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Australian Cattle Dog and Australian Shepherd

What both sides can say, then where they part, then what only one side can say, then what nobody has measured yet. A number without its sample does not appear.

Breed explains about 8.9% of the Morrill behavior factors in the paper. A bar here is a breed lean, never a prediction about a dog.

What they share

Cited lifespan
14 years
n=117
13.7 years
n=224
What cited lifespan means

How long dogs of this breed tend to live, from McMillan 2024 (VetCompass). A population median.

McMillan 2024

Where they differ

Typical adult weight
22 lb
n=141
53 lb
n=31
What typical adult weight means

Typical adult weight, in pounds.

CanVAS

Lifespan for size
+1.4 years for size
n=141
+1.9 years for size
n=31
What does longevity for its size mean?

How much longer or shorter a breed tends to live than its body size predicts (bigger dogs live shorter on average — this measures the gap from that expectation).

How to read it: Positive = lives longer than its size predicts; negative = shorter. At the extremes, roughly +3 years (longest-lived for its size) down to about -4 years.

A population pattern, not a guarantee for an individual dog.

CanVAS

Genetic neighbors
What genetic neighbors means

Where this breed sits among others in the atlas. Placement, not pedigree.

CanVAS

Heterozygosity
31%
n=141
36%
n=31
What does genetic diversity mean?

How varied a breed's gene pool is — the share of gene spots where a typical dog of the breed carries two different versions rather than two identical ones.

How to read it: Higher = more diverse. Among well-sampled breeds it ranges roughly 0.22 (least diverse) to 0.33 (most diverse).

Diversity is a strength, not a verdict on any individual dog. Lower diversity means it's worth paying attention to recessive-risk testing — not that a dog is doomed.

CanVAS

30.7%
n=980
0.4%
n=2293
What does carrier rate mean?

The share of tested dogs of a breed that carry at least one copy of a specific disease variant.

How to read it: Higher = more common in the breed. 'Carrier' means carrying the variant, not having the disease.

Carrier is NOT the same as affected, especially for recessive variants. Figures come from tested (direct-to-consumer) dogs, which can skew the rate. Worth asking your vet.

Donner 2023

7.5%
n=982
0%
n=2296
What does carrier rate mean?

The share of tested dogs of a breed that carry at least one copy of a specific disease variant.

How to read it: Higher = more common in the breed. 'Carrier' means carrying the variant, not having the disease.

Carrier is NOT the same as affected, especially for recessive variants. Figures come from tested (direct-to-consumer) dogs, which can skew the rate. Worth asking your vet.

Donner 2023

5.1%
n=982
11.5%
n=2296
What does carrier rate mean?

The share of tested dogs of a breed that carry at least one copy of a specific disease variant.

How to read it: Higher = more common in the breed. 'Carrier' means carrying the variant, not having the disease.

Carrier is NOT the same as affected, especially for recessive variants. Figures come from tested (direct-to-consumer) dogs, which can skew the rate. Worth asking your vet.

Donner 2023

5.1%
n=982
9%
n=2296
What does carrier rate mean?

The share of tested dogs of a breed that carry at least one copy of a specific disease variant.

How to read it: Higher = more common in the breed. 'Carrier' means carrying the variant, not having the disease.

Carrier is NOT the same as affected, especially for recessive variants. Figures come from tested (direct-to-consumer) dogs, which can skew the rate. Worth asking your vet.

Donner 2023

2.6%
n=982
0%
n=2296
What does carrier rate mean?

The share of tested dogs of a breed that carry at least one copy of a specific disease variant.

How to read it: Higher = more common in the breed. 'Carrier' means carrying the variant, not having the disease.

Carrier is NOT the same as affected, especially for recessive variants. Figures come from tested (direct-to-consumer) dogs, which can skew the rate. Worth asking your vet.

Donner 2023

2.3%
n=982
0%
n=2296
What does carrier rate mean?

The share of tested dogs of a breed that carry at least one copy of a specific disease variant.

How to read it: Higher = more common in the breed. 'Carrier' means carrying the variant, not having the disease.

