Anyone have an Australian Shepherd?

[hrh_disney_queen]

We are thinking of getting another dog, and are looking at Australian Shepherds. I was wondering if you would be willing to share what you paid for your dog, and how big it got at adulthood. I have researched and found the range to be 35-50 lbs., just wondered if that was about right. I have seen breeders on line that charge anywhere from $500-700-$1300 for a puppy. (that last one must be one heckuva a puppy!)

Thanks for the info, if you want to share your love of this breed, I would love to hear about it. We lost our beloved Stella, a Bernese Mountain Dog about 4 months ago, which is a "cousin" of the Australian Shepherd. The descriptions of the AS that I have read about temperment sound just like the BMD..Sweet, loving, friendly..Stella was a great dog...but we have decided that the "Giant" dogs are too much for us. So a meduim sized dog would be perfect for us.

I also would love to hear what color your dog is...eyes, too! I think those blue eyes are WILD!! and the ones with one brown and one blue is just freaky...but I love it!

Thanks!

 

[Mayl]

We had one along with a border collie.

The AS was very close in size, temperment and such to the collie. He just did not "herd" as much as the border did.

They are a great breed, but they do need some room to stretch their legs. They are very smart, easy to train and good companions. The price is fine (at least vs here in NY). They go $750-$1200 here depending on the breeder.

Just be sure they get time to run/play. If not they get bored and get into trouble inside.

Both dogs have passed (lived great lives) and we now have an 11 year old Sheltie. Another amazing breed. Much smaller then those two, but a full blown herding dog. Even at 11 he still spends an hour a day with his big blue ball herding it all over the yard. If you are not sold on the AS, give the Sheltie a long look also. They are another amazing breed and they run a nice size.

 

[MichelleVW]

I love Aussi's!! They are great dogs and very smart. Just make sure you keep them busy. Mine goes crazy if she doesn't get at least 20 minutes of ball time every day. She will follow you around with her ball and just stare at you until you throw it!! But when she gets plenty of organized play time outside she is good as gold in the house.

Edited to add that my girl is VERY sensitive. If she thinks you wronged her in some way she will pout all day long. It's the funniest thing!!

 

[Pakey]

Our Australian died 2 years ago at 13 yrs old. He was a great dog. Very smart. He didn't herd too badly but always walked behind us. When we lived in the country and had acreage, DH would ride the 4 wheeler to run him for exercise. We moved into town when he was 10 and then DH rollerbladed with him every night but never with a leash as he refused to walk in front of us. He was so well behaved that it was never an issue. He would not have even taken off to chase a ball or anything without permission from DH.

The only negative was the hair. He shed so badly and I have allergies. Now I have hairless dogs who are not nearly as smart.

 

[shortbun]

Our friends have had two and neither seemed smart to me. Perhaps it was their breeder. Their dogs are the butt of many jokes in our circle because of their behavior and inability to ever calm down. We all love dogs.

 

[JaxJags08]

We had one along with a border collie.

The AS was very close in size, temperment and such to the collie. He just did not "herd" as much as the border did.

They are a great breed, but they do need some room to stretch their legs. They are very smart, easy to train and good companions. The price is fine (at least vs here in NY). They go $750-$1200 here depending on the breeder.

Just be sure they get time to run/play. If not they get bored and get into trouble inside.

Both dogs have passed (lived great lives) and we now have an 11 year old Sheltie. Another amazing breed. Much smaller then those two, but a full blown herding dog. Even at 11 he still spends an hour a day with his big blue ball herding it all over the yard. If you are not sold on the AS, give the Sheltie a long look also. They are another amazing breed and they run a nice size.

What kind of ball does your dog play with? Can it be found at PetSmart? I have a Aussie/BC mix and he's so hyper! He loves DD's bouncy balls, but punctures them with his teeth.

Maybe it's the BC coming out in him, but he herds like crazy! Always walking behind DD and nudging her to go! He's only about 8 months old and needs lots of exercise to stay out of trouble.

