Want to learn about Australian shepherd red merle? Read our factual and informative guide…
The Australian shepherd red merle is a herding dog from Australia; the breed got its name from its association with the Basque sheepherders; however these dogs are popularly known as the Aussies and needless to say the breed is very common in Australia. These dogs garnered a lot of attention after World War II, particularly through horse shows, rodeos and television programs.
The Australian shepherd red merle was known for decades for their versatility and the ease with which you could train this breed. Since the breed is known for its eagerness, good temperament and its trainability; today apart from playing their role as herding dogs; the breed is also a popular choice as pets because of their impressive obedience skills.
This is a very versatile breed and even though they continue showing their skills in herding and have not stopped working as stock dogs; it is not unusual to see the Australian shepherd red merle playing Frisbee with its owner, or in a competition for dog agility. The Australian shepherd red merle is also acclaimed for the attention and fame that it has garnered as a detention dog, a rescue and search dog, a therapy dog and a guide dog and it also makes a delightful family companion.
There is a lot of difference of opinion among breeders when it comes to the characteristic physical traits of the Australian shepherd red merle. However, everybody agrees that the breed can be split into two distinct lines, one of working dogs and the other of show dogs. While working dogs have physical traits that prove conducive to their lifestyle such as a short utility coat and heavy or medium bone structure the show dogs have a fuller dense coat with more white and a heavy bone structure.
The breed can grow to a size of 21 to 23 inches making it a medium sized dog. Even though the Australian shepherd red merle is very common; there are other distinct color variants in the breed such as the blue merle, the black tricolor and the liver tricolor. There is no white on the body of these dogs; the eyes are surrounded by color. It is also not unusual to find merles with two different eye colors. So you may find a Australian shepherd red merle that has one brown and one blue eye. The Australian shepherd red merle usually has a docked tail while some are born with this characteristic trait; in countries where it is permitted breeders usually dock off the tail.
