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« on: March 16, 2007, 02:54:38 pm »
i know that this is an old topic but i wanted to add a bit to it. my first dog was an aussie. i spent time with her every day from the time i couldn't even walk or talk till she died. she would lay down on the floor and let me lay my head against her stomach while i ate cookies and watched the flintstones. she was also a working dog. my papa took her out to the ranch and had her bring in the cattle. however, i have been around and trained aussies that were incredibly hyper and not good with children (i noticed that you mentioned that labs were good family dogs....they are hyper also and can be uncontrollable if you do not work with them). they were also usually owned by people who never wanted to walk their dogs and expected them to be a lawn ornament. working dogs need a job. if you do not give them a job they will pick out one for themselves and herding around kids is an easy pick. it's not that they aren't good with children it is the fact that if you do not raise them correctly, work with them, and socialize them they can turn into bad dogs. have the kids help out so the dog will learn to listen to the kids and not think of them as something to push around. any dog can be a bad family dog if it is raised by an irresponsible family. my aussie was the best because of her owners and i totally reccomend them to owners who choose to raise them resposibly.