My pick for Breed of the week is the Australian Shepherd: Animated, adaptable and agile, the Australian Shepherd lives for his job, which still involves herding livestock and working as an all-purpose farm and ranch dog. He needs a lot of activity and a sense of purpose to be truly content. Today, due to the breeds intelligence and versatility, Aussies also excel in AKC events such as agility, obedience and herding. Their coats can be black, blue merle, red merle and red with or without white markings. A Look Back There are many theories about the origin of the Australian Shepherd. Despite its misleading name, the breed as we know it today probably developed in the Pyrenees Mountains somewhere between Spain and France. It was called the Australian Shepherd because of its association with Basque shepherds who came to America from Australia in the 1800s. The Australian Shepherd was initially called by many names, including Spanish Shepherd, Pastor Dog, Bob-Tail, New Mexican Shepherd, and California Shepherd. Right Breed for You? An energetic breed with strong herding and guarding instincts, the Aussie requires daily vigorous exercise. Although sometimes reserved with strangers, they are people dogs that want to always be near their families. Their thick coats require weekly brushing.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 19:01:02 +0000