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History of the Aussie |
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The Australian Shepherd is, despite its name, an all American breed. The name is due only to the breeds presumed connection with the sheep and shepherds from Australia. The exact history of the Aussie has faded into the mist of time, but far the most awards the Basque shepherds a great honour of the creation of this wonderful breed. The following theory is the theory that I finds most likely.
A
great deal of our days American and Australian shepherds has originated
from dogs descending from the British Isles; these countires where
originally colonies own by the English crone. The English shepherds themself is thought to have aroused as crosses between dogs brought to England from the continent by several people. The Celts is believed to have played an important role in the creation of many of the early shepherds across most of northern Europe. They had several types of dogs; both small dogs for pleasure, big dogs for hunting, protection and fur and strong shepherds that wouldn’t hesitate to fight with wolves or recalcitrance cattle. The Color of merle can, accordingly to some sources, properly be traced back to some of these dogs as smooth haired merle dogs should have been found in the trails of the Celts. The dogs of the Vikings have with out no doubt played a significant role for the British dogs. These dogs did, like the Celtic dogs, vary in type accordingly to function. Of importance for the creation of the shepherds has dogs of the Spitz type been very likely; just take a look at the small shepherd native to Iceland, it has existed in complete isolation on this island for centuries and is precisely believed to decent from the Vikings dogs. The famous Bayeux carpet can also give some ideas of the dogs from this time. Among others are dogs, actually much like an early Collie with long coat, tail and rose ears, pictured. Strong dogs with bobtail are also pictured, indicating that natural bobtail was present in the early Middle Age.
The first
accounts of the existents of sheepdogs in Britain however, are found in
the 1500th during the roman occupation, where the roman soldiers had
brought along their own dogs to England. These dogs where primarily big
and strong cattledogs, whos job were to protect the stock against wolves,
something the English shepherds didn’t need to do. Around the beginning of the 1800 century is the first real description of the dogs in Great Britain found. The dogs was at this time group accordingly to function, specific breed names was not introduced before sanction of the first dog show.
In 1790 does Thomas Bewick describe the most popular shepherd in the
northern Britain as the Shepherd’s Dog. It was a dog loyal to their
master and gentle towards the stock. As a very unique character does
Bewich describe them as having one or even two toes more than other dogs.
Sources almost a hundred years later describe Shepherd´s dog as a dog
with pointy noses, short almost pricked years, tick and wholly fur and a
tick and bushy tail. The most common color are describe as black,
sometime mixed with grey or brown. Some sources recommend that the
double dewclaws should be removed.
Several `breed’s´ of the Shepherd´s dog should exist. The origin of the Shepherd´s dog is rather diluted, but must likely does it descent form crosses between the big roman cattle dog, the Vikings somewhat smaller Spitz, the Celtic dogs and later dogs brought to England by the Anglo-Saxon. An example of the Shepherd´s Dog is shown below to the left.
Shepherd´s Dog should by crossing with several types of dogs have contributed to formation of a great deal of Great Britain’s others dogs. Crossing between Terrier and Shepherd´s dog resulted in the Cur that according to several sources were very popular around the meat markets in Smithfield (pictured on the right above). Bewick describe them as being larger, stronger and fiercer than the Shepherd's Dog; their main job were also driving of cattle. Their hair where smoother and shorter than the Shepherd’s Dog, and they existed mostly in the colours of black and white. Their ears where half-pricked; and many of them were whelped with short tails. Later sources describe them as being very noisy farm dogs with numerous functions. Another type of dog that arose as crossing between Shepherd´s Dog and either Mastiff, Foxhound, Greyhound or Pointer, were Drover´s dog. Their job was moving sheep from one place to another and as the quiet workers they were, some also used them to `borrow´ other peoples sheep. ES and Bearded Collie are thought to decent from the Drover´s Dog. The name Collie is first use in connection with shepherds in the beginning of the 1800 century. It must likely descent from Coelly and is a name that covers the function shepherd in all of Great Britain. Shepherd´s Dog, which it self was a name that covered several local types of shepherds, has properly founded the different Collies. In Scotland, which is considered as the seat of BC and show Collie, do we hear of several different Collies: Highlands Collie, Blue Smooth Highland Collies, Scotch Collies, Couley Collie, Crofters Collie and Fox Collies. Many local societies has chosen their own stock of Collie and given them their own specific name. Even though length of the coat and color on the different stocks did show some variation, has it must likely been dogs that resembled each other quite a bit in type. I believe it is possible, in broad outline, to define two main types of Collies: one, of which I will use the name Fox Collie, that were shorthaired and whose descendants were shorthaired and one type I will called Scotch Collie. Fox Collies is described in the begging of the 1800-century as an eminent shorthaired shepherd, typically in the colours of black and tan. A red pup though would normaly be born in every litter. Accordinly to the legends should this color descended from a fox that once matted with the dogs. The painting below, Old Shepherd’s Chief Mourner, is painted in 1837 by Sir Edwin Landseer and taken the description and the time into acount, could this dog very well be an example of a Fox Shepherd.
