Australian Shepherd Movies

Marley and Me (2009)

Though not as popular as the Border Collie in movies today, the Australian Shepherd can still be seen in dozens of films. Most notably, there were two Aussie stars of early Hollywood: Bunk appeared in many westerns with Jack Hoxie in the 1920s and into the 1930s. And Tuffy—trained by cowboy Ger Orvedahl—was also an Australian Shepherd, or possible Aussie/Collie mix. Also see Miniature Australian Shepherd movies.


12 Dog Days Till Christmas

2014 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
★★
Mixed Breed
★★
Smooth Fox Terrier
Chihuahua
Chinese Crested
Labrador Retriever
Pit Pull

12 Dogs of Christmas

2005 (USA)

Brittany
★★
Alaskan Husky
★★
Australian Shepherd
Saint Bernard
Beagle
Boxer
Chihuahua
Cocker Spaniel
Dalmatian
English Springer Spaniel
German Shepherd Dog
Golden Retriever
Great Pyrenees
Siberian Husky
Mixed Breed
★★

Dozens of dogs.

A Dog’s Journey

2019 (USA/China/India)

Mixed Breed
★★★
Mastiff
Irish Wolfhound
Australian Shepherd
Shetland Sheepdog
Poodle
Irish Setter
Chinese Crested
Yorkshire Terrier
Beagle
Miniature American Shepherd
Bulldog
Dalmatian
Doodle
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Border Collie

Mostly starring mixed breeds, including Odin who plays the first “Bailey,” and “Molly” a Beagle/Cavalier King Charles Spaniel cross, but with dozens of canines of all shapes and sizes. After working with the dubious Birds & Animals Unlimited in the prequel, these dogs come from excellent, humane training team Canine Costars of Canada, headed by Bonnie Judd. (The Sheltie is only in deleted scenes doing agility.)

No image or film link available

A Gold Medal Winning Tramp Dog

or 金牌流浪狗

2014 (China)

Border Collie
★★★
Australian Shepherd
Belgian Malinois

About a Border Collie, though other dogs can be seen at the disc dog competitions.

Across the Great Divide

1976 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
★★

The main dog appears to be a black and tan Aussie, though possibly a mix. Also wolves.

Air Bud: World Pup

2000 (Canada/USA)

Golden Retriever
★★★
Australian Shepherd
Miniature American Shepherd
German Shepherd Dog
Australian Cattle Dog
Basenji
Belgian Malinois
Border Collie
Boxer
Briard
Collie (rough)
Dalmatian
English Springer Spaniel
Parson Russell Terrier
Rottweiler
Mixed Breed

All Roads Lead Home

2008 (USA)

Border Collie
★★
Australian Shepherd
Boston Terrier
Pug
Siberian Husky
Mixed Breed
Toy Fox Terrier
Golden Retriever
Pit Pull
Boxer
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Japanese Chin
Papillon
Bulldog

With the exception of the Border Collies and red and white Boston Terrier, all the dogs in this film can be seen only in quick glimpses, many in the final scene, including the Bulldog lying in a dog run and the Japanese Chin in a girl’s lap.

The Animal

2001 (USA)

Mixed Breed
★★
Border Collie
Labrador Retriever
Australian Shepherd
Jack Russell Terrier
West Highland White Terrier
Bloodhound
Bulldog

Bailey’s Billion$

or Bailey’s Billions

2005 (Canada)

Golden Retriever
★★★
Border Collie
★★
Miniature American Shepherd
Australian Shepherd
Border Terrier
Briard
Brittany
Italian Greyhound
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
Poodle
Yorkshire Terrier
Border Terrier
Schnauzer
German Shepherd Dog
Brittany
Clumber Spaniel
Mixed Breed

Bark Ranger

2015 (USA/Canada)

Australian Shepherd
★★★
Jack Russell Terrier

Bark!

2002 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
★★
American Bulldog

A woman believes she is a dog. Not much seen of actual dogs, but a notable role for an Australian Shepherd.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3

or Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva La Fiesta!

