It's generally accepted that the Australian Shepherd as a breed originated in the western parts of the United States, particularly in California.
As the west expanded and was settled by diverse peoples from all parts of the globe in the 1800s, the livestock industry expanded as well.
Many professional shepherds came in from Australia and Europe and South America.
The South American immigrants were often originally from the Basque region of Spain.
Basques are famed shepherds and typically use a small herding dog, the Pyrenean Shepherd.
Undoubtedly, the distinct dog which we now fondly refer to as the Aussie had his beginnings here amongst the rough melting pot of herding dogs that were arriving in California.
Basque Shepherd Immigration after World War 2 However, the influence of Basque shepherd dogs didn't stop in the early influx of settlers in the 1800s.
After World War II, a shortage of agricultural labor created a crisis situation in the sheep industry of the American West, causing some livestock farmers to drastically reduce the size of their grazing operations.
To alleviate this situation, the California Range Association (later the Western Range Association) lobbied to get immigration laws changed so they could hire sheepherders from the Basque Country in Spain.
Thousands of these Basque sheepherders arrived in the States, again bringing their faithful Basque Shepherd dogs and Pyrenean Shepherd dogs with them.
Undoubtedly, these dogs were bred with the local herding dogs in California and form part of the bloodline of the Australian Shepherd.
Pyrenean hunting dogs are small and often have the blue coloration that forms the typical blue merle that we see in Aussies today.
Herding Dogs were Crucial to the Sheep Industry Shepherding was, and still is, a very physical and challenging task.
Even with all the modern wonders available, sheepherders cannot do their jobs without loyal, well-trained sheep dogs.
A single man with only two or three good dogs is infinitely more effective than several men at herding sheep.
Herders developed very close relationships with their dogs, often raising his dogs from pups.
Most of the time shepherds would be alone with their animals.
The shepherd would have to wonder from one good pasture to another, often very far from human habitation.
At night, the shepherd would camp near the sheep.
Having the loyal, intelligent and responsive companionship of a herding dog in the camp would help alleviate loneliness and homesickness.
At night, when the herder was asleep, the herding dogs had the critical job of protecting the sheep from predators such as coyotes and bobcats.
A good sheep dog would keep the sheep from bunching too much and trampling the feed, and would not make them overly nervous.
Insight into Australian Shepherd Character Understanding the working life of a sheep dog gives great insight into the Australian Shepherd character.
Loyal and intelligent, the Aussie is a good guard dog and will defend his owners against perceived threats.
He requires active work, since shepherd dogs were bred to be on the move all day.
Dogs were bred to be totally dedicated to their "job" and so the Aussie today thrives when he is given some work to do.