Home / Dog breeds / Australian Shepherd
Australian Shepherd breed guide
The American Kennel Club calls the Australian Shepherd a lean, tough ranch dog and an only-in-America story: a European breed perfected in California by way of Australia.
Fixtures on the rodeo circuit, Australian Shepherds are closely associated with the cowboy life.
Temperament
Australian Shepherds feel an irresistible impulse to herd anything: birds, dogs, kids. This strong work drive can make them too much dog for a sedentary pet owner and that they are remarkably intelligent and quite capable of hoodwinking an unsuspecting novice.
Australian Shepherds bond strongly to their families, so they may be territorial and overprotective of their owners' property. They turn destructive when left without enough to do.
Lifespan
Australian Shepherds live 12 to 15 years. Breeders test for hip dysplasia, epilepsy, cataracts and certain forms of cancer.
Care
Weekly brushing keeps the waterproof double-layer coat looking its best. Shedding season calls for an undercoat rake every two or three days, followed by a wire brush.
A high-energy athletic dog, the Australian Shepherd needs a great deal of exercise daily: at minimum a large fenced yard to run in for an hour or two. Australian Shepherds love long walks or better yet hikes and an adult with a fully formed skeleton makes a great running companion.
History
The Australian Shepherd descends from Europe's finest herders. Its world tour began in the borderlands between France and Spain, where the Basques built a centuries-old reputation as world-class shepherds with the Pyrenean Shepherd, progenitor of the modern Australian Shepherd.
In the early 1800s many Basques sailed to Australia with their shepherd dogs and refined them there with judicious crosses.
AKC trait ratings
| Trait | AKC rating | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Level | 5 of 5 | Couch Potato to High Energy |
| Trainability Level | 5 of 5 | Self-Willed to Eager to Please |
| Shedding Level | 3 of 5 | No Shedding to Hair Everywhere |
| Barking Level | 3 of 5 | Only To Alert to Very Vocal |
| Adaptability Level | 3 of 5 | Lives For Routine to Highly Adaptable |
| Good With Young Children | 5 of 5 | Not Recommended to Good With Children |
| Good With Other Dogs | 3 of 5 | Not Recommended to Good With Other Dogs |
| Watchdog/Protective Nature | 3 of 5 | What's Mine Is Yours to Vigilant |