Australian Shepherd

The breed's ancestors likely arrived with Basque shepherds who passed through Australia en route from Europe to California during the 19th-century sheep boom, picking up the "Australian" label along the way even though the dogs were refined mainly on American ranches. Cowboys and ranchers in California, Colorado and neighbouring states selected for a versatile stock dog able to herd sheep and cattle, work all day in rough terrain, and cope with heat and cold alike, and the breed became a fixture of rodeo and ranch life by the mid-20th century.

Living with an Australian Shepherd means living with a highly intelligent, athletic dog that needs a genuine outlet for its herding drive. Without work, structured training or serious daily exercise, "Aussies" become anxious, destructive or fixate on herding children, cars or other pets by nipping heels. They are typically devoted to their family and wary of strangers, and the medium-length double coat, which comes in striking merle patterns as well as solid colours, needs brushing two or three times a week.

Today the breed thrives in agility, herding trials, disc dog and search and rescue as much as on working ranches, and remains one of the most popular herding breeds kept as a companion in the United States and increasingly the UK. It suits active, experienced owners able to give it a job, and is not well suited to apartment living or long hours alone.