Menu

Service

AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD


The splendid subjects in the photos of this card are of the Amatoriale Breeding The PELVO Of ELVA

 

FCI-Standard N° 342 / 20.06.2007/GB

 

ORIGIN : U.S.A.                                                      

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 21.05.2007.

UTILIZATION : Farm and ranch shepherd dog.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 1  Sheepdogs and Cattle dogs
                                                         (except Swiss Cattle dogs)
                                           Section 1 Sheepdogs
                                           Without working trial.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY :  While there are many theories as to the origin of the Australian Shepherd, the breed as we know it today developed exclusively in the United States. The Australian Shepherd was given its name because of the association with Basque Sheepherders who came to the United States from Australia in the 1800’s.
The Australian Shepherd’s popularity rose steadily with the boom of western horseback riding after World War II, which became known to the general public via rodeos, horse shows, movies, and television shows. Their inherent versatile and trainable personality made them assets to American farms and ranches.  The American stockman continued the development of the breed, maintaining its versatility, keen intelligence, strong herding instincts, and eye-catching appearance that originally won their admiration.
Although each individual is unique in colour and markings, all Australian Shepherds show an unsurpassed devotion to their families. Their many attributes have guaranteed the Australian Shepherd’s continued popularity.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : The Australian Shepherd is well balanced, slightly longer than tall, of medium size and bone, with colouring that offers variety and individuality. He is attentive and animated, lithe and agile, solid and muscular without cloddiness. He has a coat of moderate length and coarseness. He has a docked or natural bobbed tail.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS : Measuring form the breastbone to rear of thigh and from top of the withers to the ground the Australian Shepherd is slightly longer than tall.
Substance: Solidly built with moderate bone. Structure in the male reflects masculinity without coarseness. Bitches appear feminine without being slight of bone.

BEHAVIOUR AND TEMPERAMENT : The Australian Shepherd is an intelligent working dog of strong herding and guarding instincts. He is a loyal companion and has the stamina to work all day.  With an even disposition, he is good natured, seldom quarrelsome. He may be somewhat reserved in initial meetings. Any display of shyness, fear or aggression is to be severely penalized.

HEAD : The head is clean cut, strong and dry. Overall size should be in proportion to the body.

CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : Top flat to slightly domed. It may show a slight occipital protuberance. Length and width are equal.
Stop : Moderate, well-defined.

FACIAL REGION :
Nose : Blue merles and blacks have black pigmentation on the nose (and lips). Red merles and reds have liver (brown) pigmentation on the nose (and lips). On the merles it is permissible to have small pink spots; however, they should not exceed 25 % of the nose on dogs over one year of age, which is a serious fault.
Muzzle : Equal in length or slightly shorter than the back skull. Viewed from the side the topline of the back skull and muzzle form parallel planes, divided by a moderate, well-defined stop. The muzzle tapers little from base to nose and is rounded at the tip.
Jaw/Teeth : A full complement of strong white teeth should meet in a scissors bite or may meet in a level bite.

 

Eyes : Brown, blue, amber or any variation or combination thereof, including flecks and marbling. Almond shaped, not protruding nor sunken. The blue merles and blacks have black pigmentation on eye rims. The red merles and reds have liver (brown) pigmentation on eye rims. Expression : Showing attentiveness and intelligence, alert and eager. Gaze should be keen but friendly.
Ears :  Triangular, of moderate size and leather, set high on the head. At full attention they break forward and over, or to the side as a rose ear. Prick ears and hanging ears are severe faults.

NECK : Strong, of moderate length, slightly arched at the crest, fitting well into the shoulders.

BODY :
Top line : Back straight and strong, level and firm from withers to hip joints.
Croup :  Moderately sloping.
Chest : Not broad, but deep with the lowest point reaching the elbow.
Ribs : Well sprung and long, neither barrel chested nor slab-sided.
Underline and Belly :  Shows a moderate tuck-up.

TAIL : Straight, naturally long or naturally short.  When docked (in countries where this practice is not forbidden), or naturally short, not to exceed 10 cm.

