Australian Shepherd Dog - Everything You Want to Know

Even though this breed is called an Australian Shepherd Dog, it is actually an American breed that was raised to work on cattle ranches. They grow to be 18 to 23 inches tall, which makes them a mid-sized active breed, and they weigh anywhere between 35 to 70 pounds. The coat of an Australian Shepherd dog is a beautiful medium length and can be either straight or wavy. They can be in several colors, red, black, blue merle, or red merle, as well as certain markings. They are very healthy breed, with very few health problems, of which may include deafness, hip dysplasia, and sight problems.

It is important to know the behavior of the particular Australian Shepherd dog you are looking at. Make sure he or she is from a family line that has NOT been bred to be aggressive. The dogs from a non-aggressive line can make an excellent pet for a family with children. The aggressive lines are better for working on a farm, herding cattle or other animals.

As you are caring for your Australian Shepherd dog, you really only need to groom them and bathe when it becomes necessary. If you do see a burr or anything else stuck to their coat, remove it quickly to it won’t irritate him or matte. When you brush them, use a firm bristle brush.

She will shed a lot, so brushing will help to keep your home free of pet hair, and keeping the coat from getting tangled. You will find yourself vacuuming a lot more because of her shedding, if you are keeping her indoors. Brush her teeth a couple of times a week, great way to prevent periodontal disease.

These dogs are very intelligent and can be trained in obedience easily. Whether he be a non-aggressive or aggressive, he should go through some type of obedience training, making life easier for the both of you.

There are a variety of dog training resources here on the Internet. Learn about the Australian Shepherd dog, and utilize the best training methods on the internet and be sure and start right when you get your puppy. If you start training early you will have much greater success, teaching him early on the rules and ensuring that your new australian shepherd knows that you are the pack leader.

Below you will find the Australian Shepherd colors recognized by the AKC. In edition to these colors, there are many other beautiful Australian Shepherd Colors.

There are 3 different variations of black and red Australian shepherds (tri, bi and solid)

Black:

Solid Black

Black Tri

Black Bi

Blue Merele

Red

Red Merle

What a great breed the Australian Shepherd is, but before you get her, realize that it will be very important to find out about Australian Shepherd training. You need to be aware of a few things and I will let you know what those are here in this article.

The reason why Australian Shepherd training is so important is because Aussies like to be in control and are a very dominant breed. They were bred to herd and control sheep and cattle, and if you don’t have a ranch, then they may want to just control you. If you have a strong personality, you may be ok, but if not, then watch out. You and your Aussie will be battling over leadership roles.

Australian Shepherd training is a must. You need to make sure you set the rules of the house early on..

These dogs are very intelligent and love to learn new things, and their goal is to make their owner happy. But in order to train your dog, you need to be willing to commit your time and energy that will be needed. If you don’t have the time, then don’t get an Aussie. You will not want an untrained Australian Shepherd as you will not be happy with him or yourself.

Another note of importance, Australian Shepherd training includes daily exercise. They are very active dogs, and love to play. They will become a handful if they aren’t able to use all that energy for something creative. Their demeanor will actually change without the proper amount of exercise. They will become very bored and antsy. When they become antsy, they become short-tempered. You will be hurting your Aussie by not giving him daily exercise.

These dogs can bond to you very quickly, so if you are looking for a pet just to have around the house, you do not want an Australian Shepherd. Training, again, is of great importance, for your dog to be happy and well adjusted, and to behave well in your home.

These dogs are very protective of their owners and their turf. They are very cautious of strangers. This will come in great when they have learned some socialization skills through their Australian Shepherd training. If you don’t have this training done, they may bite others and become very afraid of strangers. The Australian Shepherd Dog is one of the smartest and can be trained very easily.

Be Sure and check out the video below to see how incredibly effective this Australian Shepherd Training Guide is:

If you are looking to buy an Australian Shepherd, then you need to know where to go. You will first look for some Australian Shepherd breeders. A breeder will raise a litter of very healthy, high quality Aussie pups, as long as they are a well educated breeder. The breeders will invest a lot of time and money in nutrition, vet care along with vaccinations, worming and promotion. They may have also paid a stud fee for a quality bloodline. If you are looking for a cheap puppy, beware of what you get.

With that said, price is going to be something you will be facing when looking into a full breed Australian Shepherd.

QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN YOU VISIT WITH THE BREEDER

1. Ask for a pedigree which should include at least 3 generations. You want to be sure that both parents are ASCA registered. But you also need to know that a pedigree full of titled dogs provides no guarantee that you are getting a high quality dog. There are many great dogs that come from unknown sires and dams, and therefore, you can get a poor quality dog from the best pedigree and vice versa.

2. Ask for some references of previous customers. Talk to these dog owners, ask them about their dog and find out if these are the traits you are looking for.

3. Look at the area where the owner keeps his puppies, is the area clean and sanitary, do they have room for exercise and do they get plenty of attention?

4. The Australian Shepherd breeders should be able to answer any of your questions on health, training, housebreaking, breeding or competition. If they can’t answer these questions, then you need to find a different breeder to buy your pup from.

5. If they are conscientious breeders, then they will have specific goals for their dogs. Ask questions about the parents, why they chose these dogs for the parents.

6. Ask which puppy would be best for you and why. If they are a good breeder, they will want to find the best matched home for each puppy. The two of you can discuss what traits are important to you and your home and why.

When you are ready to ready to buy, your Australian Shepherd breeders should provide you with all the health information, registration papers, pedigree and a health record.