The Australian Shepherd is a breed of herding dog from the United States. The name of the breed is technically a misnomer, as it was developed in California in the 19th century, although it has its origins in Asturias, in the northwest of Spain; the breed was unknown in Australia at the time.
Like most medium-sized dogs, Australian Shepherds can live up to 15 years. Australian Shepherds live 13 to 15 years on average. This is similar to other dogs their size and weight. This is comparable to other canines of the same size and weight.
According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), most purebred dogs live 8-15 years. So, the Australian shepherd's life expectancy of 12-15 years is near the upper limit. They are very long-lived dogs.
The answer to that question varies with the breed and size of your pet. We start calling our babies seniors on average after 8 years old. This does not mean they are already old at that particular age. Most of them actually still have the same energy and the behaviors exhibited by younger dogs and even puppies.
The oldest known dog (according to Guiness) was an Australian Shepherd named Bluey who lived to the ripe old age of 29 years 5 months before being euthanized in November 1939.
Most Australian Shepherds should begin calming down at two years of age. At this point, they're considered mature dogs who can better regulate their energy. That said, not all Aussies will tone it down at this age. It may take them reaching seniority for their energy to drop off.
Australian Shepherds are generally healthy dogs with a life expectancy of 12-15 years. However, they are predisposed to a few health issues more common to the breed.
Bluey, an Australian cattle dog, entered the Guinness Book of World Records by living to the ripe old age of 29 years and 5 months, setting the record for oldest dog ever. The record was set in 1939 and still stands, but many Australian Cattle Dogs have tried to beat it by living good long lives of their own.
The greatest reliable age recorded for a dog is 29 years and 5 months for an Australian cattle dog named Bluey, owned by Les Hall of Rochester, Victoria. Bluey was the name of the oldest dog ever reliably recorded. She was an Australian cattle dog, and she lived to be 29 years and 5 months.
The Aussie's desire to cuddle
Dogs in general are known for being happy, cuddly, sweet, and soothing for a human to pet. Some breeds are, by nature, more affectionate than others. While the Aussie will typically reserve cuddling for one person or a group of trusted people, sometimes he won't want to cuddle at all.
While an Aussie may be left home alone for four to six hours at a time, crate training may be necessary for the dog's safety.
In fact, sleep takes up a good portion of an Australian Shepherd's life. In adulthood, they sleep about twelve hours a day! This is an energetic dog who needs to recharge as often as possible to stay in top form.
Aussies are remarkably intelligent, quite capable of hoodwinking an unsuspecting novice owner. In short, this isn't the pet for everyone.
Final years
Adding a puppy to the household can excite a senior dog and breathe new life into them as they play and interact with the adolescent. For older pets in their declining years and with health issues, consider waiting until their passing before adding another dog.
Australian Shepherds are generally healthy dogs, but all dogs have the potential to develop genetic health problems. The most common health problems for Australian Shepherds to develop include hip dysplasia, various eye diseases, sensitivity to certain drugs, and epilepsy.
1. Border collie. According to The Intelligence of Dogs, which ranks 131 dog breeds in terms of their relative intelligence, the border collie is the smartest dog breed known to man.
The smartest dog in the world is a Border Collie called Chaser . Not only does she know the name of all her 1,000 unique toys, she knows a huge amount of words and brings things when asked. Apparently, she has the cognition and development of a toddler.
In all size groups (small, medium, large, and giant), mixed breed dogs live longer than purebred dogs, although the difference is not that large. The study found that, on average, a mixed-breed dog lives for 14.45 years compared to 14.14 years for a purebred dog.
The smaller breeds of dogs tend to live the longest. Yorkshire terriers, Chihuahuas, Dachshunds, Toy Poodles and Lhasa Apsos are the breeds who typically live the longest with these averaging a lifespan of up to 20 years. This is much higher than the average lifespan of a dog which is between 10 and 13 years.
The aging profile of dogs varies according to their adult size (often determined by their breed): smaller dogs often live over 15–16 years (no longer than 20 years), medium and large size dogs typically 10 to 20 years, and some giant dog breeds such as mastiffs, often only 7 to 8 years.
Australian shepherdtemperament. Aussies are active, protective, friendly dogs that love to please and be loyal to their owners. They also have territorial instincts that can make them naturally possessive of their owners and home.
Life span. If you welcome a blue merle Australian Shepherd into your family, you can expect them to live to around twelve and sixteen years of age. Like any dog, this is a commitment that shouldn't be taken lightly, but it does mean years of fun, love, and companionship.
Average Aussie litter size is about 6-7 pups. If an Aussie sometimes has normal size liters and sometimes small ones, and the mates with which it had the smaller ones are not the other parent on the normal size litters, you may want to test both parents for Pelger-Huet Anomaly (PHA.)