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LargeHerding Group

Australian Shepherd

The Australian Shepherd was developed in the United States in the late 19th-early 20th centuries from Basque shepherd dogs imported via Australia — hence the confusing name.

Calculate Australian Shepherd age
Lifespan13.7 yrrange 12–15
SizeLargeHerding Group
Weight40–65 lb18.1–29.5 kg
Senior at6 yrgeriatric at 10

Gallery (3)

About

About the Australian Shepherd

The Australian Shepherd was developed in the United States in the late 19th-early 20th centuries from Basque shepherd dogs imported via Australia — hence the confusing name. Not a native Australian breed; the modern form was codified by American ranch work.

Aging

How Australian Shepherds age

RVC VetCompass gives a median lifespan of 13.7 years (n=286). MDR1 drug sensitivity is the breed-defining inherited risk — roughly half of Aussies carry the variant — while cataracts (3.0%) and collie-eye-anomaly affect a smaller portion.

Lifespan deep-diveAvg 13.7 yr · range 12–15Senior careSenior at 6 · geriatric at 10Common health issues12 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
40–65 lb(18.1–29.5 kg)
Height
18–23 in(45.7–58.4 cm)
Coat type
Medium
Colors
BlackBlue MerleRedRed Merle
Temperament

Temperament

How Australian Shepherds tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

smartwork-orientedenergeticversatile
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • Moderatetypical onset ~8 yr

    Degenerative Myelopathy

    Description and veterinary guidance for Degenerative Myelopathy land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Moderatetypical onset ~6 yr

    Adult-Onset Cardiac Disease (Echocardiogram)

    Description and veterinary guidance for Adult-Onset Cardiac Disease (Echocardiogram) land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~7 yr

    Cataracts

    Description and veterinary guidance for Cataracts land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
90min
per day

Australian Shepherds are high-output dogs — plan for 90 minutes of daily activity across a mix of walks, off-leash play, and purposeful work.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

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References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. RVC VetCompassRoyal Veterinary College VetCompass life-table research (McMillan et al. 2024)

    UK primary-care records; source for the median-lifespan and mortality figures.