AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD
APPEARANCE
The Australian Shepherd is a well-proportioned dog that can come in a variety of colors including black, blue-merle, red and red-merle. The breed is slightly longer than it is tall, has a strong but not bulky body and a coat often with white markings. Standard Australian Shepherd is around 18-23 inches in height, and weighs in at around 40-75 pounds. The miniature Australian Shepherd is around 14-18 inches high and around 20-40 pounds in weight.
PERSONALITY
The Australian Shepherd is a highly intelligent, active dog. These are very clever and responsive dogs, and can also be very fast and energetic. They are confident and protective. Human companionship is crucial to this breed. They can be quite demanding with their owners, as they love attention and need to be mentally stimulated and kept busy.
TRAINING
This breed is very intelligent, and learns very quickly. They excel at, and enjoy agility, rally, flyball, frisbee, and obedience. A lot of time, attention, and training is needed to handle such a strong-minded breed. It is important that they know who the master is or they will attempt to take control. The Australian Shepherd requires firm, fair, consistent, and effective direction.
EXERCISE
Australian Shepherds require a great deal of vigorous exercise, and athletic activities to keep them satisfied. Daily walks are a must to give them the opportunity to vent their energy as well as mental stimulation. Getting involved in agility, herding, rally, or obedience are perfect outlets for all that energy. They thrive on running, herding, playing, and all family activities. They are at their best when they are given a great deal of social interaction and a task to do.
SOCIALIZATION
They get along well with active, considerate older children. They are reserved and cautious with strangers. You will find that whereas some Australian Shepherds get along fine with all other animals, others will chase cats and be dominant around other dogs. Some lines can be more aggressive than others. As part of the herding group the Australian Shepherd can retain his herding instincts and may nip and circle around other animals and people in a bid to herd them.
LIVING CONDITIONS
This high activity levels breed is not recommended for apartment dwelling and requires an active owner to stay in shape, they thrive on running in a large securely fenced yard or enclosed environment.
GROOMING
The Australian Shepherd requires moderate grooming, the coat needs an occasional brushing with a firm bristle brush. Do not bathe too often, is it removals the natural oils in the coat, and can leave them with dry skin. Brushing and dematting should be done before bathing. It is important to do more in depth grooming when they are going through their seasonal shedding. After bathing, you will want to blow dry them until completely dry. Left with a damp coat can create skin problems.
HEALTH ISSUES
The life expectancy of the Australian Shepherd is around 12-15 years. The Australian Shepherd is susceptible to countless health issues; like possible eye diseases especially cataracts, iris coloboma, PRA (progressive retinal atrophy), PPM (Persistent Pupillary Membrane) and CEA (Collie Eye Anomaly). They may also suffer from CHD (Canine Hip Dysplasia), nasal solar dermatitis, VWD (von Willebrand’s Disease), epilepsy, lumbar sacral syndrome and MHA (Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia).
HISTORY
In spite of its name, the Australian Shepherd is not Australian at all, but was actually developed in the pasturelands of the United States in the nineteenth century to work as a herding dog, retriever, and watchdog on ranches. Although the miniature version is not yet accepted as a breed, the standard size of Australian Shepherd was registered with the AKC in the early 1990s.
