Top Picks: The Best Dog Food for Your Australian Shepherd’s Peak Performance

Australian Shepherds are one of the most strikingly beautiful and popular dogs around. They are renowned for their intelligence, agility, and striking appearance, but they are not typically considered hypoallergenic. Hypoallergenic dog breeds are those that produce fewer allergenic proteins and shed less dander, making them a better choice for people with allergies.

Australian Shepherds, on the other hand, have a double coat that can shed year-round and may trigger allergies in sensitive individuals. While individual reactions to dog allergies vary, Australian Shepherds are not generally recommended for those seeking a hypoallergenic pet.

According to the AKC, these beautiful herders have surged in popularity in recent years, and are now among the twenty most popular breeds in the world.

Read on so that you will know what the best dog foods for Australian Shepherds are.

 

Fast Facts

While their name would have you believe they’re originally from the land down under, the Australian shepherd was actually first bred in America.

Aussies are smart, hard-working, easy to train and have the boundless energy necessary for a life of herding, which is what they’re bred to do. To keep up with the rigors of their work, they need a nutritious diet that’s rich in protein.

Australian shepherds are a medium sized dog, typically weighing in between 45-65 pounds and standing 1 ½-2’ tall. The average Aussie lives about 12-15 years.

Best Dog Food for Australian Shepherd

Today, we’ve learned everything you’ll need to know about your Aussies special needs, and the ingredients that they need in their food to thrive. Now, we’ll take a look at some of the best options available for Australian shepherd puppies, adults, and seniors.

1. Ollie Fresh Pet Food Delivery

If you want to feed your dog a raw diet, but you don’t want to be responsible for it, you can outsource that responsibility to a company like Ollie. It produces excellent raw meals for your dog that can help clear up pickiness and skin issues your dog may be experiencing.

Whole veggies and fruits help with antioxidants and vitamins to promote bone health, coat health, and proper brain function.

You can design your dog’s meal plan directly on the website, and the meals are delivered to you to be frozen or refrigerated until you need them. They’re easy to do, and if you’ve got the budget, you may transform your dog’s mealtime.

Ollie teams up with canine nutritionists to help create the most fulfilling raw food diet for your pet. You have meals delivered, making everything simple, and you can fill out a questionnaire to find the right dog food for your Aussie.

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2. We Feed Raw Venison Recipe

This is a high-quality meal crafted to meet the nutritional needs of dogs while delighting their taste buds.

Featuring venison sourced exclusively from the pristine green pastures of New Zealand, this novel protein recipe offers a unique and wholesome alternative for pets, particularly those with food sensitivities or allergies to more common proteins.

Meticulously formulated by a PhD nutritionist, this recipe ensures an optimal balance of essential nutrients, promoting overall health and vitality for dogs of all ages and breeds.

Each patty is packed with high-quality venison, nutrient-rich organ meats, and finely ground bone to provide a complete and biologically appropriate diet, aligning with your dog's natural instincts.

Perfect for pet owners seeking the best in raw nutrition, it embodies the commitment to quality and purity that every furry companion deserves.

For those reasons, it’s one of our favorites for adult Aussies.

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3. Full Moon Freshly Crafted Ranch Raised Beef Recipe 

This is a gourmet meal designed to provide dogs with the wholesome nutrition they deserve. Made with ranch-raised beef as the first ingredient, this recipe features responsibly sourced, high-quality protein to support strong muscles and overall vitality.

The grain-free formula is ideal for dogs with sensitivities, crafted without corn, wheat, soy, or artificial additives. Each batch is gently cooked and then frozen to lock in freshness, ensuring a naturally delicious flavor dogs love.

Enriched with essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, this recipe promotes healthy digestion, a shiny coat, and sustained energy levels. Perfect for discerning pet parents, this dog food combines real, thoughtfully sourced ingredients with a commitment to your dog’s health and happiness.

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4. Nom Nom Pet Food

Nom Nom is a pet food company that was founded in 2015 by a small collective of pet enthusiasts who made a commitment to improve the health of dogs and cats everywhere.

This California-based pet food company set out to turn the pet food industry on its head by offering gently-cooked, custom meals for dogs similar to meal-prep services like Maple and Sprig for humans.

Nom Nom’s food is made and hand-packed in the USA. They are partners with a veterinary nutritionist to formulate their nutritionally-balanced recipes in accordance with AAFCO standards. All of their food is cooked in small batches in their USDA-regulated kitchen.

They carefully source their ingredients from reputable farms in the U.S. Each partner must go through an extensive certification process to become a supplier. All of their food is made only with whole, fresh & organic ingredients.

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5. Dr. Tim’s Highly Athletic Momentum Formula 

Veterinary professional Dr. Tim Hunt has developed this food especially for high energy working dogs to provide them with the nutrition they need to excel. This is one of the most advanced foods we’ve seen, and it’s packed with protein and fat.

A whopping 92% of the protein from this food is derived from animal sources, which provide your pup with the most useful and bioavailable protein sources. The majority of the protein in this blend is derived from chicken and fish.

