Origin: France
Height: 20-23 inches
average
Weight:
Exercise Needs: High
Grooming Needs: Medium
Life Expectancy: 12-13
years
Good With Kids: Yes
Trainability: Moderate
Common Misspellings: Awstralian Shepherd,
Austrailian Shepherd, Australian Sheperd,
Australian Shepard
Alternate Names: Aussie, Aussie Shepherd
With origins as mottled as his coat, the
Australian Shepherd is a unique little working
animal that has been capturing the hearts of dog
lovers since the end of WWII. While it is
believed that this beautiful breed may have
originated near the Basque region of the
Pyrenees Mountains, he was dubbed the Australian
Shepherd, due to his close association with the
Basque shepherds who made their way into the
United States, from Australia, during the
1800’s. In fact, the Australian Shepherd is not
even registered in Australia as a native breed,
despite the dog’s gaining recognition throughout
the world since the 1950’s. Regardless of his
origins, however, this beautiful dog was further
developed within the United States, where he was
not only recognized as a registered breed, but
he was also quick to gain popularity, featured
in various rodeos and wild west shows, movies
and on the television. In no time flat, the
Australian Shepherd became a part of Western
culture.
A favorite amongst ranchers, the Australian
Shepherd is an excellent herder, able to control
sheep, cattle and even horses, through a complex
collection of movements, techniques and, of
course, the herding ‘eye’ (a term which refers
to the herding dog’s ability to control the herd
through eye contact). This dog is extremely
attentive and quick, allowing him to not only
notice the calf that is about to break from the
herd but, even more, allowing him to head said
calf off before it gets more than a few bounds
away. At times, these movements are so quick,
and so precise, it seems like the Australian
Shepherd knows what each member of the herd is
going to do, before they even do it.
As if the intelligence and extreme
trainability of the Australian Shepherd wasn’t
draw enough, this scruffy little dog is truly a
prince amongst the canine world as well.
Sporting coats of red, black, or the more exotic
red or blue merle, they are a sight to behold
and their eyes are jewel-like, ranging in shade
from amber and blue to a rich brown, as well as
mottled, marbled and flecked, with any
combination of the mentioned colors. It’s not
uncommon to find yourself captured by an
attentive mismatched gaze; a sight which only
helps add to this wonderful breed’s allure.
Additionally, the Australian Shepherd is a
medium-sized herding dog, standing only 20-23
inches at the top of the shoulder, which makes
him small enough to comfortably enjoy life both
inside and outside the house.
The Aussie, as he is affectionately known, is
a sweet-tempered dog and rarely aggressive with
other animals. He can be, at times, somewhat shy
and does best with quiet voices and gentle, slow
touches. If you're expecting a lot of
traffic or noisy visitors, it's probably safest
to provide your Australian Shepherd with a quiet
place that he can retreat to, should noise
levels become too much to bear.
One downfall of the Australian Shepherd is
that they are a very active dog and do require a
good deal of exercise, so they are not
well-adapted to a city lifestyle in an
apartment, unless you’re prepared to spend a lot
of time down at the local dog park - of course,
they are also known to make excellent Frisbee
dogs, with their athletic frames and high-energy
personalities, so this may be an option for you
yet!
While the Australian Shepherd may not require
weekly trips to the groomers, he falls under the
high maintenance category, simply due to the
fact that he requires frequent and diligent
brushing. While the Australian Shepherd's coat
rarely gets mats and needs no trimming, in order
to keep it in good condition, Aussies do shed.
In fact, Aussies can shed a lot, all year round.
If you’re interested in one of these wonderful
dogs, it’s best to keep in mind that you may
spend a lot of time vacuuming the floor and the
furniture with this hairy bundle of joy.
A very quick and intelligent dog, the
Australian Shepherd is sometimes seen as a bit
of a challange to train. While the combination
of their intelligence, happy-go-lucky
personality, and athletic ability makes them
perfect dogs for agility training, getting these
independent thinkers to work with you takes
patience and a gentle hand. The Australian
Shepherd will also react in a very stubborn or
shy manner to any who apply a heavy hand or
stern voice. Persistence and a whole lot of
patience are the best techniques to bring to
these training sessions. Be patient and
try to remember that he doesn't mean to be
impudent, but he's used to tending sheep, not
rolling over and playing dead.
Like any breed of dog, the Australian
Shepherd is subject to a variety of health
concerns. Your best bet is, when deciding to
choose a new Australian Shepherd puppy, check
around with several breeders and ask about the
various health issues that can affect these
beautiful little dogs. A reputable breeder
should be well-versed in the health concerns and
should be able to give you more details, as well
as showing you the sire and dam of your
potential puppy. Some of the health problems
that can affect Australian Shepherds include:
- Hip dysplasia
- Cataracts
- Ocular or iris coloboma
- Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA)
- Distichiasis
- Epilepsy
- Heart problems
- Thyroid problems
- Merle-to-merle breedings resulting in
deafness
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Fans of the breed are quick to say that
you're bound to fall in love with the keen
Australian Shepherd and why not? What is
not to love about this gorgeous and highly
intelligent canines? For many, the
Australian Shepherd may seem like the perfect
pet.
