Australian Shepherds are as cute as adults as they are as puppies. With their piercing eyes and pretty speckled coats, it's no wonder that so many people want an Aussie puppy. With their special coat patterns and often mismatched eyes, the Australian Shepherd as a breed is one of the cutest. If you're looking for a daily dose of cuteness, look no further than an Aussie puppy. Besides, looking at cute animal photos has awesome health benefits. Researchers at the
University of Leeds have identified that watching cute animal photos and videos can help reduce stress levels by up to 50%.
According to
Psychology Today, looking at cute dog pictures online for just a few minutes improves well-being, attention, and focus. Puppy images are powerful and can easily bypass our conscious minds and "make it directly to the heart," says Kit Yarrow, a psychological scientist in a
USA Today interview. After viewing images of puppies, people are more precise and make fewer mistakes on various cognitive and dexterity tasks, several
studies have shown. With all that in mind, here are 27 sleeping Aussie puppy images that are sure to make your day!
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The Australian Shepherd is a very intelligent herding breed of dog. You should expect an Aussie puppy to have a lot of energy, given that they were bred to herd livestock, which requires a lot of stamina. An Aussie will always be an active dog, but after two years of age, you may notice them calm down slightly. Some Australian Shepherds, however, may only calm down once they reach old age. Until they are around a year old, Aussie puppies need to be fed labeled puppy food.
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Aussies have an average litter size of about six to seven puppies. They can have smaller litters sometimes, though. I have seen a video of an Australian Shepherd giving birth to 9 puppies. In 2017, Alpha Aussies, an Aussie breeder in Bancroft, MI, shared a video of an Australian Shepherd giving birth to 11 puppies. According to Alpha Aussies, this was the dog's first litter. Most Aussie puppies are born with "Butterfly" noses. A "Butterfly" nose is a nose that has pink patches.
Pink spots on an Aussie puppy's nose may fill in over time as the dog matures. However, some Aussies with "Butterfly" noses may never develop a completely pigmented nose. "Butterfly" noses are more common in merle Australian Shepherds. According to the AKC Breed Standard, it is permissible for merle Aussies to have small pink spots on their noses. However, pink spots are not to exceed 25 percent of the nose on Aussies over one year of age. Otherwise, it'll be deemed a serious fault, meaning the dog may not be able to participate in dog shows. The nose of black and blue merle Aussies must be black. On the other hand, red Aussies are to have liver-colored noses.
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For purebred Aussies, the AKC recognizes four coat colors, which include black, blue merle, red, and red merle. These four main coat colors can be combined to create a further 11 distinct color-marking combinations, all of which are accepted by the AKC. Aussies do come in other colors too, though they wouldn't be accepted by the AKC as purebreds. The top two most popular Aussie colors are blue merle and black tricolor. Solid red and solid black Aussies are quite rare to find.
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Most Aussie puppies enjoy lying in the sploot position, which involves kicking one or both legs behind the body. This cute position can be a sign of a confident and relaxed dog, according to
ElleVet Sciences. If your Aussie puppy sploots a lot, it doesn't mean they have hip or joint issues. As it turns out, it could actually mean that your pup's hip is healthy, says ElleVet Sciences. Aussie puppies often love splooting, likely due to the greater flexibility in their hips.
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Aussie puppies are smart and therefore normally take very quickly to training. As well as teaching basic commands like sit, stay, and lie down, you need to teach your Aussie puppy limits as well. Training will help keep Aussie puppies mentally stimulated in addition to keeping them well-behaved. It also helps prevent boredom, which often leads to destructive behaviors. To keep your Aussie puppy healthy and happy, many enthusiasts of the breed suggest having a large fenced-in yard where your puppy can play freely for an hour or two a day. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t get an Aussie puppy if you're an apartment dweller. For a lack of space, long walks and hikes can make up.
