The Australian Shepherd: A Breed That's Not For Everyone

Max Climbs Over. '82 W205xH298
Max could climb a baby gate at 6 1/2 weeks of age


THE AUSTRALIAN  SHEPHERD: A BREED THAT'S Not FOR EVERYONE
by Meredith Lunn
(reprinted here with Meredith's permission)


The Australian Shepherd is a medium size dog, slightly longer than tall, with moderate coat length and a bob tail. Coat colors can be solid black, solid red, blue merle and red merle (both patterns of the solid colors), with or without white and copper markings. Eyes can be blue, brown, amber or combinations thereof. His size ranges from 18" to 23" tall and weigh 35 lbs. to 65 lbs, females being smaller and more feminine looking than males, size not to take precedent over quality.

The traditional Australian Shepherd is bred for his INTELLIGENCE, INTENSITY AND INSTINCT for working livestock. Because of a rise in popularity, the Aussie is in jeopardy of loosing these traits that are the very essence of the breed. Dogs bred for the current show ring fads and for the ever expanding pet market resemble less and less the true Australian Shepherd in both mental and physical characteristics. The good news is that there are breeders who strive to maintain these qualities in the dogs they produce. They are honest about them NOT being ideal pets for every situation. They breed only when they want to keep a puppy for themselves and are highly selective in those breedings. Unfortunately, these practices are not shared by the increasing numbers of backyard, novice and/or commercially motivated breeders.

INTELLIGENCE makes the Aussie a thinking and reasoning animal. This can make training him a pleasant experience because he absorbs new information like a sponge! His ability to think for himself can also make him a challenge to train because he has his own ideas about how to do things. BASIC OBEDIENCE is a must and can be started at an early age. Teaching him to sit, down, stay, come, etc., can be accomplished in the routine of everyday life and helps develop respect between dog and owner. These commands establish ground rules and excellent house manners without much fuss. POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT AND PRAISE work well with him. THE AUSSIE IS A CREATURE OF HABIT AND RESPONDS WELL TO A REGULAR, WELL-ESTABLISHED DAILY ROUTINE. HE LIKES THE LIMITS TO BE VERY CLEARLY DEFINED. When left outside, he needs a secure, escape-proof area. He should not be left to roam freely without supervision.

Combined with intelligence, INTENSITY helps give the Aussie a high degree of motivation. It's the ability to be ready for and stick with any given task without quitting. It helps in his eagerness to learn new things and get it right, and not be intimidated by corrections necessary in training. However the "no-quit", energetic attitude is not a requirement for the average dog owner, thus making it a negative rather than a positive trait. He needs ongoing training to use his brain. THE MORE JOBS HE LEARNS TO DO, THE HAPPIER HE'LL BE! He can be tireless at Frisbee, retrieving, running, etc., which is good because he needs exercise and activities to use his mind and body. He is an athlete. DAILY EXERCISE IS A MUST!

The HERDING INSTINCT, or the inbred ability to herd livestock, varies in intensity and ability in each dog and in every bloodline. An Aussie can exhibit these instincts by nipping at heels, tugging at pant legs, circling the vacuum cleaner or keeping the kids in the yard. Add this trait to his intelligence and intensity and most owners find this annoying and unacceptable. For others, it makes him a real Aussie! These traits must be taken into account by the prospective owner.

Aussie TEMPERAMENT is always a hot topic for discussion. What's good or bad seems to differ from person to person and breeder to breeder. It's not unusual for the Aussie to be reserved with strangers and not "make-up" right away to everyone he meets. RESERVED SHOULD NOT BE MISTAKEN FOR SHY OR WARY! The truly reserved Aussie is CONFIDENT AND SELF-POSSESSED, not fearful and unsure. Even though he may be aloof, he's always alert, aware of his surroundings, cautious and usually an extremely good judge of character. A dog that is bred to protect livestock and his master will also be PROTECTIVE of his home and family. Although these are acceptable behaviors, he needs to meet new people and be exposed to as many different situations as possible while he's growing up. Aggression toward people or animals is unacceptable behavior. Human companionship is necessary for his mental and physical well-being. Relegating him to the backyard with little human contact can have disastrous results. Including him in as many family activities as possible will help make him confident and well-adjusted.

PLEASE NOTE: After studying bite behavior and teaching dog bite safety classes to primary school children, it is my recommendation that any owner with small children put off acquiring ANY breed of puppy or dog until the children are old enough to understand how to behave around a dog. Even parents with the best of intentions have a difficult time supervising youngsters around a puppy or dog and nipping and biting accident happen, usually through no fault of the animal. Waiting until children are old enough to take an active part in caring for and respecting the dog will get the relationship off to a much better start.

With proper care and nutrition, a healthy Aussie can live to 14+ yrs. old. However there are some genetic (inherited) conditions that can afflict the breed. Eye defects, hip dysplasia, epilepsy, skin disorders, thyroid conditions, allergies and inherited temperament defects are known problems. While most dog breeds have certain types of genetic disease, a cautious, well-educated breeder should take all of these things into account when planning a litter and try to minimize their occurrence. Although testing the sire and dam can prove if they are free of defects themselves, testing must be put into perspective. It's no guarantee that their offspring will also be free of defects. A dog can produce a defect, but not have it himself. Combined with testing, study of ancestors in a pedigree helps the breeder make educated choices. Titles should also be put into perspective when considering the quality of an Aussie. While it takes a great deal of time and commitment on the part of the owner/breeder to get these titles, Champion (CH), working (WTCH, STD), or obedience (OTCH, CD, CDX) titles are no guarantee of physical or mental soundness for the prospective pet owner.

A responsible Aussie breeder breeds for quality, not quantity. Breeding of the Australian Shepherd should be undertaken only by those who have a working knowledge of the breed standard, understand Aussie behavior and training, and have studied Aussie genetics and bloodlines. Maintaining the traditional Australian Shepherd and improvement of individual bloodlines should be foremost in each breeder's mind, not just producing puppies. Each breeder should be prepared to keep and care for those puppies that do not sell and be prepared to take back any puppies whose homes did not work out.

Aussies can be great competitors in obedience, agility and stock dog trials as well as useful farm and ranch dogs. Some become search and rescue dogs, therapy dogs, guide dogs for the blind and service dogs for the physically impaired. They can be excellent companions for the selective individual who requires a dog with high degree of motivation, ability to reason and think for himself AND willingness to work with his owner.

If what I've described here does not fit your lifestyle, there are many other breeds that will suit you just fine. If you'd rather a Golden retriever-type personality then by all means, get a Golden! Don't take the "Aussie" out of the Australian Shepherd! It's a breed that's not for everyone.

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