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Australian Shepherd


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Thanks guys, sounds good! I'm not too keen on working in that kind of heat either (I work outside) so wouldnt expect a dog too :laugh:

Edit to remove Q's. Found answers in the Aussie breed sub forum ;)

Edited by Kahlua
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  • 3 months later...
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I was wondering what the issues were with White Aussie shepherds? Someone I used to work for owned one (from a registered breeder) and it had alot of health problems. Is this normal?

A bit late in replying!

I have a pet Aussie with a lot of white on him - a merle x merle breeding - and he has a lot of skin allergies, especially in the Summer months - usually bridge of nose and hock area affected.

I have found that since we moved almost 2 years ago it is not as bad and I think it's due to the native grass that's the lawn on our property - very vivid green color, tear drop shape and doesn't need to be mowned often.

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I thought merle x Merle was acbig no-no?

merle x merle can be done but breeders need to be responsible about any resultant pups that are double merles. Not every pup produced in one of these litters will be a double merle.

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I love this breed and hopefully by the end of this year I will have a little Aussie of my own, but there is one matter that is seriously putting me off. The fact that the tail is docked, can there be puppies in the same litter with docked tails and undocked?

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They're not docked, some are actually born with bob tails, which you will find in a lot of other breeds as well :) I'm sure if you requested you could get one with a tail, I have found that a lot of Aussie pet owners like this, just judging by the few people I know who have bought Aussies with tails because it was their preference :laugh: My boy was born with a tail :)

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I love this breed and hopefully by the end of this year I will have a little Aussie of my own, but there is one matter that is seriously putting me off. The fact that the tail is docked, can there be puppies in the same litter with docked tails and undocked?

Australian Shepherds carry a gene that presents puppies with a natural bob tail. Our last litter of seven had 6 bob tails and 1 full tail. If you feel a puppy has been docked and not born naturally bobbed; check the tail end for scarring or request a $60 DNA certification for the NBT gene.

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Just wondering if there is an Aussie Shepherd club in Western Australia? Would love to join one, but could only find websites for clubs in Vic and NSW

Currently I am aware only of the breed clubs in Vic and NSW, though SA has mentioned starting their own also. You can certainly join from interstate though Tumbleweed.

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I thought merle x Merle was acbig no-no?

It is.

Breeding a Merle Aussie to another Merle Aussie gives every single puppy in a resultant litter a huge 25% chance of being a double (defective) Merled white (homozygous whites).

These puppies normally have sight and hearing impairments, and can have defective organs. If breeders wish to breed Merle to Merle, they are running a 25% chance of each puppy having life altering problems.

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Just wondering if there is an Aussie Shepherd club in Western Australia? Would love to join one, but could only find websites for clubs in Vic and NSW

Currently I am aware only of the breed clubs in Vic and NSW, though SA has mentioned starting their own also. You can certainly join from interstate though Tumbleweed.

Thanks Parkeyre!

Does your Aussie have to be on limited/main register to join? I have a purebred Aussie but from 2 limited register parents (long story...she is a 'semi-rescue', as was being sold by a BYB as a 'potential breeding dog' at 4 1/2 months :mad ).

She is now a desexed beloved pet, and we have started trialling in obedience and hopefully will be starting agility in the not too distance future. I was interested in joining a breed club for a bit more info on Aussies and training/trialling them etc.

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Just wondering if there is an Aussie Shepherd club in Western Australia? Would love to join one, but could only find websites for clubs in Vic and NSW

Currently I am aware only of the breed clubs in Vic and NSW, though SA has mentioned starting their own also. You can certainly join from interstate though Tumbleweed.

Thanks Parkeyre!

Does your Aussie have to be on limited/main register to join? I have a purebred Aussie but from 2 limited register parents (long story...she is a 'semi-rescue', as was being sold by a BYB as a 'potential breeding dog' at 4 1/2 months :mad ).

She is now a desexed beloved pet, and we have started trialling in obedience and hopefully will be starting agility in the not too distance future. I was interested in joining a breed club for a bit more info on Aussies and training/trialling them etc.

Reading your situation; I do think you'd be fine. I don't think it is a requirement to even own an Aussie. Maybe give them a call/email and have a chat about it. :)

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Reading your situation; I do think you'd be fine. I don't think it is a requirement to even own an Aussie. Maybe give them a call/email and have a chat about it. :)

Thanks again! If a club does start up in SA, please let me know :-)

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  • 11 months later...

