Penelope

Australian Shepherds are a beautiful breed with merle coats, high energy, and and an obsession with being close to their families. These dogs are wonderful family companions, but be prepared to keep them active and occupied to avoid having a sad, destructive Aussie. Full-grown, they typically weigh 40-65 pounds and stand 18-23 inches tall.

Australian Shepherds are generally excellent with children of all ages. Australian Shepherds are great companion for kids and other pets, especially if they’re socialized as puppies. These dogs can be happy in warm or cool climates, but they need plenty of space to run and play and should have their primary living space indoors. They're moderate barkers — they'll alert you when something's up but aren't excessive.

Aussies need a lot of high-energy activities and mental stimulation to keep them happy. They’re the perfect exercise buddies, especially for families that like being outdoors. Take your Australian Shepherd for a run, hike, or a long play session in a big backyard to keep their hearts soaring and their minds sharp. Overall, their exercise needs are very high.

The Australian Shepherd has a dense undercoat and outer coat with medium to long hair that’s straight or slightly wavy. Aussies’ fur is short and soft on their head and legs, with a thick mane around the neck. These dogs can be black, red, red merle (dark patches on a light background), or blue merle, and some may have white markings or tan points too. Grooming-wise, this breed is low-maintenance.

Australian Shepherds are best suited for a home with a yard, though they can adapt to apartment life with enough exercise. These dogs can be happy in warm or cool climates, but they need plenty of space to run and play and should have their primary living space indoors. They are highly trainable and eager to learn.

France has been officially recognized as the Poodle’s country of origin, but the Poodle’s earlier ancestors came from central Asia. The German variety has probably influenced the modern breed most (‘Poodle’ is German for ‘splash’ or ‘puddle’). In 18th and 19th century Europe, the Poodle served a wide variety of purposes, including duck hunting, guiding, and later circus performing, from whence the modern grooming style likely arose. The Poodle became a popular pet for the French aristocracy, and in time was officially adopted as the national dog. Poodles were imported to America in the 20th century. They slowly rose in popularity and eventually became the country’s most popular dog. Famous Poodles include author John Steinbeck’s dog Charley, subject of the book ‘Travels with Charley: In Search of America’, and Weird Al’s Poodle Bela, who…uhm… sat on his head for the album cover of ‘Poodle Hat.’ Full-grown, they typically weigh 12-55 pounds and stand 10-15 inches tall.

Standard Poodles are generally excellent with children of all ages. The Standard Poodle gets along well with other animals, other dogs, and children. Standard Poodles are highly adaptable and make good watchdogs. They're moderate barkers — they'll alert you when something's up but aren't excessive.

The Standard Poodle requires substantial amounts of exercise. Standard Poodles require long walks and outdoor activities such as swimming or playing catch. The Standard Poodle is fond of retrieving, as it has origins as a hunting dog. Overall, their exercise needs are high.

The Standard Poodle has a distinctive fine, frizzy, wooly coat similar in texture to sheep’s wool. Solid white is most common, but the coat may also be solid grey, brown, apricot, or black. There are three distinct grooming styles for show Poodles: puppy clip, continental clip, and English saddle clip. Grooming-wise, this breed is high-maintenance. Standard Poodles are considered hypoallergenic, which can be a plus for allergy sufferers.

Standard Poodles are best suited for apartments and smaller homes. They are highly trainable and eager to learn.