Australian Shepherd (Definite Introduction)
Although called an Australian Shepherd, it was essentially bred in the United States. The ideal male Australian Shepherd is 20 to 23 inches tall at the withers; the female is 18 to 21 inches. Height: 45-58.5 cm, weight: 16-32 kg.
Surface Characteristics
Head
Head is clean, rich and dry (no light skin). All head sizes are in good proportion to the body. The length of the muzzle is generally slightly shorter than the length of the skull. Viewed from the side, the upper surface of the muzzle and the upper surface of the skull are parallel to each other, with the muzzle and skull separated by a moderate but well-defined stop. The tone is slightly tapered from the root to the tip of the nose and slightly rounded at the top.
Appearance
Appears to be thoughtful and intelligent, warning and sharp, with sharp but friendly vision. Eyes may be brown, blue, amber, or a combination of different colors and variations, including freckles or marble. Almond-shaped, neither protruding nor concave, blue merle or black dogs have black eye circles; red merle dogs have liver-colored (brown) eye circles. The ears are triangular in shape, of average size, with medium auricle thickness, high position, folded forward, or similar to rose ears. Prick ears or droopy ears are serious faults. The top of the head is flat and slightly arched, the occipital bone is slightly protruding, and the length and width of the skull are very long.
Nose
Blue merle or black dogs have black noses (and lips), red merle dogs have liver-colored (brown) noses (and lips) ). A few pink imperfections on the nose (and lips) of merle colored dogs are allowed, but the pink imperfection cannot exceed 25% of the nose area over one year of age. Otherwise it is a serious shortcoming.
Teeth
The dentition is complete, the teeth are white, and the bite is scissor-like or pincer-like. Disqualification: Overbite. The upper jaw exceeds 1/8 inch. The short central incisors prevent the teeth from touching each other, but if the rest of the teeth are normal, it will not be judged as a mandibular overbite. Broken teeth or missing teeth due to accidents are not considered faults.
Neck
The neck is of ample, medium length, slightly arched at the top, and integrates well with the shoulders.
Topline
Back (from withers to croup) is straight and rich, flat and strong. Excessive hip skew. The chest is not broad, yet the depth extends to the elbows. The ribs are well sprung and long, neither barrel chest nor flat at the sides. The arc of the lower abdomen is excessively lifted. The tail should be straight, docked or naturally short, no longer than 4 inches.
Forequarters
Shoulders: Shoulder blades long and flat, withers too close together and skewed backward. The forearm is the same length as the scapula, and the angle with the scapula is close to a right angle. The forearm is directly below the scapula and perpendicular to the ground. Legs should be straight and plump, with healthy bones and preferably oval rather than round in cross-section. The ankle is of average length and very slightly skewed. The dewclaws on the forelimbs can be removed. The feet are oval and close together, and the toes are closely united and well arched. The pads are rich and springy.
Hindquarters
The width of the hindquarters is the same as the width of the forequarters at the shoulders. The angle between the pelvis and the first thigh corresponds to the angle between the forequarters shoulder blades and the forearm, which is close to a right angle. . The stifle joints are well defined and the hock joints are well angulated. Viewed from the reverse side, the hocks are short, straight to the ground, and parallel to each other. Hind dewclaws must be removed.
Coat
The coat is of light quality, straight or slightly wavy, able to protect against harsh weather, and of medium length. The amount of undercoat will change according to changes in weather and seasons. The hair on the head, ears, front of forelimbs and below the hocks of hind legs is short and smooth. There is excessive feathering on the back of the forelegs and "trousers". There is excessive mane makeup, and the male shape is more obvious than the female. An atypical coat is a serious fault.
Color
Blue merle, black, red merle or all red, with or without white patterns (white patterns may have brown excess), these colors do not have There are roughly steps to distinguish between bad and bad. The white scarf cannot extend beyond the withers. Whiteness appearing on the neck (partially or entirely), chest, legs, and under the breath is acceptable. White tendons on the head and redness extending no more than 4 inches from the elbow are also acceptable. The white color cannot occupy the dominant position on the head, and there must be color around the eyes, and the eye circles must be full of pigment. The characteristics of merle color will increase with age.
Tail
Some Australian Shepherds have gifted tail docking or stubby tails, while others have complete long tails. For historical reasons, breeders will artificially dock the tails of puppies when they are born, but they will still maintain the dog's tail wagging behavior or butt wagging. The competition standards in the United States and Canada definitely require a naturally docked tail or a short tail no longer than 4 inches. However, many long-tailed Australian Shepherds currently compete in these competitions.There have been great achievements. In Europe, Australian shepherds with arbitrary tail lengths are allowed to participate in competitions, and some countries prohibit artificial tail docking.
Gait
The gait of the Australian Shepherd is smooth, extended and brisk. The actions appeared to be very swift, coordinated and large-scale. The front and rear limbs move straight and parallel to the core line of the body. When the speed decreases, the hands, feet and claws will move closer to the core line of the body due to gravity, while the back remains firm. The Australian Shepherd must be agile and have the ability to suddenly change direction and pace.
Temperament
The Australian Shepherd is an intelligent, alert but calm dog; good-natured and not argumentative. There will be some differences when you meet for the first time. Disadvantages: Any shyness, weakness or aggression are serious defects.
Disqualification
Overbite. The upper jaw exceeds 1/8 inch. There are white spots on the body, which means that no matter what the color is, the color appears white behind the withers, in front of the tail, from both elbows to the back and buttocks.
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