Miniature Australian Sheperds

[CagneyDog]

Are they a registered breed? Do they have the same personality as a full size Aussie?

[zoomer]

I think they're just a designer breed. And I believe they do have the same personalitly and standards as a regular Aussie.

[.sarah]

From what I've heard, they have a lot of disorders in the health and temperment department because of how they were bred. They were supposedly bred from dwarf Aussies.

My friend has one as well as two "standard" Aussies. The standards are great dogs, the miniature is a pain in the butt!!

I could be wrong though, I don't know much about Australian Shepherds.

[Jessika]

Apparently its a "breed" but not an official one. I suppose you could consider it yet another "designer breed". Breeding any dog for size alone (ie: mini, teacups, etc) is wrong, IMO.

They DO have a registry however (that does not make them any more legit though).
http://www.mascaonline.org/
Its only about 10 years old, however.

Many breeders who breed standard Aussies also breed "miniature Aussies" I suppose so they can pass off the non-standard Aussies as "miniature" ones and still make money

History: http://members.aol.com/MiniAussie/History.htm

[wolfsoul]

Miniatures do have the same temperment as regular Aussies because they are technically the same breed -- though they are still a seperate breed, there were never any other breeds added into the lines. All they did was breed small aussies to small aussies and keep breeding them smaller. They are really no different in any way other than size, as they are still Aussies.

[.sarah]

Okay, guess I was wrong I wonder what I've been reading?

[lv4dogs]

I certainly consider them a designer breed. They were intentionally bred for their size & size alone. They had no other purpose than to become a smaller aussie, one that would be more "suitable" for smaller living spaces. Makes no sense for an Aussie as they are a VERY active breed. And in all actuality there really isn't that much of a difference in size with the mini aussies & the aussies which 's me off even more.

In a way because they are bred from the smaller lines of aussies they are supposed to have the same disposition & health but because the smaller aussies are obviously not the perfect example of the breed many came with health & temperament issues. Taking that & adding in the mix that the reputable breeders do not breed dogs that are not of correct nature leaves you with many "mini aussies" that have health & behavioral issues.
Sure not every one of them will have problems as some breeders will take the decent ones & breed them thus getting stronger, healthier more well balanced dogs. But it is still the wrong way to go about producing a new breed.

In my personal experience, I have seen & worked with & around many "mini" aussies I have noticed that a lot of them have obvious health problems, more protruding eyes, bulgy joints, eyesight & hearing problems etc... I have also noticed that many of them have personality differences and seem to be a little more difficult to train, the trainers I work with see the same thing as well. Which would all stem from the theory of starting this breed from Aussies that were not of correct nature.

PS, there is no such thing as the "Standard Aussie" it is the Australian Shepherd. I know it may be easier to refer to them as the standard when discussing mini's but I try not to as then you would in a way be supporting the idea of continuing to breed "designer" breeds.

[T-Ice]

I have two Australian Shepherds under 18". I too used to think they were just a fad. But when now that I have them I realized that the world is still evolving and everyone and everything is changing. Some for the bad some for the worst. I believe WELL BRED and WELL INTENTIONED aussies under 18" are a good thing!

[CagneyDog]

Thanks for the replies. For some reason I thought they were registered.

How much exercise does a full size Australian Sheperd need? Are they good offleash?

(I'm starting research possible dog breeds for the future )

[Jessika]

Thanks for the replies. For some reason I thought they were registered.

How much exercise does a full size Australian Sheperd need? Are they good offleash?

(I'm starting research possible dog breeds for the future )

They definitely need above-average exercise, but nothing too bad. And they have the potential to be good off-leash if you train them exceptionally well. Jamie is pretty good, she has a good recall, but if she sees another dog or something running, no amount of training brings her back until her dad shouts "JAMIE. COME." in the "low" voice and she KNOWS she'd better listen lol

[.sarah]

(I'm starting research possible dog breeds for the future )

You're still always going to have Labs, right?

[CagneyDog]

They definitely need above-average exercise, but nothing too bad. And they have the potential to be good off-leash if you train them exceptionally well. Jamie is pretty good, she has a good recall, but if she sees another dog or something running, no amount of training brings her back until her dad shouts "JAMIE. COME." in the "low" voice and she KNOWS she'd better listen lol

How many walks/ how long would be appropriate. I'd be able to do a long walk around noon, a shorter one around five and then a longer one again at 7:30. (This is our schedule right now)

[CagneyDog]

You're still always going to have Labs, right?

Of course. Couldn't live without one!

[.sarah]

That's what I thought

[Jessika]

How many walks/ how long would be appropriate. I'd be able to do a long walk around noon, a shorter one around five and then a longer one again at 7:30. (This is our schedule right now)

Well each dog will be different and have different needs (for example, Jamie is much more energetic than Charlie so she'd need more exercise, etc) but on average, to me, that sounds about right. Of course if there is a nearby park or a dog park or something frequent there as well and let them run loose!