| Australian Shepherds and Miniature Australian Shepherds: the most honest dog breed review you'll ever find. Information about Australian Shepherd personality and behavior. |
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My book, Your Purebred Puppy: A Buyer's Guide (published by Henry Holt & Co.), includes a full-page profile of the Australian Shepherd, including these excerpts:
"Australian Shepherds are quite variable in temperament. Some lines are extremely energetic, quick moving, and hyperreactive, while others tend toward a milder, calmer manner.
Yet all Australian Shepherds need a great deal of physical exercise and mental stimulation. Herding, advanced obedience, agility, jogging or biking, chasing balls, and playing Frisbee are constructive outlets for their enthusiasm. Boredom is the leading cause of destructive behavior and barking.
Australian Shepherds are demanding of time and attention and want to be with you constantly.
They are polite to aloof with strangers. There is timidity in some lines, and early socialization is important to avoid shyness or sharpness.
Some Australian Shepherds are dominant with other dogs and will chase cats, while others are good-natured with all creatures.
One of the most capable breeds in all of dogdom, the Australian Shepherd excels at the highest levels of competition. Yet some are more challenging to train than others.
The Miniature Australian Shepherd is exactly as its name implies: a small Aussie. Miniature Australian Shepherds can get by with less physical exercise than their full-size brothers, but need just as much mental stimulation."
History
Named for his association with Basque sheepherders who came to America from Australia in the 1800s, the Australian Shepherd was fully developed by American ranchers as a stock dog.
Size
18-23 inches and 40-75 lbs |
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Australian Shepherds
What's good about 'em
What's bad about 'em
- Is medium-sized and sturdy
- Has a lovely coat that comes in striking colors
- Thrives on vigorous exercise and athletic activities
- Is exceptionally versatile -- when well-trained, can learn and do almost anything
An Australian Shepherd may be right for you.
| If you don't want to deal with... |
- Providing enough exercise and training to keep his active body and equally active mind satisfied
- Destructiveness and barking when bored or not exercised enough
- Suspiciousness or shyness when not socialized enough
- Stubbornness in some individuals
- Chasing and nipping at things that move: children, joggers, other animals, bikes, cars
- Lots of shedding
- Serious health problems
An Australian Shepherd may not be right for you.
| If I were considering an Australian Shepherd... |
My major concerns would be:
- Providing enough exercise and mental stimulation. Australian Shepherds MUST have regular opportunities to vent their energy and to use their busy minds to do interesting things. Otherwise they will become rambunctious and bored -- which they usually express by barking and destructive chewing. Bored Australian Shepherds can make a shambles of your house and yard.
| If you simply want a pet for your family, and don't have the time or inclination to take your dog running or hiking or biking or swimming, or to get involved in herding, or agility (obstacle course), or advanced obedience, or tracking, or a similar canine activity, I do not recommend this breed.
Australian Shepherds were never intended to be simply household pets. Their working behaviors (chasing, nipping, poking, barking) are inappropriate in a normal household setting. Trying to suppress these "hardwired" behaviors, without providing alternate outlets for their high energy level, can be difficult. |
- Providing enough socialization. Standoffish by nature, Australian Shepherds need extensive exposure to people and to unusual sights and sounds. Otherwise their natural caution can become suspicion or shyness, which are difficult to live with and can even lead to biting.
| If you have small children, or if you or anyone who lives with you is elderly or infirm, I do not recommend Australian Shepherd puppies. Young Australian Shepherds (up to about two years old) romp and jump with great vigor, and things can go flying, including people. The temptation to play roughly and nip at moving people is simply too strong in many young Aussies. |
- Mind of his own. The best Australian Shepherds are versatile working dogs, capable of learning a great deal. Some are very eager to please, while others are definitely not pushovers to raise and train. They can be manipulative, and some are stubborn and dominant (they want to be the boss) and will make you prove that you can make them do things. You must show them, through absolute consistency, that you mean what you say.
- Grooming and shedding. Australian Shepherds shed a LOT. You'll find hair and fur all over your clothing, upholstery, carpeting, under your furniture, on your countertops -- even in your food. Frequent vacuuming will become a way of life. Make sure you're REALLY up for this. Regular brushing and combing is required to avoid mats and tangles, especially in individuals with thick coats or long feathering.
- Serious health problems. From hip problems to eye problems to skin and allergy problems, Australian Shepherds are risky in the health department.
| Not all Australian Shepherds are alike! |
- There are energetic Aussies, and placid Aussies.
- Hard-headed Aussies, and sweet-natured Aussies.
- Serious Aussies, and good-natured goofballs.
- Introverted Aussies, and Aussies who love everyone.
| If you acquire an Australian Shepherd puppy, you can't know for sure what he or she will grow up to be like. Because a good number of purebred puppies do NOT grow up to conform to the "norm." |
| If you're considering an adult Australian Shepherd... |
There are plenty of adult Australian Shepherds who have already proven themselves NOT to have negative characteristics. If you find such an adult, don't let "typical breed negatives" worry you.
When you acquire a puppy, you're acquiring potential -- what he one day will be. So "typical breed characteristics" are very important. But when you acquire an adult, you're acquiring what he already IS.
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