Kai’s gear · Amazon Check Price
Kai’s Aussie kit
★ Kai’s Favorite The ones Kai loves most, picked by me.Kai-tested Kai used it. The honest notes stay on the card.
2 Hounds Freedom harness
Kai walks in his neon orange Freedom harness. It has a front ring and a back ring for the leash.
As an Amazon Associate and Chewy affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. The price you pay doesn’t change.
Check Price on Amazon →What we bought for Kai. Starter four first, then walk, groom, toys, treats, home. Jump below · Check Price on each card.
Free Owner’s Kit sheets are further down if you want the email pack too.
Essentials
Starter four. Check Price on each card.
MidWest iCrate
Kai-testedFolding wire crate with divider.
Kai asleep in his 42 inch iCrate. The divider made crate training work.
Check Price on Amazon →The divider panel is the reason to buy it for a puppy: small space first, then move the panel back as they grow. It folds flat for the car.
Travel kennel. Home training crate is the MidWest iCrate, a separate pick.
Maxpower Planet Original Pet Grooming Rake
Kai-testedDeshedder · double-sided undercoat rake
Kai’s brushed-out undercoat next to our Maxpower rake.
Pulls Aussie undercoat without scratching. Doesn’t stop shedding. It moves hair off the dog into a pile you can trash.
Arm & Hammer for Pets Ultra Fresh Waterless Bath Spray
Kai-testedBetween-baths spray · White Jasmine
Between-baths spray when they roll in something. Spray, towel, done.
Check Price on Amazon →Aussies shouldn’t be bathed every week. It dries the coat. But they also roll in things. A waterless spray covers the days in between.
Dreame L40 Ultra Gen 2 Robot Vacuum & Mop
★ Kai’s FavoriteRobot vacuum and mop with a self-emptying dock
We upgraded from an older Roomba to the Dreame for self-emptying and mopping. Kai barked at it for the first six months, so we ran it from the app while we were out. Now he sits right next to it.
Check Price on Amazon →Best for hardwood or tile Aussie homes when you want the dock to handle the hair pile.
Walk gear
Freedom harness, Fida slip leads (puppy-era), sidewalk leash, Viper long line. Check Price on each.
Still deciding on a harness or collar for a puppy? I wrote up how we handled it with Kai.
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He walks in this.
Puppy-era walks on Fida slip leads in grey and blue. Rope slip lead for training walks, not a Freedom harness.
5 ft by 1 inch double-layer nylon leash with an aviation aluminum frog clip rated to 700 lb. The clip swivels 360 degrees.
Solid brass snap. Biothane wipes clean. For the park on a long line, not sidewalk walks. Check the snap first.
Grooming
Slicker, comb, dryer, bath after the rake. Check Price on each.
As an Amazon Associate and Chewy affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. The price you pay doesn’t change.
After the rake, this pulls leftover fluff without shredding the coat.
Last pass. If it snags, you missed a mat.
High-velocity dryer for blowing out loose undercoat after bath day.
For when the rake isn’t enough. Detangle and deshed bath.
Oatmeal & aloe conditioner for post-shampoo coat.
Fur Bébé shampoo for bath day.
Toys & enrichment
Herding, crate, nose, lick. Check Price; more toys on the Best toys guide.
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Straps let a dog carry it. The game keeps going without a constant thrower.
Stuffable rubber. Freeze it for crate time.
Soft flyer for fetch.
Indoor treat hunt. Not the Fun Feeder bowl.
Hard-shell herding ball. Push, don’t chew.
Red and cream shaggy football. Kai sits with it and claims it, then sprints out to the patio. It’s a soft toy, so stay close while he plays.
See Kai with it →
Felt, not chewproof. Supervise.
Smear a thin layer, let your dog work the grooves, put it away when the session ends.
The orange square lick mat.
This lick mat is unavailable on Amazon at the moment.
Check Price on Amazon →More toys on the Best toys guide
Food
Bowl topper, not a training bite. I cook Kai’s food myself, and the recipe is on Kai’s bowl page.
As an Amazon Associate and Chewy affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. The price you pay doesn’t change.
A food topper, not a training treat.
Treats
Training-size, soft and crunchy. Check Price on each card.
As an Amazon Associate and Chewy affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. The price you pay doesn’t change.
Small, soft, high-value for training reps.
Bone broth treats from Bocce’s. A separate pick from the Quack training bites above.
Single-ingredient beef training bites.
Light crunch for high-rep training.
This flavor is unavailable on Amazon at the moment.
Check Price on Amazon →
Pupford Train beef liver in the 4 oz size. One of Kai’s liver training bites.
Another liver Kai has had. Same job as Pupford, so I don’t rank one over the other.
Air-dried Baltic herring. It’s a training treat.
Freeze-dried salmon, and a Kai favorite. We buy the big bag at Costco, and Amazon has the same salmon recipe.
Ours comes from Costco. One ingredient, just beef liver.
A Kai-tested treat without a buy link.
Zoe Super Bars in the salmon recipe. Kai has tried them.
Unavailable on Amazon at the moment
Health & home
Flea and tick, gates, crate nights. Check Price. Robot vac is in Essentials.
As an Amazon Associate and Chewy affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. The price you pay doesn’t change.
For dogs over 18 lbs. Ask your vet.
Plant-powered flea and tick spray in Rosemary, 16 oz.
Extra-tall walk-thru gate. Slows the house chaos; doesn’t replace training.
Sent to the breeder so Kai’s mom’s scent was on it, then heartbeat comfort for early crate nights. Retire when they’re past the need.
Kai-tested guides
Best… guides with the full story. Open a guide, or jump to Essentials.
- best harness for Australian Shepherds
- Best Midwest iCrate
- Best SportPet kennel
- Best Freedom harness
- Best Viper leash
- Best leash (brass clip)
- Best Fida slip lead
- Best long line
- Best undercoat rake
- Best daily brush
- Best robot vac
- Best Dreame vac
- Best Shernbao dryer
- Best puppy crate
- Best herding ball
- Best QDAN herding ball
- Best toys
- Best Jolly ball
- Best HERO football
- Best KONG Classic
- Best Chuckit Flying Squirrel
- Best Outward Hound puzzle
- Best snuffle mat
- Best Vivifying snuffle mat
- Best lick mat
- Best HOPET lick mat
- Best Avont lick mat
- Best Puppy Gates
- Best Regalo gate
- Best waterless spray
- Best Arm & Hammer spray
- Best TropiClean shampoo
- Best training treats
- Best Bocce’s Quack
- Best Full Moon beef
- Best BIXBI Ruff Puffs
- Best Pupford liver
- Best Nutri Bites
- Best PLATO fish
- Essentials (starter four)
- Best food
- Best Nummy Tum Tum pumpkin
- Gifts for Aussie owners
- Best Snuggle Puppy
The Aussie Owner’s Kit. Free.
Free Owner’s Kit sheets. Feeding, grooming, MDR1 vet list, first-year timeline. Send Me the Kit.
You’re in. Check your inbox for the kit.
Kai on Instagram: @kaitheaussieadventurer
Kai-tested = he used it. Prices update on Amazon. Australian Shepherd Essentials, bought with our own money. Read our affiliate disclosure.