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 :rolleyes:

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 :o 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 :mad: '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 :p )

[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 :p )

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 :p )
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 :D

[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!

[CagneyDog]

Of course if there is a nearby park or a dog park or something frequent there as well and let them run loose!

Yup, we head to the dog park at noon and 7:30.

Are they stubborn? Hard to train?

[lv4dogs]

Not stubborn but very smart & independant which may come across as stuborness to some people. They should be enrolled into obedience classes, any breed should but especially an active dog who isvery independant.
Overall they are a great dog for the experienced person.
They are very versatile dogs, able to do just about anything & everything.

If you can train dogs & have the time for proper exercise I'd reccomend an Aussie in a heartbeat.

[Jessika]

Very VERY smart! They can figure their way out of anything. Say you set up a gate to block off an area of your house... oh you can bet they will figure their way around it in five minutes!

They are also VERY loyal and are always by your side. If you don't want a dog that will get underfoot, then you don't want an Aussie. I can't even go to the bathroom without them following me and laying outside the door, their noses pressed up against the crack sniffing to make sure I'm actually still there. :o

[.sarah]

They are also VERY loyal and are always by your side. If you don't want a dog that will get underfoot, then you don't want an Aussie. I can't even go to the bathroom without them following me and laying outside the door, their noses pressed up against the crack sniffing to make sure I'm actually still there. :o
I think you forget that Cagney is a Lab :p ;) I bet he does that too. I have three Labbies that follow me to the bathroom now. :D

[Jessika]

I think you forget that Cagney is a Lab :p ;) I bet he does that too. I have three Labbies that follow me to the bathroom now. :D

Never owned nor been around a Lab quite like my two! Labs are loyal I do know that but Aussies are known to not let you go three feet without jumping up and following you ;)

[.sarah]

Lab personality to a "T". I'm never alone. You must have wierd Labs in your area :p

[Jessika]

Well she should have no problem transitioning to an Aussie if she gets on later on then!

[.sarah]

Cool! I've been thinking about Aussies too. I've always loved them, especially the red tris. I've never met an Aussie I didn't like (except for one but it was because he didn't get enough exercise), they seem like really great dogs.

[Jessika]

My favorites are all the reds. Red merle first, then red bi, then red tri. I REALLY want a red bi. I saw a red bi border collie and it was the prettiest thing everrr

[lv4dogs]

Very VERY smart! They can figure their way out of anything. Say you set up a gate to block off an area of your house... oh you can bet they will figure their way around it in five minutes!

They are also VERY loyal and are always by your side. If you don't want a dog that will get underfoot, then you don't want an Aussie. I can't even go to the bathroom without them following me and laying outside the door, their noses pressed up against the crack sniffing to make sure I'm actually still there. :o

God do you have that one right on the nose or what. I officially changed Kaiges name to "Captain Underfoot"! seriously thats his most used nick name.
I can not even begin to count the number of time I almost broke something tripping over him. lol

They are also known as velcro dogs, for a very good reason.

[CagneyDog]

I think you forget that Cagney is a Lab :p ;) I bet he does that too. I have three Labbies that follow me to the bathroom now. :D

haha, exactly! That's Lab behaviour, for SURE. :p


Are there a lot of colorations in Aussies?

[Jessika]

haha, exactly! That's Lab behaviour, for SURE. :p


Are there a lot of colorations in Aussies?

More than most I suppose. You can have blue or red merle, red tri or red bi, black tri or black bi. The "accepted" colors are blacks and reds, and the red and blue merle. Though you can get some with not-so-standard colors such as ticking, etc.

[wolfsoul]

Are there a lot of colorations in Aussies?

This (http://www.ashgi.org/color/index.htm) is an awesome site if you want to see the different colours that Aussies can have. It shows the standard colours and the non-standard colours, and it has great information about eye defects too, a really good site!

[bckrazy]

Mini Aussies are kind of touchy with me :(... I've met several REALLY awesome NAS breeders, who imho were far better people/breeders/aussie people than the many many Australian Shepherd breeders in my area. Where I live, you typically see Mini breeders with real working dogs, and Aussie breeders with big floofy show dogs, and I spoke to a LOTTT of breeders in person and online. I have seen the effect of using a 16-18" Mini/Aussie on livestock compared to a 22"+ show-type Aussie, and it's pretty much a different dog. When Di and I went to herding camp, there were several Mini's there who kicked butt and were very nicely-bred. There are also very reputable Aussie breeders out there taking on Mini's as a side project.

I feel they are being exploited by loads of puppy mills and BYB's, and interbred with Poms and whatnot to create 9" Teacup Aussies, which is disgusting!!! There is no way any well-bred Aussies could be bred down to 10", at all. From what I've seen, NAMASCA is a great breed club and all of the Mini's I've met have been really well bred, even dogs. But, it kind of killed me to think of some one breeding down Border Collies to 14" and giving them a different name, so I see where Aussie people are coming from. Sue has also talked to me about how Australian Shepherd litters from good breeders often have pups slightly under the standard, 16"-17", depending on the parents' sizes. Luckily, I didn't have to painfully go through the process of choosing between the Mini breeder that I really loved, and finding an Aussie breeder; because I've always wanted a Cardi and my Mom grew up with one and jumped on the chance to get a pup from the friend of our family. I'll hopefully get an Aussie someday! They're really great dogs... but there are plenty of spazzy Aussies within the breed (just like BC's :D), so definitely choose your breeder wisely. A family that lives nearby got an Aussie boy from a random breeder who has a farm that is borderline puppy mill, and their dog is just a freak :(. Truly. He is 70 pounds of insane, dense, barky, jumpy, mouthy, dog... poor guy! After paying $800 for him, he also has countless breed faults, eyes that are 1/2" apart, a bad overbite, yeasty ears, a badly docked tail, a super narrow head, etc, etc, and the Mom went and said that Gonzo "HAS to be a mix! He looks way too mangy to be a real Border Collie!" She also mistook him for an Aussie when she first met him :rolleyes:... The family he lives with is kind of like that, though, so he could've earned his behavior from them. Aussies really should act/look nothing like him, there are plenty of bad breeders for every breed.