Where do Australian Shepherds Come From?

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Are Australian Shepherds from Australia? They have to be…right? I think it’s an assumption we all make, but…we all know what assuming does (and I don’t like being an ass), so I researched and got to the bottom of it (pardon the land down under pun).

Where do Australian Shepherds come from? Not from Australia. From the western states of America, particularly Colorado. The breed was first recognized in 1957 with the formation of the Australian Shepherd Club of America. The origin of the dogs could be from Spain or Germany.

Why the Misleading Name?

The Australian Shepherd (Aussies for short) first emerged as a distinctive dog type in Colorado in the western United States. It was quite long ago, around the 1840 Gold Rush.

So, why the misleading name?

It’s unclear where the “Australia” misnomer comes from.

Some say it is because of the special color pattern called merle, which is often seen in Australian dogs. Merle consists of mottled patches of color in a solid or piebald coat.

But merle coloring also occurs in other dogs that are not Australian. Like the Chihuahua from Mexico and the Corgi from Wales. And the Great Dane from Germany.

More about the German connection later…

The general explanation goes like this:

  • The dogs were first brought to the west coast of America by certain immigrants from Australia.
  • They were known as “little blue dogs with bob tails”.
  • Their owners originated from a specific region in Spain, known as the Basque Country. Basques were famous as sheepherders.
  • During their time in Australia, the Basque shepherd refined their dogs by crossbreeding with British dogs, mainly Collies and Border Collies.
  • After building up their flocks of sheep they went (with sheep, dogs, and all) to California for the Gold Rush. Wool and meat were then in high demand.
  • They were excellent at herding and came to represent shepherding in America.  As much as the Scotsman and his Collie do in Great Britain.

The name “Australian Shepherd” was used at least as early as 1858. A notice on page 2 in the April 21, 1858 issue of the Daily Alta California paper, reports:

“The ship Eli Whitney from Sydney brought two dozen Australian shepherd dogs.”

At that time “shepherd dog” was a generic name and the “Australian” was tagged onto it. The ship was from Australia so the dogs must be Australian.

Right?

Other Australian Shepherd nicknames they have been known as include:

  • Pastor Dog
  • New Mexican Shepherd
  • Austrian Shepherd
  • Spanish Shepherd

It’s All Bunk

In a long, well-researched article by Linda Rolem, she states that she could not find any evidence for the story above.

In fact, she reckons the Basques were not such great sheepherders at all. They reared cows, chickens, pigs and only sometimes sheep! Doggone it!

Another article states that the Basque shepherds came directly from their home country to America.

Not via Australia. With or without dogs.

But then it ends on a note that implies that the old beliefs are correct.

Maybe.

This piece is less well-written but has a lot of impressive references.

In the 1800’s Basques also came to America from the Spanish Colonies in South America.

With or without dogs?

They only turned to sheepherding after the gold rush, according to some sources. So they probably did not arrive with dogs at first, as the tradition would have it.

Who knows for sure.

Here’s a thought…

It’s all Anthony Quinn’s fault (famous actor, you mean you’ve never heard of Zorba the Greek???). In the 1957 movie “Wild is the Wind” he says:

“Only a Basque, in this country, can train a dog like that.”

Get your DVD immediately.

But wait, we have another plot twist for you…

There is some evidence that Aussies are actually from Germany (lieber Himmel!).

A breed of dogs called Altdeutscher Hütehunde (German was never an easy language) includes a dog called a Tiger. It has a merle coat (aha!) and is used as a herder (bingo!).

By the way…that long German name actually just means “Old German Herding Dog”.

So is a German Herding dog just a kind of German Shepherd?

Noooo, a German Shepherd is a kind of German Herding dog. The Tiger is rare outside southern Germany, but when you see a picture of it, it may as well be an Australian Shepherd.

It was bred for talent not looks so there is no uniform standard. Besides merle, it also comes in black and red or shades of sable. It has minimal white trim, semi-erect ears, and a medium coat type and length.

So Where Does The Modern Australian Shepherd Breed Come From?

Out of the seven recognized breed groups of the American Kennel Club, the Australian shepherd has a unique genetic footprint. Not surprising when you consider the uncertainty about their origin.

The modern recognized breed with its standard got its foundation between the 1940s and the early 1970s. The Australian Shepherd Club of America was formed in 1957 and a registry for the Aussies was started.

Before that, no records were kept of the breeding lineage. A genealogy map called the Spider Web shows where the modern dogs come from.

It appears that there were four families of Aussies who was the main source of today’s pedigreed dogs.

  • Juanita Ely’s bloodline
  • Fletcher Wood’s dogs
  • Dr. Heard’s Flintridge line
  • Hartnagle’s Las Rocosa Aussies

Are All Aussies Herd Dogs?

Many Aussies are still happily herding in the American West. According to the American Kennel Club, the Australian Shepherd is the cowboy’s herding dog of choice.

Others Australian Shepherds earn their feed as:

  • Rodeo performers
  • Therapy dogs
  • Drug detectors
  • Service dogs
  • Search-and-rescue dogs
  • And of course, there are the ones who are loved family pets

Aussies are great performers and film stars as well.

Stub, Shorty, and Queenie, trained by Jay Sisler, were part of a performing-dog act. They still perform at rodeos today, doing tricks like jumping rope.

They also appeared at grand venues like Madison Square Garden. Disney productions used them in: “Stub, The Best Cowdog in the West”, “Run, Appaloosa, Run!” and ”Cow dog”. The last one was even nominated for an Academy Award (an Oscar, to you dear reader!).

Dog sports is an area that Aussies excel at.

Agility sports are right up their street as it engages their natural abilities of weaving, crouching, running, jumping, and avoiding obstacles.

Other sports that are very suitable to Aussies are:

  • Lure coursing
  • Tracking
  • Retrieving

These sports are particularly geared toward hunting dogs who are used to stalking and landing their prey. But Aussies are also very good at recreational sports like:

  • Dock jumping
  • Disc dog
  • Flyball
  • Treibball

Related Questions

What breeds make an Australian Shepherd?

Breeds mentioned most often are the Scotch Collie, Border Collie, and English Shepherd from Britain; the Pyrenean Sheepdogs from Spain, and the German Coolie. Other breeds may include the Carea Leonés from Spain and the Welsh Sheepdog.

What are German Australian Shepherds?

As the name indicates, it is not a purebred. It is a deliberate cross between an Australian Shepherd and a German Shepherd. Interbreeding can produce a dog with the best of the two breed traits (but also the worst).

Australian Shepherd origin

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