Australian Shepherd
&
Coat Care
Australian Shepherd
& Coat Care
The Australian Shepherd’s coat is of medium texture, straight to wavy, weather-resistant and of moderate length.
The breed is meant to have an undercoat, which varies in thickness depending on the climate.
On the head, ears, the front of the forelegs and below the hocks, the hair should be short and smooth.
According to the breed standard, the backs of the forelegs and the breeches are moderately feathered.
The ruff and neck coat are also of moderate length.
A characteristic feature is that males tend to show a more pronounced ruff than females.
Non-typical coat types are considered a serious fault in the Australian Shepherd.
Puppies have a soft, dense puppy coat. Around six months of age, this “puppy coat” gradually makes way for the adult coat. Light brushing and occasional combing to remove dirt and prevent tangles is sufficient during this stage.
Trimming and stripping come later.
However, it is important to start coat care early, even if it is only pretend at first — after all, good habits learned young last a lifetime.
Most Australian Shepherds experience a heavy shedding period twice a year. This is the time to remove the loose undercoat.
With regular coat care, the coat will continue to renew itself naturally.
An Aussie does shed to some extent throughout the year.
Coat care begins with thoroughly brushing and combing the coat to remove loose hair and any tangles.
The Australian Shepherd’s coat is not particularly prone to matting.
A weekly grooming and inspection session is usually sufficient. If matting does occur, it is most commonly found in the curly hair under the ears, in the dense coat of the breeches, or in the armpits and groin area.
These tangles are generally easy to comb out, or can be carefully trimmed away if necessary.
“Force” is absolutely unnecessary when grooming an Aussie coat.
Using sharp, cutting tools aggressively carries a high risk of damaging the coat.
Even in the thickest coats, a shedding rake or slicker brush will easily loosen the hair. Work through the entire coat down to the skin — chest, neck, back, belly, legs, breeches and tail. After some brushing and combing, the Aussie will naturally fall into shape.
Finishing then consists of lightly tidying the ears, feet and tail using regular grooming scissors and thinning shears.
Common grooming tools for the Australian Shepherd include a soft bristle brush, a shedding rake, a coarse to medium-fine comb, straight grooming scissors and half thinning shears.
Excess hair around the ears should be removed. Often, much of this can already be taken out gently with the fingers. In particular, the lighter-coloured, fluffy and curly “dreadlocks” on and behind the ears can be plucked out easily.
Thinning shears may be used to tidy the inside of the ears and the ear edges (and, if necessary, lightly on top as well).
Extra caution is advised with dogs that have rose ears.
While the result may look neat when the ears hang forward, a problem can arise when the dog folds its ears back, exposing the inner ear. If too much hair has been removed underneath or behind the ear, the dog may end up with a somewhat bare, unbalanced look.
Always ensure that the ear remains well connected to the neck and ruff coat.
Australian Shepherd feet should be oval in shape. According to the breed standard, they are compact, with well-arched toes held closely together.
Trim the excess hair protruding between the pads on both front and rear feet. If necessary, use thinning shears to remove excess “fluff” on top of the toes. Take care not to remove too much — the toes should remain closed.
Also keep in mind: the more you trim the feet, the stronger the hair tends to grow back, requiring more frequent maintenance.
For finishing, shape the hair neatly around the feet and nails. Nails may be shortened if needed.
The hair at the lower rear of the front legs may be lightly trimmed up to approximately halfway the highest pad.
This helps reduce dirt build-up and can subtly accentuate the wrist line.
The pastern in the Aussie should slope very slightly, so avoid trimming straight up — instead, angle gently upward away from the foot. Leave the feathering on the back of the front legs untouched: comb only, do not trim.
Excess or protruding hair behind the hocks may be removed with thinning shears.
Avoid cutting the coat on the chest, belly and breeches.