Scotch Collie is described as being very similar to our days English Shepherd, though it should have been lighter in bones and muscles. It is said that the Collies had a broad face with a short nose and well-defined stop. The ears were sat high on the head, sometimes fully pricked but rarely hanging. The coat were often thick and wholly and the tail was said to by shaggy and culred upward so the hair was lifted from the ground. Local variation in length of coat should have exicted, so as dogs with rough coat existed in the highland and more smooth-haired types in the lowland. The color showed some variation but dark colors, some times with white markings, should have been most common. Merle should apparently have existed too. The painting below, The Rescue, painted in 1866 by Andells, shows two shepherds that very well could be examples of Scotch Collie. Dogs of the Collie type existed all over Britain at that time, as an example did the Irish Collie exist in Ireland and the Welsh Collie in Welsh. Both of these shepherds should, accordingly to some sources, exist to day, although they should be very rare.
BC (both the shorthaired and the longhaired variation), Show Collie (both
variation) and Shetland sheepdog is believe to descent from Scotch Collie.
The BC has been created by selection of great herding instinct only. In
the case of the Show Collie have crossing with the Russian greyhound
Borzoi resulted in both loss of herding instinct and the typical narrow
muzzle with minimal stop. The Sheltie on the other hand have aroused by
crossing early Show Collies with other breed like the spitzs. The arrival of these new Collie types in the end of the 1800-century caused a huge decline in the old Collies. Today some preservation of these old Collies has begun both in USA and in Welsh.
The description of the dog first to be imported to Australia was big, black dogs, sometimes with white markings and with a bobtail. This description fit very will with the most popular dog in England at that time, the Cur. The description of these dogs however differs slightly from the Cur, by the fact that they also were described as having a thick coat and hanging ears. But if you take a look at the drawing of the Cur, does it look more like rose ears than pricked ears, the coat on the Australian dogs are also described as thick not long. Furthermore were this `breed´ of dog described as Smithfields, whice also is the name of the place in England where several independent sources describes the Cur. It is therefore likely that the Cur and Smithfields are the same type of dog. The Smithfield however turn out not to be suitable for work in the Australian climate. It did not have the needed stamina and had furthermore a habit of barking quit a lot, something the not always too honest cattle dealers appreciated. A man of this kind by the name of Timmin, did therefore cross the Smithfield with the Australian wilddog, the Dingo. The result was a talented but quite fierceful cattle dog known as Timmin´s Biters. The Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog is believe to be the product of later crossing between this dogs and Scotch Collies. Smithfield can, from time to time, still be heard used as name for the Stumpy Tail Cattle dog. Several types of Collies has been imported to Australian, but the shepherd that have had the biggest important impacted on the shepherds in Australia has with out no doubt been Scotch Collie. One of the first times these dogs were imported were in the 1840th when Thomas Hall brought two of these dogs with him. Offspring of these two dogs did in contrast to Smithfield turn out to be very suitable for working in the Australian climate. Many other shepherds saw therefore the potentially in these dogs too. Amongst other did some of the German emigrants start their own breeding program based on progeny from these dogs and created what was to be their favourite shepherd, German Coolie. Already in 1896 would collie-like dogs in the color of blue merle be assign to the breed German Collie. Other names used for this wonderful bred are: German Koolie, Australian Coolies and Koolie which are the officiel name to day. Eventhough four types of The Koolie excist to day,are they overall dogs of light stature, at the size of a small kelpie to a big BC and often in the colors of blue or red merle. the picture to the right shows Bowyanger, a 13 year old example of the Koolie.
Photocredit af Kennel Broughton
Hall himself crossed progeny of his two Scottish Collies with Dingo, and
did by that create an eminent shepherd that later was to be known as
Hall’s Heelers, Blue Heelers or Queenlands Heelers. Later crossing with
Dalmatians, Bull Terries and Kelpies lead to the formation of Australian
Cattle Dog. Blue Heelers or Queenlands heelers are name still used for the
Cattle dog to day. The first registered import of Fox Collies happen in the 1870th by a man named William Allan. It is said that progeny from these dogs have created the sole foundation of Australian Kelpie.
