Australian Shepherd

We often call this breed Ossi or Aussie. Dogs are very quick, persistent and have a sociable, cheerful nature. The character of the Australian Shepherd is rather flexible, and the dog is always loving and good-natured.

Australian Shepherd: Breed Standard

If you decide to get this particular breed, it is worth knowing in advance about the dog maximum information, in order to find a common language with it and to succeed in training. Let's start with the appearance of the animal. According to the breed standard, the Australian Shepherd has the following characteristics.

1. General view . The size of the animal is average. The oblique length of the trunk is slightly larger than the height of the dog at the withers. The color of each representative of the breed is individual, wool is of moderate length and quite stiff. A distinctive feature of the breed is the cropped or natural tail. Both sexes have clearly expressed femininity and masculinity.
2. Head . It is proportional to the body, sharply delineated. A small occipital protrusion can be considered the norm. The upper part of the skull is flat, and its length and width are approximately equal to the size of the skull. If you look at the dog from the side, the lines of the top of the skull and muzzle are parallel.
3. Teeth . The bite of the animal is scissor-shaped, and the teeth are white and strong. A direct bite is also allowed.
4. Eyes . The animal has very expressive eyes, and even the intellect and attention of the pet are evenly seen in the view. The form is almond-shaped, slightly slanting the incision, and the pupils are dark. Eye color can be brown, amber or any combination of these colors.
5. Ears . In the dog, the ears are located at the ends of the head, have a triangular shape and are slightly rounded at the tips. The form is semi-standing. If the animal pricked up, then the ears slightly refracted forward. Constantly hanging or standing ears of the Australian Shepherd according to the breed standard are considered a serious deviation.
6. Color . In the Australian Shepherd, the colors are always clean and saturated. Among them there are blue merle, red merle, there are solid black or red. All colors can have white marks or tans. Around the ears can be any color, except white.

Australian Shepherd: character

By nature, among all breeds of dogs, the Australian sheepdog is considered to be one of the most hardworking and responsible. These animals constantly try to please their master. The breed is distinguished by an affectionate and friendly nature, but only until the threat to its owner and family. The guard's instinct is very developed and, when a potential threat arises, the Australian Shepherd becomes very aggressive. That's why it is important to constantly train and monitor your pet. This breed is quite demanding to the attention of its owner. The animal needs constant contact and tries constantly to be near the owner. This should be taken into account if you are going to buy a puppy.

The dog is vigorous and mobile, a day will have to be given a lot of time, so that the animal does not get bored and does not start spilling energy into the negative channel. The breed is perfectly amenable to learning and at the expense of high intelligence needs instructions. Just running down the street for an Australian Shepherd is not enough. It is necessary to entrust her with specific tasks: looking after children, protecting the house or some kind of competition.

By nature, the Australian Shepherd is just a big puppy. They like to play very much, so they will have to be occupied constantly. Otherwise, the dog will find a game on its own and it can turn into a host for spending or troubles.

This breed is perfect as a guide , helper for people with special requirements, they are often taken to work in the police or search and rescue services.