Australian Shepherd History
Their Pyrenean Shepherds crossbred with other working dogs, including Collies and Border Collies, creating the modern version of the Australian Shepherd. The Basques later immigrated to the United States (with their dogs in tow), and the breed became known as the Australian Shepherd.
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.)
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. Most Aussies have a naturally short tail, but sometimes tails are docked if longer than four inches.
The mini Aussie shepherd is a cross between the standard Australian shepherd and the toy or miniature American shepherd. While there are many different types of Aussie mixes, the mini Aussie cross is one of the most popular.
In the 1960s, small-size Australian Shepherds found working the U.S. rodeo circuit were selectively bred to further reduce their size. The new breed was originally called the Miniature Australian Shepherd. “They became especially popular with equestrians traveling to horse shows,…
Toy Australian Shepherds are not yet a recognized breed in their own right. Officially, there are only standard-sized Aussie Shepherds and Miniature Aussie Shepherds that are significantly smaller. Toy Aussies have been bred to be even smaller than Mini Aussies but share the same interesting lineage and history.
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.
An Australian Shepherd puppy price can range anywhere from $700-$3,000. There are many factors that can affect the price, ranging from the breeder's reputation to even the dog's coat color.
The behavior is a good sign that your dog is happy at home, happy with you, and happy with any other pets or friends that he might encounter throughout the day. As a general rule, Australian Shepherds need a lot of exercise and mental stimulation in order to feel happy.
They are often referred to as “double merles.” If these puppies only had lots of white, there wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately, most of them are also blind, deaf, or both. This is the reason that the breed standards disqualify white dogs. Life for a dog which is blind or deaf can be difficult.
The Australian Shepherd is one of a few dog breeds that commonly have two different colored eyes, called heterochromia. 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.
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'.
It is generally held that Australian Aboriginal peoples originally came from Asia via insular Southeast Asia (now Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia, and the Philippines) and have been in Australia for at least 45,000–50,000 years.
Indigenous Australians, or Aboriginals, are the original inhabitants of Australia. They migrated from Africa to Asia around 70,000 years ago, and from Asia to Australia 40,000 to 50,000 years ago.
Keep in mind the average Australian Shepherd tends to bark a lot, making it a little more challenging to get him to stop barking unless you give him the 'speak' command or there is a situation in which he needs to bark to alert you.
Aussies are best suited for families with an active lifestyle and a large fenced yard. They need plenty of exercise and mental stimulation to prevent boredom. They can weigh between 35 and 70 pounds and have an average life span of 12-13 years.
Border collies, German shepherds, poodles, Australian shepherds and golden retrievers all have a reputation for being intelligent dogs.
There are also predominantly white Aussies which are not homozygous merles at all. Their white arises from genes that give many breeds of dog white markings. These genes can cause everything from no white, like a Dachshund, to almost all white, like some Fox Terriers.
Sometimes Australian Shepherds which are not merle will have blue eyes. Either or both eyes may be blue. Sometimes they are half blue/half pigmented. They are rarely flecked or marbled.
We might not all be able to agree on everything, but it seems when it comes to our favourite colour, the world shares the same opinion! A survey done by YouGov was carried out across Australia, the US, the UK, Germany, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia found that our favourite colour is blue.
On average, Toy Australian Shepherds stand at 10 to 14 inches tall at the shoulder. They are the shortest Australian Shepherd size.
Australian Shepherd dogs are one of only a few breeds that can boast the rare feature of a naturally bobbed tail. While not every Australian Shepherd dog is naturally tailless, about one in five Aussies are born without a tail.