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Help. I Don't Think The Puppy We Got Is A Purebred Australian Shepherd

by Gayla
(KY)

I had purchased an "Australian Shepherd" puppy and paid $150 for her. The people told us she is purebred between a mini and standard but will definitely get that long thick hair we want.

But upon meeting her in person we saw she isn't even a puppy. Yes, she is young but we were expecting a puppy and she is already like 4-5 months old and has no training what so ever and we found they completely docked her tail which we did not want and we truly believe she isn't an Australian Shepherd. We think she is a mixed breed.

Can anyone take a guess of what she is even though she is a sweet girl and shy we wanted an energetic true Australian Shepherd that will be a puppy that we can have from the start.

She also came covered in dandruff all over her body and seemed bloated around her stomach but skinny around the hips and neck and seems very timid and scared when you first walk up to her or near her.

She is slowly coming up to me if I'm seated but if I'm standing she will run to the puppy bed we bought her.

Comments for Help. I Don't Think The Puppy We Got Is A Purebred Australian Shepherd

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Treatment
by: Anonymous

Yes we are treating her for worms she definitely is warming up to us and getting that puppy spirit we got rid of all her ticks and dandruff and she is much more happier now she loves following my daughter around outside and running around with her we firmly believe we were just meant to rescue her and get her out of her previous home even if she is mixed her personality shines with how sweet and loving she is.

Beautiful pup
by: Anonymous

She may have worms. Most puppies do and the vets usually give them worming meds several times. Take a fecal sample to the vets when you have her checked out. Aussie are usually timid. My daughter has two and I have one and you have to really work with them to socialize them. As the dog gets older and more comfortable with her surroundings I’m sure she will be more outgoing. All the Aussie I know do have docked tails. Her skin issue may be from not being fed properly. The vet can help with all these issues even a DNA test if it is that important. However, $150 for a purebred puppy would be extremely inexpensive. Maybe she is a purebred and whom ever you got her from just couldn’t take care of her and let her go for that price. Any way she looks like a great little pup. Enjoy and love her and don’t worry so much about whether she is a purebred.

Skinny Teen
by: Anonymous

I know when our Aussies were "teenagers," between puppy and full-grown, their hair was short like a Labrador. Teeth would fall out and hair would fill in. I used to get upset that my sister-in-law thought he was mixed and he turned out to be almost a perfect specimen. Bad age to judge. I bet she was a cute fluffy ball of fur.

Have her checked for worms
by: Anonymous

When we got our second Aussie, the vet thought he might be blind because of the lightness of his eyes. He also thought there was something else wrong with him because he had been having seizures. Turned out he was full of roundworms. He was very chubby around the middle. In fact, the vet said he was a walking roundworm.

True Aussie
by: Anonymous

1. Puppy mill.
2. Aussies are always more than $150
3. Always check references and vet checks before purchase.
4. If she was in that bad a shape you should report them for fear of abuse of any other animals they may have.
5. She does have Aussie markings, but unclear by picture if this is a true breed
6. A vet can assist.

Definitely aussie
by: Anonymous

She's definitely Australian Shepard. I lived with a breeder for years. There are 4 main colors and she is a black tri. There are also red tricolor and red merle as well as blue merle. If you got her from the Finch's on Whidby Island their dogs often look like this. So sad your poor girl was in bad condition.

Cutie
by: Anonymous

She is so cute, I can see the Aussie on her.
Mine was shy at the beginning too but now she is energetic and she loves to please me learning tricks, just give her some time.
The stomach blowing sounds like parasites, she may need a deworming treatment, parasites can impact their behavior too because they don’t feel at their 100%.

Mini Aussie
by: Anonymous

I recently learned that Mini Aussies aren’t necessarily small Aussies bred to create a smaller breed but actually a mixed breed in of itself. That alone makes me think she may have a lot but isn’t 100% Aussie.

Puppy, is she or isn't she?
by: Aussie mom

She looks pure to me, has a lot of growing to do, but only looks 3-4 months old. Socialize her, spend time with her building her confidence Aussies are amazing dogs. She'll get her coat between 1 and 2 years. As for the tail, most are docked, you have to know the breeder and not have them dock the tail.

Aussie
by: Rich

I have 2 and they look so different and they are sisters same mom same dad but a year apart your is like a friends which is a purebred the belly and skinny is in diet and exercise and dandruff etc and problems with socializing it all sounds to me like a last pick of a puppy mill dog who needs love and in due time will hopefully be a spirited Aussie.

Maybe
by: Anonymous

If she is closer to 5 months she may be blowing her puppy coat. She looks as though she could possibly be purebred but it is hard to say, I have Chow/Labs, Aussie mixes, Collie mixes etc.ook similar. Bloated tummy points to parasites which could explain the skin and coat. Some Aussies, I have seen are born with tails and some without so that would be a wash. My experience has been most don't get that super fluffy coat until about a year or later. Also, not all pampered dogs are purebred. Unscrupulous breeders can and do lie on applications.

Don’t think so!
by: Anonymous

I’m surprised at how many people are saying she looks like an Aussie. I don’t think she does at all! Looks more like a German Shepherd mix. I do agree with the comment that $150.00 is cheap for a purebred Aussie. We paid $1,000 for our red merle Aussie. All that said, if she is a sweet pup, maybe you were just meant to have her and you will enjoy a wonderful life together.

Looks to be an Aussie
by: Anonymous

She certainly looks to be an Aussie. If you truly want to find out there are doggie DNA kits you can buy online to find out. Otherwise, take her to the vet to get a check-up to make sure she is healthy. If she wasn’t socialized with people or other dogs that could explain the timid behavior. It will take time and training for her to trust and bond with you and the family. I’m suspicious of purchasing a "purebred" for $150 unless there are circumstances that weren’t explained in your post. If you find that she isn’t a purebred Aussie, what will you do?

Purebred or mixed
by: Anonymous

If you did not get registration papers with your pup you can’t tell if she is purebred, there may be some other breed in her mix. What you paid is quite cheap for a purebred! She does look 100% Aussie to me, though it’s kind of hard to tell from the photo. And their coat does not grow out big and fluffy until they are about a year old.

Still, you have two choices - give her back if you are truly unhappy, or work with her to train her and give her confidence and watch her blossom!

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