View Full Version : Australian shepherd
funkyesta
10-14-2006, 08:40 AM
Im thinking about getting a Australian shepherd if you know any breeders or any extra information i will need to know please let me know :)
Are you ready to handle a dog that sheds quite a bit, is always glued to your side and has a sometimes crazy amount of energy? Are you ready for a dog that can and will outhink you at times and may be a touch OCD when it comes to keeping things in order?
If so...then great! I have an Aussie and I couldn't be happier with him. :D
Before checking out breeders, I would look at ARPH: www.aussierescue.org (The official ASCA Aussie rescue site) and aussierescue.leepfrog.com (a listing of all the various Aussie rescues in the country).
Sawyer is from ARPH, he was a stray before they picked him up and you couldn't build a better dog if you tried. Plus, the other advantage of going with a rescue is that the dog most likely will be a little older and you will have a better idea of what it's personality will be like so you know if it will be a good match for you. They do have puppies occasionally as well. Aussies are little monsters as puppies though...they can and will chew through drywall, the siding on your house, find creative ways to break out of wire crates (Sawyer has done this to me a couple of times).
I think that for the first time Aussie owner, getting an older rescue is the way to go. Older meaning over 1 year old...still lots of puppy left in them, but old enough to have started to settle down.
Purdue#1
10-14-2006, 06:13 PM
[QUOTE=Zoom;480995]Aussies are little monsters as puppies though...they can and will chew through drywall, the siding on your house, find creative ways to break out of wire crates (Sawyer has done this to me a couple of times).
QUOTE]
Don't forget to mention garage doors not made of metal, dried corn stalks, shoes, boxes, scarecrows, plastic dishes, cups, car door sidings,etc.
Mine's a little devil. This morning he took off the towels my mother had put on her flowers so they would not get frost bit. He likes to dig and play in mulch, water, and dirt.
wilford
10-16-2006, 03:41 AM
"In addition to the Miniature Australian Shepherd, the western United States is now seeing the emergence of an even smaller version, referred to as the Toy Australian Shepherd, with adult males tipping the scales at a mere 12 to 15 pounds (5.5 to 6.8 kg.). The genetic consequences of breeding the standard Australian Shepherd down to one-quarter size remain to be seen. Some owners of Australian Shepherds consider the Mini and Toy to be a separate breed entirely."
http://www.corsini.co.uk/fineart/images/prints/australian-shepherd-mallard.jpg
mrose_s
10-16-2006, 05:52 AM
their tough dogs to handle... huge amounts of energy. but if your sure your ready for this dog then go for it.
Stay away from toys and minis. 98% of those breeders have no clue, especially concerning toys...which they cross with Pomeranians to achieve the toy status, which basically makes it a tailless Pom, because they retain few to none of the Aussie behaviors or instincts. Many mini's I've met reminded me more of poorly bred Shelties in terms of coat, size and nervousness.
Muggie'sMum
10-16-2006, 02:31 PM
Aussies are little monsters as puppies though...they can and will chew through drywall, the siding on your house, find creative ways to break out of wire crates (Sawyer has done this to me a couple of times).
Don't forget to mention garage doors not made of metal, dried corn stalks, shoes, boxes, scarecrows, plastic dishes, cups, car door sidings,etc.
Mine's a little devil. This morning he took off the towels my mother had put on her flowers so they would not get frost bit. He likes to dig and play in mulch, water, and dirt.
And spatulas, remote controls, bags full of ANYTHING, bookbags, leashes, collars, bedding, Tylenol bottles (scary one that!), etc etc etc.
If you do choose to go the route of the Miniature Australian Shepherd, please look for a breeder that is recognized by NAMASCUSA, as they are probably the most reputable of the mini aussie registries.
It's true, especially in the toys, that you will run into pom crosses, etc. Also be wary if you are purchasing from a non local breeder that advertises their pups when they are only a few weeks old and the only thing you can tell about them besides their obvious fluffiness is their color -- make sure your purchase (or make a downpayment) on something that is old enough that you can see conformation!
