In order to understand the proper coat and texture of the Australian Shepherd today it is important to take a look back at the oiginal purpose of the breed. The Aussie is a relatively new breed, if registries, breeding programs and the world of dog shows are the measure of when a breed becomes a breed. Although our history is brief it is not clearly defined, (our first National Specialty was held around 1967) and there is no certainty as to how the dog came to the US, and what specific breeds make up the genetic background of our modern dogs.

In her article, Australian Shepherd History (first printed in Dog World magazine, Linda Rorem explains, based on historical records, what breeds may have contributed to the Australian Shepherd we know today. Rorem notes, “There would have been much interbreeding of the various strains of herding dogs in the American West in the years leading up to the early 1900s…general appearance and clues from historical accounts indicate that the background of the Australian Shepherd is predominately that of the collie/shepherd dogs of the British Isles, with possible Spanish/Basque influence...it is an American breed, developed over a long period of time in the American West.”

There are major difference between the geography, terrain and climate of the American West and the British Isles. While one pictures idyllic green pastures with hedgerows separating gently rolling fields of the classic British sheep farm, nothing could be further from the reality of sheepherding in the West. The climate, geography and terrain of the western US provides some of the most extremes in the entire country. From low flat desert (the lowest point in the US is located in Death Valley, Zabriskie Point) to high mountain passes in the Sierra Nevada range (the highest point in the US in Mt. Whitney, also in California). Both are within 80 miles of each other!

The dangers of this area are well documented in the tragic Donner Party story, settlers trapped by an early winter storm in 1846, heavy loss of life and survivors who resorted to cannibalism.
The Gold Rush in the late 1840s created a huge demand for shelter and food. Those not lucky in the gold fields provided supplies to those who were. The land could be inhospitable, but it was abundant and the sheep were hardy. As sheep were imported to meet the demand of the ever increasing population, sheepherders and their dogs descended upon the region as well. Irrespective as to where they came from, the breeds of dogs had to undergo modifications in order to survive the physical hardships of the new land. Coat type became modified as a matter of survival. If the dog could not perform its function, it was useless and was eliminated.

So what does this look back into the early history of the West and our breed have to do with coat? Plenty. Adaptations of the collie coat would have occurred in order for the dogs to fulfill their original purpose and survive the rigors and hardships encountered in western livestock production. The dramatic temperature changes would have required a dog to have sufficient double coat for protection from not only cold, but the heat. That coat would have to withstand matting of the undercoat in order to provide the insulation required for both temperature extremes.

A dog that could shed the undercoat depending on climate would have been valuable and of more use over time. The outer coat or guard hairs of the breed would have to have been durable enough to provide protection from burrs, and thick underbrush as well as resilient in shedding water, dirt and mud.
Our breed standard states, “Hair is of medium texture, straight to wavy, weather resistant and of medium length. The undercoat varies in quantity with variations in climate. Hair is short and smooth on the head, ears, front of forelegs and below the hocks. Backs of forelegs and britches are moderately feathered. There is a moderate mane and frill, more pronounced in dogs than in bitches. Non typical coats are severe faults.”

Coat matters in our breed today as it mattered originally as a means of survival. Today our dogs rarely face the rigors of the early West and the Aussie has become popular throughout the US. The parent club Judge’s Education material notes, “the quality, not the quantity of the coat of the Australian Shepherd defines the dog in terms of its original purpose and function. The Aussie coat shall not be judged by its quantity, but by its serviceability to the dog.”