How to Care for an Australian Shepherd

The intelligent and playful Australian shepherd has a strong instinct for herding cattle and sheep, but in the absence of both will have just as much fun playing with your little ones. This rambunctious breed needs a securely fenced-in backyard and a lot of daily activity.

Instructions

1

Vaccinate your Australian shepherd when you first get her and then make sure she gets yearly booster vaccinations to maintain her immunity to disease. Also, worm your adult dog every three months and consult with your veterinarian about flea control products.

2

Feed your Australian shepherd high-grade dog food. The first ingredient should be meat if you want a quality product. Crude protein should be no less than 30 percent and crude fat no less than 20 percent. The fiber content needs to be 4 percent or less.

3

Socialize your puppy when she's young to be with children, strangers and other animals. Australian shepherds have a tendency to be guarded with strangers, as they are very protective of their home.

4

Know that an Australian shepherd, because of its herding instinct, tends to nip at the heels of children from time to time. This will occur especially if the child is running. Instruct your children to immediately stop running and stand still.

5

Train your puppy in obedience early on. This breed, because of its above-average intelligence, needs a lot of mental stimulation. Consider enrolling in obedience classes and/or reading appropriate materials about obedience training.

6

Exercise or run your Australian shepherd at least once a day. The Australian shepherd is a working dog and is abounding in energy. It needs a vigorous workout to prevent the formation of negative habits such as chewing and digging.

7

Brush your dog's coat as needed with a firm-bristle brush. Shampoo as needed and trim nails every two to three weeks. The Australian shepherd is a medium shedder.

8

Contact a recognized Aussie breeder to ensure that your Australian shepherd has been properly bred and tested for certain health conditions such as hip dysplasia (a malformed ball and socket in the hip joint), cataracts (cloudy eye lens), progressive retinal atrophy (blindness) and Von Willebrand's disease (a bleeding disorder).

9

Note that male Australian shepherds will grow to 18 to 23 inches and weigh between 30 and 45 lbs. Females will grow to 17 to 21 inches and weigh between 27 and 40 lbs.

10

Realize that an Australian shepherd's life expectancy is 12 years or more.