This food is also extremely high in healthy fats, which not only provides a great flavor and texture for your pet but also helps ensure that they have healthy skin and a beautiful and lustrous coat.

A special probiotic blend also helps to provide your pup with immune system support, while supporting gastrointestinal health as well.

At over 500 calories per cup, this is one of the most energy-packed foods on the market, and it provides working dogs with the fuel they need for a day on the range.

This food is a bit more expensive than some brands, but if you’re serious about providing your high energy Aussie with the best, it’s an option to take a closer look at.

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6. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Salmon Recipe (Grain Free)

Blue Buffalo’s salmon recipe uses their famous LifeSource bits for essential nutrients and vitamins.

Deboned salmon provides an excellent source of essential fatty acids and high-quality proteins essential for your Australian Shepherd’s high energy. Fish is excellent at helping dogs maintain a beautiful coat and this one should be no different.

There’s no soy or corn, and it’s gluten and wheat free. It uses whole, quality products with none of our usual suspects with skin or other food allergies.

It’s meant to mimic the ancestral diet your canine would have had before the days of human couches and apartment living.

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7. Go! Solutions Carnivore Chicken, Turkey & Duck Recipe

Go! Is a newer dog food company that places a serious emphasis on animal-based proteins. They’re owned by the Canadian manufacturer Petcurean, and they’re one of the only manufacturers that don’t source a single ingredient from China.

When you take a look at the ingredients in this food, you’ll notice that there are tons of animal proteins listed. Beyond the first five we mentioned above, there’s also trout and duck in this blend, as well.

This food also contains tons of complex carbs from delicious fruit and vegetable sources. You’ll find pumpkin, squash, broccoli, blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, spinach, alfalfa sprouts.

These provide your pup with plenty of energy sources, while also feeding them the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants they need for optimal performance.

Prebiotics and probiotics are also included to support your dog’s immune system and help them maintain their gastrointestinal health.

We love that this food is packed with so many great sources of protein and complex carbs. While there are plenty of antioxidants to support joint health, we would have also liked to see glucosamine and chondroitin, which are unfortunately missing. The only other knock against Go! Fit is it’s a bit on the pricey side. The per pound price of this food is about $2.84.

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8. Primal Raw Pronto Lamb Recipe 

Primal Raw Pronto Lamb Recipe is a convenient and nutritious meal option for dogs. Made with grass-fed lamb meat, organs, and bones, this recipe provides a complete and balanced source of protein, vitamins, and minerals. The food is freeze-dried to preserve the nutrients and flavors of the ingredients, and can be easily rehydrated with water before serving.

It is free from grains, gluten, and artificial preservatives, making it a great option for dogs with food sensitivities or allergies. The food is also supplemented with organic produce, including kale, squash, and blueberries, to provide additional fiber and antioxidants.

To prepare, simply add water to the food and allow it to rehydrate for a few minutes before serving. This is a convenient option for pet owners who want to feed their dogs a high-quality, raw diet without the hassle of preparing it themselves.

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9. Bully Max 24/14 High-Protein & Growth Lamb

This protein-packed blend features lamb meal and pork as their main sources of protein, delivering a rich source of protein essential for building strong muscles and promoting healthy growth.

It is specially formulated to support the growth and development of puppies with its high-quality, nutrient-packed recipe.

What sets this formula apart is its inclusion of TruMune, a cutting-edge post-biotic that actively supports gut health and enhances immune function.

By fostering a balanced digestive system, TruMune helps puppies absorb nutrients more efficiently, laying a solid foundation for overall wellness.

Designed to provide optimal levels of protein and fat, this 24/14 formula ensures your puppy gets the energy they need for playful days and steady growth, without unnecessary fillers or artificial additives.

Whether you're raising a large-breed pup or a small but energetic companion, Bully Max 24/14 offers the nutritional edge to help them thrive at every stage of their development.

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10. Nulo Freestyle Trout & Sweet Potato Senior Recipe

Nulo’s Freestyle recipe uses proteins from fish sources including whole trout and salmon meal. It supplements with turkey meal as well giving senior dogs a high protein beginning to their kibble.

Sweet potato is a good source of complex carbohydrates to keep energy levels stable with the addition of L-Carnitine to help your senior dog digest the meal properly.

Glucosamine and Chondroitin offer joint and hip support while pure probiotic strains help keep the digestive system working well. Chicken and egg proteins further encourage muscle resilience and a healthy coat.

Fruits and veggies offer base nutrients while the whole kibble formula mimics an ancestral diet of a variety of foods found in the wild.

Nulo was inspired by the nutrition of world-class athletes, and the small company aspires to give pets a proper nutritional foundation in the way they would have consumed in the wild.

They have a patented probiotic that encourages adequate digestion, and over 80% of protein sources in Nulo foods comes from whole meats. It began in the search for better nutrition for animal diabetes and obesity caused by terrible food and is based in Texas.