2012 (USA)

Chihuahua
★★★
Akita
American Eskimo Dog
Australian Shepherd
Border Terrier
Beagle
Basset Hound

Born to Run

or Harness Fever

1979 (Australia/UK)

Australian Cattle Dog
★★
Australian Shepherd

From a Wonderful World of Disney TV film.

Brigham Young

1940 (USA)

Australian Shepherd

Tuffy’s final film.

Brokeback Mountain

2005 (USA/Canada)

Australian Cattle Dog
Australian Shepherd

A couple of Australian Cattle Dogs accompany the cowboys at the beginning of the film, plus one shot of an Aussie. More extended footage of the dogs was cut during editing.

No image or film link available

Cow Dog

1953 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
★★★

A short film precursor to Stub: The Best Cowdog in the West (below).

Daniel and the Superdogs

2004 (Canada/UK)

Borzoi
★★
Parson Russell Terrier
★★
Berger Picard
Australian Shepherd
Labrador Retriever
Saint Bernard
German Shorthaired Pointer
Bearded Collie
Bulldog
Norwich Terrier
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Shetland Sheepdog
Golden Retriever
Poodle
Border Collie
Collie (rough)
Yorkshire Terrier
Rottweiler
Belgian Sheepdog
Schipperke
Whippet
Boston Terrier
Papillon
Irish Setter
Mixed Breed
★★

Darling Companion

2012 (USA)

Mixed Breed
★★
Belgian Laekenois
Alaskan Malamute
Australian Shepherd
Bernese Mountain Dog
Bloodhound
Vizsla
Rottweiler
German Shepherd Dog
Belgian Malinois
Labrador Retriever
Australian Kelpie
Golden Retriever

“Freeway” is the main dog, also seen in Monster Mutt (2011). Many others with background parts. Producer Elizabeth Redleaf was so taken with the Belgian Laekenois appearing in this film, she adopted one of his relatives—a dog by the name of Albert.

No image or film link available

The Demon

1926 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

Featuring Bunk.

Disturbing Behavior

1998 (Australia/Canada/USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

Tri-color older dog.

Dog Lover’s Symphony

2006 (USA)

Labrador Retriever
★★★
Belgian Tervuren
Australian Shepherd
Border Collie
Miniature Pinscher
Poodle
American Eskimo Dog
Parson Russell Terrier
Havanese
Basset Hound
Dalmatian
German Shepherd Dog
Silky Terrier
Golden Retriever
Cardigan Welsh Corgi
Flat-Coated Retriever
Pug
Great Dane
Mastiff
West Highland White Terrier
Akita
Samoyed
English Springer Spaniel
Large Munsterlander
Chihuahua
Doberman Pinscher
Alaskan Malamute
Shetland Sheepdog
Weimaraner
Mixed Breed

With a dog training school in the film you see dozens of dogs working in the background and doing agility. Unsure about a few of these, like the Silky that could be a large Yorkie. The Akita might be a mix. And the ungroomed bunch of Havanese might also be something else. A few of these, like the Malamute and Doberman, only appear in the credits.

Doggie B

or Doggie Boogie

2011 (USA)

Australian Shepherd

Drift Fence

1936 (USA)

Australian Shepherd

One of Tuffy’s first films. He has only one brief scene.

No image or film link available

Early to Bed

1936 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
Bedlington Terrier
unconfirmed

A Tuffy film. Also supposedly a Bedlington.

Familiar Strangers

2008 (USA)

English Springer Spaniel
★★
Golden Retriever
★★
Australian Shepherd

Famous Five

or Fünf Freunde

2012 (Germany)

Australian Shepherd
★★★

Launching a modern German remake of the world-renowned Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. “Timmy” is the fifth of the Famous Five group which solve mysteries and have adventures together.

Famous Five 2

or Fünf Freunde 2

2013 (Germany)

Australian Shepherd
★★★

In previous Famous Five films and TV adaptations, “Timmy” has been played by German Shepherd Dogs, Border Collies, and mixed breeds. These newest films cast Coffey, a tri-colored Australian Shepherd trained by Gordon Krei.

Famous Five 3

or Fünf Freunde 3

2014 (Germany)

Australian Shepherd
★★★

Famous Five 4

or Fünf Freunde 4

2015 (Germany)

Australian Shepherd
★★★

Fighting Fury

1924 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

With Bunk.

No image or film link available

The Fighting Peacemaker

1926 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

With Bunk.

No image or film link available

The Fighting Three

1927 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

With Bunk.

Finding Friends

or Venner for livet

2005 (Norway)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

A handsome tri-color in a main role.

Flight of the Navigator

1986 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
★★
Alaskan Malamute
Border Collie
Bearded Collie
Poodle
Belgian Tervuren
Labrador Retriever
German Shepherd Dog (1980s)
German Shepherd Dog (white)
English Springer Spaniel
Golden Retriever
Whippet
Polish Lowland Sheepdog
Mixed Breed

Main dog is an Australian Shepherd. Others seen in the opening credits.

Fluke

1995 (USA)

Golden Retriever
★★★
Mixed Breed
★★
Australian Shepherd

Starring a Golden played by Comet, and a Saint Bernard mix. Fluke’s mother is an Aussie. (A genetic miracle since “Fluke” is a Golden Retriever.)

No image or film link available

Hidden Loot

1925 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

With Bunk.

Kermit’s Swamp Years

2002 (USA)

Mixed Breed
★★
Australian Shepherd

“Pilgrim” is a mixed breed played half by Ringo and half by puppets. “Roth” the Aussie has only one scene and the Toy Poodle is a puppet.

Law and Lawless

1932 (USA)

Australian Shepherd

Possibly Bunk’s last film. He has only a small part.

No image or film link available

Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come

1928 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

With Bunk.

Marley and Me

2009 (USA)

Labrador Retriever
★★★
Australian Shepherd
American Bulldog
Australian Cattle Dog
Cocker Spaniel
Doberman Pinscher
Beagle
Border Collie
Mixed Breed
Poodle
Newfoundland
Doodle
Collie (rough)
Siberian Husky
Weimaraner
German Shepherd Dog
Bulldog
Rottweiler
Boxer
Dalmatian
Golden Retriever
Miniature Pinscher

Beyond the Labrador Retrievers, dozens of dogs are seen in obedience class, at the beach, etc. The Newfoundland is a Landseer.

Marmaduke

2010 (USA/UK)

Afghan Hound
Great Dane
★★★
Australian Shepherd
★★
Beauceron
★★
Akita
Beagle

Great Dane is supported by many other dogs, including Beauceron villain, Australian Shepherd girlfriend, and Afghan Hounds as classic cheerleader stereotypes watching jocks in this unfunny comedy.

No image or film link available

The Mighty Treve

1937 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
★★★

Tuffy’s largest starring role, based on the novel Treve by Albert Payson Terhune, best known for Lad: A Dog. Unfortunately, The Mighty Treve has never be released for home viewing.

Napoli Dogs

or Napoli Dogs – Ein Hundeleben in Neapel

2006 (Austria)

Australian Shepherd
★★★
Bedlington Terrier
★★
Mixed Breed
★★★

Not a feature film but a short (50min) from the long-running Austrian nature series Universum. Most Universum shows are documentaries, though this little gem is docufiction about Italian street dogs. The Aussie star is portraying mutt “Bartolo.”

Nevada

1936 (USA)

Australian Shepherd

Tuffy in a small role.

No image or film link available

Old Hutch

1936 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

A rare Tuffy film.

No image or film link available

Phantom Gold

1938 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

Some of Tuffy’s main roles were with Jack Luden for Columbia: Phantom Gold, Pioneer Trail, Rolling Caravans, and Stagecoach Days. None of these are available on DVD.

No image or film link available

Pioneer Trail

1938 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

See Phantom Gold.

No image or film link available

Play Dead

2011 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
★★★

A short film about what happens to dogs during the zombie apocalypse. Available online.

The Rambling Ranger

1927 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

One of Bunk’s films. Image link is for a paperback novelization only, not a DVD.

