Dog Breed Guide

Australian Shepherd

Profile

Size

Medium

Country of origin

United States

Origin

19th century

Bred for

Sheep herding, Stock herding

Height

male 51 - 58cm (20 - 23in), female 46 - 53cm (18 - 21in)

Weight

male 25 - 32kg (55 - 71lb), female 18 - 25kg (40 - 55lb)

Life span

12 - 15 years

A herding dog loved for its fluffy, medium-length coat and colorful coat patterns. Colors are blue merle (gray mottled with black), red merle, black and red, with white and tan markings. Dogs with two different-colored eyes, or with two colors mixed in a single eye, are not unusual.

The Aussie is extremely intelligent, full of energy and a hard worker. It is loyal and loving with its family and always wants to do something with them. It learns jobs quickly and is a star at dog sports and tricks.

On the other hand, without enough exercise and mental work, stress can easily lead to mischief and nuisance barking. It needs a setting where it can get one to two hours of good exercise every day. The coat must be brushed several times a week.

Good to know

Despite the word "Australian" in its name, the breed was actually developed in the United States. Its ancestors are thought to be herding dogs that Basque shepherds from the Pyrenees brought with them when they came to the American West by way of Australia. American ranchers began calling them Australian Shepherds because they were the dogs of shepherds who had come from Australia.

After World War II, the breed's popularity exploded at rodeos in the American West. The amazing tricks performed by Idaho rancher Jay Sisler and his three Australian Shepherds became famous across the country, and Disney even made them into films.

There is a story that Native Americans considered these dogs' pale blue eyes sacred and called them "ghost eyes," but this is regarded as a legend with no reliable record behind it.