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Australian Shepherd’s Caloric Needs

By nature, Aussies are an especially energetic breed. They’re used to spending their days herding animals on acres of property. To keep up with the demands of their work, they require a high protein, high-calorie diet to sustain themselves.

The caloric needs of an Aussie can range widely, depending on their age and activity level. More active dogs will require more food each day than a dog who is more docile. The dog food company Merrick has a handy calculator you can use to determine the caloric requirements of your pup based on their size, age, and activity level.

 

The Nutritional Needs of Australian Shepherds

When it comes to nutrition, it’s a good idea to look at the recommendations from AAFCO as a baseline for what dogs need in their diets.

AAFCO is the organization that regulates the pet food industry, and they recommend that a dog’s diet consist of at least 18% protein and 5% fat. For puppies, those numbers jump up to 22% protein and 8% fat.

Most quality dog food manufacturers greatly exceed those percentages. Considering how active Aussies are, you’ll want to look into foods with around 30% protein and 12% fat.

What’s in the Best Dog Food for Australian Shepherds

When it comes to food, your dog needs four things: protein, fat, complex carbs and fiber. These four components work together to provide your pup with the balanced nutrition they need to thrive.

Protein – At the centerpiece of any dog’s diet is protein. Protein gives dogs the fuel they need to build muscle and remain strong and healthy. The vast majority of the protein in a dog’s diet should come from meat.

Depending on your dog’s individual preferences, beef, poultry, and seafood all make perfect protein sources for dogs. When you’re looking at the ingredients list for a particular brand of food, pay special attention to the first three ingredients listed.

Ideally, all three of these ingredients should be meat. Whole meat sources are best, but meat meals (which is meat with the water removed from it) are also fine. Avoid any dog food that contains ingredients like meat by-products, or meat digests.

These ingredients are a tell-tale sign of an inferior quality dog food, and your pup deserves better. Considering how active and strong Aussies are, a high protein content of around 30% or higher is ideal for these dogs.

Fat – While fat tends to get a bad rap, especially in human diets, the truth is that good fat is a vital part of every diet, and there are many health benefits associated with these kinds of fats.

Fats help to give food its taste and texture, and they also provide critical nutrients that your pup needs to thrive.

A diet that’s rich in healthy fats will help to provide your pup with a healthy coat and clear skin.

Healthy fats have also shown the ability to protect against cardiovascular disease. While the sources of fat are many, always look for food that contains omega III, which will help fortify your dog’s skin and coat.

Complex Carbs – While complex carbs are less critical to a dog’s diet than protein and fat are, they’re still important. Complex carbs are especially important for active breeds like the Australian shepherd because they act as an energy source for your pup.

Keep in mind that simple carbs that come from grains such as wheat, corn, sugar or soy are not the kind of carbs you want to see in your dog food. In fact, it’s best to avoid feeding your dog these kinds of grains wherever possible.

These grains are mainly used by manufacturers to bulk up their bottom line, without any sort of additional benefit for your dog. On the other hand, complex carbs from sources like fruit and vegetables are very useful, and they should be a part of your dog’s diet.

Not only do they provide an energy source, but complex carbs are also a good source of the vitamins and minerals that your dog needs in their diet.

Fiber – The final component of your dog’s diet is fiber. Fiber helps to keep your dog’s digestive system working properly, helps keep them regular, and it also helps your dog to feel full.

Fiber can be especially important if your pup is a bit overweight, and they’re on a weight management diet to get them back to their ideal size.

As a general rule, a fiber content of around 4-5% is perfect for most dogs.

Their Unique Needs

Beyond feeding your pup a diet that’s rich in protein, healthy fats, complex carbs, and fiber, there are a few other things to consider. Aussies are predisposed to some different health conditions, and you may be able to protect them from those conditions by adhering to a diet that helps protect against these conditions.

Allergies – One health concern that affects many Aussies is allergies. While there are many different kinds of allergies, food allergies are the most prevalent among Aussies.

The best way to protect your dog against possible allergens is to feed them a wholesome and grain-free diet that’s rich in natural ingredients. More often than not, a dog’s food allergies are caused by grains such as wheat, corn or soy. Avoiding these ingredients may help your dog to stay allergy free.

Hip and Elbow Dysplasia – Many dog breeds, including Australian shepherds, are susceptible to hip and elbow dysplasia. This condition occurs when the hip or elbow bones don’t fit snugly into their sockets, which can then allow those bones to pop out of place.

While these conditions are usually hereditary, there are some dietary steps you can take to help protect your dog from developing these conditions. A diet that includes glucosamine and chondroitin will help protect your dog's joints and bones, which may help to prevent the onset of this condition.

Cancer – Cancer is prevalent throughout most dog breeds, including Aussies. While there’s little you can do to prevent your dog from developing cancer, you can help reduce the chance of your dog developing cancer by feeding them a wholesome diet that’s rich in natural ingredients.

In some cases, dogs develop cancer because of harmful ingredients that can be found in dog food. By avoiding bargain-priced foods and sticking with foods that limit or eliminate the use of non-natural ingredients, you may be able to reduce your dog’s cancer risk.