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Origin: United States
Height: 13-18 inches
average
Weight: 17-40 pounds
Exercise Needs: High
Grooming Needs: Medium
Life Expectancy: 12-13
years
Good With Kids: Yes
Trainability: Moderate
Common Misspellings: Mini Awstralian
Shepherd, Miniature Austrailian Shepherd, Mini
Australian Sheperd, Mini Australian Shepard,
North American Shepherd,
Minature Australian Sheperd
Alternate Names: Mini Aussie, Miniature Aussie
Shepherd
With origins as mottled as his coat, the
Australian Shepherd is a unique little working
animal that has been capturing the hearts of dog
lovers since the end of WWII. While it is
believed that this beautiful breed may have
originated near the Basque region of the
Pyrenees Mountains, he was dubbed the Australian
Shepherd, due to his close association with the
Basque shepherds who made their way into the
United States, from Australia, during the
1800’s. Regardless of his origins, however, this
beautiful dog was further developed within the
United States, where he was not only recognized
as a registered breed, but he was also quick to
gain popularity, featured in various rodeos and
wild west shows, movies and on the television.
In no time flat, the Australian Shepherd became
a part of Western culture.
The history and origins of the Miniature
Australian Shepherd were the exact same as their
parent breed, the Australian Shepherd, until the
1960's. At this time, fanciers of the
breed began to work at developing breed clubs
and organizations that recognized the smaller
individuals of this breed as a separate breed
all their own. While some embraced this
idea, still others argued that it was the exact
same breed and merely a size variation within
the breed's standard. While the parent
clubs of the Australian Shepherd do not
recognize any kind of size variety within the
breed, this has not stopped enthusiasts from
selectively breeding smaller Aussie Shepherds
and working at perfecting these wonderful small
individuals.
As if the intelligence and extreme
trainability of the Miniature Australian
Shepherd wasn’t draw enough, this scruffy little
dog is truly a prince amongst the canine world
as well. Sporting coats of red, black, or the
more exotic red or blue merle, they are a sight
to behold and their eyes are jewel-like, ranging
in shade from amber and blue to a rich brown, as
well as mottled, marbled and flecked, with any
combination of the mentioned colors. It’s not
uncommon to find yourself captured by an
attentive mismatched gaze; a sight which only
helps add to this wonderful breed’s allure.
Additionally, the Miniature Australian Shepherd
is a smaller-sized herding dog, standing only
13-18 inches at the top of the shoulder - the
perfect size for those who want an Australian
Shepherd but don't have a lot of room.
The Mini Aussie, as he is affectionately
known, is a sweet-tempered dog and rarely
aggressive with other animals. He can be, at
times, somewhat shy and does best with quiet
voices and gentle, slow touches. If you're
expecting a lot of traffic or noisy visitors,
it's probably safest to provide your Miniature
Australian Shepherd with a quiet place that he
can retreat to, should noise levels become too
much to bear.
One downfall of the Mini Australian Shepherd
is that they are a very active dog and do
require a good deal of exercise, so while they
are well-adapted to a city lifestyle in an
apartment, just be forewarned that you should be
prepared to spend a lot of time down at the
local dog park! Failure to provide your
Mini Aussie with adequate exercise can lead to
destructive behavior that you won't appreciate!
While the Miniature Australian Shepherd may not
require weekly trips to the groomers, he falls
under the high maintenance category, simply due
to the fact that he requires frequent and
diligent brushing. While the Miniature
Australian Shepherd's coat rarely gets mats and
needs no trimming, in order to keep it in good
condition, Mini Aussies do shed. In fact, Mini
Aussies can shed a lot, all year round. If
you’re interested in one of these wonderful
dogs, it’s best to keep in mind that you may
spend a lot of time vacuuming the floor and the
furniture with this hairy bundle of joy.
A very quick and intelligent dog, the
Miniature Australian Shepherd is sometimes seen
as a bit of a challenge to train. While the
combination of their intelligence,
happy-go-lucky personality, and athletic ability
makes them perfect dogs for agility training,
getting these independent thinkers to work with
you takes patience and a gentle hand. The
Miniature Australian Shepherd will also react in
a very stubborn or shy manner to any who apply a
heavy hand or stern voice. Persistence and a
whole lot of patience are the best techniques to
bring to these training sessions. Be
patient and try to remember that he doesn't mean
to be impudent, but he's used to tending sheep,
not rolling over and playing dead.
Like any breed of dog, the Miniature
Australian Shepherd is subject to a variety of
health concerns. Your best bet is, when deciding
to choose a new Miniature Australian Shepherd
puppy, check around with several breeders and
ask about the various health issues that can
affect these beautiful little dogs. A reputable
breeder should be well-versed in the health
concerns and should be able to give you more
details, as well as showing you the sire and dam
of your potential puppy. Some of the health
problems that can affect Miniature Australian
Shepherds include:
- Hip dysplasia
- Cataracts
- Ocular or iris coloboma
- Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA)
- Distichiasis
- Epilepsy
- Heart problems
- Thyroid problems
- Merle-to-merle breedings resulting in
deafness
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Fans of the breed are quick to say that
you're bound to fall in love with the keen
Miniature Australian Shepherd and why not?
