Teacup Australian shepherd--12lbs!!!

[Karen]

I am glad your little one, runt of the litter and all, has a home where she is treasured and adored. I am glad you are not planning to breed her just because she's the runt, and you could get a smaller dog of of her. Every dog should have a good, loving home. I disrespect people who make "designer breeds" just for the sake of money, and without any acknowledgment of the characteristics and problems of the breed, or the breed mix.

Treasure your baby, give her a kiss for all of us, okay?

[wigglebutts]

Well this is my first post ... I just have to put my 2 cents in .. I have standard ,mini,toy,& teacup aussies all from aussie stock not a midex breed ...
I would post pictures of all of them but can't see anywhy to do so.
yes I am a breeder and don't cross my aussies with anything but another aussie. My little teacup is not petrified she herds goats along with the big dogs . She doesn't know she is only 8" tall ...
A dog that is petrified is not socialized right .. it really has nothing to do with the bred its the breeder or owner ...
Ok off my soapbox ..
Y'all have a good night

[Albino]

I personally ADORE the toy aussies. A GOOD one looks just like an australian shepherd, just smaller. Heavier bones are favorable, toyish look is actually a severe fault and is punished heavily in shows. Bulging eyes, tiny bones, these things aren't favorable. They are also supposed to behave just like an aussie, have a strong herding instinct, pretty high energy, just like a normal aussie. There are some BEAUTIFUL toy aussies out there, and I don't think they're a corruption of the aussie breed, I think they're wonderful. A properly bred one is all aussie in a 12" package. They're obtained through selective breeding of smaller dogs, not by crossing them with anything. And a good breeder will ALWAYS try to make their dogs look as aussie as possible, and not sacrifice conformation and personality for size. When breeders start trying to breed them smaller than 10 inches, you do start seeing more toyish features and they look more like papillions, but that is considered faulted, since they are supposed to be bred to look like aussies as much as possible. Hate me as much as you want, I personally adore them.

Also, let me just say about the breeders, from what I've seen, they love their dogs as much as anyone else. Its not like every breeder is a puppy mill just out for money. There are some really wanting to breed quality dogs who will do well in the show ring, agility, herding, and just being a family pet. They make sure the dogs go to quality homes, not just somewhere that they'll be abandoned. They care about their dogs. Not every breeder is just making some novelty for a quick buck. I'm not even a breeder, and never will be, but even I'm a little offended by how many people think that just because someone breeds a dog that they aren't concerned about the health of the puppies. Yeah, there's some out there who aren't and who are just greedy, but there's still such thing as good breeders.

Just out of curiosity, were you guys this outraged when they started shrinking the poodles to toy sized?

Seriously, you guys are acting like these dogs are some kind of monstrosity or something. For a community that is supposed to love dogs, I'm kinda surprised to read this thread.

[Karen]

Seriously, you guys are acting like these dogs are some kind of monstrosity or something. For a community that is supposed to love dogs, I'm kinda surprised to read this thread.

It is not like anyone thinks these dogs are the monsters. We - along with you, I am sure - think people who are irresponsible breeders are the monsters, not considering anything but their own pockets. Breeding a small dog to another closely related small dog just because of size, and ignoring other congenital issues the dogs may have ... Not checking for hip, eye, and other problems ... it is not a dog's fault how he or she is born, but in some cases problems can be avoided if folks take care.

All breeders are not irresponsible. There are great, responsible breeders out there. They are who I respect.

[shepgirl]

I'm not saying these dogs are monstrosities but their health problems just might be in the long run. I think only people interested in the almighty $$$ would breed something like this...and we all know there was no health checks done either.
Just because someone owns a dog doesn't mean it should be bred and just because someone thinks their dog is special doesn't mean it should be bred...that's the BYB way of looking at things.
I feel sorry for these poor pups.

[Albino]

I'm not saying these dogs are monstrosities but their health problems just might be in the long run. I think only people interested in the almighty $$$ would breed something like this...and we all know there was no health checks done either.
Just because someone owns a dog doesn't mean it should be bred and just because someone thinks their dog is special doesn't mean it should be bred...that's the BYB way of looking at things.
I feel sorry for these poor pups.

I've been looking into the toy aussies for a while now. The breeders I've seen first of are show breeders(yes, there are shows for these dogs) and therefore are breeding for the proper temperments and build. I haven't seen a single one that doesn't do hip and eye checks on both the parents and the puppies when they are old enough. I have read contracts, and the ones I have seen are very reasonable. They require vet checks, and proof that you've taken the dog in. They require pictures and documentation if you show them. VERY few even allow the dogs they sell to go unspayed. The ones who do, most of them only allow breeding quality dogs to go to showing families who will breed with care. That way, no one will breed a dog that is not TOP quality, just because its their special little pet and they want more puppies.

Just because a dog is small and not the conventional standard doesn't mean the breeder is irresponsible. I think that until you guys pass your judgement on these breeders, you should take a look around and see how many of them truly do care about their dogs and the puppies. Just because the dog is small doesn't mean that anyone who breeds them is just a puppy mill.

Just like with ANY breed of dog, you will have those bad breeders, the one who won't check their dogs for certain health issues before breeding, or the ones who just breed for size and ruin the integrity of the breed. Just like any other breed of dog, there are those good breeders out there looking to better the quality of their dogs. When looking for a Cavelier King Charles for my brother, it was heartbreaking to see that even that breed has fallen victim to poor breeding. But for every bad or mediocre one, there was plenty of good breeders out there too. But just like with any breed, you have the good breeders and the bad. Its not the dog's fault, its not the breed's fault, and its not the size of the dog that is at fault.

Its not bad that people are breeding these dogs. They are GREAT little dogs when bred right. What's bad is when STUPID people breed these dogs. Toy aussies, when bred right, are wonderful dogs.

There's nothing wrong with people breeding toy aussies, its just like people breeding toy poodles or any other type of dog. Its no different from any other breed of dog in the way its bred. Like I said, just because they're small and cute doesn't mean they're just some puppy mill novelty. There's still good breeders of them.

A bit off topic, but what does "BYB" mean?

[Karen]

A bit off topic, but what does "BYB" mean?

BYB is shorthand for back yard breeder - not the top-notch breeders you are referring to, BYB usually refers to people who do no research, just let their un-neutered dogs breed with some other dog, to get puppies. They are a few steps up from puppy mills, but still don't do genetic testing, consider bloodlines, check pedigrees, etc. They just breed for fun or profit.

[lute]

I agree that there are responsible breeders out there, but why make up a new breed? There are PLENTY of other breeds to put all this time, money and energy into that are accepted by registries such as AKC or UKC. This just does not make sense to me.

[mr.chiwawa]

My mom ALWAYS told me if I don't have anything nice to say keep my mouth SHUT!! Which is what I am going to do....GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR