Australian Shepherd

Even though this dog is called an Australian Shepherd it is not actually an Australian breed.  The breed has its origins in the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain. These Pyrenean shepherd dogs came to Australia in the 1800’s with the many Basque shepherds who migrated here to try their luck in the vast, virgin pastures of the interior.

During their long sojourn in Australia, the Basques refined their dogs through judicious crosses with Australia’s British imports, including Collies and Border Collies. After building up their flocks, the intrepid Basques left Australia for the greener pastures of California. Californian ranchers admired the Basques’ herding dogs and assumed they were an Australian breed—thus the misleading name of Australian Shepherd.

The strong herding instinct of the dog continued to be developed by cattle ranchers who put the dog to work herding cattle on farms and ranches across America. Today they are also used as drug detector dogs and for search and rescue efforts all around the world.

Australian Shepherds are high-energy, athletic dogs who require plenty of exercise on a daily basis to prevent them from becoming bored. They are the perfect dog for an active individual or family as they love to have something to do, whether that’s going for a run or hike, playing fetch or fun games including hide and seek, fly-ball and agility activities.

Aussies bond closely with their owners and love to accompany them on long walks, or better yet, hikes. Once their skeletal systems are fully formed, they can make a great running companion. The best course, however, is to give the Aussie a real job, whether that is herding livestock or competing in canine events such as obedience, herding or agility trials.

One of the ultimate working dog breeds, if you don’t give them a job to do, they may just find themselves one. This drive can make Aussies too much for a sedentary pet owner to handle. At minimum, they should have a large, fenced-in yard to run around in for at least an hour or two daily.

This is a breed that needs set boundaries, so early socialisation and obedience training are both essential. Their herding instinct can in fact be quite dangerous if they are not well trained, as there is a risk of them running into the road to chase cars or harm young children while trying to round them up.

One of the most common reasons Aussies end up in pounds and rescues is owners’ inability to constructively channel their boundless energy through training. Fortunately, their loyalty combined with their intelligence and high energy makes them relatively easy to train. However, they can also have their own minds, so persistence and mixing things up a bit and teaching them new tricks is often the way to go.

Australian Shepherds have a waterproof, double-layer coat that tends to shed a fair bit, so regular brushing is recommended. In general, weekly brushing sessions will suffice, but twice a year they shed heavily due to seasonal changes in the weather, and more work will be required at these times.

During shedding season an undercoat rake can be used every two or three days to remove the abundant dead hair, followed by a clean up with a wire brush.

Aussies are often working and/or playing outdoors, so it’s not unusual for them to come inside dirtier than when they left. But they require a bath only occasionally, unless they’ve gotten into a particularly messy situation.