~Jessie~
10-16-2006, 04:37 PM
I've heard of breeders crossing the minis and toys with longcoated chihuahuas to breed them down.
Purdue#1
10-16-2006, 07:55 PM
And spatulas, remote controls, bags full of ANYTHING, bookbags, leashes, collars, bedding, Tylenol bottles (scary one that!), etc etc etc.
Sly has tore off the drywall, destroyed puppy training pads, numerous rugs,and plastic containers. :D
We have a toy in the obedience class i go to. It looks a little strange. Instead of its body looking smoothe like a regular aussie, it looks like a square with legs. She has a male and is going to breed them next year. At first i didn't care, but I'm starting to think she shouldn't. It doesn't act like an aussie at all. it's very, how should i put it, Low energy.
Muggie'sMum
10-17-2006, 08:22 AM
Purdue, my boy is very relaxed MOST of the time. He plays hard and fast with the girls but when it is time for us to focus and get to work on the agility field he is very focused and relaxed, low energy - 90% of the time - goes slow and steady and follows me - every once in a while it's like someone flips a switch, but for the most part he is very chilled in our agility classes. Very focused like an aussie though.
And LOL on the square with legs!
I guess, Funkyesta, with all breeds, you run into unsavory breeders who aren't very ethical or honest in their practices, so you should be very careful. :)
Purdue#1
10-17-2006, 06:25 PM
[QUOTE=Muggie'sMum;484122]Purdue, my boy is very relaxed MOST of the time. He plays hard and fast with the girls but when it is time for us to focus and get to work on the agility field he is very focused and relaxed, low energy - 90% of the time - goes slow and steady and follows me - every once in a while it's like someone flips a switch, but for the most part he is very chilled in our agility classes. Very focused like an aussie though.
And LOL on the square with legs!
QUOTE]
My dog, Sly, is 7 months old. it's the puppy in him.
I'll see if i can get pics of the "box with legs.":D i hope u will see what i mean.
Delisay
10-18-2006, 06:14 AM
This breed is interesting because it doesn't exist in Australia, and seems to have little if anything to do with Australia! I've only just learned that it's very much 'made in America' - and only very recently too, because this mix wasn't recognised as a breed until the 1990s.
Nice dog though! In plain colours it looks (and behaves) almost exactly like a Border Collie...but I really like the mixing in of the various other Collie genes to give the full coat and the blue and merle colours. Very attractive.
Funkyesta, you didn't mention where on the planet you live... This will help people to advise you about local breeders...
Del.
The theory goes that the Aussie was named such because the base stock back in the 1800's was made up of sheep/cattle dogs imported from Australia along with some livestock and the name stuck.
Purdue#1
10-18-2006, 07:43 PM
Nice dog though! In plain colours it looks (and behaves) almost exactly like a Border Collie...but I really like the mixing in of the various other Collie genes to give the full coat and the blue and merle colours. Very attractive.
If my dog did have a tail, people would call it a border collie.He's a black tri.
Useful aussie links:
http://www.mikatura.com/isanaussierightforyou.html
http://www.australianshepherds.org/about.html
Purdue#1
10-18-2006, 08:47 PM
nice info, Sam, giving it to a friend to educate.
Sawyer gets called a border collie all the time because he's a blue merle with no copper, which is what most people associate with Aussies. You can see him in my sig.
Muggie'sMum
10-19-2006, 08:52 AM
If my dog did have a tail, people would call it a border collie.He's a black tri.
I had someone ask me last weekend if Morrie was a bc. I guess they had been looking at some red tri BC's to buy (does red tri even exist in BC?), and thought that he looked exactly like them!
I have a red tri aussie and a black border collie and people ask me all the time if they are siblings!!:p In all fairness Sammy does have a more aussie looking face and he may in fact be part aussie but still.... They always ask what happened to Rosie's tail. The other one I've gotten lately is people telling me what a nice duck toller Rosie is! :yikes: :mad:
Muggie'sMum
10-19-2006, 12:57 PM
LOL Sam, I had Morrie at the racetrack watching some harness racing over the summer and these two little girls, maybe five or six years old, under the supervision of their father who sat not too far away, came and sat "with" us to maul and love on Morrie. I was watching post parade and saw one of the little girl's elbow the other, and they whispered, "where's his tail?" the other one goes "I don't know, ask?" and finally I got the "What happened to your dog's tail??"
