The Australian Terrier makes the ideal family pet. The breed was developed in Australia in the early 1800s, and were first known as the Rough Coated Terrier.

They are a handy size, weighing about 6.5 kg (14lbs) and standing about 25 cm (10 ins) at the shoulder, with a medium length, harsh double coat, either red or blue and tan in colour, will benefit from regular brushing to remove dead hair and prevent matting.

They are extremely people friendly and want everyone to be their friend. I have never seen either of my Aussies act aggressively toward anyone, and are very reliable with children.They are very active and playful, always ready for a game or a walk, but provided they are given enough exercise they will be happy to curl up with you on your favourite lounge, or at your feet.

The Aussie retains it's terrier heritage as a hunter and will need to be well socialized to learn how to behave around other pets. They will need to be supervised during off lead runs as their hunting instincts can take over, and even the best trained dog can forget his training during the heat of the chase.

Obedience training is essential. They are intelligent dogs, and learn quite quickly, but being true terriers, they can become stubborn and refuse to do anything they do not want to do.

To gain their willing obedience, you need to reward them whenever they do what you want, and to gain their respect as their leader. Being small dogs, it is too easy to allow them to get away with disrespectful behaviour. In the wild, dogs live in a pack, and to ensure the packs survival there must be a strong leader. With domestic dogs, their human family becomes the pack, and you must become the leader.

Make sure they have firm and consistent rules to follow. Do not allow them to push out the door in front of you, or drag you along behind them on the leash when you take them for a walk. You need to be the leader, not the follower. The leader leads, and the follower follows. Don,t feed them scraps while you are eating. When you are finished, leave the table, ask them to sit before being fed and make sure they take the food politely. The leader eats first, then the other pack members are allowed their share.