Australian Shepherd. Charlotte Schwartz
at such chores as carrying things, fetching objects and even pulling small carts containing farm supplies. He can also herd cattle at great distances from his master, who may be a quarter of a mile away. Often an Aussie will be sent to search for an errant sheep who has wandered away from the flock. He will have to search for the animal and, once located, he will have to find the quickest and safest route back to the flock.
DO YOU WANT TO LIVE LONGER?
If you like to volunteer, it is wonderful if you can take your dog to a nursing home once a week for several hours. The elder community loves to have a dog with which to visit, and often your dog will bring a bit of companionship to someone who is lonely or somewhat detached from the world. You will be not only bringing happiness to someone else but also keeping your dog busy—and we haven’t even mentioned the fact that it has been discovered that volunteering helps to increase your own longevity!
Speaking of decision-making, my own black and white Aussie named Fancy was a living example of a dog’s working away from her owner’s side and making decisions without assistance. She was a tracking dog. Her story exemplifies the versatility of the Australian Shepherd.
She was originally owned by her breeder. Kept as a brood bitch, she produced two litters of puppies, both of which produced several breed champions. However, following her second litter, Fancy developed a medical problem and she had to be spayed, thus ending her puppy-bearing career.
I met Fancy when she was three years old and her owner was looking for a home for her where she would be loved and possibly worked in obedience to keep her busy. At the time, I was looking for a new tracking dog and decided that Fancy and I could give it a try as a team. Fancy needed something to do and a family to love while I needed a new tracking partner. I knew that I would love her.
At our first meeting, Fancy was polite but paid me very little attention. Gail, her owner, suggested I put her on a collar and leash and take her for a walk away from their property. At first, Fancy kept looking back toward home as we headed down the road, but I ignored the behavior and kept talking to her. As we got further away from her home, Fancy began to look up at me as if to say, “Where are you taking me?”
GUARDIAN INSTINCTS
There are some confirmed reports about some Aussies that have taken action to pull children in danger out of harm’s way. In each case, the dogs acted alone and without the direction of humans. Their genetic traits of guarding and protecting have been so strong that they made their own decisions to save their young charges. They are independent thinkers in their work and beyond!
TAKING CARE
Science is showing that as people take care of their pets, the pets are taking care of their owners. A recent study published in the American Journal of Cardiology found that having a pet can prolong his owner’s life. Pet owners generally have lower blood pressure, and pets help their owners to relax and keep more physically fit. It was also found that pets help to keep the elderly connected to their communities.
I just kept up a soft-voiced conversation and reassured her that all was well. Finally, we came to a field where I found a large stick in the grass alongside the road. I picked it up and tossed it a few feet away.
As I did, I showed it to Fancy and said something like, “See this? Want this? Fetch it, girl!”
To my astonishment, Fancy ran forward and grabbed the stick immediately. “Wow,” I thought to myself, “this is a natural-born retrieving Aussie. I bet she’ll make a great tracker.”
By the time we reached Fancy’s home and breeder again, we were friends and Fancy kept asking with those big dark brown eyes to throw the stick “just once more.” I knew then that we’d make a match and I think Fancy knew it, too.
The story of Fancy ends many years later when she died of old age. She had become an excellent tracking dog and was able to find people who had been missing for several days and were miles away. How she did it, no one will ever know. She used her nose to follow the person’s scent trail and her bright mind to decide what was and what was not pertinent information in the environment where she was working.
One of the most valuable lessons I ever learned came from Fancy and some of my other tracking dogs, which was to never doubt what your dog knows. He cannot tell you what he knows or how he knows it. Just trust that because of his phenomenal scenting and hearing abilities, he will always know more than you do. I have honored that lesson for over thirty years and it has never failed me. Unfortunately, because dogs can’t speak our language, we must learn to trust them and believe what they tell us by their behavior. That’s a difficult lesson for most humans.
VERSATILITY
The Australian Shepherd is a most versatile breed. Though happiest when working with sheep or cattle on the ranch, the Aussies that don’t live on ranches find fulfillment by adapting to the lifestyles of their owners in other settings such as suburbia.
A house with a pool makes an exciting environment for swimming. Aussies will learn to love the water if they’re introduced to it at a very young age and will eagerly join their owners for a cool dip in summertime.
Aussies need exercise and activity, and they make great playmates. Retrieving games are fun for both owner and dog.
Aussies love to travel, too. They make great travelers for folks who take driving vacations. Trained to be calm and quiet, they make excellent motel guests and people often don’t even know there’s a dog nearby because the Aussie doesn’t bark or whine needlessly.
Campers, hikers, boaters and owners who enjoy spending time in the great outdoors find that bringing their Aussies with them makes the activities even more fun. Since Aussies are constantly keeping watch over their owners, they don’t wander away from the campsite in search of other dogs or animals. They are content to stay close to their masters, whether hiking through the forest or sitting around a campfire.
Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the sport of agility and how Aussies react to it. Let me assure you that it is a sport for which Aussies seem to have a natural affinity—they excel at it and they love it!
REQUIREMENTS OF OWNING AN AUSSIE
Dogs that do in life what they were originally bred to do are dogs that are happy, well-adjusted individuals. Short of performing tasks for which they were intended, the dogs can be happy and content if their owners make an effort to substitute activities that closely resemble the original purpose of the breed.
The Aussie’s abundant coat needs regular attention to stay healthy and looking its best. Aussies should be trained to accept brushing when they are still puppies.
BOBBED TAILS
Some Aussies are born with naturally bobbed tails. Others are born with tails that must then be docked. When docking, the tail must be cut so that no more than four inches is left. By the time the Aussie is fully grown, the short bob is barely distinguishable at a glance.
Herding dogs can be taught to “herd” a large rubber ball around the house, keep an eye on the children or family cat and make decisions regarding where and when their toys should be put away at the end of the day. Being physical means being active, whether indoors or out. If an owner can find ways to substitute natural behaviors for ones more suited to his chosen lifestyle, then his Aussie can be a vital part of the family unit.