Holiday Gifts for Australian Shepherd Owners (Kai-Tested)

Deshedder · double-sided undercoat rake

An Aussie has two coats, and the bottom one comes out in sheets twice a year and in tufts the rest of the time. This rake gets down to that undercoat without scratching Kai, and he tolerates it better than any brush I tried before it. For what it costs, I was surprised how much came out — and how much less ended up on the couch afterward.

Good for: anyone with an Aussie and a couch. “Your couch will thank you.”

Between-baths spray · White Jasmine

Aussies shouldn’t be bathed every week — it dries the coat out — but they also roll in things. This is what I reach for in between. Spray, work it in with your hands, towel, done. Kai comes back smelling like a dog who’s been cared for instead of a dog who’s been in a pond.

Good for: the stocking, or bundled with the rake for a “grooming kit” that costs less than a bag of treats.

Folding wire crate with divider.

This is the crate Kai was trained in, and he liked it — went in on his own, slept in it, treated it as his spot instead of a punishment. The divider panel is the reason to buy it for a puppy: you make the space small while they’re small, then move the panel back as they grow, instead of buying two crates. It folds flat for the car.

Good for: someone bringing home an Aussie puppy this winter. First crate, and probably the only one they’ll need.

Recall training line · brass solid snap

This is the line I bought after a cheap clip failed on me (more on that below). Biothane is the rubbery-feeling coated webbing that doesn’t soak up water, doesn’t stink, and wipes clean. Fifteen feet is enough for an Aussie to feel free at the park while you’re still holding the other end, which is exactly the setup you want for recall practice. The snap is solid brass, not a stamped hook — that’s the whole point.

Good for: any Aussie owner who works on recall, and anyone who’s ever chased a dog across a field.

High-velocity force dryer · variable speed

An Aussie’s double coat holds water for hours, and a damp undercoat is how you get hot spots and that wet-dog smell that never quite leaves. This dryer pushes the water out instead of evaporating it — Kai goes from soaked to dry in a fraction of the time a towel and a hair dryer took, and a lot of loose undercoat comes out with the water. It’s the single most helpful thing I own for the after-bath part.

Good for: the home-groomer in your life. The person who has a dog shampoo opinion.

Robot vacuum + mop with self-emptying dock

Here’s the thing nobody tells you before you get an Aussie: the hair is a daily event, not a seasonal one. This runs while I’m at work, and I come home to floors that don’t look like a dog lives here. It vacuums and mops, empties itself into the dock, and Kai stopped caring about it within a week. Of everything on this page, this is the one that changed my day-to-day the most. Lifesaver is the right word.

Good for: the Aussie owner who has given up on the floors. Group gift material.