No image or film link available

Red Hot Leather

1926 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

With Bunk.

Red State

2011 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

Possibly a blue merle Aussie.

No image or film link available

Ridgeway of Montana

1924 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

With Bunk.

No image or film link available

Rolling Caravans

1938 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

See Phantom Gold.

No image or film link available

Rose of the Rancho

1936 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

A Tuffy film.

No image or film link available

Rough and Ready

1927 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

A Bunk film.

Run, Appaloosa, Run

1966 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
★★★

Maybe the best Aussie movie out there. “Silver” fights cougars, rescues horses, battles bulls, and saves the day in an epic race. Not a true feature, but a 50min movie from The Wonder World of Disney TV series.

Santa Buddies

2009 (USA/Canada)

Golden Retriever
★★★
Great Pyrenees
★★★
Jack Russell Terrier
★★
Bloodhound
West Highland White Terrier
Papillon
Bulldog
Beagle
Bullmastiff
Chinese Shar-Pei
Australian Shepherd
Boston Terrier
Shih Tzu
Chihuahua
Poodle
Puli
Mixed Breed

Hard to tell what all the shelter dogs are, especially puppies. The only dogs to have more than a quick scene or fleeting glance are the first three listed.

Saw

2004 (Australia/USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

Unconfirmed sighting.

No image or film link available

Shepherd of the Hills

1928 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

With Bunk.

Show Dogs

2018 (UK/USA)

Afghan Hound
Alaskan Malamute
American Eskimo Dog
Australian Shepherd
★★
Basset Hound
Beagle
Belgian Malinois
Belgian Tervuren
Bernese Mountain Dog
Bichon Frise
Border Collie
Borzoi
Boxer
Bulldog
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Chihuahua
Chinese Crested
Chow Chow
Collie (rough)
Dachshund
Dalmatian
Doberman Pinscher
Dogue de Bordeaux

With at least 63 different breeds represented, this film has multiple listings on Reel Dogs so that no single list takes up a full page! Here is A to D.

No image or film link available

Stagecoach Days

1938 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

See Phantom Gold.

The Thorn Birds

1983 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
Australian Kelpie
Australian Cattle Dog
Mixed Breed

This is a miniseries and technically out of the scope of Reel Dogs, which doesn’t deal with TV shows or animation. However, you can watch it like a very long movie and there’s some interesting canine content here. The dogs at the sheep ranch are in multiple scenes and appear in great quantities.

The Trail of the Lonesome Pine

1936 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
★★

Tuffy was gaining so much attention for his performances that a role was written into this film just for him, though the original script didn’t have a dog.

Two Bits & Pepper

1995 (USA)

Australian Shepherd

A single shot with a couple of Aussies in the back of a pickup.

No image or film link available

The Western Whirlwind

1927 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

A Bunk film.

White God

or Fehér isten

2014 (Hungary/Germany/Sweden)

Mixed Breed
★★★
German Shepherd Dog
Dutch Shepherd
Australian Cattle Dog
Rottweiler
Labrador Retriever
Australian Shepherd
Beauceron
Jack Russell Terrier
Greyhound
Doberman Pinscher
Belgian Malinois
Border Collie
Czechoslovakian Wolfdog
Pit Bull
Dalmatian
American Staffordshire Terrier
Cane Corso
Boxer
Vizsla
Australian Kelpie
Catahoula Leopard Dog
Belgian Sheepdog
Beagle

280 dogs worked in this film. “Hagen,” played by brothers trained by Teresa Miller, is the star.

The White Outlaw

1925 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
★★

One of Bunk’s few films readily available on DVD. Besides the Aussie, this silent movie features a real wolf.

No image or film link available

The Wild Horse Stampede

1926 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed

With Bunk.

The Witch

or The VVitch: A New-England Folktale

2015 (Canada/USA)

Australian Shepherd
★★

“Fowler” seen a few times.

Within These Walls

2001 (USA)

Australian Shepherd
unconfirmed
Labrador Retriever
unconfirmed
English Springer Spaniel
unconfirmed