 

[eeyoremum]

Our Aussie is a mixed breed with a...get ready for it....Jack Russell???

He is white with brown spots, his hair is short like a russell(this is his only Jack Russell trait). He has really blue eyes, which freak people out. He is about 50 - 60 pounds.

He is really smart, easy to train (we have never had an accident in the house). He LOVES to herd, only "his" boys though not the whole neighbourhood. He is a chewer though, be sure to have lots of chewies on hand.

Aussies like to be with their "humans" so be sure to spend lots of time with him. We take ours almost everywhere we go.

I don't think you can go wrong with this breed. We would get another but our guy will have no part of sharing us with another dog it is bad enough he has to share us with his "sister" the cat.

 

[BCV513]

I have a Sheltie, which I guess is a distant relative of the Aussie.

A sheltie gets to be about 20-25 pounds, which is about what you're looking for. I always thought Aussies were bigger, more like 40-50. My sheltie girl is wonderful. She has lots of energy and loves to chase her tennis ball in the backyard. But she also sleeps alot and is perfectly happy to doze in our laps. She's still a puppy (only three months old) and was house and crate trained in less than a week. They're a really smart breed!

 

[MichelleVW]

Our friends have had two and neither seemed smart to me. Perhaps it was their breeder. Their dogs are the butt of many jokes in our circle because of their behavior and inability to ever calm down. We all love dogs.

Sounds like it, because all the ones I have met are very smart.

 

[Muffin]

Our aussie was 51 pounds at her heaviest. She usually weighs around 45 pounds.

I don't remember how much we paid for her.

 

[paintnolish]

I know this a thread about AS, but we have a Sheltie and just love him. He is 9 and still has the puppy energy when playing. He loves to fetch and herds a big playground ball, too. Otherwise, he is happy to just relax with his family. He is so smart and was really quick to housebreak. Just a thought.

 

[trip]

My DD has a miniature Australian Shepherd. I think she paid $350 for him from a purebred breeder -- the others in the litter were more but he had an overbite so couldn't be shown.

He stands about 18 inches and is about 20 pounds. Sometimes he tries to herd my GS's. He loves to steal the soccer ball/baseball while they are playing. He loves his stuffed animals and empty milk jugs. Loves crushed ice with his water - will tap at the frig door until someone gives him some.

Down side - he does shed!

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

Thanks for all the feedback y'all! This breed sounds like it will fit well with our family. We have two boys 8 and 10, and a mixed breed dog about 60 lbs. Maybe the "sharing humans with another dog" issue won't be a problem because the "other " dog is here first. Stella was pretty much a lazy girl, she was happy just to be inside (we live in Gerogia-it's pretty hot during the day) and lay around. We would go for walks a couple times/day. She never did learn the "fetching" thing.. And like your Aussie, MichelleVW, she was very easily offended. If you fussed at her, she would not get over it quickly! Pouting! And 40-50 lbs is just right. I was also suggesting a Welsh Corgi to my DH, but he says they are too small. (The Newf was his big slobbering baby..) So 50 lbs is a good compromise.

We can certainly give an Aussie some exercise. We have a backyard to play fetch, and a great neighborhood to walk in. There is even an Aussie down the road. This dog has the best dog name I ever heard.."Frivolous"!

Teh only issue I will have is dog hair. I am still sweeping/finding black dog hair from Stella. It will never go away, so why not get another long haired dog? I am used to it. I just bought one of those "Furminator" deshedder/brushes. It works great on my mutt, hope it will work well on long hair.

If you guys know of any breeders in the deep southeast (Georgia, NorthEast Florida, or Eastern SC, let me know! I have found one that has puppies now, I am waiting for a call back. They are near Atlanta.

Thanks for all your help, if /when we get one, I will post pictures!

