The appearance of an Australian Shepherd
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Height at the withers: Males 51 – 58 cm, Females 46 – 53 cm
Average weight: Males 23 – 29 kg, Females 14 – 20 kg
The Australian Shepherd is a well-proportioned and nicely balanced dog that boasts being slightly longer than they are tall. They are medium in size and well-muscled with a keen and alert look. There is a distinct difference in female and male dogs with both having well defined physical traits.
Their heads are clean-cut and well-proportioned in relation to their body. Heads are slightly rounded and boast a well-defined stop. Their eyes are almond-shaped, brown, blue or amber in colour with flecks or marbling in them depending on a dog’s coat colour.
Ears are triangular in shape with slightly rounded tips and set high on a dog’s head. Dogs hold their ears either upright or semi-erect and they often drop forwards or to one side when dogs are working or alert. These dogs boast a strong jawline with a perfect scissor bite where their upper teeth neatly overlap their lower ones. Their necks are moderately long and dogs hold them slightly arched which adds to their proud, alert look.
Their forequarters are muscular with long, flat, well-laid-back shoulder blades and nice strong, straight legs. Their body is strong and muscular with a level topline and deep chest. Ribs are well sprung and loins broad and strong looking with a moderately sloping croup.
Their hindquarters are nicely proportioned in relation to the rest of their body and they boast strong looking back legs. Feet are oval in shape and compact with nicely arched toes and well-padded pads. Their tails are moderate in length with a slight amount of feathering. Dogs can be born with a naturally bobbed tail which is allowed as a breed standard.
When it comes to their coat, the Australian Shepherd boasts one that is medium in length which can be either slightly wavy or straight. Their coats are extremely weather-resistant all thanks to a dense undercoat. The hair on their head, front legs, ears and lower legs is short with the back of their legs boasting a moderate amount of feathering. Males have more of a mane than their female counterparts. When it comes to coat colours, the accepted colours for Kennel Club registration for the Australian Shepherd are as follows:
- Black
- Black Tricolour
- Black with Copper Trim
- Black with White Trim
- Blue Merle
- Blue Merle White & Copper Trim
- Blue Merle with Copper Trim
- Blue Merle with White
- Red
- Red Merle
- Red Merle White & Copper Trim
- Red Merle with Copper Trim
- Red Merle with White Trim
- Red Tricolour
- Red with Copper Trim
- Red with White Trim
All the above colours can have or not have tan points, but any white must not be too dominant colour on a dog’s head. Other areas where white markings are allowed in a dog’s coat are as follows:
- On their chest
- On their muzzle
- On a dog’s blaze
- On their underparts
- On their front legs
- On their back legs, but not above a dog’s hock joint
The 4-basic accepted colours through the Australian Shepherd Breed Club are as follows:
- Black Tri
- Red Tri
- Blue Merle
- Red Merle
Aussies can have or not have white and copper trims in their coats.
Gait/movement
When an Australian Shepherd moves, they do so with a smooth, free, easy and agile gait taking long strides and covering a lot of ground when they do. Dogs keep a nice level topline when they are on the move and their front and back legs remain straight and true.
Faults
The Kennel Club frowns on any exaggerations or departures from the breed standard and would judge the faults on how much they affect a dog’s overall health and wellbeing as well as their ability to perform.
Males should have both testicles fully descended into their scrotums and it is worth noting that a dog can be a little lighter or heavier as well as slightly taller or shorter than set out in the Kennel Club breed standard which is only given as a guideline.