Australian Shepherds, commonly known as Aussie’s are not actually Australian. The breed was called after Basque shepherds who came to America from Australia. Aussies were also known as Spanish Shepherds, Bob-tails, Pastor Dogs, New Mexican Shepherds and California Shepherds. This is a very energetic dog that needs lots of daily vigorous exercise. They have strong herding instincts which makes them great working dogs but this may also cause problems around children. Aussies have been a great asset to stockmen because they are quite versatile and trainable. These dogs are very smart and need a job to do. These dogs excel at dog sports like frisbee, flyball and and agility since they are quick and eager to please.
They are a medium sized dog between 30 and 65 lbs. Lately they have started breeding a smaller Aussie too about (15lbs to 30lbs). They are usually tri colored (black, white and red) black, red, blue merle (marbled black, white and gray) and red merle (marbled red, white and buff). Though double merles can be very pretty dogs they often have excessive white and this may lead to hearing, vision and skin problems. They need to be brushed at least once a week since they have a thick under coat.
Aussies are a great family dog once they have been trained, training should start early to avoid bad behaviors from developing. So if you have a family that’s happy to spend lots of time in the great outdoors this dog is a great option for you.
