|
|
Australian Retriever
Puppies for Sale
Australian Retriever
Australian Shepherd / Golden Retriever Hybrid
The Australian Retriever is not a purebred dog. It is a cross between the Australian Shepherd
and the Golden Retriever. The best way to
determine the temperament of a mixed breed is to look up all breeds in the cross
and know you can get any combination of any of the characteristics found in
either breed. This hybrid cross is recognized by the American Canine Hybrid
Club. Not all of these designer hybrid dogs being bred are 50%
purebred to 50% purebred. It is very common for breeders to breed multi-generation crosses.
"About my dog Cooper, the Australian Shepherd / Golden Retriever Mix (Australian Retriever Hybrid). I got him from a Puppy Rescue
Shelter/Foster Home in Modesto California, June 4th 2005. He was 9 weeks old
when I got him, making his date of birth around March 31, 2005. Full grown
now, Cooper weighs about 92 lbs (as of last vet visit), so definitely is
closer to a Golden in size than an Aussie, a big Golden. In fact, sometimes
people like to play the “what else could he be, he’s so big” game, but
according to the rescue shelter, his mom was a young Golden and his dad was
an Aussie. All I know for sure is he is a great dog! Cooper is very smart,
maybe almost too smart, if you know what I mean. He definitely has the
Aussie herding instinct, which comes out when he’s playing with other dogs,
or sees any other animals that aren’t going where he thinks they should. He
also LOVES to swim, he’ll go in the water even when it’s in the 50’s and the
rest of the sane creatures in the world are trying to keep warm. He loves
playing in the snow too! He is quite territorial, weary of strangers and
very protective of me. Strangers who approach my home or any other place
Cooper considers “his” get barked at. Actually, he barks no matter who’s
coming home, even if he knows them, the difference is his tail is wagging if
it’s a friend. Unknown animals are not allowed to approach me before he
gives the ok. When one does, he’ll get between us and send them off with a
short bark, and then a growl if they don’t get it. After he gets to know
them, they are allowed to visit with me, but he seems to know which ones I
think are almost as cute as him and he’ll get a bit jealous if I pay too
much attention to them, so I always make sure he’s getting plenty of love
too. I probably spoil him, but I can’t help it, I adore him! He also isn’t
too happy when unknown men approach me, but doesn’t seem to mind women . And
if anybody ever gives him a treat, he loves them for life, and he will
remember that person even if he doesn’t see them again for a while. For
example, we met a man with an adorable Bernese Mountain Dog at the dog park
one day, and Cooper sniffed out his pocket where he kept his treats, then
obediently sat down (he learned that one fast). Of course the guy couldn’t
resist that sweet face looking up at him expectantly. Cooper is his best
friend now and it was at least a month in between the first time he gave
Coops a treat, and the next time we saw him again. Cooper has many
nick-names, all of which he answers too: Coops, Coop-a-loops, Baby-boy, Swooper, Cooper Super Duper, Puppy-dog, Coopster. But it’s always “Cooper”
when he’s getting into mischief, which he does quite often. He’s sneaky and
can’t seem to stay away from the garbage cans, especially if they have food
in them! But most of the time he’s an angel. He’s very independent, which is
nice, but at the same time, very loving and loyal. He will follow me around
pretty much all around the house. He’ll take the attention if you’re giving
it, but he’ll also completely ignore an outstretched hand when walking by
someone who’s trying to pet him. It’s almost like a fake out, he’ll seem to
be coming right to you, then he’ll veer off at the last second. He can be
aloof, I guess, but not really to me. He’s a funny guy, he makes me laugh a
lot, especially when he gets into super puppy play mode, which still happens
quite often. There’s nothing better than coming home to my dog wiggling his
whole rear end, along with his tail, and doing his “I’m so happy to see you
“ sound, which actually sounds like he’s sneezing, but he only does it right
when I get home. I couldn’t ask for a better companion and look forward to
many more years with my best friend Cooper."
|
ACHC =
American Canine Hybrid Club |
Cooper, the Australian Shepherd / Golden Retriever Hybrid puppy at 9 weeks old (Australian Retriever)
"This picture, and the one above, is from the first
day I got him, at 9 weeks old. He had the puppy-dog eyes down, for sure. He
used to fall asleep with his head in his water bowls all the time, and I
used to worry that he’d drown himself, but it was a hot summer and I think
he was just trying to stay cool. Poor little guy had all that fluff and it
gets hot in California in the summer. You can see that he a few spots just
barely starting to show on his face, and his fur around his eye an down his
ears is really dark. I just loved his little nose, mostly pink with black
spots. Reminded me of a little cow."
