Australian Shepherd breathes very fast

Question
Hello

I have an Australian Shepherd (about 1 and 1/2) female who only recently came to us. I have noticed that she breathes very quickly. She is not overweight or having any other signs of health problems, she is active, energetic, and doesn't seem to have anything wrong with her. However, sometimes she takes over 100 breaths/minute and I'm starting to wonder if something is wrong? It's obviously worse after she's been outside or playing hard but even her resting breathing rate seems very fast and shallow.

Any ideas to what this could be? Do some dogs just breathe fast?

Answer
There are many reasons for rapid breathing...none of them are good.  You should have your vet examine the dog and possibly do a chest X-ray.  Sometimes it is a breathing problem and sometimes it is a heart problem that causes rapid breathing.  Sometimes it is a reaction to pain and sometimes it is a way for a dog to blow off heat.