70-120 lbs
18-20"
United States
The American Bull-Aussie is a hybrid breed that is made from the American Bulldog and the Australian Shepherd. They are a fairly new type of dog, and not much has been discovered or documented about them yet. The best way to determine what your American Bull-Aussie will look and act like is to consider the appearance and temperament of both parent breeds. As both breeds are fairly active, it can be assumed that the designer breed will have similar needs as well. Your dog will need to be exercised regularly, but will make an excellent companion and that is devoted to its family, and calm around kids as well.
This hybrid breed is modern and therefore it is very undocumented. Although the history of the American Bull-Aussie is mostly unknown due to their recent creation, we do know the origins of the American Bulldog and the Australian Shepherd. The first mentioned was originally bred for blood sports, hunting and being guard dogs. They became a favorite among farmers due to their stamina, intelligence and protectiveness, which made them great at guarding and protecting livestock from predators. At the end of World War One, the American Bulldog was almost extinct. It was thanks to a man from Summerville, Georgia who went by the name of John D. Johnson that the breed is still around today. He had been breeding American Bulldogs for longer than anyone else, and his father was a breeder of these dogs as well. If it were not for his efforts, this breed would not be in existence today. To this day, these dogs have been talented at pulling weights, guarding and watching, hunting and tracking. The Australian Shepherd, which is actually not from Australia but instead originated in the Pyrenees Mountains, quickly found its way to the ranches in the United States where they were found to be skilled at herding. Today, this breed excels at many canine sports and activities, such as agility, obedience, search and rescue, trick training, retrieving, watching and guarding, police work and detecting narcotics.
These cute hybrid dogs will adopt physical characteristics from both parent breeds. They will have long tails but short ears that will hang down. The American Bulldog has a powerful and sturdy build with large heads and strong jaws. They have wide and deep chests with strong necks that taper from the shoulders to the head, which is large, broad and square. The eyes are rounded and the stop is defined. Their muzzles are square and broad, and will have either a scissors bite, an underbite or an even bite. Forward flap, cropped, rose or half pricked ears can all be seen on this breed. The straight legs are heavy boned, and the hind legs will be muscular, broad and thick. The tapering tail will be low set. The other parent of this dog, the Australian Shepherd, is a medium sized dog that is slightly longer than tall. They have deep chests and stand squarely, with muzzles that are the same length as the top of their heads. Their medium sized oval eyes, like their coats, can be a variety of colors. The triangular ears are set high and erect on top of their heads, and these dogs will have manes around the neck as well as feathering on the backs of their legs. It is hard to know what percentage of each parent your American Bull-Aussie will have, but they will be a combination of both of these breeds.
The American Bull-Aussie is a dog that has a moderate shedding level and should, therefore, be brushed about once a week. While grooming them, use a grooming mitt for best results. In order to reduce the chances of your dog developing an infection or other problems, they should get their ears cleaned out and checked every week. To keep the teeth of your dog clean and healthy, teeth brushing should be done three times per week, or, even better, every day. In terms of nail clipping, this hybrid breed should get the same care as all other dogs. This means that they should be trimmed once or twice a month, unless they happen to get worn down naturally, in which case less often could be enough. You should begin playing around with your dog’s feet and mouth from a young age in order to make grooming an enjoyable experience as they grow up.
This designer breed is smart, loyal and protective of its family. They are intelligent and will be relatively easy to train. Although they are alert, these dogs will not be good as watchdogs as they are not big barkers. They are playful and calm, and get along great with children. The American Bulldog is known to be a loyal and non-hostile dog that is protective of its family and loves kids. To keep them from becoming reserved towards strangers or aggressive with other dogs, these dogs will need proper socialization and training. The Australian Shepherd is courageous, devoted and easy-going. They are also great with kids and with their high intelligence they are easy to train as well. These dogs are calm around their families but dedicated and aggressive when doing their work, which is herding livestock. Although they are not usually aggressive towards other dogs, they still need to be socialized and trained early on in life, like all breeds. It’s impossible to know for sure what personality the American Bull-Aussie will develop, but it is safe to assume that it will be similar to that of its parents.
The American Bulldog will need plenty of exercise and stimulation, both mental and physical, or they may become hard to handle. The Australian Shepherd could also become destructive and upset if not given enough activity. Although all dogs are different and the exact amount of exercise will depend on the individual, prepare to dedicate at least 45 minutes to an hour of exercise time for your American Bull-Aussie.
Written by Darlene Stott
Published: 10/04/2017, edited: 02/24/2021
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