This beautiful dog breed is a beautiful dog that many people know little about. If you’re a breeder or have Australian Shepherds then perhaps you might know some of these fun facts we’re featuring today. We’re hoping that at least a few of these fun facts about Australian Shepherds ends up being new information for you today!
Not Native to Australia
Did you know that the Australian Shepherd is not native to Australia? It’s true. It’s been widely accepted that this dog breed originated in the Pyrenees Mountains. They were bred to herd and their home region is a small 191 square foot region in the Pyrenees Mountains that is home to people who needed dogs to help herd and maintain the countryside lifestyle.
The Rodeo Star
Apparently, the rodeo is what made this dog breed popular. Since Australian Shepherds are intelligent and easy to train they made excellent dogs for the rodeo. After World War 1, many people started using Australian Shepherds in the rodeo and that led to them being highly sought out dog breed during this generation.
They’re Beautiful
Most people agree that Australian Shepherds are beautiful dogs. It’s difficult to pass by this dog breed without staring at their beautiful eyes and fur coat. These dogs are well-known to be gorgeous dogs with the best fur and sometimes mismatched eyes. Yes, it’s true, another fun fact about Australian Shepherds is that many of them have a blue eye and a brown eye!
Merle Coat
Out of all of the registered Australian Shepherds in the world, the merle coat is a traditional color pattern of each of these dogs. The most popular coloration of the Australian Shepherd breed is the blue merle. Breeders did try to get rid of the merle colorations, as having a double merle coloration led to blindness and other health conditions in Australian Shepherds.
No Tails
Many Australian Shepherds don’t have a tail. Sure you may see a little nub where the tail typically is on a dog, but they don’t have a traditional dog tail. Back during the breeding process owners would dock the tails and ears of the Australian Shepherd to help them be better at herding. Eventually, the dog tail was bred out of this dog breed, so it’s rare to have an Australian Shepherd born with a tail.
Amazing Talent
The Australian Shepherd is most known for its herding capabilities, however, there are many other jobs this hard-working dog breed can do. These dogs are often used as search and rescue dogs and trick performing dogs due to their high intelligence and ability to be trained.
Herd Children
If you’re a parent with children who owns an Australian Shepherd, you might find that your Aussie tries to herd your children. This is quite common. They’re born herders and intelligent enough to know that the children need to be corralled from time to time. It’s best to give your Aussie something else to herd, as it can get dangerous having them herd your children. This is a natural instinct, so it’s best to curb the habit before it gets out of hand.
These are just some of the fun facts about Australian Shepherds we wanted to share with you today. The list of amazing and fun facts about Aussies could go on, but we hope you enjoyed these lovely tidbits of information today about this beautiful dog breed and will share them with your friends and family.