It may be a surprise to many that the Australian Shepherd was not developed in Australia at all and in fact originated in the mountains. This breed is believed to of been created by crossing Spanish breeds together and at some point, the Collie. Today, we know this breed as the Australian Shepherd and it is an incredible farm and herding breed.
Breed Appearance
In general, both males and females measure 20-24 inches in height and generally weigh 45-65 pounds. Males and females may be smaller or larger than the show standard and still be purebred. Built lean and active, this breed is considered a large breed dog. Their two ears should be large and triangular, folded down alongside of their face. Please note that in some cases, one or both ears may be erect on top of their head. This breed has a double layer coat that is medium in length. They are available in solid red with and without markings, blue merle, red merle, and black. Depending on preference of owner, their tail may, or may not be docked. In general they have a shorter tail. A beautiful trait of this breed is that their eyes are oval and are available in blues, browns, ambers and multi color at times – also known as “marbling”.
Breed Temperament
Known for their immense agility, working and herding skills, this breed is no doubt highly active. The Australian Shepherd requires much physical and mental exercise daily in order to remain happy and healthy. This breed is NOT recommended for apartment living. They require a long daily walk or jog, along with mental activity and a job to do. When not receiving these key requirements, this breed can develop excessive barking, anxiety and possibly aggression. This breed is best on a farm or several acres to roam within a properly installed fence. Great with family, the Australian Shepherd is loving and protective over its loved ones. It is important to note that if you do have small children, this breed may possibly attempt “herding” them. This is something that is within the genes of the breed, as they feel it is their job. Positive reinforcement training methods are the ONLY training methods we recommend.
Breed Grooming
This breed does shed. Daily brushing and bathing when needed. Pay close attention to coat after coming in from outdoors, to prevent knots.
Special Notes
This breed is prone to being deaf and blind. There are other major health issues that this breed is prone to. Please note that this breed is not meant for everyone. This breed needs much physical and mental activity every day to remain happy and healthy. Please fully educate yourself prior to adding one to your family to ensure this is the correct breed of choice. Do not add this dog to your home unless you can provide life long physical and financial care. A properly installed fence is highly recommended for this breed. All dogs originate from wolves (Canis Lupus). Each breed of dog was originally created by mixing different breeds together in an effort to bring forth certain characteristics. Once a breeder has created acceptable “breed characteristics” within their bloodline and these “breed characteristics” have shown to be reliably reproduced in the offspring for three (3) generations, the bloodline may be upgraded from the category of “foundation stock” to “pure-bred”. The same “pure-bred” breed standards vary from different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders.
Dog DNA testing companies can have accurate results for a specific bloodline of a small colony of dogs. However, there are tens of thousands of different bloodlines in the world which have not yet been tested for marker baseline results by Dog DNA testing companies as of 2024. For this reason Dog DNA testing companies do not guarantee the 100% accuracy of their breed lineage results and will also show different marker results for the same pure-bred breed in different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders.