They're not docked, some are actually born with bob tails, which you will find in a lot of other breeds as well :) I'm sure if you requested you could get one with a tail, I have found that a lot of Aussie pet owners like this, just judging by the few people I know who have bought Aussies with tails because it was their preference :laugh: My boy was born with a tail :)

I was wondering if the Aussies born with tails are able to be shown? Do they lose points for not having a natural bob?

It's just that I think dogs without tails look strange and I would like to have a go at showing.

Edited by Phyria
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They're not docked, some are actually born with bob tails, which you will find in a lot of other breeds as well :) I'm sure if you requested you could get one with a tail, I have found that a lot of Aussie pet owners like this, just judging by the few people I know who have bought Aussies with tails because it was their preference :laugh: My boy was born with a tail :)

I was wondering if the Aussies born with tails are able to be shown? Do they lose points for not having a natural bob?

It's just that I think dogs without tails look strange and I would like to have a go at showing.

Yes tailed Aussies are able to be shown :)

You do get used to the wiggle bum though biggrin.gif

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They're not docked, some are actually born with bob tails, which you will find in a lot of other breeds as well :) I'm sure if you requested you could get one with a tail, I have found that a lot of Aussie pet owners like this, just judging by the few people I know who have bought Aussies with tails because it was their preference :laugh: My boy was born with a tail :)

I was wondering if the Aussies born with tails are able to be shown? Do they lose points for not having a natural bob?

It's just that I think dogs without tails look strange and I would like to have a go at showing.

Yes tailed Aussies are able to be shown :)

You do get used to the wiggle bum though biggrin.gif

Rusty has a tail and still gained his Australian Champion title. I would love a bob tail, but mum is the same as you phyria, she thinks they look too sad without tails! :)

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hello Aussie lovers. I have finally narrowed down my list of 3 working dogs to an Aussie and I'm looking forward to getting my first one!

We are on 6 acres and i will be doing dog sports with her as well as her being part of the family. Now I don't know a lot about the breeders and bloodlines so is there anything/anyone I should steer clear of? I have a few breeders in mind because I like the look of their dogs so I have been researching the standard and lines, but if anyone has anything to add, for a newbie Aussie owner - please comment away! ???? In terms of colour I'm not really fussed but I've never been a fan of Merle's in any breed. Are there any differences with health and type when it comes to colour? Thankyou ????.

ETA: am I better to get a NBT to do sports with or doesn't it matter if they have a tail? I may look at showing when the country shows come down my way (I've shown whippets for 9years whilst living in Perth) so maybe a NBT might be best anyway?

Edited by Whipitgood
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Welcome to the world of Aussies, Whipitgood! :)

As far as breeders go, it depends what you are looking for. But I look for someone who is responsive and friendly and is interested in the future of their dogs. I want a pup who has grown up in a house rather than kennels, with exposure to other dogs/kids/cars etc before they come home with me. I want a breeder who allocates their pups only once their structure and temperament have become evident, rather than at birth based on looks, so that they can choose the right match for me.

As far as colour goes, they shouldn't make a difference for dog sports. Obviously if you want to show you might look for nice markings and obviously not a mismark. My Aussie is a mismark (too much white) and her hearing is as sharp as a tac, but it is wise to be careful of too much white around the ears/eyes as it can cause hearing/sight issues. Reds do tend to bleach a bit in the sun if that matters to you.

NBT or tail also shouldn't matter for dog sports. There is some argument that tails help with balance but I've never seen any evidence of that in my time in the obedience/rally/agility rings. There are lots of both NBT and tailed Aussies competing with no issues.

However, if you are interested in showing, NBT is probably better. You can show tails, but in general it is a bit harder to be competitive with them.

Edited by wuffles
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Can't recommend a breeder in Perth but my good friend Wajoma here in Brisbane breeds gorgeous Aussies. I can certainly ask if she knows of any breeders in WA. Her dogs are her family and are doing really well in the ring. Happy to ask away for you if you want

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Aw man I just wrote a whole long paragraph then accidentally deleted it, so I'll just keep this short and sweet because wuffles answered most of the questions anyway :)

Firstly, welcome to the world of Aussies whipitgood! As far as performance/agility Aussies go, Keelambara and Ceubiyar breed awesome dogs. Rusty is a Keelambara from Ceubiyar lines, and he's great at agility now. There's another Keelambara girl competing up here and she's a fast one! Have watched other Ceubiyar dogs do it that are just awesome too :thumbsup:

As far as tails go, as I mentioned in an earlier post, Rusty has a full tail but still got in champion title. It was harder, but really I think getting a pup of matching temperament is most important, and if it's an NBT then that's a bonus :D

Please keep us updated, and photos are mandatory in the Aussie thread at breed subforums ;) :laugh:

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