Breed Priorities – Australian Shepherd

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394 – November/December, 2025

By Nikki Riggsbee

Despite its name, the Australian Shepherd was developed in the western United States. They became popular on ranches and farms, and were often associated with horse people, shows, and rodeos. They were valued for their trainability, intelligence, and herding instinct. They were registered by several registries in the twentieth century. AKC recognized the United States Australian Shepherd Association as the parent club, and the breed joined the AKC herding group in 1993. Unlike some newly recognized breeds, the Australian Shepherd was popular and had good entries in AKC events from the beginning.

Thirty-nine breed experts, breeder-judges, and mentors were invited to take a survey on their breed’s priorities in conformation. Twenty-eight agreed to do so and were sent the survey. Nineteen surveys were completed and returned.

The survey participants averaged over thirty-one years in their breed. Those who judge have done so for nearly eighteen years on average. Almost all of the judges have judged their national specialty and other Australian Shepherd specialties as well.

Australian Shepherd Virtues

The survey participants were given sixteen breed characteristics–taken from their AKC standard–to prioritize. Below is the list in sequence from most important (1) to least important (16).

Click here to read the complete article
394 – November/December, 2025

Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=344140

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