Product Description
From the Inside Flap
This special Rare Breed Edition dedicated to the Australian Shepherd is the only book of its kind about this engaging and talented American breed, a relative newcomer to British shores. As a much-needed resource for new Australian Shepherd owners, this new book offers reliable and up-to-date information to help the reader better understand, train and raise this energetic and versatile herding dog. Admired around the world for its natural beauty, eye-catching coloration, abundant coat and boundless herding skills, the Australian Shepherd requires an equally active and involved owner to blossom into the spectacular companion dog it is intended to be.
Written by American trainer and behaviour specialist, Charlotte Schwartz, Australian Shepherd provides the necessary facts about acquiring a puppy, ownership, training and behaviour modification. This book combines the expertise of breed specialists, veterinary surgeons, trainers and behaviourists with a team of experienced book designers, photographers and illustrators to create a resourceful and factual guide for newcomers and experienced fanciers alike. Illustrated with over 135 colour photographs, this book proves to be as attractive as it is informative. Additionally, innovations of modern science have enabled the publisher to present never-before-seen scanning electron micrograph imags produced exclusively for this limited-edition series.
Excerpted from Australian Shepherd (Pet Love Dog Breed S.) by Charlotte Schwartz. Copyright © 2001. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The scene is a cattle ranch in the state of Arizona, in America's Southwest. A herd of cattle is being moved from one grazing area to another. Two ranch hands on horseback keep watch over every move the huge animals make. Two small figures, Australian Shepherds, are busy on the periphery of the herd, keeping the cows together and moving toward new pastureland.
Suddenly, one of the cows decides she doesn't want to be herded and strikes out at the dogs with her back feet flying. Just as quickly, the dogs flatten themselves on the ground directly behind her as her hooves fly avove the dogs but miss them completely. Within seconds, the dogs rise up and rush in to bite at the cow's heels, convincing her that moving with the herd is the most prudent thing to do. One does not try to outmanoeuvre an Aussie!
Like all working Australian Shepherd dogs, these two will work the cattle for hours on end, travelling mile after mile in the course of a workday. By night, they will bed down near their master and, in their silence, keep watch over home and family. Then, before daybreak, they will once again hit the trail to keep the stock safe and together.
Australian Shepherds are strong, athletic, agile and quick. They move effortlessly across the land in their work of herding livestock. Their size and intelligence make them ideal at working cattle, but they can often be found herding sheep and goats as well. Classified as working or herding dogs, their genetic makeup demands they be kept busy and allowed to employ their keen sence of duty in order to be content with life.
Perhaps the most interesting thing of all about Aussies, as they are affectionately called, is that they are not Australian dogs at all. They originated in America and have subsequently found favour among herdsmen around the world. Well, you might say, if they're not originally from Australia, why are they called Asutralian Shepherds?
That is an interesting question with an even more interesting answer. Let us look at their history; where and how they developed as a breed will help us understand the kind of dog they have become. Only then can we make an informed decision whether or not to share our lives with an Aussie.
