Australian Shepherd History
By Linda Rorem
The Australian Shepherd is an American breed, developed in the western states as a working stockdog. The first reference to the name occurs in California newspaper notices in the early 1860s, when sheepdogs were being imported from Australia to work with growing numbers of flocks of sheep in that state. These dogs, themselves largely of British shepherd dog/collie background, were interbred with other working dogs in the western states.
The Australian dogs varied in type, but generally were medium-sized dogs with medium-length to short coats, some characterized by natural bobtails. In Australia, due to the climate, short-haired dogs were preferred. But the medium-length coats were suited to many areas of the American West, and persisted there.
Throughout the Southwest were large, strong dogs of Spanish origin, which, while primarily serving as flock guardians, also performed low-key guiding. British-origin working collie/shepherd type dogs continued to be brought into the West -- from Australia, from the East, and directly from Britain -- and these active herders eventually supplanted the flock guardians, but not without some mixing taking place along the way.
As Basques became prominent in the livestock industry in the West, an occasional Basque dog was brought in, although the usual pattern for the Basques coming as sheepherders was to acquire a dog on arrival from the outfit that hired them.
Dogs from these diverse sources, with the British strains predominating, provided the basis of the breed that came to be called "Australian Shepherd," the name due to the early appearance of dogs from Australia in its foundation. (In Australia itself, the working dogs developed into several distinct breeds and no single breed came to be called "Australian Shepherd" in Australia.)
Type and size varied considerably in the western working stock dogs, as is typical with landrace breeds being bred for utility rather than appearance. As time went on, a general overall type came to be common, and the Australian Shepherd name became associated with a tough, versatile sheep and cattle dog, often naturally bobtailed, often blue merle in color. Long tails continued to occur, but were customarily docked. Color varied as well, but merle dogs were among the early Australian dogs, as well as among the dogs of other backgrounds in the West.
Eventually the distinctive blue merle coat came to be considered characteristic of the Australian Shepherd, but other colors were present as well, some of which eventually were included when the first written standard for the breed was drawn up: black and white, black tricolor, red and white, red tricolor, and red merle.
In working characteristics, these Western stockdogs displayed variety but also a general overall similarity. Some dogs were bred as cattle dogs, some as sheepdogs, but they had in common a loose-eyed, upright, confident manner of working, displaying stamina, grit, and adaptability. They took to training well, but also displayed independence and initiative in their work. Australian Shepherds served as watchdogs as well, willing and able to protect their owners and the owners’ property.
The distinctive appearance and notable working skills caught the attention of more and more stockmen. Gradually the Australian Shepherd became better known. An Australian shepherd named Bunk, owned by the cowboy movie star Jack Hoxie, had a long career in movies in the mid 1920s to early 1930s, and also appeared with wild west shows and rodeos throughout the country and in Canada and Mexico. Beginning in 1949, Jay Sisler’s dogs became well-known performers at rodeos and were seen in films shown on the Disney television program.
The next step in breed formation was the breeding of dogs in a more formally organized way through registration, following the usual pattern of breed development. The 1950s saw the first registrations of Australian Shepherd in working dog registries, with the breed-specific Australian Shepherd Club of America eventually becoming the principal registry. In the 1960s, conformation shows began to be held for the breed, again in the usual pattern of the development of registered breeds. The United Kennel Club began registering Australian Shepherds in 1979 and American Kennel Club recognition came in the early 1990s.
Even before the Aussie became an American Kennel Club breed, a split in type was becoming noticeable, with some breeders selecting for conformation shows while others continued to focus primarily or solely on working ability. The show dogs generally had longer coats and were stockier and heavier than the typical lithe working-bred Aussie. Many Aussies began to be bred solely for conformation shows, leading to further divergence. As has become the case with most breeds, today the Australian Shepherd is more often a show dog, pet or sport dog. But unlike many other breeds that have followed the same pattern of development from landrace to pedigreed kennel club dog, a significant number of Aussies continue to be bred as working ranch and farm dogs.