We have an australian shepherd that is four now. Her instinct to protect the family and herd strangers out of her house is extreme. She has the fastest run, circle and nip you can imagine. She listens to us in every other instance, with the exception of her low tolerance for strangers. Anyone have a success story with an aggressive aussie that they love?

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Aussies have a tendency to herd anything that moves to include people outside their master(s). For the Most part it is normal so long as it is not agressive behavior as in the dog is being what one would call viscious. Working with the dog with other people around is the only way around that. Aussies are smart but can be stubborn especially when they are adults (like any other dog). Like the "Dog Whisperer" says, let your dog know it is unwanted behavior. You as the "pack leader" as he would say need to claim the people over to visit in a sence. As the alpha you need to take control. Good Luck

Aussies have the instincts of cattle dogs. They will try to herd, as in nipping, small children around the ankles the way they would herd cows or sheep.