Australian Shepherd Information
Australian Shepherds are loyal, intelligent and energetic dogs. Contrary to their name, the Australian Shepherd was developed in North America as a herding breed.

The Aussie is a no-nonsense breed who thrives in a home where their brains and energy are put to good use.

Size
Slightly longer than he is tall, the Australian Shepherd stands 20 to 23 inches tall at the shoulder for males, 18 to 21 inches for females. On average, males weigh between 50 and 65 pounds, females 40 to 55 pounds.
You may see advertisements for dogs called teacup, toy, or miniature Australian Shepherds. Australian Shepherd breeders don't recognize these dogs as true Australian Shepherds. The breed is meant to be a functional working dog capable of herding tough stock for miles in rough country or snowdrifts, and it has no smaller size varieties.

Personality
Bred to be pushy with livestock, Australian Shepherds can and will take the dominant role in the home if you don't give them firm and confident leadership. This makes them a poor choice for first-time or timid owners.
Like many herding dogs, Australian Shepherds are by nature loyal to their family but standoffish with strangers. They need early socialization — exposure to many different people, sights, sounds, and experiences — when they're young.
Socialization helps ensure that your Aussie puppy grows up to be a well-rounded dog. Enrolling him in a puppy class is a great start. Inviting visitors over regularly, and taking him to busy parks, stores that allow dogs, and on leisurely strolls to meet neighbours will also help him polish his social skills.

Care
Your Aussie needs a half hour to an hour of stimulating activity every day, such as a run, a Frisbee game, or obedience or agility exercises. When you're not playing with your dog, puzzle toys or mind games are a great way to keep that active mind occupied.

Puppies don't need as much hard exercise as adults, and in fact, you shouldn't let them run them on hard surfaces such as concrete or let them do a lot of jumping until they're at least a year old. It could stress their still developing skeletal system and cause future joint problems.

The Aussie habit of nipping and chasing is excellent for herding sheep but bad manners when it's applied to humans and other pets. Obedience class can help you curb your Aussie's herding behaviour, and they help satisfy his need for mental stimulation and work, too.

Aussies respond well to training methods that use positive reinforcement — rewards such as praise, play, and food — and are usually happy to take commands from their trainer. They just want to know who's in charge so they can do a good job for them.

Grooming
Keeping your Australian Shepherd clean and free of matting is relatively easy but can be time consuming. It is definitely encouraged to groom, bath, and trim nails of your puppies more frequently as a puppy to get them use to the process, this will significantly help as they get older.

Nails should be trimmed once a week for growing pups and once every two weeks in adult dogs. Invest in a quality nail trimmer, this will help tremendously. If you are not comfortable trimming nails yourself, your local pet store can most likely trim them for you for a small fee.

To keep the Australian Shepherd neat, reduce mud and dirt tracked into the house and to remove excess dead unwanted hair. It is recommended that you brush the dog at least once a week, this will significantly help reduce the chances of matting. In order to brush you dog, invest in a good slicker brush, pin brush and comb.

Feet should be trimmed monthly. Teeth brushed daily or every second day.