The Australian Shepherd is a working dog with strong animal husbandry and guarding abilities. He is a loyal partner and has the perseverance to work around the clock. Very harmonious, body length slightly larger than height, medium size, medium bone mass, changeable color, and individuality. The Australian Shepherd is focused and lively, flexible and agile, muscular but not bulky. The coat is of medium length and coarse. Mastering daily hair care, understanding common dog diseases and breeding behaviors, but dogs are better and grow healthier, which is also very important for dog owners. Breed introduction of Australian Shepherd
Although it is called the Australian Shepherd, the main breeding base of this dog is in the United States. The pedigree is inherited from Collie, and the origin of the earliest lineage can be traced back to France and the Basco region of Spain.
As a working dog, the Australian Shepherd has superb animal husbandry and guarding abilities, especially in search and rescue. It is also widely praised for its absolute service. It is also a loyal partner with amazing perseverance and the ability to work around the clock.
The Australian Shepherd is witty, lively, and has a stable and natural temperament. It rarely competes. To a certain extent, it always retains its original appearance with little change.
The origin of the development of the Australian Shepherd
The origin of the Australian Shepherd may be in the Basque region of the Pyrenees between Spain and France, but it was developed in the United States. Why it is called the Australian Shepherd is entirely related to the Basque Shepherd that entered the United States from Australia in the 18th century.
Like most sheepdogs, the Australian Shepherd originally had many names, such as Spanish Shepherd, Shepherd Dock, Tracking Dog, New Mexico Shepherd, and California Shepherd. After the Second World War, due to the popularity of riding western horses, the Australian Shepherd also emerged. This breed was gradually changed through market cattle and sheep, horse shows, and high-frequency appearances in movies and TV shows. Known by many people. It has a wide range of uses and has the ability to point, these two characteristics make it popular in farms and ranches. The rancher continued to improve and cultivate the breed but did not change its adaptability, keen wisdom, strong shepherding ability, and beautiful appearance, so it finally won the love of people.
As a shepherd dog, the Australian Shepherd has a wide field of vision and can easily take care of the entire group of animals without the need for intense gaze. Unlike other dogs, which require stronger eyesight to watch and protect animals in unexpected situations such as stumbling animals or animals that are left behind, the Australian Shepherd has always looked like guarding in a hayloft in this situation. As calm as a single animal.
The Australian Shepherd was registered in other countries in the 1950s, but it was registered as a local dog in Australia. It was included in the AKC Fine Breeds Register in 1991 and was included in the Shepherd Dog Collection in January 1993.
Australian Shepherd’s suitable population
The Australian Shepherd is a true multi-purpose dog that can serve humans in all aspects, such as ranch working dogs, guide dogs, deaf guide dogs, drug inspection and search or housekeeping dogs. It has strong adaptability and can quickly adapt to different environments. It is a very good family pet dog.
Australian Shepherd’s measurement standard
Overall: The body structure is very harmonious, the body length is slightly larger than the height, the size is moderate, the bone mass is medium, the color is changeable, and has personality. The ideal shoulder height for males is 20 to 23 inches; for females, 18 to 21 inches. . He is focused and lively, flexible and agile, muscular but not bulky, the male structure is masculine but not rough; the female structure is soft but does not appear to be lack of bone. The coat is of medium length and coarse.
Head: The head is clean, strong, and dry, and the skin is not loose. The size of the entire head is in proportion to the body. The length of the muzzle is the same as or slightly shorter than the length of the head. Viewed from the side, the upper contour of the muzzle and the upper contour of the head is parallel to each other, and a moderately sized but very clear stop separates the muzzle from the head. The muzzle is slightly tapered from the root to the direction of the nose, and the tip is slightly rounded.
The chest is not wide, but the depth can extend to the elbow. The ribs are long and well expanded and are neither barrel-shaped nor flat on the sides. The curve of the lower abdomen is slightly raised.
Eyes: Almond-shaped, neither protruding nor sunken. They can be brown, blue, amber, or a combination of different colors, including spots or marble. Generally blue, merle or black dogs have black eye circles; red and merle dogs have liver-colored (brown) eye circles. The eyes are friendly, focused and clever, alert and sharp.
Jaw/Teeth: The dentition is intact, the teeth are white, with a scissors bite or a pincer bite. Disqualification: Undershot bite, overshot over 1/8 inch. The teeth cannot be touched due to the short middle incisor, but under normal circumstances, it is not judged as an undershot bite. Broken or missing teeth caused by accidents are not a defect.
Neck and body: The neck is strong, of medium length, slightly arched at the upper part, and well-integrated with the shoulders.
Back: Straight and strong, flat and stable.
