If you’ve had your eye on an Australian Shepherd puppy, then you might be wondering just how big it might grow up to be.
Thankfully, our guide will be able to tell you the size that your Australian Shepherd should grow up to be, as well as how much a healthy specimen should weigh.
These herding dogs are medium-sized, so thankfully, you won’t have to worry too much about your puppy growing up to be massive!
Male Australian Shepherds generally grow to become between 51 – 58 cm tall, whereas female Australian Shepherds grow to be between 46 – 54 cm tall.
There can, however, be some outliers, so you shouldn’t worry too much if your dog is a little bit bigger or smaller than these measurements.
Australian Shepherds take a while to reach their full size, as they only stop growing at around 16 months.
This is generally around how long it takes for large dog breeds to stop growing, but your Australian Shepherd won’t be much larger than other medium-sized dog breeds.
Male Australian Shepherd puppies should grow up to weigh between 25 – 32kg, while females should weigh between 16 – 25kg when they are fully grown.
Once again, your dog could be perfectly healthy and weigh a little more or a little less than the figures that the American Kennel Club has stipulated.
Australian Shepherds are generally healthy dogs; however, if you overfeed them or don’t exercise them enough, you could end up with an overweight dog.
This could eventually cause your Australian Shepherd to develop some health issues that they otherwise wouldn’t have had.
It is not always easy to tell if your dog is overweight if they are only slightly overweight, but there are a few key ways to check.
Firstly, your Australian Shepherd should have a chest that is broader than its abdomen, and its stomach should taper off from its chest instead of it just being a straight line.
If this is not the case, then your herding dog is overweight. You should also be able to notice that your dog will run out of energy quite quickly and breathe more heavily.
If your dog is overweight, then you should likely cut down on its food, give it fewer or no table scraps, and exercise them more; otherwise, it could hamper its health.
Like other dogs, Australian Shepherds need to be given high-quality dog food if you want them to grow up to be healthy.
If you give your Australian Shepherd puppy food with too much calcium in it consistently, they could end up developing hip dysplasia, which can be very painful.
Hip and elbow dysplasia can seriously affect your dog, as it can cause them pain whenever they walk around or move.
You should give your Australian Shepherds age-appropriate food throughout their lives so that they can grow properly without developing any health concerns.
A full-grown male Australian Shepherd should be between 51 – 58 cm tall and weigh between 25 – 32 kg. A fully grown female Australian Shepherd will grow to be between 46 – 54 cm tall and weigh between 16 – 25 kg.
Yes, there are Miniature Australian Shepherds too, but these are now considered to be a separate dog breed. They originated when some Australian Shepherd breeders decided to breed dogs that were smaller than the rest of their litter, and in time, the Mini Aussie was created.
Some breeders even bred the smallest Miniature Australian Shepherds with each other, and an even smaller Australian Shepherd dog breed was formed called the Toy Australian Shepherd.
The smallest purebred Australian Shepherds that you can get are called Toy Australian Shepherds. These tiny dogs are generally no taller than 36cm at the shoulder.
If you’re interested in purchasing or adopting an Australian Shepherd puppy, you should get in contact with the Australian Shepherd Club in your area. Alternatively, check out the Australian National Kennel Council if you don’t have any breeders nearby.
These organisations can also help if you’re interested in competing with your dog in dog sports.
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