If you’re the proud owner of an Australian Shepherd, you know just how incredible these pups can be. They’re super active, athletic, and just all-around amazing. But, with all that energy, comes some important questions – like, how high can an Australian Shepherd jump?
Well, let us tell you – these pups can effortlessly jump up to 4 feet! That’s pretty impressive, right? But, here’s the thing – they can also easily scale a 6-foot fence if they’re feeling particularly motivated. That’s why it’s so important for Aussie owners to keep their furry friends in a fenced yard. But don’t worry – there are plenty of solutions to this problem, like using an L footer or coyote roller, providing regular exercise, making the yard fun, or even using two fences!
Now, some Australian Shepherds are just obsessed with jumping. It’s a behavioral problem that should be addressed at a young age. But fear not – we’re here to help you figure out how to prevent this behavior and keep your pup happy and healthy. And while we’re at it, let’s address some other related problems, like when your pup jumps on you or even on sheep!
So, if you’re curious about just how high your Aussie can jump and how to prevent unwanted jumping behavior, join us and let’s dive in! With a little patience, effort, and some helpful tips and tricks, you can keep your furry friend safe, happy, and well-behaved.
How high can Australian shepherds jump? The in-depth answer.
The Australian shepherd is also known as Aussies, is an extremely high energetic and active dog breed. In fact, they are Intelligent, good-natured, protective, affectionate dog breeds.
Even though these dogs don’t have a higher intelligence level than other intelligence dogs like Border collies, poodle, GSD, these dogs can understand pretty much any command fever than 5 commands.
So, the answer to this problem mainly depends on the dog. What’s that mean is that this jumping capability can depend on their,
- Height
- Weight
- Age
- Health status
- Fitness
- Nutrition level
- Activeness
- Gender
Here is the weight and height table.
| Gender | Weight (Kg) | Height (cm) |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 25-32 | 51-58 |
| Female | 16-25 | 46-54 |
As my experience goes, Considering all the above factors, I would like to say that they can effortlessly jump 4 feet. But, most Australian shepherds can jump over 6 feet fence with their legs’ help when it comes to a fence.
Yeah, You read it correctly! They can get over even 6 feet fence. So, you have to make a considerable effort in order to keep them inside your backyard.
Most people call them “Escape artists.” So, providing proper training in the early stage of their life is a crucial fact.
Actually, there is nothing to wonder about this. Because these dogs are livestock guardian dogs. So, we can expect a high physical activity level from their blood.
How to Keep your Australian shepherd from Jumping Over the Fence?
As we discussed earlier, Australian shepherds are active dog breeds more than other average dog breeds. Because of that, these dogs are extremely excited about their surroundings all the time.
But, this curiosity is kind of a dangerous thing since there is a high chance of getting into trouble if your Australian shepherd jumped over the fence and wander.
In fact, male dogs are a little bit stubborn, and they tend to run off from you very quickly. It doesn’t matter if you own a male or female one. You got to understand why does your Australian Shepherd tends to jump over fences.
So, the common reasons can be,
- Your dog may see a dog or a person that he/she would like to hang out or meet.
- Being left alone in the yard could make him/her feel frightening.
- When your Aussie sees an animal or something else that would make him feel to chase.
- When he feels some kind of fear, loneliness, or anxiety with the backyard.
- Sometimes your Australian shepherd may hear some particular sounds on the other side that would make him jump over the fence and investigate.
- In some seasons, your dog may start to wander and find a mate.
- When your Australian shepherd stays alone throughout the day, he may be prone to separation anxiety or stress.
- Lack of exercise.
So, what can you do about them?
Okay. First, you gotta understand what’s driving behind your dog. What does that mean is that the reason why does your Australian shepherd jump over fences may belong to one of the above. So, first, figure out what that is.
So, here are several of them you can try out!
- Remove any aids to escape.
- Use L-footer
- Try coyote roller on the fence.
- Make your yard more fun and enjoyable.
- Play games.
- Try chew toys.
- Food and treats
- Provide regular exercises.
- Make a second fence.
1. Remove any aids to escape.
Usually, Australian shepherds can do loads of things if they wanna jump over the fence and wander. So, here are the common aids that can be used to escape.
- A step tool
- Garbage can that has stored next to your fence.
- Some trees with low limp hanging over your fence.
- Firewood piled next to the fence.
But, this is not all. You got to walk around the yard and see everything from your Aussie’s point of view to ensure there are no aids that would help escape.
2. Use L-footer if your Australian shepherd used to jump over fences.
This is one of the greatest ways to keep your Aussie inside the yard. This L footer should be fixed at the top of your fence. The shape of this should be “L” but keep the angle around 120 degrees.
The short side of the L footer should be fixed to the fence and keep the rest of the hardware angled towards your yard. This is one of the effective ways to keep your Aussie inside the yard.
3. Try coyote roller on the fence.
A coyote roller is an aluminum roller that can be fixed on top of the fence and can be used to keep your dog scaling the top of a fence.
If your Australian Shepherd used to climb the fence and jump over it, this one is great. This aluminum roller spins when dogs try and get their footing on it.
Dogs cannot hold it up as this roller spins and resulting in the dog will fall to the ground harmlessly.
4. Make your yard more fun and enjoyable.
The reason why most Australian shepherds are tempted to jump over the fences and escape they are getting bored in the yard. So, there are few things you can do to make the yard more fun and enjoyable.
Play games.
You can play several games with your Aussie in the backyard. The most recommended game is playing fetch. This will give so many advantages.
- You can burn off the energy of your Australian shepherd, and he won’t try to jump and escape from the backyard.
