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How To Deal With Dog Behavior Problems and Obedience Training
Australian Shepherd History
History of the Australian Shepherd and Miniature Australian Shepherd Breeds
The history and origin of
the Australian Shepherd breed is not as clear cut as
we might like it to be. The breed we now think of as the Australian
Shepherd wasn't recognized until 1957 with the formation of the Australian Shepherd
Club of America > (ASCA).
At this time the National
Stock Dog Registry > (NSDR)
served as the official breed registry until the ASCA took over
in the 1970s.
In fact the current breed description wasn't written until 1977.
This description of what an Australian Shepherd should look like
(or its conformation) is what breeders now strive to achieve in
their breeding programs.
The Australian Shepherd breed was not recognized by the American
Kennel Club > (AKC) until
as late as 1993. Even though the ASCA developed the first breed
standard they decided against joining the AKC due to what was
considered too much weight being given to issues of conformity
and not enough to performance. The Australian Shepherd was bred
to be a working dog after all.
Those who felt recognition by the AKC was still desireable started
the United
States Australian Shepherd Association > (USASA). They developed a breed standard of their own and joined
the AKC and the Australian Shepherd was officially recognized
as a breed on January 1, 1993.
So, Where Did Australian Shepherds Come From?
What happened before the 1950s that brought together the genetic
magic that created the Aussie? Most of the stories agree that
the development of the Australian Shepherd occured during the
land rushes of the late 1800s.
Settlers from across Europe, including shepherds from Great Britain,
Scotland and Spain as well as Australia and Latin America emigrated
to North America. Many shepherds brought with them their favourite
herding dogs to help manage the flocks of sheep that came with
the massive influx of settlers. These flocks of sheep did include
many from Australia.
Although shepherds, sheep and herding dogs did arrive in North
America from Australia it is generally believed that the ancestors
of Australian Shepherds were from either the Basque Region of
the Pyrenees Mountains of Spain or from Germany. But there is
contention about the Spanish connection. Although shepherds and
highly prized Spanish sheep were shipped to Australia (and then
to North America) it seems the dogs used by Basque shepherds were
substantially different from the Australian Shepherd of today.
The Spanish dogs were smaller and leaner, while their coats were
wire haired and without white coloring. It is uncertain to what
extent these dogs form the history and origins of the Australian
Shepherd breed. Once Basque shepherds were in Australia it is
likely that their dogs were bred with other herding dogs appearing
there during this time.
For example, an argument can be made for sheep herding dogs from
Germany known as German Tigers. These dogs were brought into Australia
in the early 1800s and were referred to by the Australians as
German Koolies or German Coolies and are also known today as Australian
Koolies. > They are
much more similar in appearance to our Australian Shepherds than
the Basque dogs.
The Australian Koolie is described as having merle markings in
blue, red and tri-color with solid red and black coats often containing
white bibs, collars and face markings. Eye colors of the Australian
Koolie can be hazel brown, black and blue (as well as combinations).
Sound familiar? It is likely, however, that several other breeds
went into the mix.
Dogs from Britain and Scotland such as the Scotch Collie, Border
Collie and English Shepherd have all been identified as likely
contributors to the gene pool of Australian Shepherds.
Australian Shepherds - "Made in America"
Whatever the historical origin, once they arrived in North America
these dogs were prized for their sheep herding skills. During
this time working farm dogs were bred more for function than conformity
to a standard. Depending on the terrain and weather conditions
American stockmen bred herding dogs to suit their conditions.
The qualities of strong herding and guarding instincts, exceptional
intelligence, alertness and high energy that we love in our Aussies
today came directly from a practical need for these traits in
working stockdogs. The Australian Shepherd was actually "Made
In America" by American stockmen.
For this reason the name 'Australian Shepherd' is somewhat of
a misnomer. A more accurate name would be 'American Shepherd'.
In fact the Australian Shepherd is not even recognized in Australia
as a native breed.
What About Mini Aussies? Where Do They Fit In?
Where do Mini Aussies fit
in? Smaller spaces of course! (Sorry, I couldn't resist
that one.) The history and origin of the Mini Aussie is closely
tied to the Australian Shepherd. Miniature Australian Shepherds
were bred from Australian Shepherds and they have a shared history.
A woman named Doris Cordova from Norco, California began breeding
Australian Shepherds with the aim of developing a miniature size
variation in 1968. Her motivation was to create a dog with the
characteristics that made the Australian Shepherd great, but in
a package small enough (under 17") to better allow them to
be house dogs and to make travel to stock shows easier.
One of the most well known dogs from her Cordova kennel was 'Cordova
Spike' who was placed with Miniature Australian Shepherd enthusiasts,
Bill and Sally Kennedy. They continued to develop the miniature
at their B/S kennels.
Not long after, another breeder, Chas Lasater of Valhalla Kennels
also began to produce Mini Aussies. Cordova, Lasater and the Kennedy's
were instrumental in the creation of the breed.
Good Things Come in Small Packages
This much smaller Aussie proved to be very popular and in 1990,
the Miniature Australian Shepherd Club of the USA (MASCUSA) was
formed. MASCUSA was able to garner recognition for the Miniature
Australian Shepherd from the American
Rare Breeds Association > (ARBA).
However the Miniature Australian Shepherd never showed with the
Australian Shepherds in ASCA. If a dog was registered with the Australian Shepherd
Club of America > (ASCA)
and had an ASCA pedigree and was below the "preferred height"
per the Breed Standard they could show since there is no size
disqualification. However, if they were registered as a Mini only
they were never allowed to show in ASCA. If an ASCA dog is registered
as a Mini, ASCA revokes their papers because the ASCA considers
the Miniature Australian Shepherd a different breed entirely.
In 1993 the AKC offically recognized the Australian Shepherd.
Due to the policies of ARBA to not permit showing of dogs with
the same name of AKC recognized breeds MASCUSA had to change the
name of their Minis to avoid confusion between the now separate
breeds.
The name 'Miniature Australian Shepherd' was changed to 'North
American Shepherd'. That seems simple enough, but MASCUSA also
changed it's name to reflect this change to North
American Miniature Australian Shepherd Club of the USA > (NAMASCUSA). It was quite a mouthful, but it retained the connection
to the 'Australian Shepherd' legacy.
Then in 1998 as a result of a policy change by ARBA, it was decided
by NAMASCUSA to revise the name again, this time to 'North American
Miniature Australian Shepherd'. Whew!
So you can see that the history of the breed's name is closely
tied to the history of its parent club, the North American Miniature
Australian Shepherd Club of the USA.
I think I'm just going to call them Miniature Australian Shepherds
or better yet - Mini Aussies. (It's nice and small, just like
they are!)
This concludes todays history lesson on the "History and
Origins of the Australian Shepherd and North American Miniature
Australian Shepherd Breeds".
For further reading:
Vanished
Trials and Faded Memories of Australian Shepherd History >
Ernest Hartnagle and Jeanne Joy Hartnagle-Taylor
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