The shoulder blades are long and flat, with the withers moderately close and inclined backward. The length of the forearm and the scapula are the same, and the angle with the scapula is close to 90 degrees, and the forelegs are just below the scapula and perpendicular to the ground. The legs are straight and strong, the bones are strong, and the cross-section is oval, better than round. The ankles are of medium length, slightly slanted, and not noticeable. Dewclaws on the forelimbs can be removed. The feet are compact and ovoid, the toes are tightly joined, and are well arched. There are thick pads, which are very flexible.
The width of the hindquarters is the same as the width of the forequarters at the shoulders, and the angle between the pelvis and the first thigh corresponds to the angle between the shoulder blades of the forequarters and the forearm, which is close to a right angle. The posterior knee joint is clear. The angle of the hock is appropriate. Viewed from the back, the hock is short, at right angles to the ground, and parallel to each other. Dewclaws on hind limbs must be removed.
Buttocks: Strong buttocks, moderately slanted.
One part of this dog has a natural tail docking or naturally short tail (no more than 4 inches), while the other part has a complete long tail.
According to historical records, the breeder will artificially dock the tail when the puppy is born, but still retain the dog’s tail wagging or butt wagging. The competition standards of the United States and Canada stipulate that natural tail docking or short tails of no more than 4 inches are required (but now many long-tailed Australian Shepherds have achieved good results in these competitions), while in Europe, tails of any length are allowed, Of course, some countries prohibit manual docking.
Coat: The coat is of medium quality, medium length, straight or slightly wavy, which can help dogs withstand harsh weather. The amount of undercoat will vary according to climate and seasonal changes. The hair on the head, ears, front of the forelegs, and below the hock joints of the hind limbs is short and smooth. The back of the forelegs and the upper thighs have a proper amount of fur. There is a moderate amount of mane decoration, and the male shape is more obvious than the female. The absence of typical coat features is a serious fault.
Color: blue merle, black, red, merle, or all red, with or without white markings (white markings may have brown transitions), no distinction is made between advantages and disadvantages, and there is no order. White appearance on the neck (partially or completely), chest, legs, and under the muzzle is acceptable, but the white-collar cannot extend beyond the withers. White tendons on the head and no more than 4 inches of white extending upward from the elbow are also acceptable. White cannot dominate the head, and there must be color around the eyes, and the eye circles must be sufficiently pigmented. Marble color will increase with age.
How to feed the Australian Shepherd
Every Australian Shepherd should be well taken care of and cherished since birth. Of course, for Australian Shepherd puppies, the best care is in the warm embrace of the mother dog.
Because the Australian Shepherd itself is a working dog on the ranch, it has the advantages of being strong, easy to raise, and not dear, and its daily cost is not high, that is, the cost of regular vaccinations, dog food, and some toys. Others, remember to take it out to bask in the sunny and good weather and spare a little time every day to carefully comb the hair on every part of the body because combing is equivalent to a massage for dogs, which can help dogs metabolism.
In life, if you have enough time, you might as well take it outside to do activities and provide it with more space for activities. This is a very happy thing for the Australian Shepherd.
During the breeding process, the dog should be regularly trained, such as defecation at a fixed point, without paws on the sofa and clothing, etc., to encourage it to develop a good habit of observing hygiene and observing the rules.
Remove earwax and tartar from dogs every few days. Its eyes are large, and dust and foreign objects can easily enter and cause eye diseases. Therefore, 2% boric acid water should be used to clean the eyes and eye sockets frequently to avoid bacterial infection.
Infectious diseases are still the primary disease that endangers the health of dogs. If it is a dog farm, if the spread of infectious diseases in dogs can be controlled, the characteristics of dog diseases will also change accordingly. According to statistics from a dog farm, in the absence of infectious diseases, dogs are mainly suffering from common diseases, and the probability of death due to diseases is also greatly reduced.
It is necessary to adjust its diet from time to time according to the time and situation. The owner can decide whether he needs to be dewormed and vaccinated according to his pet’s situation. To keep the dog well, the most important thing is to prevent it. When the dog will go around after eating, it may be because it is going to defecate. Then you have to be patient and train it to develop the habit of defecation in a fixed place. Don’t spoil the dog just because the dog is young, and urinate anywhere during the tenure. , Otherwise, it will be more difficult to correct when it grows up, causing unnecessary trouble.
The kennel should be dry, hygienic, and well-ventilated. The kennel should be cleaned once a day and thoroughly disinfected once a week. Disinfection can be irradiated with ultraviolet light, chemical drugs (caustic soda, Lysur, Sanitizer, Xiaoxiling), and so on. The tableware must be cleaned every day, soaked and disinfected with medicine once a week, drinking water must be sufficient, clean, and replaced every day.