SUGGESTED BREEDINGS by MENANDPETS.COM:

 



LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS :
Shoulders : Shoulder-blades long, flat, fairly close set at the withers and well laid back. The upper arm, which should be relatively the same length as the shoulder-blade, attaches at an approximate right angle to the shoulder line with forelegs dropping straight, perpendicular to the ground.
Legs : Straight and strong. Bone strong, oval rather than round.
Pastern : Medium length and very slightly sloping. Front dewclaws may be removed.
Feet : Oval, compact, with close-knit, well-arched toes. Pads thick and resilient.

HINDQUARTERS :
General appearance : The width of the hindquarters is equal to the width of the forequarters at the shoulders.
The angulation of the pelvis and upper thigh corresponds to the angulation of the shoulder-blade and upper arm, forming an approximate right angle
Stifle : Clearly defined.
Hock joints :  Moderately bent.
Hocks : Short, perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other when viewed from the rear. Rear dewclaws must be removed.
Feet : Oval, compact with close-knit, well-arched toes. Pads thick and resilient.

GAIT : The Australian Shepherd has a smooth, free and easy gait. He exhibits great agility of movement with a well-balanced, ground covering stride. Fore-and hind legs move straight and parallel with the centre line of the body. As speed increases, the feet (front and rear) converge toward the centre line of gravity of the dog while the back remains firm and level. The Australian Shepherd must be agile and able to change direction or alter gait instantly.

COAT

HAIR : Of medium texture, straight to wavy, weather resistant and of medium length. The undercoat varies in quantity with variations in climate. Hair is short and smooth on the head, ears, front of forelegs and below the hocks. Backs of forelegs and breeches are moderately feathered. There is a moderate mane and frill, more pronounced in dogs than in bitches. Non-typical coats are severe faults.

COLOUR : Blue merle, black, red merle, red – all with or without white markings and/or tan (copper) points, with no order of preference. The hairline of a white collar does not exceed the point of the withers at the skin.
White is acceptable on the neck (either in part or as a full collar), chest, legs, muzzle underparts, blaze on head and white extension from underpart up to four inches (10 cm), measuring from a horizontal line at the elbow.
White on the head should not predominate, and the eyes must be fully surrounded by colour and pigment. Merles characteristically become darker with increasing age.

SIZE :
Height at the withers : The preferred height for males is 20-23 inches (51-58 cm), females 18-21 inches (46-53 cm). Quality is not to be sacrificed in favour of size.
 

FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

ELIMINATING FAULTS :

  • Aggresive or overly shy.
  • Undershot, or overshot.  Loss of contact caused by short center incisors in an otherwise correct bite shall not be judged undershot. Teeth broken or missing by accident shall not be penalized.
  • White body splashes in all colours, which means white on body between withers and tail, on sides between elbows and back of hindquarters.

Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.

N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

Automatic translate from inseparabile.com

Origins

Although its name, the Shepherdesses Australian as we know it today is born and shape completely in the United States. Between the end of the 1800 and beginning of the 1900 the ancestors of the Australian Shepherds today arrived in the western and north-western states to the continuation of the Basque shepherds who accompanied the numerous crudes oil of sheep that came imported from Australia. These dogs, large workers, of medium ransom, nickname to you "little blue dogs", that is, "small blue dogs", entusiasmarono so the breeders and the cultivators Americans who began anch' they to use them. The crossings were study to you devout for the abilit working that for the aspect, and of when in when other dogs of race from shepherdesses were it intercrosses to you in the original lines of blood. However, the Shepherdesses Australian of the days ours, are still similar the dogs that came from Europe via Australia; and also today, a large one quantit of Australian Shepherds is working to the supply of crudes oil in the farms of the western states of the United states. In 1957 the Australian Shepherd was founded Club of America (ASCA). This association, is born with the precise scope to promote the race, and many clubs are associate you to it so as to to hold an only registry of the births. A unified standard was adopted in 1976, and the recordings of the births were accorpate, in 1980, to those of the National Dog Stock, than however it holds a separated registry to part and for the Australian Shepherds. The ASCA promotes the race and its morphology, with the aid of a program that sees show the uniforms in four groups: Morphology, Stock-dog (imbrancamento), Obedience, and the last one of recent performance, than the Rescue. Today the Australian Shepherds select you for the show stretch to having a large skeleton devout and one fur devout folta regarding true and own the lines from job, but the clear and evidently fixed race in its tipicit. Four are the base colors that are accepted: Black, Blue Merle, Red, and Red Merle. All these colors can have shadings and inserimenti of white man and branch (or ramato) on the head and legs, cos as they can have a white collar worker who pu to grow tall in gi until arriving also to the thorax. The Shepherdesses Australian would have to be very balanced, strong and resistant, with a hair of medium length, and a tail cuts or to spool. The ransom for the males goes from the 51 to the 58 centimeters to the garrese, while for the females it goes from the 46 to the 54 centimeters. The Australian eccellono not only in the imbarcamento of the cattle, but also in obedience, the agility, and fly-ball (the contests in which they must seize to the flight of the balls or the frisbee launch from far away), in order not to then speak about indiscussa the bravura in following the tracks, the Pet Terapy, and all the others attivit of the dog, including not for last that one of company animal. Us never they have not been many opportunit for the Australian Shepherds like hour!

