The Australian Terrier was the first native-bred Australian dog to be shown in competition. The breed was also the first to be recognized in other countries. It was created by crossing many Terrier breeds including; Cairn, Norwich , Dandie Dinmont, Irish, Skye, Scottish and probably Yorkshire terriers.

The Australian Terrier is a sturdy, short legged, loveable little dog. They were specifically bred for the rigorous Australian outback conditions and for a variety of task such as watchdog and even as a shepherd, rats and snakes hunter, and companion.

Breed Group

Terrier

Size

9 -11 inches tall (at shoulder)

Weight

9 -14 lbs

Color(s)

Typical colors are Blue and tan, mixes of brown, silver-black with tan markings, solid sandy, and solid red.

Coat

The Australian Terrier is a double weatherproof coat breed. The outer coat is straight, rough or harsh to the touch. The under coat is soft, compact, and short.

Life Expectancy

About 15 or more years.

Personality

The Australian Terrier is proud, fearless, alert and charming, courageous, and highly intelligent. He adapts well to town or country living, all conditions and climates, an excellent choice for a variety of lifestyles. The Australian Terriers tend to have boundless energy, but because of his friendly and affectionate nature he makes an excellent companion for children, elderly or the handicapped.

Care

The Australian Terrier is a healthy breed and has a reputation of longevity, also he’s free of any major hereditary diseases. However, they may suffer from patella luxation, Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, diabetes, epilepsy, hot spots and skin eczema, and thyroid disorders. The dense, long and shaggy coat sheds little to no hair and is easy to maintain, simply brush several times a week. As for nails, make sure to clip it regularly.

Training

The training of the Australian Terrier needs to be consistent, firm, and fair because this self-confident dog do not respond to harsh or heavy-handed methods, although they learn very quickly, he is very eager to please. Some of the Australian Terrier’s talents are, performing tricks, tracking, watchdogging (he has acute hearing as well as keen eyesight), agility, and obedience.

Activity

The Australian Terrier is an adaptable little dog and requires relatively little exercise to keep them physically and mentally fit. He is fairly active indoors and he does well in an apartment dwelling. But it is most happy when able to play and run about in a yard or back garden.

The Silky Terrier originated in Australia and were bred to for human companionship. This breed is a mixture of the Cairn Terrier, Skye Terrier, Yorkshire Terrier and the Australian Terrier. These dogs are a very intelligent, charismatic and graceful breed.

The Silky Terrier is longer than they are tall. They resemble the Yorkshire Terrier and are often mistaken as one! Puppies of this breed are born black and will eventually “grow into their colour” which will be either a blue and tan or a blue and red.

Fun loving and energetic, this dog will make a great pet that will entertain their families. They have been known to be protective of their owners and have even become jealous when they are not given attention! These dogs have an animated attitude making them very entertaining to live with.

Breed Group

Toy

Size

Males: 9-10 inches high

Females: 9-10 inches high

Weight

Males: 8-11 lbs

Females: 8-11 lbs

Color(s)

The Silky Terrier comes in 2 coat colour types, the blue and tan or the blue and red. In both types, the blue covers the majority of the dog with the tan and red being the markings.

Coat

This breed has a thin, silky coat that is around 6 inches in length. They only have an outer coat which is barely long enough to sweep the ground. This breed will need constant daily brushing because their coat is so fine that it mats very easily. They will not shed very much fur as there is very little to begin with.

Life Expectancy

About 12 -15 years.

Personality

This breed is a charming bundle of energy that loves to be around people. They are a social breed and thrive on attention from their family but will be reserved around people they haven’t met. This dog will need to be socialized around cats, other dogs and other people as puppies because they can become aggressive or very timid as adults. The Silky Terrier will make perfect watchdogs because they can be protective of their territory and are known to enjoy barking.

These dogs are bright, intelligent and animated making them fun pets to own. They can entertain their owners just being their silly selves!

Care

The Silky Terrier will need daily brushing because their coat will mat quickly if this is not done. Bathes should be given approximately once per month and monthly trims to the bottom of the coat will be needed to keep this dog looking great! This breed is prone to luxating patella’s, diabetes, tracheal collapse, intervertebral disc disease, and epilepsy. Legg perthes is also a possible genetic disease the Silky Terrier may inherit.

Training

This breed will need a firm hand when training to be able to teach them basic obedience. They are sweet animals but can be energetic and have their minds elsewhere during training. A positive and consistent approach is the best route and will bring this dog to success because they already have the motivation to please their owners, they just need the repetition of information.

Activity

The Silky Terrier will need about half an hour of outdoor exercise per day. They burn up most of their energy during the day so will not need hours of exercise outside. This breed will do well in an apartment because of their size, as long as they get their regular walks. A backyard would be preferable so they can run around in an outdoor environment at home, but isn’t a necessity.