- It can full fill their exercise requirements.
- You can keep them mentally stimulated.
- I will give your dog so much joy, and it will make him feel positive experiences with the yard.
Try chew toys.
You can provide chew toys that can keep them busy throughout the day. But, I would like to use puzzle toys because they can keep my dogs even busier.
Food and treats
If your Australian shepherd used to jump over fences, one of the other easy solutions is food and treats. This can give excellent results.
So, here is what you can do.
Take some tasty dog treats that your dog love. Then hide them throughout the yard. So, your Aussie will be occupied for hours and hours searching for them. It’s a great way, isn’t it?
5. Provide regular exercises if your Australian shepherd used to jump over fences.
if you are a really busy person who works 9-5 on the job, you may miss some of their exercising sessions. As I mentioned earlier, these dogs have high energy. So, you have to release them in order to keep them calm.
6. Make a second fence.
Usually, dogs need a good running start in order to jump off the fences. So, making a second fence inside the yard keeps them escaping. Making about 3 feet high fence in front of the main fence would be sufficient.
By the way, read this to understand whether Australian shepherds are good with off-leash.
How to train your Australian shepherd not to jump on people?
Australian shepherds can be trained to avoid jumping on people using methods like changing their attention, leash, and treat methods. In fact, proper socialization, praising, proper basic obedience training, positive reinforcement methods are crucial to eliminating this problem.
Most Australian shepherds have a problem jumping on people. It can be some kind of behavior of showing their love and affection to you. But, it also can be a behavioral problem.
It doesn’t matter what the reason is jumping on people is always annoying. What will happen if your Aussie played with on muds in the backyard and jump on you when you are about to leave for work? So, you got to stop it right away!
But, Don’t worry. I have two suggestions that will help you to eliminate this bad behavior from your Aussie.
- By changing his attention.
- Leashed and treats method.
1. By changing his attention.
You got to understand that this jumping problem could occur when your Australian shepherd is super excited about something or attention-seeking behavioral problem.
You may experience some Aussies tend to bark continuously at their owner’s face to grab their attention.
So, all you have to do is not give attention as they try to get it from you. In fact, changing its attention is a big part of this method.
So, let’s understand how you can solve this issue.
- Suppose your Australian shepherd tries to jump on you. So, in this case, all you have to do is turn your back toward the dog. But, you should ensure that you won’t make any eye contact with him. What will happen if you make eye contact with him? He got your attention.
- After about 30 seconds, turn back to him. If he still tries to jump on you, again turn back to him. Do this continuously until it gets corrected.
- Once he shows good behavior, immediately cuddle him and praise him with friendly words. Use tasty puppy treats to encourage the behavior.
- Inform everyone in your family to follow the same process until it gets corrected.
2. Leashed and treats method.
The leashed and treat method is also an efficient way to keep your Australian shepherd from jumping on people. So, let’s figure out this method step by step.
- First, keep your Aussie on a short leash. Ask one of your family members to stand with the dog a little bit away from you. 5-6 feet would be enough.
- Get some high value dog treats. Then approach the dog slowly. In fact, you have to let him feel that you have puppy treats with you.
- Suppose you approach the dog. If he tries to jump on you, immediately take a step back and say, “No.” But remember not to use harsh words or voices. Instead, use a calm, gentle, and firm voice.
- So, when you are able to move forward your Aussie without jumping on you, reward him with puppy treats and praise him.
- Try to do this process two times in the first few days. After several training sessions, it’s time to change the rewarding method. Reward him when you only see positive behavior. By doing so, you can keep them from being food motivated.
- So, repeat this process until it becomes a habit.
When should you worry about your Australian shepherd’s jumping?
Usually, Australian shepherds take around 12-15 months to fully grown. So, being a habitat of jumping more often is not suitable for these dogs. Because they have to wait at least past their growing stage.
Things to be aware of.
Okay, now you have a good understanding of how high can Australian shepherds can jump. You got to understand that jumping is not a bad thing. Since Aussies are very good at jumping, they can be trained to participate in agility competitions. In fact, there are several other things also you should be aware of. So, let’s figure out what they are.
Never restrict your dog’s view.
Suppose you restrict your Aussies view in order to keep them from jumping over fences. In that case, it’s a terrible thing, and it could be caused to develop some psychological issues. So, having a chain-link fence is the most appropriate way to resolve loads of their psychological problems. In fact, it will help them to get used to the nature around them.
But, the problem here, though, is Australian shepherds are really good at climbing fences. In fact, chain link fences are easy to climb on. But you can fix L-footer or coyote roller to the fence.
Stop your Aussie from tunneling under the fence.
Usually, Aussies are really good at digging. So, jumping proof the fence is not enough in order to keep your Aussie inside the yard.
So, one of the perfect solutions is creating an L-footer along the base of your fence.
Get another dog.
If you can buy another dog for your Australian shepherd would be a great decision. Because two dogs can take care of each other throughout the day. In fact, they can play all over the day. So, they will never get bored with the yard.
Socialize your Aussie.
Socializing your Australian shepherd in their early stage of life will help him forget all the distractions beyond the fence.
Provide proper basic obedience training.
Having proper basic obedience training is the key to train anything to your dog. We have discussed several training methods for different kinds of purposes. So, any of them cannot be done without proper basic obedience training.
Conclusion
Most people love these affectionate, devoted, furry friends. But most people have a common curiosity to know if how high can an Australian shepherd jump. It’s a crucial fact in order to keep them safe in a fenced yard. In fact, most owners need to address their behavioral problems like jumping on people or sheep. So, we have discussed everything through this article. Hope you found this helpful. Have a nice day.
