Cooper the Australian Shepherd / Golden Retriever mix breed 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 blacker."
"Here is Cooper at about 11 ½ weeks, in his favorite spot at my boyfriend’s house (while he still fit there, at least). He liked to lie there because it was cooler than all the carpet everywhere, plus there was wood to chew on! He was always lying on brick, or linoleum, or any surface that was slightly cooler than others."
Cooper the Australian Shepherd / Golden Retriever mix breed 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 and 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 lying 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 gets 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 Aussies 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 firewood, 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. "
Mack at 10 months old; Mack is an ACHC-registered Australian Retriever. Photo courtesy of Amy Lawson
"As the first breeder to design, name and register the Australian Retriever with ACHC, I'd like to tell the story of how it all got started. I've bred Golden Retrievers since 1980 and in recent years decided to get an Australian Shepherd to help out with my cattle. What I discovered was the black tricolored male Australian Shepherd was a wonderful and very intelligent companion. So, to make a long story short, in October of 2007, I purposely bred my registered black tri male Australian Shepherd to 3 of my AKC Golden Retriever females. In late December 2007, I got the first litter: 2 black and white or black bicolored and 2 black tricolored. The other two litters came in January 2008. They were wonderful! I've never had puppies learn so easily! At 4 weeks old the puppies were using a spring loaded doggie door by themselves. I couldn't believe it and thought the mother was helping them through the door so I sat and observed and found out that they didn't need assistance from mom! Word got around that I had designed a new hybrid and completed all the paperwork to register them with ACHC and soon I was sending the puppies to new homes. The response on this new hybrid was astonishing! Some of the comments were "super easy to housetrain," "very obedient," "pleasant," "calm," etc. I've found the Australian Retrievers are not super demanding of one's attention and are comfortable just being close by. Also they are very attentive of what their "people" are doing and seem to notice any changes or anything different on the property. Like the Goldens, the Australian Retrievers love everyone!" Courtesy of Amy Lawson
Cheyenne (Cheye) the Australian Retriever at 15 years old—"I found Cheyenne advertised in my city's Reader while looking for a dog to train as a Service Dog. The breed listed as a mix between two purebreds. One Golden Retriever, the other Australian Shepherd. I'd previously had a purebred Aussie who was a GREAT companion, but was very high strung, nipped at heels and had a bad case of separation anxiety. Because I needed a calmer dog as a service dog I purposefully looked for a mix. This was way back in 1999, so to all who claim they invented this breed (and at a much later date/year) sorry, it wasn't you. Cheyenne was mostly black with white and a small amount of brown (didn't look like a blue, however), with brown eyes a mostly black nose (mostly pink as a pup) with a heart-shaped pink area near it's base. With careful training, enlisting my kids as helpers, Cheyenne was a HUGE help, learned fast and very easygoing. Even during illness he still performed light duties (flipping lights, retrieving items) without fail. So glad I found him! He holds my heart with wonderful memories."
Cheyenne (Cheye) the Australian Retriever at 15 years old
Cheyenne (Cheye) the Australian Retriever at 15 years old
Cheyenne (Cheye) the Australian Retriever at 15 years old
Cheyenne (Cheye) the Australian Retriever at 15 years old with his doggie friend.
Cleo the possible Golden Retriever / Australian Shepherd mix
Cleo the possible Golden Retriever / Australian Shepherd mix with the kids
Cleo the possible Golden Retriever / Australian Shepherd mix