What is not to love about this gorgeous and
highly intelligent canines? For many, the
Miniature Australian Shepherd may seem like the
perfect pet.
Nevertheless, it's important to weigh the
facts when you take any new pet into
consideration - How much time do you have to
spend with a dog? How much time do you
have to devote to his training? While
Miniature Australian Shepherds can be fairly
independent, they still respond well to company
and slow training. Particularly young dogs
do not do well when left for long periods of
time. Also take into consideration that
these are very high energy dogs and need a fair
amount of exercise - if you don't have the time
to make a commitment to a dog such as this, you
might prefer someone more tame and laid back.
If you don't mind the exercise level and aren't
adverse to a bit of dog hair, then the Miniature
Australian Shepherd may be the perfect dog for
you!
There are a wealth of resources online that can help you learn
more about the Miniature Australian Shepherd dog breed. We've
compiled a list of Miniature Australian Shepherd information sites
to assist you in quickly locating quality information about the
Miniature Australian Shepherd dog breed, while avoiding the
"garbage" sites that are nothing more than poor attempts to
capitalize on the popularity of dog breeds in general. If you know
of a Miniature Australian Shepherd information site that offers
unique, quality information and photos of the Miniature Australian
Shepherd breed, please contact us with the URL and a brief
description so that our editors can consider it for inclusion in our
list below.
Miniature Australian Shepherds are a very photogenic dog breed.
By looking at Miniature Australian Shepherd pictures, you can
usually gain more insight into what these dogs and puppies are like
as a breed, and this can help you decide if you really want to
become a Miniature Australian Shepherd owner. The following sites
below offer pictures of Miniature Australian Shepherd dogs,
Miniature Australian Shepherd puppy photos, funny Miniature
Australian Shepherd photos and more. Enjoy!
Now that you have decided that the Miniature Australian Shepherd
is the right breed for you, it's time to start the process of
finding a responsible Miniature Australian Shepherd breeder from
which to buy a healthy, well-socialized puppy. Not all breeders are
alike; there are good breeders - and bad breeders. Don't be in a
hurry to buy the first Miniature Australian Shepherd puppy you find
at the cheapest price available! To buy a puppy from a responsible
Miniature Australian Shepherd breeder, you may need to pay more and
wait longer. The additional money and waiting time will be well
worth it. Buy a puppy in haste from a newspaper ad, pet store or
"backyard breeder", and you'll likely also purchase a great deal of
additional expense and heartache, since you will likely end up
falling in love with a puppy with health and behavioral problems
that will likely need special care, plenty of veterinary visits,
regular medication - or even euthanasia. But do your homework and
find a responsible, caring Miniature Australian Shepherd breeder who
home-raises their puppies with love, screens their breeding dogs for
health problems, offers a health guarantee and post sale support,
and who genuinely loves the Miniature Australian Shepherd breed and
is in it for the love of the breed, rather than profit, and you can
be fairly well assured of getting a healthy, happy, long lived and
affectionate family companion that will provide you and your family
with many years of joy, laughter and companionship.
Further information about choosing a responsible breeder...
Here are a few breeder directory sites that we recommend. These
sites attempt to screen advertisers to ensure that the breeders
listed are responsible and sell healthy, home-raised Miniature
Australian Shepherd puppies to carefully screened buyers. There are
many, many sites now online that advertise dog breeders - many are a
Mecca for puppy mills and backyard breeders. We recommend that you
steer clear of these resources in favor of sites that are more
selective in the breeders whom they allow to advertise.
We Highly Recommend:
Miniature Australian Shepherd clubs and rescues web sites can
help you learn even more about the Miniature Australian Shepherd dog
breed, help you locate a responsible Miniature Australian Shepherd
breeder, or help you find a Miniature Australian Shepherd dog or
puppy in need of a second chance for a loving, forever home. We've
compiled the following list of Miniature Australian Shepherd clubs
and Miniature Australian Shepherd rescues web sites for your
convenience:
Choosing a name for your Miniature Australian Shepherd puppy can
be a daunting task! There are so many names to choose from that it
can take a lot of thought and research to find just the right name
for your Miniature Australian Shepherd. Usually, it's best to get to
know your puppy for a few days or weeks. Often your puppy's
personality will help you decide on just the right name to choose.
Does he have a sense of humor? A serious side? A goofy way of
cocking his head to one side? A strange love of cantaloupe? By
observing your new Miniature Australian Shepherd puppy over the
first days or weeks, you should at least have a clue about what type
of name you want to give. There are a ton of dog names and pet names
web sites on the internet. Some are wonderful information resources,
while others, unfortunately, are just "garbage" sites set up with
the sole purpose of cashing in on visitor hits for this popular
subject.
We recommend the following sites to assist you in choosing a name
for your new Miniature Australian Shepherd puppy. These sites offer
inventive, unique, original and creative pet names suggestions that
have helped thousands of new puppy owners in selecting just the
right name for their new baby!
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