Nevertheless, it's important to weigh the
facts when you take any new pet into
consideration - How much time do you have to
spend with a dog? How much time do you
have to devote to his training? While
Australian Shepherds can be fairly independent,
they still respond well to company and slow
training. Particularly young dogs do not
do well when left for long periods of time.
Also take into consideration that these are very
high energy dogs and need a fair amount of
exercise - if you don't have the time to make a
commitment to a dog such as this, you might
prefer someone more tame and laid back. If
you don't mind the exercise level and aren't
adverse to a bit of dog hair, then the
Australian Shepherd may be the perfect dog for
you!
There are a wealth of resources online that can help you learn
more about the Australian Shepherd dog breed. We've compiled a list
of Australian Shepherd information sites to assist you in quickly
locating quality information about the Australian Shepherd dog
breed, while avoiding the "garbage" sites that are nothing more than
poor attempts to capitalize on the popularity of dog breeds in
general. If you know of a Australian Shepherd information site that
offers unique, quality information and photos of the Australian
Shepherd breed, please contact us with the URL and a brief
description so that our editors can consider it for inclusion in our
list below.
Australian Shepherds are a very photogenic dog breed. By looking
at Australian Shepherd pictures, you can usually gain more insight
into what these dogs and puppies are like as a breed, and this can
help you decide if you really want to become a Australian Shepherd
owner. The following sites below offer pictures of Australian
Shepherd dogs, Australian Shepherd puppy photos, funny Australian
Shepherd photos and more. Enjoy!
Now that you have decided that the Australian Shepherd is the
right breed for you, it's time to start the process of finding a
responsible Australian Shepherd breeder from which to buy a healthy,
well-socialized puppy. Not all breeders are alike; there are good
breeders - and bad breeders. Don't be in a hurry to buy the first
Australian Shepherd puppy you find at the cheapest price available!
To buy a puppy from a responsible Australian Shepherd breeder, you
may need to pay more and wait longer. The additional money and
waiting time will be well worth it. Buy a puppy in haste from a
newspaper ad, pet store or "backyard breeder", and you'll likely
also purchase a great deal of additional expense and heartache,
since you will likely end up falling in love with a puppy with
health and behavioral problems that will likely need special care,
plenty of veterinary visits, regular medication - or even
euthanasia. But do your homework and find a responsible, caring
Australian Shepherd breeder who home-raises their puppies with love,
screens their breeding dogs for health problems, offers a health
guarantee and post sale support, and who genuinely loves the
Australian Shepherd breed and is in it for the love of the breed,
rather than profit, and you can be fairly well assured of getting a
healthy, happy, long lived and affectionate family companion that
will provide you and your family with many years of joy, laughter
and companionship.
Further information about choosing a responsible breeder...
Here are a few breeder directory sites that we recommend. These
sites attempt to screen advertisers to ensure that the breeders
listed are responsible and sell healthy, home-raised Australian
Shepherd puppies to carefully screened buyers. There are many, many
sites now online that advertise dog breeders - many are a Mecca for
puppy mills and backyard breeders. We recommend that you steer clear
of these resources in favor of sites that are more selective in the
breeders whom they allow to advertise.
We Highly Recommend:
Australian Shepherd clubs and rescues web sites can help you
learn even more about the Australian Shepherd dog breed, help you
locate a responsible Australian Shepherd breeder, or help you find a
Australian Shepherd dog or puppy in need of a second chance for a
loving, forever home. We've compiled the following list of
Australian Shepherd clubs and Australian Shepherd rescues web sites
for your convenience:
Choosing a name for your Australian Shepherd puppy can be a
daunting task! There are so many names to choose from that it can
take a lot of thought and research to find just the right name for
your Australian Shepherd. Usually, it's best to get to know your
puppy for a few days or weeks. Often your puppy's personality will
help you decide on just the right name to choose. Does he have a
sense of humor? A serious side? A goofy way of cocking his head to
one side? A strange love of cantaloupe? By observing your new
Australian Shepherd puppy over the first days or weeks, you should
at least have a clue about what type of name you want to give. There
are a ton of dog names and pet names web sites on the internet. Some
are wonderful information resources, while others, unfortunately,
are just "garbage" sites set up with the sole purpose of cashing in
on visitor hits for this popular subject.
We recommend the following sites to assist you in choosing a name
for your new Australian Shepherd puppy. These sites offer inventive,
unique, original and creative pet names suggestions that have helped
thousands of new puppy owners in selecting just the right name for
their new baby!
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