Personalit and character

Those of we that they love devout the Australian Shepherds cannot imagine one perfect canine race. Ill-fatedly, just the characteristics that we estimate and appreciate in these dogs render them inadatti to some rooms and respect owners to you. It must in fact consider carefully if our style of life pu to consent to the ' esuberanza of Shepherdesses Australian typical. As I have said before many Australian Shepherds still today carry out the job for which he was from the raised and intercrossed man, and also those that have not never seen a sheep or of the bovines, of usual have a strong instinct of imbrancamento. E' of easy intuition therefore to understand that a dog with these characteristics sopporta of it fencings, of guinzagli, perch its nature, since small, that one to group, one situation therefore different, pu not to make other that to crush it. Being been born in order to work hard and for all the day, the greater part of they is not pleased of poltrire on a divano, even if, just for individualit of the character the some subjects they are devout calm calm and of others. In great part they are however dogs with a high upgrade them energetic and have need of a scope in their life; a job. The owners must engage themselves to giving to these dogs the time and the attention that they demand, through the game and the training; and if this does not come given to it, like for all the dogs, some subjects can address badly this they esuberanza of energy, turning it towards behaviors destroyed to you like digging and rosicchiare objects. To run, to jump, and a energetic and lively game makes all part integrating of a normal school Shepherdesses Australian. The great intelligence of these dogs, necessary in order to hold under control the cattle, ago that the Shepherdesses Australian often in a position to thinking also devout and fastly devout skillfully about the owner; this great dowry, pu essergli for injurious if it does not come taken advantage of or if it comes to it to lack the training. The training to obedience extremely recommended like one of means in order to teach to the owners to channel the innato sense of the Australian to please and to give satisfaction just to the landladies. The Australian Shepherds learn a lot quickly, and their owners will have to be disposed to maintain just the dog occupied with walks, you play, and training, so that benefit can trarne, simultaneously, is the body that the mind. Although many are friendly with anyone, the Shepherdesses Australian as tendency of race attend rather to being classified and cautious with the strangers. With animals of this nature, the owners will have to make in way to encourage encounter with other persons but without in order making them to become encounter force to you. The Australian often is rather protect to you towards their family and the propriet, a feature of the desirable in some situations but decidedly unacceptable character in others, some subjects in fact never do not accept the strangers. As she succeeds in List of dog breeds canine, also Shepherdesses Australian erroneously socialized, pu to become aggressive without a correct training. Generally they are healthy dogs, and its expectation of advanced life ai twelve years, and all those people who have intention to adopt one, must know and estimate entit dell' the engagement that waits for them. Although it does not demand particular attentions as far as the pulizia, necessary that the hair is held clean and conditioned, therefore v brushed regularly, with one particular attention and continuit to the cut of nails. In order to maintain to high just the level of energy, the Shepherdesses Australian have devout need to eat of respect to other subjects of the same devout ransom but of calm nature, therefore preparategli food of good qualit in abundance. The Australian Shepherd is perfect for persons who wish to possess a subject extremely trainable, poured them, super-intelligent that pu to play and to work "until that the vacche they return to house". Saying this, if thoughts of having the time and the engagement for Shepherdesses Australian, you will not come sure disappointed. These special dogs, deserve special owners. Theirs lealt, grinta, their character and that capricious sense of the humour make, these dogs, the animals of one advanced class!

  

CURIOSIT:
This excellent dog from famous job for the abilit rather unusual than to run on the back of the sheep in order to catch up the head of the flock. E' a resistant and tenacious race, that sopporta silks for long periods.