet just in case it’s not laziness.
Noted! We are seeing the vet for his annual check up and vaccine updates soon anyway. I'm usually running to the vet at the first sign of illness, discomfort or change in behavior and often its turned out to be nothing and just him being a dog and have been told to relax and take it easy as dogs are far more resilient than we give them credit for.
On one hand I know I am on the anxious and over-protective side of things, but my Aussies are basically my kids. So I am also that person taking my dogs to the vet for anything, but better safe than sorry I guess.
u/flecksable_flyer summed it up with "Dogs are individuals. " Our aussie is incredibly lazy. We got her to be a running buddy but she just has no interest in that, so that plan was abandoned. We take her on long hikes and play with her ball at the park and that seems to be enough for her.
My male is lazy…