Australian Shepherd training

 There will be some more people better qualified than me along in a while.  Take a deep breath and relax,  It doesn't happen over night. Aussies can be difficult because they are smart and energetic.  Find an article on Nothing in Life Is Free (NILIF), a training method where the dog has to work for everything.  You hand feed the dog after it obeys an order.  Locate an obedience training class near you, contact them to learn about their schedules, fees, and training methods.  The purpose of the class should be to teach you how to train your dog.  Almost all dogs can learn and will learn.  Once they understand you are their person, they usually want to please you, because when you are happy, good things happen.  Start small and in a contained environment-use a leash until you have control, a long check cord when out and about.  Do not let the dog loose until you have a good recall on the check cord and in a fenced area with no escape.

Classes are nice because you have experience advisers at hand  and you do the training and practice to avoid looking foolish at the next class.

k9deb.com/nilif.htm

ww.dogguide.net/nilif.php

www.dogbreedinfo.com/nothingfree.htm  

 I will second the idea of a training class. You can also look at the Karen Pryor Academy and then do searches on YouTube on specific behaviors. Also look up "101 Things to do with a box" on a Google search or YouTube. This type of training is perfect for herding breeds which is what Aussies are.

First thing is don't let her go off-leash in unsafe areas. When you call her and she is off-leash, only use the recall cue when you are 100% certain she will come to you.  For example, if she's really interested in a sniffing spot, don't do it then. If she's just kind of walking around or laying down, those would be good times to call her. ALWAYS reward with a high value item, like a game of tennis balls or a treat of some kind. 

For those times when you need her to not run off, a long line, is essential.  You can make a long line out of cheap clothes line type rope from Lowe's or Menard's. If you're not in the US, then any kind of hardware store would also have it. A 20 foot line would be long enough to start with.

Definitely look up the box game and give that a try.

Hello,

 I was concerned about training my dog when i first got her as well.  Although I never took a training course, or did anything professional, I hope I might help to let you know what worked for me and my dog (and my wife's dog...who was very stubborn)

Dogs have a pack mentality, where someone IS the boss.  I love my dogs, but you can't have a friendship mentality or they walk all over you.  If they don't think your the boss, they think they are!  That is the first thing that needs to be worked on, in my opinion.

Whenever the dog does something right, reward it heavily!  Lots of verbal praise and half a treat is what i usually used.  My puppy was potty trained on this alone, and it worked great.  The main thing with this is you NEED to be there, and congratulate immediatly.  Dogs recognize rewards for what it does right now, not what it did 5 minutes ago. 

First thing I did with my wife's puppy was dominance training...her mini American Eskimo has quite a personality.  He thought my wife was the boss, followed by him, and then me!  When he failed to listen to me, i'd approach him (casually, not stomping or angry) and put him on his back.  Another method, if i told him to stay, and he tried to go, i'd grab him by the back of his neck and firmly (not roughly) correct him.   

 When we would teach him tricks, we put him on a long leash (30ft long) and would practice calling him between my wife and I.  If he didn't come when called, we'd 'snap' the leash.  We didn't 'whip' it, or do it to hurt him or jerk him around, but as a firm corrective action similar to when i'd grab the nape of his neck. 

lastly, with any physical corrective action use a verbal correction with it.  In a normal voice, say "no" or "stay" or whatever fits the situation, but eventually the pup will learn this comes with the corrective action, and it can eventually replace physical correction all-together

My wife's dog is still a stubborn boy, but what's funny is he walks right by my side perfectly and follows my verbal commands to the T.  When he's with my wife he does what he wants cause he knows he gets away with it.  Anyhow, I hope my tirade is useful to you in some way!

I second the idea of a positive based training class.  I also agree that until you have taught her a reliable recall, she should be kept on a lead or long line.  She's had lots of experience ignoring you when you call her and you have to overcome that behavior.  Make the idea of coming to you a positive experience.  You could reward with yummy treats or a short play session with her favorite toy.  Don't call her to you and immediately take her indoors or she will soon figure out that coming to you ends all fun.

  Read the book "Don't Shoot the Dog" by Karen Pryor.  Another good read is " Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson.  Both of these will give you some insight into how dogs learn.  Don't worry too much about who is dominant and be careful using corrections unless you know what you're doing and since you admittedly don't have much training experience, I'd stick with positive methods.  I do agree that using NILIF (nothing in life is free) is a great method to teach your dog that good behavior has rewards. :) 

 The good news - as Aussie owners will tell you - is that they are one of the easiest breeds to train. They catch on super fast and tend to be velcro like with their owners making recall a relatively easy task. The best place to start is maybe in the house. Call her once. Every time she comes give her a treat and lots of praise. Repeat the process MANY times during the day. She should quickly make the connection of receiving a reward for responding to your call. When she has mastered this inside move outdoors. Good Luck!

 Aussies listen, all right, but you have to be speaking a language they understand;-)  If you can't get to a class, try the free lessons at www.clickerlessons.com.  Aussies are SUPER at clicker training, and they love having a job to do.  I think you will be amazed at how quickly she picks it up.  A good book for beginners is Peg Tillman's "Clicking With Your Dog" - and if you learn better by watching, try going to YouTube and click on the kikopup channel.  Lots of free videos there.