Many Scotch immigrated to America around the year 1750, and they did of course bring along their faithful companion with them to the new country. It has primarily been dogs of Scotch Collies. In the new country did they precede the breeding of their Scottish dogs and made the foundation of a type of the dog they called the American Old Time Farm Collie or the Old Time Collie. Other dogs were used for crossing too, so the type did show some variation around this time. The pictures below show two Farm Collies from the end of the century.
English Shepherd is believed to be decentring directly from the Farm Collie. If you compare the two pictures above of an Old Farm Collie with the pictures below of the the English Shepherd Peaslee´s Ravenpas are the similarity between these types of dogs surprisingly high.
Photocredit of Shepherd´s Way
A Scottish emigrant by the name of Alexander McNab introduced Fox Collies to America in the end of the 1800 century. He crossed dogs of this breed with the best bitches of Spanish origin and created a fast, shorthaired shepherd that he called McNabs. Although rare do they still exist today.
Basque
emigrant is believed to have the greatest honour of the creation of this
wonderful breed. Their occupation back home was not originally raising and
herding stock but they took on this job in the new country. It turn out
that they where skilled, hardworking shepherds with a gift of breeding.
Since farming and driving stock wasn't their original occupation has it
not been very likely that they had brought a lot of their own shepherds
with them from back home; they therefore had to `take what was there´.
The Basque shepherds hadn't got a preferred breed; they simply took what
they found was must suitable for working and did by that created what
later was to become the Australian Shepherd. We cannot for sure say which
breed has participated in the creation of the Aussie; we can only guess
what breeds/type of dogs that has been the most likely candidates.
If we once again take a look at the picture of the Farm Collie, are
the similarities between this type of dog and the Aussie relatively high.
The Farm Collie has therefore with out doubts played a significant role in
the creation of the Aussie. The Farm Collie however was stronger in bones
than the early Aussie and had much more coat, they were rarely bobtailed,
the color merle did not existed and the working style was somewhat
different from the Aussie. Farm Collie can therefore not have been the
only breed/type of dog behind the Aussie.
During the big goldrush in the 1840´s and later during First World War,
America experienced an escalating demand for amongst many other things
wool for cloth, wrapping of guns and so on. Raising sheep had almost been
taboo during the time of `the wild west´, the American sheep-population
was therefore not nearly enough to comply with this new demand. Sheep
therefore had to be imported from out side America. One of the most important import countries was Australia, known precisely for their big population of fine merino sheep. And as sheep don't move by themselves, shepherds and their indispensable dog of course had to follow. It is said that these dog should have made quite an impression when they arrived from Australia, people should in any case have talked about blue shepherds, not very big but exceptionally good.
A name often connected with these dogs is Blue Heelers. Blue Heelers were
also Collie-like workingdogs but with a touch of Dingo; it is therefore
not likely that these blue dogs have been `purebred´ individuals of Blue
Heelers. The most likely is that some crossing between several Collie-like
breeds, Blue Heelers and perhaps Smithfields has been going on and some of
this crossbreeds has escorted the sheep to America. Another candidate,
which I find as the most obvious to these blue dogs, are the Koolie.
Type-like does a lot of Koolies resemble the early Aussie and is at the
same time being an exceptionally good workingdogs. One of the most common
colors is also merle, either as blue or red. The name Blue Heelers has
properly sticked to blue dogs from Australia, like Smithfield has to
Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog and Blue Heelers to Cattle dog today. The Australian dogs though did originally decent from Great Britain and primarily Scotch Collie. As Scotch Collie were imported to America as well, is it likely that this breed can have contributed to merle in the early Aussies too. Another possibility is the Pyrenean Shepherd. Besides that merle is a common color is it in possession of some of the qualities the Basque shepherds would have appreciated: intelligence, natural instincts, agility and eager to learn. Imported individuals of Pyrenean Shepherd, meaning the variation with shorthaired head as can be seen below, is certainly an obvious candidate for color, ability and type in the early Aussies.
Markings of tan, which can be seen in the Aussie, an many other of our days shepherds, is properly inheredit from the Fox Collie. It should, acordingly to the first describtions of english shepherds, be the only shepherd in possission of tan. The predisposition for bobtail can like merle not be assigned to a single breed/type of dog; a lot of breeds are in fact in possession of natural bobtail although it is rarely seen. Smithfield are like Blue Heelers a name often connected with the creation of the Aussie and it has with out no doubt played a role too. The Smithfield was known to be bobtailed and has precisely transmitted this predisposition to amongst other the Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog. It may therefore seem likely that this breed has contributed with the predisposition for bobtail in the Aussie as well, but if so the Smithfield must have been imported directly to America from Britain or some of the former mention blue dogs from Australia must have been bobtail crossbreeds between Smithfield, Collies and Blue Heelers. Scotch Collie is also a likely candidate to bobtail. Accordingly to some sources should Scotch Collie be in possession of natural bobtail. The English Shepherd, the Aussies American sister-breed that partly descent from Scotch Collie, has too been reported to be born with out a tail too, although it is very rare. When talking about both merle and bobtial is it important to remember that both of these traits are dominant characters that needs only to be introduced a few times if one selected for these characters.