LOL They also thought, when he started to do what I am convinced was pretending to be asleep so they would leave him alone, that he might be dead! Adorable little girls.
Purdue#1
10-19-2006, 04:23 PM
I had someone ask me last weekend if Morrie was a bc. I guess they had been looking at some red tri BC's to buy (does red tri even exist in BC?), and thought that he looked exactly like them!
My uncle breeds aussies, and he told me that they have now bred aussies to border collies to get the merel colors in BCs.
Border collies have always come in merle (blue and red) as well as red. They are just rare and traditionally in the bc world were not at all sought after quite the opposite-bc people believed they were less intelligent, had less instinct etc
Now reds, blues are extremely sought after and breeding specifically for those colors is more common.
If my dog did have a tail, people would call it a border collie.He's a black tri.
same with Foster, except that he's a black bi, so no tan! just black and white! he looks a lot like a border collie, about half the people we've met on walks etc have said he looks more like a border collie than an aussie.
ALSO: do your aussies pull out the threads in the carpet?? We JUST had a new carpet put in about a month before we got the pup...BIG MISTAKE! (he never had accidents on it, just chewed it) We now have little dents in the carpet all over!! It really is funny though, because he still tries to do it! But then we walk by and he puts his head down covering the spot he was chewing :p
Here's a wonderful site about BC colorations: http://www.gis.net/~shepdog/BC_Museum/Permanent/BC_ColorTicked.html
Purdue#1
10-20-2006, 03:28 PM
.
ALSO: do your aussies pull out the threads in the carpet?? We JUST had a new carpet put in about a month before we got the pup...BIG MISTAKE! (he never had accidents on it, just chewed it) We now have little dents in the carpet all over!! It really is funny though, because he still tries to do it! But then we walk by and he puts his head down covering the spot he was chewing :p
Sly chews on everything! I mean EVERYTHING! I will put towels in his crate, next thing i know he has torn the towel into little pieces. We went through 3 or 4 rugs. My mother didn't like that too much.:D
I am so glad I got Sawyer at 1 1/2 years and he was out of the casual chewing destruction age. I had to contend with some moderate seperation anxiety, but that was it.
Purdue#1
10-21-2006, 01:38 PM
Lucky you!:D :p
I have to say, I have been soooooooooo lucky with all the dogs I've had/have. None were really chewers even the aussies! LOL
My friends mini on the other hand, loves to gnaw on her new couch LOL
Diane
Muggie'sMum
10-22-2006, 11:05 PM
Lucky duck, Jynx. I *wish* Morrie would chew on our couch, lmao, at least that way he'd have a good explanation... "well.. we DO have five dogs (three of them being under 18 months), it's inevitable that the couch would *eventually* get chewed anyways..."
JFrick
11-27-2006, 03:42 PM
ALSO: do your aussies pull out the threads in the carpet?? We JUST had a new carpet put in about a month before we got the pup...BIG MISTAKE! (he never had accidents on it, just chewed it) We now have little dents in the carpet all over!! It really is funny though, because he still tries to do it! But then we walk by and he puts his head down covering the spot he was chewing :p
Hey all, it's been awhile since I've been here, but I'm back....
Yep, Khaki (my 11 month old Red Merle Aussie) recently chewed about a 10 inch diameter hole in my carpet right in the middle of my living room. She has also ripped the skirt off of the front of my couch, chewed up a few spots along my base boards, and chewed the frame to the front door..
JFrick
11-27-2006, 04:59 PM
I swear this picture was not staged.....I just happened to look over and she was laying there with her paw up on the door frame like she was presenting what she had done to it....haha....Still can't believe I got the camera in time before she moved...
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d144/JFRICK/DSC01010_reduced.jpg