Aussies were bred to work livestock all day and genuinely need a job — hours of real exercise and mental work, every day, for their whole life — and a meaningful share of the breed carries a gene (MDR1) that makes standard doses of common parasite-prevention and anesthesia drugs potentially toxic, which is worth knowing before any vet visit.
13.7years, median
1.2 years above the all-dog median of 12.5.
Measured, not estimated: the middle age at death across 584,734 UK dogs, 284,734 of them deceased. Based on 286 dogs of this breed. 95% confidence interval 12.8 to 14.6 years. Half lived longer than this, half did not. UK dogs, so treat it as the best available figure rather than a promise about yours.
In the same study, medium breeds as a group had a median of 12.5 years and medium-muzzled breeds 12.8. This breed is medium and medium-muzzled.
McMillan et al. 2024, Scientific Reports 14:531 — open access · CC BY 4.0Health tests to ask the breeder for
United States Australian Shepherd Association (health info via Australian Shepherd Health & Genetics Institute) sets the tests a Australian Shepherd needs for a CHIC number in the OFA's open database. A CHIC number means the tests were done and the results are public. It does not mean the dog passed them: ask for the results for both parents, or look them up yourself on ofa.org.
- Hip Dysplasia (OFA Evaluation or PennHIP Evaluation)
- Elbow Dysplasia (OFA Evaluation)
- Eye Examination by a boarded ACVO Ophthalmologist
When to spay or neuter an Australian Shepherd: the UC Davis study of 35 breeds has a suggested guideline for the breed. For males it is any age. For females, any age, watching for the cancers. The spay and neuter page has the numbers behind it and what the guidelines say for a dog this size.
- Autoimmune Thyroiditis (OFA evaluation)
- Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA) DNA test
- Multidrug Resistance 1 (MDR1) DNA test
Test names as the club lists them; checked September 2026. OFA CHIC breed page. How to use this at the breeder: check a breeder.
Adopt a Australian Shepherd near you
Shelters and rescues list Australian Shepherds and Australian Shepherd mixes on Petfinder. Enter a ZIP code to see who is waiting within 100 miles.
Listings come from Petfinder and open there. Petipedia does not take part in adoptions and earns nothing from them.
Living with a Australian Shepherd
This is one of the most demanding breeds on this list day to day — Aussies need serious daily exercise and consistent mental stimulation, and they will herd anything that moves if untrained, including children, joggers, and cars. Under-exercised or under-stimulated Aussies are notorious for becoming anxious, obsessive, or destructive; this isn't a breed to leave alone in a yard and call it enough.
Health you should know about
- MDR1 gene mutation — found in a substantial portion of the breed, this variant impairs a protein that normally protects the brain from certain drugs, making affected dogs dangerously sensitive to ivermectin and some other common medications; genetic testing before treatment is recommended.
- Hip and elbow dysplasia — joint malformation common in active herding breeds; screening is recommended for breeding stock.
- Hereditary eye disease — progressive retinal atrophy, collie eye anomaly and cataracts are all documented in the breed, and the merle coat gene raises the risk of eye and hearing defects further, especially from merle-to-merle breedings.
- Epilepsy — an inherited seizure disorder documented in the breed at above-average rates.
Read the full Dog Care Guide first — costs, daily time, and everything a dog needs before you choose a breed.
Sources — 3 references
Last reviewed October 2026. 3 sources listed below. Written and maintained by Petdeals.io. General care information, not veterinary advice — for a sick animal, call a vet.