The Australian Shepherd (Aussie) is a herding dog that is of medium size, with males measuring in at between 20 and 23 inches and the females between 18 and 21 inches at the withers.
The Aussie is a double coated dog, meaning that it has an outer coat that is somewhat coarse designed to be somewhat water repellent and a softer undercoat. This means that the Aussie sheds. So, if you don't want a lot of hair in your house, this is not the breed for you.
Nope, although the name suggests it, the Aussie is actually an American breed. One of the theories on the name is, it was influenced by the Basque people whom brought their dogs to the United States from Australia. Their dogs looked similar to the Aussie.
The Australian Shepherd was developed to herd livestock. Today many are still used to herd livestock such as sheep, cattle, goats, etc. However, there are many that have found ways to put their skills to use in other areas including: hearing dogs for the deaf, guide dogs for the blind, therapy dogs, search and rescue dogs, obedience, agility, conformation, and many other areas.
Through the participation in livestock exhibits, fairs, rodeos, and horse and dog shows, the Aussie has become somewhat popular. It was Jay Sisler to first introduce the Aussie to the American and Canadian public. He accomplished this by performing a dog trick act with his Australian Shepherds during rodeos throughout the United States and Canada during the 1950's and 1960's.
In 1957 the Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA) was established, becoming the official registry for Australian Shepherds in 1971. ASCA began offering conformation, obedience, and tracking titles, adding the stock dog program in 1974 to help preserve and promote the herding ability in the Australian Shepherd.
In 1990 the United States Australian Shepherd Association formed by a splinter group to seek AKC recognition. In 1991, the Aussie was accepted for AKC registration and was admitted to the herding group in 1993 for full competition.
Sources:
The Complete Dog Book 19th EditionAKC, 1997 Howell Book House
All About Aussies: The Australian Shepherd From A to ZHartnagle-Taylor, Jeanne Jog, 1996 Alpine Publications
United States Australian Shepherd Association website, http://www.australianshepherds.org