What's the Best Dog Food for Australian Shepherds?
Australian Shepherds are a medium size working breed, intensely loyal, and generally healthy. Known as a cattle or ranch dog, Aussie’s are at ease in an open environment with focused activity. Your Aussie needs a job to do and a balanced diet combined with a thorough weekly brushing.
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Breed Info
Breed Group:Herding | AKC Australian Shepherd Profile
Ideal Weight:Female Adult: 42 to 53 pounds
Male Adult: 51 to 64 pounds
Exercise Need:45 to 75 minutes per day
Breed Summary
The Australian Shepherd is medium in size and a hard worker. Commonly referred to as a ranch dog or cattle dog, Aussies are known for their intelligence and persistence. These dogs would rather move a couch than sit on one. They require consistency in their training since they can easily outsmart their handler. This breed is suited for a high-energy, task-oriented environment. It will stare down, with an icy glare, its charges – sheep, cattle – to bend them to its will. Refined and perfected for ranch work, the misnamed Australian Shepherd is now the iconic western cowboy’s sidekick.
Physical Traits
Medium size, balanced form, course coat
Personality Traits
Intelligent, hardworking, loyal
Health Considerations
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Your aussie will be healthy if kept active and fed proper nutrition. Health concerns are similar to many dogs and may include hip dysplasia, cataracts, and some cancers, so have them evaluated for any issues early on. Keep their ears clean and teeth free of tartar buildup.
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Dysplasia (Hip and Elbow)
Dysplasia is a genetic condition where an Australian Shepherd's bones don't fit correctly in their socket. This issue can lead to arthritis and has the potential to be very painful. Surgery may be necessary in some situations, but you can do your best to mitigate erosion and pain with foods that contain these ingredients:
Recommendations:
Antioxidants・ Chondroitin・ Glucosamine・ Green Mussel・ Methylsulfonymethane・ Omega-3 from Fish Oil・ Taurine・ Turmeric・ Vitamin E
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Are Fresh Food Diets Good for Australian Shepherds?
Only if they’re properly balanced.
Many well-intentioned Australian Shepherds parents spend a lot of time preparing meals at home, but health benefits are lost if meals aren’t properly portioned and balanced with all the nutrients dogs need. Recently, a few companies have done an excellent job ensuring accurate portions and nutrient balance by delivering pre-prepped fresh meals customized to the size and needs of your dog. Farmer’s Dog, Ollie and Nom Nom have each been approved by our nutrition team as delivering truly quality and well-balanced meals. They can be a little expensive (usually 3-4x more per day than kibble), but many find the added health benefits worth the cost. They do offer discounts to new customers, though, if you’d like to try one out.
Pros and Cons of Fresh Food Diets
✓ Diets balanced by Nutritionists・ ✓ Customized portions for weight control・ ✓ Superior digestive and immune health ・✕ More expensive than standard dog food
Foods We Recommend for Australian Shepherds Puppies
How long do Australian Shepherdss need puppy food?
Until they're 12 to 16 months old.
Australian Shepherds are very focused on growing, and how we feed them should help them do just that. Since they have so much growing to do, they need higher amounts of nutrients than adult dogs, especially proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and — don’t forget — water. It’s still important to not overfeed puppies, so make sure to portion food and keep treats to no more than 10% of their caloric intake. Since balance is so important, we recommend that your young Australian Shepherds is eating food that is made just for puppies from a reputable brand.
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Foods We Recommend for Australian Shepherds Adults
When should Australian Shepherds start transitioning to adult food?
When they're 12 to 16 months old
From a nutrition standpoint, Australian Shepherds become adults once they reach about 90% of their expected weight. Once adults, our two key nutrition goals are balance and maintenance. We want balance because a dog’s body is responsible for a lot of things, like digestion, fighting infection, keeping muscles strong, and chasing squirrels. These are all important tasks, so we want to make sure each body function gets its share of nutrients. We also need to maintain a healthy weight. Underfed dogs are at risk for malnourishment, and overfed dogs can become obese — both of which lead to even worse problems for an Australian Shepherd
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Foods We Recommend for Australian Shepherds Seniors
When should Australian Shepherds start transitioning to senior food?
All dogs can age differently, but medium dogs like Australian Shepherds can start to benefit from senior food around 7 to 8 years old
Ever watch kids running around the playground and wish you had that energy again? Yeah. Dogs get there, too. The metabolic processes in senior Australian Shepherds slow down as they age, which often means they aren’t needing quite as many calories as they did in their prime. Smart dog food companies have formulated senior diets to ease up on calories but still help them feel full and give them adequate maintenance protein. Still, like humans, everybody is different. Sometimes older dogs need just as many calories, or more, depending on how their bodies progress. So keep a close eye on their body condition, and look for dog foods made for seniors.
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Our assessment analyzes your dog’s breed, age, and health considerations to recommend a science-based diet from over 10,000 options. Help maintain mobility, cognitive health, and quality of life.
Affiliate Disclosure:
We do not accept money to recommend pet foods. However, we do receive referral fees from online retailers (such as Chewy or Amazon) on qualifying purchases. Our recommendations are neutral, and diet recommendations are made without considering whether we will receive a referral fee.