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ears, or pink covering 25 percent of the nose after the age of one year.

Birthing should be normal for a dam, but as for the puppy, docking is

required if it is not born with a naturally bobbed tail, which should not exceed

four inches in length. As far as temperament goes, these shepherds are

good natured, affectionate, loyal, active, and adaptive. They are also very

intelligent and easy to train which make them great service dogs.

The Australian Shepherd is an overall easy-to-maintain breed, though it

does need a healthy, nutritional, natural diet because it is an active, hard

working dog. Grooming is time-consuming because of its medium length fur

and climate-varying undercoat, and should be done once a week. Even

though it sheds all year round, it will need brushing multiple times a week

during the two big season changes when shedding occurs most. On another

hand, Aussies are generally clean and only need bathed as needed when

dirty or odorous. There should always be regular ear and teeth cleanings

and nail trimmings. Though there are some common health concerns, the

list isn't too long: allergies, cancer, cataracts, Collie eye anomaly,

criptorchidism, hip dysplasia, iris colobomas, and progressive retinal atrophy

just to name a few. The big problem with Australian Shepherds and collies

alike, though, is the double merle. This is when a puppy is born with

unnatural amounts of white and usually deafness or blindnessfor example,

with small or no eyesor both. It can also result in reproduction problems

and the puppy could forever be infertile. This is caused by breeding two

merles together, a match-up that has a 25 percent chance of presenting a

double merle pup. Good breeders will breed a merle and a solid color to

avoid the horrible fate these defective puppies usually go through: culling,

or being put to death at birth. On a more optimistic note, a healthy Aussie

will live on an average of 12 to 15 years.

The Australian Shepherd is a mighty magnificent breed of dog. It's

kind, loyal, beautiful and hard working all wrapped in one package. Sure, it

may shed large quantities of fur and be restless with the need of work, and

sure it may not be the best choice for all dog lovers, but the Aussie is truly

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one of a kind. Its history is blurryit may have come from a little blue dog

and bred into a larger farm working dog, and now we have more than just

standard-sized Aussies; we have miniature and toy Aussies as well (though

they are not recognized by the American Kennel Club as standard). Owners

and breeders alike will have to take care of their shepherds well, but when

they do, they will have forever happy companions by their side!

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