“The Aussie” as the Australian Shepherd is known is a vigorous medium-sized and well-balanced dog breed.

In spite of its name, the Aussie is not Australian at all, but was actually developed in the pasturelands of the United States in the nineteenth century to work as a herding dog, retriever, and watchdog on ranches.

The Australian Shepherd is a great companion for anyone as well as an above average Herding dog. They are committed to making their owners happy no matter what it takes. An amazing dog breed that is always eager to please.

Breed Group

Herding

Size

18 – 23 inches tall (at shoulder)

Weight

35 – 70 lbs

Color(s)

Blue merle, red merle, or red and black all colors may come with or without white markings and/or tan (copper) points.

Coat

The striking and varied outer coat of the Australian Shepherd is of medium-length, weather-resistant, straight to slightly wavy, while the quantity of undercoat may varies with climate.

Life Expectancy

About 12 – 15 years.

Personality

Courageous, loyal and protective the companionship with human is essential for the Australian Shepherd and is fully devoted to his owner. Its strong herding behaviors can be a problem for his family, because of its overwhelming instinct to perform this task on everyone or anything that moves may weaken its ability to function as a family dog. However, if well socialized as puppies this tireless worker is usually a sweet and affectionate dog that is good with children, strangers, and other animals.

Care

The Aussie is susceptible to countless health issues; like possible eye diseases especially cataracts, iris coloboma, PRA (progressive retinal atrophy), PPM (Persistent Pupillary Membrane) and CEA (Collie Eye Anomaly). They may also suffer from CHD (Canine Hip Dysplasia), nasal solar dermatitis, VWD (von Willebrand’s Disease), epilepsy, lumbar sacral syndrome and MHA (Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia). The Australian Shepherd requires moderate grooming, the coat needs an occasional brushing with a firm bristle brush and bathe only when necessary. This breed is a seasonal shedder.

Training

The Australian Shepherd is highly smart and easy to train at the condition that they know who the master is, they require a firm and consistent training or they will attempt to take control. The Australian Shepherd excels at herding, guarding, retrieving, police work, competitive obedience and a great Frisbee, flyball dog too.

Activity

The Australian Shepherd needs plenty of exercise and will do best with some real job to do, he also loves to play and share all family activities. This high activity levels breed is not recommended for apartment dwelling and requires an active owner to stay in shape, they thrive on running in a large securely fenced yard or enclosed environment.

Developed by pioneer settlers in Australia during the 19th century, the Australian Cattle is a robust working dog needed on large ranches in the outback.

Known as the “Heeler” due to its herding skill of snapping and biting cattle’s heels, the Australian Cattle Dog is well-muscled, powerful, yet very agile dogs who can cover large distances. They have a very unique look that can be easily spotted amongst other dogs and animals, so it is definitely easy to spot this herding dog in the fields! An amazing dog with an amazing personality. The intelligent and courageous dog is a leader of the pack and will follow his owner to the end.

Breed Group

Herding

Size

17 – 20 inches tall (at shoulder)

Weight

30-40 lbs

Color(s)

Puppies are born all-white (inherited from the early Dalmatian crosses), but get their color within a few weeks after birth. The color of the coat comes in blue or red speckled with or without black.

Coat

The Australian Cattle Dog has a rough and moderately short weather-resistant double coat. The outer coat is flat, hard, straight, and close so that it is rain-resisting. While the under coat consists of a short and dense fur.

Life Expectancy

About 12 – 15 years.

Personality

An extremely intelligent, vigilant, courageous, and reliable breed, the Australian Cattle Dog is protective of their territory. Definitely a one-person dog, it is wary of people they don’t know, and can be aggressive with other pets or cats for its dominance level is high. This breed requires high challenging activities and may be too active and intense for home life.

Care

The Australian Cattle Dog breed is prone to such health issues as hip dysplasia, some genetic deafness and PRA (progressive retina atrophy). The short-haired coat needs little care and is very easy to groom, Just comb and brush with a firm bristle brush, and bathe only when necessary using a mild shampoo. During seasonal shedding (once or twice per year) extra brushing should be given to the coat.

Training

To his master the Australian Cattle Dogs are very easy to train and extremely obedient. One of the most intelligent breeds, they need activities that engage their minds such as participating in dog sports, performing tricks or competitive obedience. Training sessions needs to be varied and exciting in order to keep the dog concerned. Harsh or heavy-handed training methods must be avoid with an Australian Cattle Dog.

Activity

The Australian Cattle Dogs are not recommended for apartment or city dwelling life, these dogs have incredible amount of stamina and will enjoy a great deal of exercise. If not sufficiently stimulated this breed is likely to become bored, noisy and dominant. Two long and brisk walks a day, a job to do, the freedom to run about in a large sized yard and plenty of company is necessary to keep this dog at his happiest.