Australian Shepherd

Energetic and keen to have a job; devoted to its people.
An Australian Shepherd
Photo: bantam10
Adult male
23–29 kg
50–65 lb
Adult female
18–25 kg
40–55 lb
Lifespan
13.7 yrs
Class · Sport
also Working, Family

What it's like

In temperament the Australian Shepherd is quick to learn, energetic and keen to have a job, and it may be reserved with strangers while devoted to its own people. Its drive and attentiveness have made it a regular in agility and obedience as well as on farms.

Owners in a large survey found Australian Shepherds tend to be less calm and less independent-minded than dogs in general. On friendliness with people and friendliness with other dogs, they were about average. Breed is only a small part of any one dog's personality, so meet the dog before you decide.
Day to day
Activity
Needs lots of exercise
Intelligence
Needs daily brain work
Handler demand
Needs an experienced owner
With people
Affection
Affectionate on its own terms
Loyalty
Sticks close to its people
Independence
Keen to work with you
Around the home
Sensitivity
Average
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Chases; needs managing
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
Is an Australian Shepherd right for you?
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Living with one

It has a coat of medium length. Most of the shedding comes when the seasons change. Plan on brushing a few times a week, plus daily brushing through the seasonal moult. It needs plenty of exercise compared with other breeds.

Size and growth

An Australian Shepherd is a medium dog, heavier than a Border Collie and lighter than a Golden Retriever. Males end up clearly heavier than females.

It is a medium dog, a little longer than tall, with a weather-resistant double coat of moderate length, straight or wavy. Colours are blue merle, red merle, black or red, often with white markings and copper points. The eyes may be brown, blue or amber, and are sometimes odd or flecked; some dogs are born with a natural bobtail.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
By about 5 months, a male Australian Shepherd puppy is already as heavy as a grown Staffordshire Bull Terrier. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old.
Fully grown
11 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight7
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
01020302m4m6m9m12m18m
01020302m3m4m6m9m12m18m
Age
Male
Female
2 months
4.9–6.4 kg 10.8–14.1 lb
4.4–6.0 kg 9.7–13.2 lb
3 months
7.3–9.5 kg 16.1–20.9 lb
6.2–8.5 kg 13.7–18.7 lb
4 months
10.6–13.7 kg 23.4–30.2 lb
8.8–12.1 kg 19.4–26.7 lb
5 months
13.6–17.6 kg 30.0–38.8 lb
11.1–15.3 kg 24.5–33.7 lb
6 months
16.2–21.1 kg 35.7–46.5 lb
13.1–18.0 kg 28.9–39.7 lb
7 months
18.2–23.6 kg 40.1–52.0 lb
14.5–19.9 kg 32.0–43.9 lb
8 months
19.6–25.5 kg 43.2–56.2 lb
15.5–21.3 kg 34.2–47.0 lb
9 months
20.6–26.7 kg 45.4–58.9 lb
16.2–22.3 kg 35.7–49.2 lb
10 months
21.2–27.6 kg 46.7–60.8 lb
16.7–23.0 kg 36.8–50.7 lb
11 months
21.7–28.2 kg 47.8–62.2 lb
17.1–23.5 kg 37.7–51.8 lb
12 months
22.0–28.6 kg 48.5–63.1 lb
17.3–23.8 kg 38.1–52.5 lb
15 months
22.6–29.3 kg 49.8–64.6 lb
17.9–24.6 kg 39.5–54.2 lb

Lifespan

In UK vet records, the typical Australian Shepherd lived to about 13 and a half years, longer than the typical medium breed. The group was small, so treat the figure as rough.

Where it comes from

The Australian Shepherd is an American ranch dog: its origins are argued over, but the modern breed was developed wholly in the United States. The Basque shepherds who brought its forebears to America had come from Australia, which gave it its name, and it spread with the boom in western riding after the Second World War4,9.

The Australian Shepherd took its present form on ranches in the American West, where stockmen bred for working ability. It reached a wider public in the decades after the Second World War through rodeos and horse shows, helped by Jay Sisler, an Idaho rancher whose trick dogs performed at rodeos and in Disney films. A breed club was founded in the late nineteen-fifties, and the American Kennel Club recognised the breed in the early nineteen-nineties. It was bred to gather and move sheep and cattle, and may nip at the heel to shift stubborn stock.

Breed standard

The Australian Shepherd is judged against standard no. 342, in group 1, Sheepdogs and Cattledogs4.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Australian Shepherd figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a medium-sized breed is most likely somewhere in the middle.

Compare with related

Miniature American Shepherd
Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Small
Border Collie
Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Medium
Australian Cattle Dog
Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Medium
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
Retrievers & water dogs · Medium
Or compare the Australian Shepherd with any breed you choose
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Sources

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Parts of this page were written by AI ·