Australian Shepherd
The Australian Shepherd is a working dog that looks similar to a collie. Australian Shepherds, known as “Aussie”, are a popular breed in California where they made their debut in the 1900s. The Australian Shepherd dog has an abundance of energy and is excellent in agility along with having a great temperament. They are also wonderful with children.
Australian Shepherd dogs stand between 18”and 23”, and weigh anywhere from 35 to 70 lbs. with the males generally being larger. They have a possibility of being four colors: blue merle (black and gray patchwork), red merle (liver red and beige patchwork), black or red. There can be white on the face; however, there should be no white from the shoulders down to the tail. Any Australian Shepherd dogs that have white mixed with the primary colors are called “tri-color”.
Australian Shepherd breeders attempted to bring out the qualities that made the dog a good stock dog: ability to withstand the cold, have speed, agility, and be energetic and high endurance. Many will say they succeeded as many of the Australian Shepherd dogs perform in rodeos and excel in the sport. Australian Shepherd puppies for sale usually go very fast. The same is true with miniature Australian Shepherd puppies. Owners of Australian Shepherd puppies say they are very easy to train despite their high energy level.
There has been much controversy through the years regarding the miniature Australian Shepherd. Many feel that the miniature Australian Shepherds are merely a smaller version of the Australian Shepherd. Some, however, believe the mini Australian Shepherd is a breed of its own. The mini Australian Shepherds became known as their own breed around 1960s, although the AKC still only recognizes one Australian Shepherd breed.
Breeders liked the style of the mini Aussies, went a step further with their breeding, and developed the toy Australian Shepherd.
One health defect of the Australian Shepherds is a mutation of the MDR1 gene. This causes a possible toxicity to Ivermectin, the medicine used to prevent heartworm such as in Heartgard. It is interesting to note that the miniature Australian Shepherds are more susceptible to the than the regular Australian Shepherd.
To show their love of the breed, there are Australian Shepherd decals available. One of their popular decals says, “If it’s not an Aussie, it’s not a dog”.
If you are interested in giving a home to an Australian Shepherd, look for an Australian Shepherd rescue. There are many of these organizations with Aussies just waiting for a home.
