Australian Cattle Dog AKC Date 1980 HERDING DOGS Appearance An Australian cattle dog’s ACD fur is beautiful low maintenance and weatherproof This breed’s hardy fur can be blue or red Did You Know Every ACD sheds its undercoat once or twice a year Height 17 to 20 inches 43 to 51 cm Weight 35 to 50 pounds 16 to 23 kg Behavior The ACD was bred for long hours of hard labor and hates to sit still Without a challenging job it can become bored and destructive The ACD is highly intelligent and eager to learn As a natural watchdog it is wary of strangers But it is loyal loving and faithful to its family Breed History In the 1800s Australian settlers developed a strong herding dog Two decades later this dog breed was bred with Dalmatians and Australian kelpies to make the ACD Special Considerations This breed needs a firm leader love attention and exercise
Australian Shepherd AKC Date 1991 Appearance An Australian shepherd’s fur is straight to wavy Its coat can be blue merle black red merle or red They may have white or tan markings too Height 18 to 23 inches 46 to 58 cm Weight 40 to 65 pounds 18 to 30 kg Did You Know If an Aussie has a merle coat it might become darker with age Behavior The Australian shepherd lives to work It was bred for herding and guarding If well socialized an Aussie will get along with other animals Breed History Australian shepherds began as expert farm and ranch dogs in the United States Today they have additional jobs Aussies work as service dogs and therapy dogs They help sniff out drugs They also perform search and rescue missions Special Considerations This breed likes to chew so be sure to have safe toys for them to play with
HERDING DOGS Border Collie AKC Date 1995 Appearance The Border collie has a thick double coat It can be black and white Some coats are black brown and white Other coat colors and patterns are slate gray tan brindle fawn blue blue merle red red merle and lilac Height 18 to 22 inches 46 to 56 cm Weight 30 to 55 pounds 14 to 25 kg Did You Know This breed’s eyes can be brown or blue Some dogs have one blue eye and one brown eye Special Considerations This breed is active and needs exercise Behavior Border collies are incredibly smart and usually friendly They may be wary of strangers but they love their families Breed History In Scotland dogs originally called Scotch sheep dogs were popular with shepherds Some of these dogs lived along the border of Scotland and England Eventually they became known as Border collies
Catahoula Leopard Dog AKC Date Awaiting AKC Date Awaiting Appearance The Catahoula leopard dog’s coat is short Some Catahoula leopard dog coats have the distinctive merle pattern Others are solid red yellow black or chocolate They may also have brindle coats Height 22 to 24 inches 56 to 61 cm Weight 50 to 95 pounds 23 to 43 kg Did You Know The Catahoula leopard dog is known for its light blue eyes But this breed may also have amber green or brown eyes Sometimes each eye is a different color Behavior Catahoula leopard dogs are very smart They like to investigate new situations and have a lot of energy Catahoula leopard dogs are very protective It might take them a while to accept strangers Special Considerations Catahoulas need to know that their owners are in charge Otherwise they can be destructive or aggressive and get into trouble Breed History No one knows for sure what the history is of the Catahoula leopard dog Some believe this breed descended from large mastiffs bloodhounds and greyhounds
