The breed as we know it today was developed exclusively in the 19th century in the United States. Australian Shepherds were bred as herding dogs. (4/15) by Judy Powell September 6, 2020, 8:44 am Credit Judy Powell 0 Previous 4/15 Next View full list See more Previous article The Australian Shepherd probably came from the Spanish Basque Country. Basque shepherds took their dogs first to Australia and then to the United States. That is why the Americans called the dogs Australian Shepherds. Next article Australien Shepherds enjoyed an enormous popularity boom after the First World War. Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.