Double coated dogs like Golden Retrievers, Huskies, Border Collies, Pomeranians, and Australian Shepherds have two layers of fur. The bottom layer, closest to the dogs skin, is very thick and dense. This layer is referred to as the "undercoat." The top layer is stiffer and usually coarser.
Australian Shepherd shedding is year-round, too, though you'll notice a surplus of shedding during spring and fall. That said, these shaggy coats have two layers: The undercoat and the overcoat.
Aussies have a lush, medium-length coat that is straight or slightly wavy. They have feathering on the back of the legs and a generous mane around the neck. Coat colors vary and might be blue or red merle or red or black tricolor, all with white and/or tan markings.
Keeping your miniature Australian shepherd looking cute is all about tending to their fur. These are big shedders thanks to their double coats, so their fur requires some serious attention. To keep shedding under control, it's essential to brush them often.
Double-Coated Breeds Include:
Golden and Labrador Retrievers. German and Australian Shepherds. Pomeranians. Siberian Huskies.
Here's the test: Stroke your dog's coat against the direction of the fur — if you see a patch of skin, your guy's a single-coat; if you spot the hallmark short layer of dense, fluffy fur, then you've got yourself a double-coated dog. Double-coated dog breeds include (but aren't limited to): Akita. Australian Shepherd.
Dogs come with a wide variety of coat types. You'll find long, short, curly, fluffy, straight, and wiry fur—and everything in between. Some dogs have what is called a single coat, or one layer of fur. And other dogs have a double coat with a short undercoat hidden beneath a longer outer coat.
Solid black and red coats are the least common coats among Aussie dogs, with solid red being the absolute rarest. The red-colored gene is recessive in dogs, meaning red fur must be present in both parents to make a red-colored pup.
What is a double merle? A dog that inherits two dominant versions of M is a double merle. In Australian Shepherds these dogs usually will have excessive amounts of white, be deaf in one or both ears, and have serious and generally blinding eye defects. In a few severe cases the eyes have been missing altogether.
Aussies are cotton ball fluffy when they're tiny and then they loose all that fluff and have this thin, soft, wispy chicken feather coat for a while during their adolescent phase. As they get closer to being 1 year old they finally get a long, slightly more dense and coarse adult coat (see pics below).
Your Aussie will bond to his family and be protective of and loyal to them. Many dog owners are surprised to learn that even though Aussies have strong guarding and herding instincts, they are sweet and cuddly indoor dogs that can even be kept in apartments.
Australian Shepherd History
Their Pyrenean Shepherds crossbred with other working dogs, including Collies and Border Collies, creating the modern version of the Australian Shepherd.
You should be able to feel some ribs when pressing lightly. There should be a noticeable “tuck” of the stomach when the dog is standing up straight. If your dog doesn't meet these standards then he's likely not just fluffy, he's fat.
The quick answer is, no, you shouldn't shave your dog in summer. And this doesn't just apply to super-furry Northern breeds, but to other double-coated breeds as well. Herding breeds like Aussie Shepherds, Border Collies and Shelties are double-coated.
Look for folded ears.
Overall, they should reach down to, or slightly past, the pivot area of the lower jaw. There is some debate about whether an Aussie should have folded or upright ears. While show dogs are required to have folded ears, there are many purebred dogs that have upright, or pricked, ears.
They can be protective.
If you're looking for a watchdog, the Australian Shepherd can be a good choice. Like many Herding breeds, the Aussie tends to be wary of strangers. And If he sees anything out of the ordinary, he'll usually alert you with a bark.
Dogs with cryptic merle (also called phantom or ghost merle) typically display little to no merle pattern and some may be misclassified as non-merles. The cryptic merle alleles occur in the lower end of the range (typically from 200-255, however, this range and designation varies by study).
This term refers to a puppy bred by two merle colored Aussie parents. Many people are unaware, but when two merles (of any breed) are bred together, each puppy has a 25% chance of being born as a double merle.
The breed standards state that Australian Shepherds can come in some combination of two basic body colors (black and liver), one pattern (merle), and two trim colors (white and tan.)
It all comes down to genetics. Those two different eye colors, which is also known as wall eye, is one trait of many in dogs that their mother and father canine can pass down. With two parents, a puppy's gene copies double. Sometimes, these genes conflict with one another.
Very genuine, very loyal; expressing Australian values; Australian. This derives from a British English sense of true blue, recorded from the 17th century with the meaning 'faithful, staunch, unwavering in one's commitments or principles; extremely loyal'.
Aussies might have any combination of brown, blue, hazel, amber, or green eyes. Some Aussies even display more than one color within the same eye.
Shaving a double coat can also do long-term damage. When it is shaved down to the skin, the undercoat hair will grow back faster, and sometimes will crowd out the slower-growing guard hairs. This can change the texture and color of a dog's coat and make it appear patchy and unattractive.
The Samoyed, The Chow Chow, the Pomeranian, the Siberian Husky, and the Alaskan Malamute are considered triple coated by some dog groomers.
The texture of the soft undercoat will absorb the sun's rays, making your dog hotter in summer. Shaving a double coated dog does not reduce shedding.