"Here is Cooper at about 11 ½ weeks, in his
favorite spot at my boyfriends house (while he still fit there, at least).
He liked to lay there because it was cooler than all the carpet everywhere,
plus there was wood to chew on! He was always laying on brick, or linoleum,
or any surface that was slightly cooler than others."
Cooper, the Australian Shepherd / Golden Retriever Hybrid puppy at 11 ½ weeks old (Australian Retriever) "Here’s a picture
of Cooper just looking really cute! By this age his freckles were starting
to show more and his dark fur is just starting to lighten up a bit. Also,
the pink on his nose started to become more black."
Cooper, the Australian Shepherd / Golden Retriever Hybrid puppy at 13 weeks old (Australian Retriever)
"This picture is from 4th of July weekend
in Big Sur, CA, a month after I got Cooper. That’s me with him. He had just been digging as you can probably tell. He really likes to
dig, so sand excites him because he knows he’s allowed to (unlike when he’s
caught digging in someone’s backyard)."
"Cooper trekking it up the
riverside. He is about 13 weeks here. His freckles are really showing now,
and his personality is really starting to come out too, and he’s quite the
character. I had about 4 or 5 random people stop me and ask if they could
take a picture of my dog. Of course, I said yes."
"This is Cooper, shown here at 9 months old. He is an Australian Shepherd / Golden Retriever mix. He weighs about 75 pounds, and the top of his head stands about 28 - 30 inches from the ground (give or take an inch) His mom was the Golden and his father was Aussie. He is such a wonderful dog! He's very smart & loyal. He definitely has the herding instinct, but isn't too annoying with it. He also loves to swim, run and play with other dogs, but doesn't mind laying at my side while I read. He is quite a joy to have. We go to the dog park every day for at least 2 hours so he can run around playing/chasing/herding (whatever he's in the mood for). He is extremely social. I've met a few other of the same mixes, and they all look so different, but all very good looking. Absolutely great combo and I would love to have more of them."
"All of a sudden, one day I looked
at my dog and I’m
not sure when he snuck it in, but he became a completely different dog! His
fur became more reddish golden than brown, his tail became feathered like a
Golden Retriever’s, as did the back of his legs, where his fur is extremely
thick too. His coat is a bit wavy on his back, and a bit crimped looking
behind his ears. In fact, someone once asked me if I crimped his hair? I
just looked at them like they were crazy. I’ve always thought that his tail
is unique in that it is very fat for about an inch or two, then get’s very
skinny. You can’t tell because of the fur, but it almost seems to me that it
might be because of his Aussie blood, and the fact that some Aussie’s are
born with a natural bob-tail. But, for all I know that is normal in some
dogs. More freckles seem to pop up here and there still, and he has almost
no pink on his nose anymore, just a spot right on the top in the middle, and
a spot on the left side too. Also, he got huge! What happened to my little
puppy? I couldn’t’ believe it when I took him to the vet and he weighed 92
lbs! They also said he needs to lose some weight, so he’s been on a bit of a
diet lately."
"Cooper doing one of the things he
loves best... swimming! He looks so small at first when he gets out, with
his fur all plastered to his body, until he shakes, then he’s back to being
my fluffy puppy!"
"Cooper swam out into the middle of
a river to climb onto that rock. He really likes to climb rocks, I think
he’s part mountain goat!"
 
"And here’s Cooper, guarding his
stick. He loves sticks. When we gather fire wood, Cooper thinks we’re being
really cool and bringing him his own personal stick stash. He especially
loves when you throw the stick, but even though he’s half retriever, he just
doesn’t quite get the “retrieve” part of the game. He’d rather you, or
preferably another dog, chase him and try to get it, and when you do, then
he likes if you play keep away or tug of war. He’s a funny guy. "
Hybrid Dog Information
|
|
