HISTORY of Australian Shepherds
AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERDS AREN'T AUSTRALIAN?!
By their very nature, dog breeds are connected to specific places, reflecting both their native climates and cultures. As a result, the names of dozens of breeds incorporate their national origins, from the German Pinscher to the Swedish Vallhund to the Bernese Mountain Dog.
And then there’s the exception that proves the rule: the Australian Shepherd.
Despite its formal name, this medium-sized herding dog is a quintessentially American breed. They were developed in Western states like California, Colorado, Wyoming, and Idaho to tend to the large flocks of sheep grazing there.
Who was the likely ancestor who bequeathed the Australian Shepherd its medium-length coat and natural bobtail, as well as the blue eyes and merle patterning that appear in some dogs?
What’s the reason for the Aussie reference in the breed name?
keep reading to find out!
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WHAT BREEDS ORIGINALLY MADE UP THE AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD?
There are a few interpretations on what originally made up the Australian Shepherd.
According to Jeanne Joy Hartnagle, considered the foremost historian of the breed, the dog originated in the Basque region of Northern Spain and likely traveled to the western United States with Basque sheep herders. The Aussies’ spread was likely greatest during WWII, when huge herds of sheep were imported to the Western USA from Australia, as wool was in demand for military uniforms and blankets. With the sheep came the Basques, and with the Basques came their blue merle shepherd dogs. Today, one can find Pyrennean shepherd dogs that closely resemble Australian shepherds.
Besides the landrace Pyrenean sheepdog, the Aussie may have borrowed from the German Tiger dog, which is notable for its blue merle coloring. A rare breed found mostly in Bavaria, the Tiger dog also closely resembles the Australian Shepherd.
Since herding dogs were not bred for their appearances but for their working abilities, it’s likely a number of breeds contributed to their gene pool, including possibly the English collie dogs. Notably, a DNA trace of my purebred Aussie, whose pedigree stretches back 8 generations, showed a miniscule amount of Shetland sheepdog.
A landmark 2017 Cell Reports study from 2017 underscores evidence that the Australian Shepherd we know today derives from British herding dogs, whether via the eastern United States or Australia. canine genome to see how dog breeds are related and, by extension, how they developed.
The study found that dogs can be genetically sorted into 18 clades, or groups of related dogs. The Australian Shepherd belongs to the UK Rural clade, alongside the Collie, Shetland Sheepdog, and Border Collie. Like many of the dogs in that clade, the Australian Shepherd carries the MDR1 mutation, which causes sensitivity to ivermectin.
Interestingly, the study also found that 10 percent of German Shepherd Dogs also carried the MDR1 gene. It posited that the Australian Shepherd either contributed to this quintessentially German breed or that the two had a common ancestor. Given the Merino sheep’s journey from Germany to Australia to the U.S., it’s conceivable that there were some German herding dogs in tow as well.
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WHEN DID THE BREED BECOME RECOGNISED WITH AKC & ANKC?
The Australian Shepherd Club of America was established in 1957, but the breed was not officially recognised by the American Kennel Club until 1991.
Australian Shepherds were reintroduced into Australia in 1990, when the Ford family emigrated from England. On the 1st January 1994 the Australian Shepherd was officially recognised by the Australian National Kennel Council and it is now one of the largest breeds in the working dog group.