 

[Seahunt]

My old Pete (Petie dog) had an Aussie mom/Border Collie dad. He was one of those dogs that turn into a member of the family. He was super smart and had a great personality, always watching you, wanting to be with you and please you.

When he did something bad you just couldn't believe he did it

I agree with this breed needs lots of exercise - at the time we had him we lived on a farm so the dogs were out and about all day, every day. They had a great life compared to the neighbor's dog who was tied to his doghouse all day

We also had his brother (from a later litter) Auggie (Auggie Doggie) who was full Aussie, more hyper and demanding - but still well loved.

Both are gone now, but are thought of and talked about daily. If we still were on a farm I definitely would have another!

 

[Muffin]

I'm sorry, but I totally forgot you asked about eye color.

Nellie has one eye that that is brown on the top half and blue on the bottom half. Her other eye is mostly brown with a blue spot that's about the size of a pencil eraser.

Make sure you don't pick an Aussie that has 2 blue eyes. I was told that this is a result of 2 recessive genes and that Aussies who have that trait are usually deaf and sometimes blind. Don't know if this is true or not, but we didn't want to chance it.

 

[cascarlet]

We have a minature AS (black and white with brown/black eyes) and boy and she is a bundle of energy. She's about 5 years old now and I don't think I have ever seen that pup tired. She can go, go, go. She is a bit of a spaz. She shares the backyard with our Lab/Border Collie mix and he is so kick back and cool. They love each other though and they are great with the kids. The AS does get protective of her turf though and she had a habit of nipping heels when she was younger, but she's been broken of that.

Her favorite activity is to run constant circles around our pool when there are people in it. She hates the water and when our other dog takes a dive in the pool she gets very concerned. The only time she's ever been in the pool is when she has slipped and fallen when running around the pool. She barely gets wet because she is out so quickly.

She does shed alot and for the summer she is completly shaven down. It gets to 100 here often so she seems to like it and she has more pep in her step (if that is possible).

If you get one just be sure she gets LOTS of activity!! They are sweet, spazy dogs.

 

[trip]

Her favorite activity is to run constant circles around our pool when there are people in it. She hates the water and when our other dog takes a dive in the pool she gets very concerned. The only time she's ever been in the pool is when she has slipped and fallen when running around the pool. She barely gets wet because she is out so quickly.

We have one of those Pop-Up Pools(18x48). When we are in it, my DD's Miniature AS climbs the ladder and waits on the platform for someone to put him in a float chair so he can join us.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I'm sorry, but I totally forgot you asked about eye color.

Nellie has one eye that that is brown on the top half and blue on the bottom half. Her other eye is mostly brown with a blue spot that's about the size of a pencil eraser.

Make sure you don't pick an Aussie that has 2 blue eyes. I was told that this is a result of 2 recessive genes and that Aussies who have that trait are usually deaf and sometimes blind. Don't know if this is true or not, but we didn't want to chance it.

Thanks, I think I read about the deaf/blindness thing, too. I wonder if that developes, or if you would know it when you saw the puppy. Your dog's eyes sound really cool!

 

[elgerber]

I had an Aussie Golden Retriever mix. He was the size and exact shape of a golden, but blue merle like an aussie. He was the best dog I've ever had. He was so smart, with the best of both temperaments. I miss that dog every day, and he's been gone for 15 years.

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

Aussie's are THE BEST DOGS! We have an 11 1/2 year old red tri Aussie with brown eyes. He was born with blue eyes, but they turned brown around 4 months. He is beautiful. Now, he is larger than average at 60lbs. He came from a litter of 3 and we paid $500 for him. Worth every penny!!!! Aussie's do need a lot of love and attention. A good walk every day or heavy play will do them good. We crate trained him. It was the best thing we have ever done. He stayed in the crate at night for 1 year. Now he sleeps where ever he wants. Aussie's really becomes part of the family. At 60lbs. he thinks he is a lap dog.

Good luck finding the perfect puppy!