Dog breed guide
Australian Shepherd
The Australian Shepherd has a medium-length weather resistant coat that needs weekly grooming, more in seasonal shedding. It is a very fast learner with stamina to work all day, and Dogs Australia says it is good with children. The Kennel Club lists more than 2 hours of exercise a day and a large house and garden.
Also searched as Aussie.
Australian Shepherd at a glance
- Adult weight, male
- 20 to 30 kg
- Adult weight, female
- 16 to 25 kg
- Size
- Medium, 10 to 25 kg
- Height
- 45.5 to 58.5 cm
- Lifespan
- 12 to 15 years
- Coat
- medium length and texture, straight to slightly wavy, weather resistant with undercoat
Ratings
Petboost editorial ratings from 1 to 5, drawn from the breed standard text under Sources. A breed with no basis in the sources for a rating shows none.
- Shedding
- Grooming effort
- Energy
- Trainability
- Good with children
- Suits an apartment
5 means it sheds heavily
5 means it needs the most grooming
5 means it needs a lot of exercise
5 means it learns quickly and eagerly
5 means it suits a family best
5 means it copes best in a small home
Next steps
- Find a local groomer or daycarePet businesses near you that take bookings online.
- Check a Australian Shepherd puppy's weightWhere a puppy sits against the breed's adult range.
- Dog age in human yearsFrom a formula, not the seven-to-one rule.
Sources
- Petboost breed reference data, adult weight ranges (breed list snapshot).
- Dogs Australia, Australian Shepherd (Browse a Breed), https://dogsaustralia.org.au/BrowseBreed/browse-a-breed/121/Australian-Shepherd/, read 5 Oct 2026
- The Kennel Club (Royal Kennel Club), Australian Shepherd breed standard, https://www.royalkennelclub.com/breed-standards/pastoral/australian-shepherd/, read 5 Oct 2026
- The Kennel Club (Royal Kennel Club), Australian Shepherd breed information, https://www.royalkennelclub.com/search/breeds-a-to-z/breeds/pastoral/australian-shepherd/, read 5 Oct 2026
General information about the breed, not veterinary advice. Speak with your vet about your own pet.