Other breeds/types of dogs than the ones listed above have most certainly
played a role in the creation of the Aussie, which and in what degree is
impossible to say. The origin of the Aussie is properly jet another
mystery not to be solved. In contrast to the people behind some other
breed have no records of the early breeding program taken place. The
Basque people were illiterates, meaning that they hadn't got any written
language and only few of them mastered the English language. Further more
they never once have in mind to create a new breed; crossing between dogs
was based on working-ability only, not pedigree or look. What the they
wanted was simply to create the best working dog who could live up to
their expectations: eager to work, courageous, intelligent, gentle with
the stock, versatile and a dog who at the same time was a pleasant and
unflagging companion.
After
the Second World War the American people began to show a lot more interest
in western riding and rodeo. The western people had long gone taking the
Aussie into their home and hearts. It fitted perfect to their lifestyle:
it did wander off when out riding and it was obedient enough to bring
everywhere. When the western folks gathered to shows across the country
did they of course bring along their faithful four-legged companion.
Especially one man has a great honour of the Aussies prevalence to the
common American: Joe Sisler and in creatable Aussies who perform the most
amazing tricks. It didn’t take long for the Aussie though, to manifest
it self as one of the most popular breeds in America.
In june 1957 did a group of Aussie fans meet for the first
time to an official meeting whit the primarily goal of creating a real
Aussie Club, the one that later was to become ASCA (the Australian
Shepherd Club of America). Until now the breeding of Aussien had been more
or less random and the wish was to create an organisation that could
gather enthusiastic breeders and manage the breeding through registration.
The first registration of Aussies took place the same year, not in ASCA
though but NSD, the National Stockdog Register that registered different
kind of shepherds. It wasn’t until 1971, after ASCA and another Aussie
organisation IASA (the International Australian Shepherd AssN) had fussed,
that ASCA started making official registration. IASA themselves had made
registration of Aussies since 1966. The first official standard for the
Australian Shepherd was approved in 1977. The members of ASCA weren’t all agreed on whether or not to seek AKC (the American Kennel Club) recognition. A lot of the members believed that the Aussie as a whole would risk loosing its working abilities and become yet another show dog. A small group however was determined to seek this approval and created USASA (the United States Australian Shepherd Association) with the one goal of getting the AKC recognition. And it happened in 1993, AKC recognised the Aussies as a breed and started their own registration based on registrations from ASCA. A big part of the Aussies became thereby double registered, both in ASCA and AKC.
Above is shown the pictures of two lines of dogs that is to be found in almost all of our Aussies today. The Flintridge family to the left, has had a signifinant importans for the development of the show Aussie; in fact has Aussies from this kennel made the foundation for just about every kennel with show Aussies today. The Flintridge dogs themself was heavely based on the dog Harper's Old Smokey. That means that if you track the pedigree 6-10 generations back on a show Aussie, they will pretty much be realted in one way or the other. The working line on the other hands is heavely based on the dog Taylor's Whiskey and his father Lamars Turk. This dogs has amonst other founded kennels like Fairoaks and Las Rocosa.
The
Aussie came to Europe with the more and more popular western riding and
was in many years only to be found in these circles, later with the horse
people as a whole. The Aussie was not recognised as a breed in FCI, the
international kennel club, at that time but that didn’t stop people from
pursuing this wonderful dog. They bought they dog and kept registering
them in ASCA, some countries like Germany did in fact start their own ASCA
club ASCD.
The Aussie became more and more popular and did slowly, but steady, spread outside the horse/working circles. Finely in 1996 did FCI recognised the Aussie as a breed and incorporated it in FCI group 1, although only on approval (the Aussie is technically still not fully recognized yet). In only a few years the Aussie has gained a tremendously popularity and more and more people sees the potential ins this wonderful breed.
Thanks
to all who have helped me with pictures
Collies back to the future Old Farm Collies Old Scotch Collie af Erika DuBois On the shepherds dogge fra Englishe Dogges by Johannes Caius The australian Stumpy tail cattel dog through 1900s The English Shepherd af Jan hilborn The Koolie af Kerrie Challenger The McNab Dog af Donna Seigmund and Alvina Butti The once and the future Collie The welsh shepherd af Linda Rorem View of Australian Shepherd history af Linda Rorem
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