The Australian Shepherd (Aussie)
A red Aussie
Origins
The Australian Shepherd, also commonly called Aussie, is not actually originated from Australia, as his name tells it. This breed was developed in the United States, more precisely in the western US ranches. They became really popular after the Word War II. They were mainly used for herding cattle and as stockdogs, but also as rescuers, detection dogs, guides.
Appearance
The Australian Shepherd is a very agile and playful companion. They have a height of about 56-59 cm at the shoulders and the females about 53-56 cm, in other words this is a small to medium breed. The males weight about 27-31 kg and the females 24-27 kg. They display a coat varying in color from a clean black, blue merle (marbled black and gray) to red merle (marbled red and silver, buff). The chest, legs and face area can show different color markings and spots. The white patches on the coat can appear on the collar, chest, underbelly, face but are not excessive and the eyes are surrounded by a mask of color. The eye color varies from brown, blue to green, amber, hazel. They can have bicolored eyes: one eye would be brown, one blue. That doesn’t mean that the eyes aren’t healthy. The tale is long and full for some dogs or docked and short bobbed for other.
Grooming
The Australian Shepherd dogs shed heavily twice per year, but overall it is easily maintained. Grooming depends majorly on the size of the coat but it should be done twice a week and more in the shedding season.
Health Facts
The Aussie has a lifespan of about 11-14 years. These values may differ especially since this breed is always split between working dogs and show dogs. Better care adds better lifespan. They can suffer eye problems, various allergies to drugs and medication (even respiratory problems), heart and skin problems, cancer, hip dysplasia. There is a specific breed problem when dealing with “double merling”: the pup that inherits a dual copy of the dominant merle genes will have hearing and visual issues and will eventually become blind or deaf. This isn’t a 100% fact but they will need special attention and care.
Temperament and Lifestyle
Being energetic dogs, the Aussie requires mentally involving exercises and activities. The Australian Shepherd makes an excellent family dog, because they are loyal to their owners and behave greatly with children. But this attitude should be taught from early stages and they should always be accompanied by a “shepherd leader” presence. They are very interactive when competing in dog agility training and shows, they love practicing and doing tricks. They are intelligent and learn commands and tricks really fast. They are adaptable to most situation and if they become bored they can be inventive.
More articles on this:
- The Australian Terrier
- The Australian Cattle Dog
- The Bearded Collie
- The Border Collie
- The Belgian Malinois
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