AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD BREED PROFILE
BREED SUMMARY
Origin CountryUnited States
WeightMales: 50-65 pounds. Females: 40-55 pounds.
HeightMales: 20-23 inches. Females: 18-21 inches.
Australian Shepherd ORIGINS Contrary to what the name implies, the only thing Australian about the Australian Shepherd, or Aussie, is his name. In fact, the Aussie is as American as apple pie. Developed in the United States, the breed descended from the Pyrenean Shepherd, which was originally brought to the western United States by the Basque peoples who settled in the American Northwest in the early 1800s. These sheepdogs were then bred with the ancestors of other modern day and extinct herding dogs, including Collies, Border Collies, and Smithfield Sheepdogs.
The confusion surrounding the Australian Shepherd’s name likely comes from the fact that the Basque did not migrate directly from Europe. Instead, some Basque peoples took a detour Down Under when political unrest or unemployment gripped their home country. When some of the Basques uprooted and moved to Australia, they took their little blue dogs along with them. In Australia, many of the farmers found that the Australian sheep were hardy and resilient against pests and disease. When the farmers left Australia for the States again, they brought their dogs along for the journey. Once on American soil, they settled in Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, and Idaho. The dogs that once herded the famously resilient sheep of Australia became erroneously known as Australian Shepherds in the U.S.
The Aussie grew in popularity after World War II, a time when western-style riding grew in popularity among the general public. Rodeos, horse competitions, and western TV shows and film were of interest to people in America, and the sheepherder dogs were a part of that era. At first, Australian Shepherds, like other working dogs, were simply bred for hardiness and sustainability for their flock’s particular climate and environment. This produced many different looking dogs, even though all were being bred to have that same intelligence and herding ability. However, it wasn’t long before the breeders began to focus on the look of the breed, eventually standardizing it into the hardy, ruggedly handsome type we have today. BREED CHARACTERISTICS Head: Mesaticephalic skull-type, moderate in size, wedge-shaped, and in proportion to the rest of the body. The top skull may be flat to just slightly domed. The occiput may be slightly prominent. The topskull length from the occiput to the stop is equal to the width from side to side, measured in front of the ears. In profile and from above, the head should form a wedge-shape. The head is clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkle.
Eyes: Medium in size, set well into the skull, almond or oval in shape, and set obliquely. Eyes may be any color, or any combination of colors, including dark to light brown, amber, hazel, green, blue, bi-color (two different colored eyes), flecked, or marbled (two different colors mixed together in one eye). Eyes rims are tightly fitted and well-pigmented. Eyes should never appear bulging or rounded. Dogs exhibiting iris cobloma should be disqualified.
Ears: The ears are of a moderate size, set high on the head, and triangular in shape. They may be naturally drop with some lift to the base, or they may be naturally rose. At full attention drop ears break forward, and rose ears are held with the tips out to the side. The ears should never be completely prick or houndy.
Muzzle: The muzzle is full, deep, and broad. Upper and lower jaws have good bone substance, appearing strong and well-developed, never appearing snipey or weak. It should taper just a bit toward the nose, forming a blunt wedge. The muzzle may be equal to the length of the topskull, or it may be just shorter. It is dry, without excess flews, skin, or haw.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and black, or self-colored according to the coat. Merle dogs may have a butterfly nose which must be at minimum 75% of the total nose at one year of age. Unpigmented portions of the nose that exceeds 25% of the nose area are undesirable. The nostrils are well-opened.
Neck: Moderate length to allow for proud head carriage, strongly-muscled, with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut, without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep, broad, but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
Body: Compact, solid, and good substance. The body is never racy or refined. Width at forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Feet: Oval to round, compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Tail: Set neither high nor low on the croup, the tail is a natural extension of the dog’s topline. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. Carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, but never tucked or carried up over the back. Tail may be left natural (preferred), docked short, or naturally bobbed. Natural long tails are of a medium length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight or gently curved. Natural tails are elegant and straight, or may form a graceful curve. Docked tails are cut short, no longer than four inches. Naturally, bobtails may be any length as long as they are straight and without kinks.
Movement: Effortless, efficient, energetic, indicative of great agility, power, and stamina. The characteristics of healthy structure are evident: when moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the center line of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in a line with the nose. The width between the forefeet when extended should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament: The Australian Shepherd is a confident, energetic, and intelligent dog that loves a job. His even disposition, good nature, can-do attitude, and devotion to his family make him a great family pet. As with many herding dogs, his original purpose required him to have a sense of ownership and control for his flock or herd, which can carry over to other things, for example, his truck, his yard, his toys, and his family. Adult dogs are not expected to be overly friendly toward strangers, and a healthy reserve or aloofness is not to be penalized. However, any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
https://ckcusa.com/