The Australian Shepherd (Also known as Aussies Shepherd) is an intelligent, active, highly energetic, and friendly dog Breed. Are you looking to buy or adopt a dog? Don’t buy or adopt a dog until you know about the breed’s pros and cons.
In this article, I will cover a brief overview of the Australian Shepherd Dog Breeds. Alongside, I will give you the answer, whether this breed suits you, and save your precious time. (Because in this article you will get all important facts about Australian Shepherd. And you can decide whether you will buy it or not, without jumping to various websites.)
External feature: The Aussies Shepherd is generally a medium-sized sporty dog. Their height range is between 20–23 inches for males and 18-21 inches for females, and the weight limit is 40-55 pounds for females and 50-65 pounds for males.
As they age, their body develops a medium size fluffy coat. Their coat color can vary. For example, black to red, blue merle to red merle, mixed color (red and black both). Besides their eyes also come in a variety of colors. Overall, they are handsome-looking dogs.
Quick fact
| Size | Large |
| Lifespan | 12-15 years |
| Height | 20-23(M),18-21(F) |
| Weight | 50-65 pound(M), 40-55pound(F) |
| Coat colors | Black, Red, Blue Merle, Red Merle, Mixed Color |
| Exercise required | High |
| Friendliness | Medium |
| Intelligence | High |
| Trainability | High |
| Energy level | High |
Australian Shepherd Behavior
This dog was bred by American sheepherder in the United States around the 1840s. Due to Australian Shepherd high-energetic, intelligence, and trainability, they use this dog as a herding dog Breed.
Still, in their behavior, you will find the instincts of their ancestors (energetic-temperament).
This dog breed is not for low-active families. Their keen and energetic minds need adequate stimulation, in other words, their energy must burn through regular exercise.
Otherwise, Australian shepherds will become bored, and slowly they will develop bad behavior. They love to do job.
Besides, they are not friendly toward strangers. There is also a slight probability that they could harm your kids. However, you can easily avoid this kind of problem by early socialization.
But the good news is, Aussies Shepherd is very trainable and intelligent. They can be very good at a certain task with proper training. You can also use them as a guard dog.
For their energetic instinct, many countries use them as rescue dogs.
On the other hand, there are so many good aspects of Australian Shepherd. For example
| Friendliness | Medium |
|---|---|
| Kid-Friendly | High |
| Intelligence | High |
| Barking | Medium |
| Playfulness | High |
| Trainability | High |
| Energy | High |
| Affection level | Medium |
Common Health Issues
Australian Shepherds are generally very healthy during their 12-15 years lifespan. But they are slightly prone to certain types of disease. Including:
Eye problems: Increase eye problems when merely to merely breed happen.
Elbow and hip dysplasia: In this condition, Elbow and hip joint do not match correctly. The result is relentless pain.
Moreover, in rare cases, this breed can affected by CEA, Nasal Solar dermatitis, Heartworm, Cataracts, Pelger-Huet syndrome, Epilepsy, etc…
How to take care of an Australian Shepherd?
Mediocre level care would be enough for an Australian Shepherd dog. They have thick, double-layered coats, built with millions of hairs.
They shed (lose far) mildly all around the year, but in spring they shed more the any other season of the year. Therefore, they will need daily brushing in spring but in other seasons of the year, brushing twice a week would be enough.
Occasional baths, trimming nails, and cleaning ears once a month will keep your dog healthy and comfortable. Oh no! I have forgotten to tell you something, you should also brush your puppy’s teeth once a week.
Does Australian Shepherd suit you?
Australian Shepherd is an activity-loving dog. They don’t like being confined in a house. If you are an active person or your family is active and loves to play/exercise, then it will be right for you.
Contrarily, if you are a busy man, don’t have enough time to give your puppy regular jogging, or your family is not active physically, then Australian Shepherd won’t be suitable for you.
Overall, the Australian shepherd is a very good pet for some people, and for others, it is not. Welcoming an Australian Shepherd into your life is a significant choice, and you need to consider it carefully.
Throughout this article, I have described the unique traits of the breed and the breed requirement. Now it is time to make your decision that, does this breed’s behavior meets your needs. Can you fulfill their requirement?