Carrier is NOT the same as affected, especially for recessive variants. Figures come from tested (direct-to-consumer) dogs, which can skew the rate. Worth asking your vet.

Donner 2023

1.5%
n=982
0%
n=2296
What does carrier rate mean?

The share of tested dogs of a breed that carry at least one copy of a specific disease variant.

How to read it: Higher = more common in the breed. 'Carrier' means carrying the variant, not having the disease.

Carrier is NOT the same as affected, especially for recessive variants. Figures come from tested (direct-to-consumer) dogs, which can skew the rate. Worth asking your vet.

Donner 2023

1.3%
n=982
0.1%
n=2296
What does carrier rate mean?

The share of tested dogs of a breed that carry at least one copy of a specific disease variant.

How to read it: Higher = more common in the breed. 'Carrier' means carrying the variant, not having the disease.

Carrier is NOT the same as affected, especially for recessive variants. Figures come from tested (direct-to-consumer) dogs, which can skew the rate. Worth asking your vet.

Donner 2023

0.3%
n=982
24.3%
n=2296
What does carrier rate mean?

The share of tested dogs of a breed that carry at least one copy of a specific disease variant.

How to read it: Higher = more common in the breed. 'Carrier' means carrying the variant, not having the disease.

Carrier is NOT the same as affected, especially for recessive variants. Figures come from tested (direct-to-consumer) dogs, which can skew the rate. Worth asking your vet.

Donner 2023

0.6%
n=982
5%
n=2296
What does carrier rate mean?

The share of tested dogs of a breed that carry at least one copy of a specific disease variant.

How to read it: Higher = more common in the breed. 'Carrier' means carrying the variant, not having the disease.

Carrier is NOT the same as affected, especially for recessive variants. Figures come from tested (direct-to-consumer) dogs, which can skew the rate. Worth asking your vet.

Donner 2023

Health and build profile neighbor
What health and build profile neighbor means

Breeds that share a health and build profile. Not family.

One side known

Human Sociability
Not in the Morrill set.
n=0
0.04
n=95

Australian Cattle Dog: Not in the Morrill set. · Australian Shepherd: 0.04 (n=95)

What human sociability means

A breed lean on this factor in the Darwin's Ark paper. Not a prediction about a dog.

Morrill 2022

Arousal Level
Not in the Morrill set.
n=0
-0.26
n=97

Australian Cattle Dog: Not in the Morrill set. · Australian Shepherd: -0.26 (n=97)

What arousal level means

A breed lean on this factor in the Darwin's Ark paper. Not a prediction about a dog.

Morrill 2022

Toy-directed Motor Patterns
Not in the Morrill set.
n=0
-0.31
n=102

Australian Cattle Dog: Not in the Morrill set. · Australian Shepherd: -0.31 (n=102)

What toy-directed motor patterns means

A breed lean on this factor in the Darwin's Ark paper. Not a prediction about a dog.

Morrill 2022

Biddability
Not in the Morrill set.
n=0
-0.35
n=118

Australian Cattle Dog: Not in the Morrill set. · Australian Shepherd: -0.35 (n=118)

What biddability means

A breed lean on this factor in the Darwin's Ark paper. Not a prediction about a dog.

Morrill 2022

Agonistic Threshold
Not in the Morrill set.
n=0
0.16
n=107

Australian Cattle Dog: Not in the Morrill set. · Australian Shepherd: 0.16 (n=107)

What agonistic threshold means

A breed lean on this factor in the Darwin's Ark paper. Not a prediction about a dog.

Morrill 2022

Dog Sociability
Not in the Morrill set.
n=0
0.01
n=109

Australian Cattle Dog: Not in the Morrill set. · Australian Shepherd: 0.01 (n=109)

What dog sociability means

A breed lean on this factor in the Darwin's Ark paper. Not a prediction about a dog.

Morrill 2022

What nobody has measured yet

No row is dark on both sides.

Pick a different pairing · Australian Cattle Dog · Australian Shepherd