Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've read that Aussies are extremely protective and dislike strangers. My Aussie, Kia, is overly friendly with strangers. Anyone she sees, either in the home or while we're out, she goes crazy for and wants their attention. She gets her butt wiggle going and reaches out with her paw for the person. This has never made sense to me (she's 3 now) since I'm home with her and she gets lots of attention from all 4 of us and plenty of exercise. It never bothered me until recently, when someone came over who hasn't been over before and they were talking to Kia in a sympathetic tone, saying "oh doesn't anyone ever pet you?" They were serious. This really bothered me! Kia is as much a member of our family as any of us and she's never ignored or mistreated in any way.

Anyways, does anyone else have an Aussie who behaves this way or knows why mine does this?

If you don't want her to make friendly gestures at a particular time, you could train her and have her on command to pay attention to you at those times. But her temperament sounds marvelous. I certainly would not worry about the friendliness. A dog should not suspect people simply because they are strangers. A smart dog with some protection instinct knows to react only to behaviors that are definitely suspicious. She sounds like a great dog.

Here's a link to my article on Protection and How Dogs Can Do It Best. I hope you find it helpful.:

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=2019&S=1&SourceID=47
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Hi and thanks, Kia is really a wonderful person (ok, she's a dog, but she acts more human than a lot of humans that I know).

I know she would protect all of us if the situation warranted it but I do not look at her as our protector - if someone were to threaten any or all of us, I would not want her jumping in to "save the day" because I don't want her getting hurt.

I just am wondering why she feels she needs everyone she comes in contact with to pet her and tell her how lovely she is when she's got all 4 of us doing it every day!

Thanks again!

Some animals are just less inhibited around strangers than others and enjoy meeting new people. I say it's a product of you've done a great job socializing her and she's never known the term "stranger." To her, all humans are friends and therefore should be greated as such. It doesn't mean that you dont' pay attention to her- on the contrary it reflects that you have spent a lot of time with her and she's comfortable and confident.

Nevermind what the books say what the breed should be like- each dog is an individual and variation can happen. So, your dog didn't read the "shy" chapter. Good for her!!!!! Enjoy your extrovert- we all should be so lucky.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

hahahah I'm glad I'm not the only one. I just adopted my 2 year old and he is the same way! It doesn't matter who it is, he immediately rolls over and wants a belly rub, or heads for the backyard to play ball. It does not match up with what the books say, but I would say its the exact opposite for us....... have fun

The key word is socializing aussies and
it sounds like you have done a good job

Thanks!

Awww...thank you so much for all of your kind words!