About

OVERVIEW: The Australian Shepherd is smart and focused, and a good Australian Shepherd can be your best friend ever, but only if you are prepared to keep him busy with dog sports -- agility, fly ball, flying disc games, herding trials, obedience, and tracking -- or teach him to do chores around your home or yard. A couple of hour-long daily walks, jogs or hikes, plus some home training sessions will also help to meet his need for activity. It takes a lot of time and effort to keep him occupied to his satisfaction. But if you're ready to provide loving leadership to your dog, train him consistently and fairly, and give him plenty of exercise and an outlet for his considerable intelligence, then the Australian Shepherd can be right for you.

Don't underestimate that intelligence, either. This is among the smartest of all dog breeds, and one whose owners need to pay attention lest they find themselves outsmarted. Expecting an Australian Shepherd to spend his days in the backyard and his evenings keeping you company while you watch your favorite TV shows is a sure way to create a barking, bored, destructive dog instead of the calm, well-behaved, loyal companion you thought you were bringing into your home.

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Australian Shepherds herd livestock by nipping at the animals’ heels. If they don’t have a flock to manage, they may transfer this behavior to children, other pets, and vehicles. Never let it go uncorrected, and then redirect the behavior by giving your Australian Shepherd demanding and interesting tasks or games that will provide him with the exercise and mental stimulation he needs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He’ll help your kid practice pitching skills for hours on end and may well be voted MVP of the neighborhood pickup soccer or football games. The Australian Shepherd can also make a super search and rescue dog, detection dog, hearing dog, assistance dog or therapy dog.

 

You might think that an Australian Shepherd needs a home with a big backyard, but he can adapt to any environment as long as his people give him a couple of hours of vigorous exercise every day. And although he loves the great outdoors, the Aussie is by no means a yard dog. He is bred to work with people. If your Australian Shepherd is a family pet, he needs to live indoors; that is, when he’s not out with you playing, jogging, working or showing up all the other dogs at the local agility or obedience trial. Otherwise, he'll be lonely, bored and destructive.

 

Herding breeds bark, and the Aussie is no exception. He is always alert and will bark to let you know that he sees or hears something out of the ordinary. Teach him how to discriminate so that things like squirrels in the yard or the neighbor driving into his garage don’t qualify as “out of the ordinary.”

 

The Australian Shepherd is best known for his striking merle coat — dark blotches against a lighter background of the same color, giving a sort of marbled appearance — but the coat is not limited to that pattern. Aussies can have coats of blue merle, red merle, black or red, all with or without white markings and copper points (markings on the face, ears, legs and tail). Avoid purchasing an Australian Shepherd who is primarily white. White coloration is genetically linked to deafness and blindness in this breed. It usually occurs when two merle-colored Aussies are bred together.

 

Just as striking as the Aussie’s coat is his range of eye colors: brown, amber, blue, green, hazel, eyes that are different colors—for instance, one blue and one green—and even “split” eyes, in which half the eye is one color and half is another color.

 

One important thing to know about the breed is that there are two types of Australian Shepherds: those bred strictly for their herding talents and those bred for the show ring and AKC performance events. The herding dogs tend to be smaller, thinner and with shorter coats than show dogs. Those traits make them more agile as they move stock, and the shorter coat is less likely to snag on brush and brambles.

It’s important to know the dog’s background before purchasing a puppy. If you plan to actually work stock with your Australian Shepherd, you will want a puppy from working lines. An Australian Shepherd from show lines may also have a strong herding instinct, but his heavier coat can make him unsuited to work in the “real” world. He will, however, be a super competitor in agility, obedience and other dog sports.

 

PERSONALITY:

 

The Australian Shepherd is super-smart, versatile, adaptable and energetic. This is a thinking dog, bred to use his brain and make decisions. He wants to be a part of everything that is going on and needs an active lifestyle to be happy. He is also big on consistency. He likes things to happen at the same time every day -- meals, walks, bedtime. Any time you want to change something, your Aussie will have to sign off on it first.

 

Expect to spend plenty of time training the Aussie so he can learn things to do that will keep him occupied. Teach him to bring in the paper, take dirty clothes to the laundry basket, help you in the garden by pulling a cart and more. When he’s done with his chores, he’ll be ready to play outfielder in sandlot games or accompany you hiking or biking.

 

Like most herding breeds, the Australian Shepherd has an inborn protective streak and can be wary of strangers. He’s not a buddy-buddy dog with everyone he meets, even with plenty of socialization. Without early and frequent socialization, the Aussie can become shy or aggressive in the presence of people he doesn’t know. Aussies are also highly sensitive to sound and may develop noise phobias, especially to thunderstorms, if they are not accustomed to loud or unexpected noises. On the plus side, they are excellent watchdogs and will always alert you to anything or anyone out of the ordinary.

 

It’s essential to purchase an Australian Shepherd from a breeder whose stock is temperamentally sound and who understands the importance of early exposure to many different people, noises and situations that come with life in a family home. Run far away from breeders who raise their pups in a barn or a pen out in the backyard. An Australian Shepherd who is to be a family companion needs plenty of socialization.

 

The Australian Shepherd has many great qualities, but they don’t just magically develop. Any dog, no matter how nice, can develop obnoxious levels of barking, digging, countersurfing and other undesirable behaviors if he is bored, untrained or unsupervised. And any dog can be a trial to live with during adolescence. In the case of the Australian Shepherd, the “teen” years can start at six months and continue until the dog is about two years old.

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Start training your puppy the day you bring him home. Even at eight weeks old, he is capable of soaking up everything you can teach him. Don’t wait until he is 6 months old to begin training or you will have a more headstrong dog to deal with. If possible, get him into puppy kindergarten class by the time he is 10 to 12 weeks old, and socialize, socialize, socialize. However, be aware that many puppy training classes require certain vaccines (like kennel cough) to be up to date, and many veterinarians recommend limited exposure to other dogs and public places until puppy vaccines (including rabies, distemper and parvovirus) have been completed. In lieu of formal training, you can begin training your puppy at home and socializing him among family and friends until puppy vaccines are completed.

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Talk to the breeder, describe exactly what you’re looking for in a dog, and ask for assistance in selecting a puppy. Breeders see the puppies daily and can make uncannily accurate recommendations once they know something about your lifestyle and personality.

 

The perfect Australian Shepherd doesn’t spring fully formed from the whelping box. He’s a product of his background and breeding. Whatever you want from an Aussie, look for one whose parents have nice personalities and who has been well socialized from early puppyhood.

 

 

GROOMING:

 

The Australian Shepherd has a lot of hair and his grooming needs may appear daunting, but caring for him isn’t as much work as you might think. Brush the coat regularly to remove dead hair that will otherwise land on your clothes and furniture, they are double coated dogs therefore their coats should NEVER be shaved.

 

The Aussie sheds, but it’s a major event only twice a year, in the spring and fall. Frequent brushing, warm baths and thorough blow drying during that time will help keep the handfuls of hair under control. Outside of shedding season, bathe the Aussie only when he gets dirty.

 

The rest is basic care. Active Australian Shepherds often wear their nails down naturally, but it’s a good idea to check them weekly to see if they need a trim. Otherwise, just keep the ears clean and brush his teeth frequently for good overall health and fresh breath.