Breed # Australian Shepherd The Australian Shepherd is a herding breed from United States, standing males 20–23 in · females 18–21 in at the withers, weighing 35–70 lb. Recorded lifespan is 12–15 yrs. ![A photograph of the Australian Shepherd](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/australian-shepherd.webp) Breed group Herding Origin United States Height males 20–23 in · females 18–21 in Weight 35–70 lb Lifespan 12–15 yrs Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Australian Shepherd is taller than 51% of the measured breeds, heavier than 53%, one of 27 in the Herding group, one of 39 from United States. Compare the Australian Shepherd with another breed ## Living with the Australian Shepherd Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Australian Shepherd’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row. Around people and other dogs Affection with family 4 of 5 1 independent · 5 devoted Good with young children 4 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 4 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 3 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 3 of 5 1 unbothered · 5 vigilant What they will ask of you Energy 5 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 5 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 4 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 4 of 5 1 only to alert · 5 very vocal Around the house Shedding 3 of 5 1 barely · 5 constantly Drooling 1 of 5 1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel What they tolerate Tolerates being alone 2 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates hot weather 4 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates cold weather 4 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.[Australian Shepherd on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/australian-shepherd/)[Australian Shepherd on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/australian-shepherd) ## Breeds that look like the Australian Shepherd A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Australian Shepherd. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/picardy-spaniel.webp)Picardy Spaniel](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/picardy-spaniel/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/scottish-deerhound.webp)Scottish Deerhound](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/scottish-deerhound/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/berger-picard.webp)Berger Picard](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/berger-picard/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/silken-windhound.webp)Silken Windhound](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/silken-windhound/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/bohemian-shepherd.webp)Bohemian Shepherd](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/bohemian-shepherd/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/american-shepherd-miniature.webp)American Shepherd (Miniature)](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/american-shepherd-miniature/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Australian Shepherd20–23 in 2. Picardy Spaniel21–24.5 in 3. Scottish Deerhound28–32 in 4. Berger Picard24–26 in 5. Silken Windhound18.5–23.5 in 6. Bohemian Shepherd19–22 in 7. American Shepherd (Miniature)14–18 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Australian Shepherd35–70 lb 2. Picardy Spaniel40–55 lb 3. Scottish Deerhound85–110 lb 4. Berger Picard51–71 lb 5. Silken Windhound22–44 lb 6. Bohemian Shepherd33–55 lb 7. American Shepherd (Miniature)20–40 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Australian Shepherd12–15 yrs 2. Picardy Spaniel13–15 yrs 3. Scottish Deerhound8–9 yrs 4. Berger Picard12–14 yrs 5. Silken Windhound14–18 yrs 6. Bohemian Shepherd9–13 yrs 7. American Shepherd (Miniature)13–15 yrs Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust. ## Guides that mention the Australian Shepherd Every guide on this site whose text actually discusses this breed. - [How Many Toes Does a Dog Have?](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/how-many-toes-does-a-dog-have/) - [When Do Puppies Calm Down?](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/when-do-puppies-calm-down/) See the Australian Shepherd on the breed map Read about the Australian Shepherd on Wikipedia