The Miniature American Shepherd, Miniature Australian Shepherd, or Mini Aussie is a small-sized dog that comes from Australian Shepherd dogs. If we go back to the origin of its main ancestors, the Australian Shepherd dogs, we find that these were created from European dogs, mainly Spanish. Due to the strong resemblance between the two dogs, the Miniature Australian Shepherd is often thought to be a variety of the Australian Shepherd breed. However, the various cynological organizations, such as the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), register them as completely separate breeds.
The Miniature Australian Shepherd is a very affectionate, active and intelligent dog that enjoys spending time with its guardians, playing outside or exercising. Want to know more about this breed of dog? Continue reading this article from PlanèteAnimal to discover all the characteristics of the Miniature American Shepherd, its origin, its character, the points and its possible he alth problems.
Origin
- America
- United States
FCI Nomenclature
- Group I
Physical Characteristics
- Muscular
- Lying
- Long ears
Size
- Little
Height
- 15-35
Adult Weight
- 3-10
Life expectancy
- 12-14
Recommended physical activity
- High
Character
- Balanced
- Society
- Very loyal
- Smart
- Active
- Affectionate
- Docile
Ideal for
- Children
- Apartment
- House
- Walking
- Shepherd
- The guard
- Sports
Recommended climate
- Temperate
Hair type
- Medium
- Smooth
- Big
Origin of the Miniature Australian Shepherd
The Miniature American Shepherd was developed from smaller Australian Shepherds into an equally active and intelligent sheepdog, but one that is much smaller than its parents to care for smaller animals like sheep or goats. According to data provided by official cynological organizations, such as the FCI and the American Kennel Club (AKC), breeding of the breed began in California in the late 1960s, but it was only officially registered as a distinct breed by the National Livestock Dog Registry only in 1980.
" Originally, the breed was known as the Miniature Australian Shepherd due to its strong resemblance to its ancestors, but over time the name changed to Miniature American Shepherd, which explains that it is now found under both nomenclatures.Also, given that its ancestor is the Australian Shepherd, which was developed from European, particularly Spanish, sheepdogs (possibly the Carea Leonese and the English Shepherd), it can easily be said that it also originated in those dogs."
Although this is a breed that has been around since the 20th century, it wasn't until 2011 that the AKC officially recognized it, while it entered the FCI in 2019. Today, it is one of the most popular dog breeds, not only among herders, but also among equestrians, because they are excellent traveling companions and a loyal, affectionate and active.
Characteristics of the Miniature Australian Shepherd
The Miniature Australian Shepherd is longer than it is tall and has powerful muscles. It is a small dog, weighing from 9 to 14 kg, whose height at the withers varies from 30 to 43 cm in the female and from 35 to 45 cm in the male.The general lines of the whole body are slender.
The Miniature American Shepherd has a strong neck, tucked belly and broad chest. They are also strong and well balanced. Naturally, the tail of this breed is long and resembles a feather duster due to the amount of hair concentrated there. But, unfortunately, for many years and for aesthetic reasons, it was cut, a practice now prohibited in many countries.
The Miniature Australian Shepherd's head is small, with a nose to match its coat, black in dark colored dogs and liver in ginger dogs. Its ears are medium sized, high set and triangular. Her eyes are almond shaped and can be amber, blue, hazel, spotted or not, as they usually match the color of the coat.
The colors of the Miniature Australian Shepherd
The coat of the mini Aussie is double coated, medium length, straight or wavy, dense and profuse. Its characteristic is that it is more abundant on the legs and the tail. As for colors, those allowed in this breed are:
- Black
- Blue merle
- Red
- Liver
- Red merle
- Liver Blackbird
These shades can come in different patterns and combinations, so specimens of this breed can be seen in many, many colors. For example, the merle can be presented in a marbled pattern, with spots or small speckles, the rest of the colors can be plain or combined with each other, providing a two- or three-color dress. Likewise, any of the above colors may appear in combination with white spots, although the latter need not be the predominant color. In fact, the abundant white color in these dogs may be associated with genetic issues such as deafness or microphthalmia. So it is not good to combine two Merle Miniature Australian Shepherds because they both have white.
Miniature American Shepherd character
The Miniature American Shepherd is a very sociable, active, intelligent, affectionate, friendly and hardworking dog. He is also very energetic and does not tolerate inactivity or immobilization for too long periods of time. He therefore needs an active companion who will take him for long walks every day and who will spend time playing in the park or taking walks in nature.
The mini Aussie is also a very affectionate dog and loves to be cuddled by his guardians. They get along well with children and adults, but are somewhat wary of strangers at first. Like all sheepdogs, he is very protective, loyal, good-natured, endowed with an incredible guarding instinct and learns quickly.
Training the Miniature American Shepherd
This dog's great intelligence, attitude and energy make it very easy to educate and train him.However, like all dogs, the American Shepherd Dog must be socialized from infancy so that it learns to adapt to all types of people, animals and environments and to avoid any fearful or aggressive behavior at adulthood. Likewise, it is necessary to accustom it to different types of activities and environments so that it does not grow up becoming unstable or difficult in character.
On the other hand, from an early age, his education must begin with positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement consists of rewarding the desired behavior with food or petting and the idea is not to punish the dog when he misbehaves. In this way, learning is less traumatic and more pleasant, faster and more effective for the dog and for us. In this article, we explain how to educate a puppy correctly!
Because of his strong herding dog instinct of being guardian, protective and active, it is very important to carry out outdoor training sessions as well, as well as practicing different exercises with him.This will not only stimulate his mind, but also strengthen the bond between you.
Miniature American Shepherd Care
The Miniature Australian Shepherd needs diligent coat maintenance which consists of brushing several times a week and bathing when necessary. You must keep his coat clean and untangled to avoid the accumulation of dirt and detritus which can predispose to infections, inflammations and other dermatological skin problems.
Hygiene of the ears, eyes and teeth is essential to keep these organs he althy to prevent infections, inflammations or diseases such as ear infections, conjunctivitis, periodontal diseases, tartar or cavities, among others.
As we've said before, the Mini Aussie has a lot of energy and vitality and they don't like to sit still for long periods of time, so they need human companions to keep them active through games, walks, exercises and outdoor activities where he can release all his energy.For this reason, it is advisable to practice Agility or hike in the mountains. It is also highly recommended to provide adequate environmental enrichment in the home through smart smelling toys and toys.
Finally, with regard to food, the Miniature Australian Shepherd must follow a complete and balanced diet, the latter must be based on quality food thanks to which it will obtain all the nutrients in the correct proportions for maintaining good he alth and quality of life. The daily amount should be adjusted according to the individual conditions of the dog in question, but it depends in particular on its age, level of activity, physiological state, climate or illness. Ask about it:
- Best Dog Food
- Natural dog food
Miniature American Shepherd He alth
Provided they are properly cared for, followed by veterinarians and preventive medicine based on vaccinations, deworming and sterilization, Miniature Australian Shepherds are he althy dogs that can live to die. 14 years old. However, they seem predisposed to the following diseases:
- Von Willebrand disease: there is a deficiency in Von Willebrand factor, which is a glycoprotein responsible for prolonging the life of coagulation factor VII by binding to it and allowing platelets to adhere to surfaces exposed after injury to the blood vessel. This therefore results in a failure of primary hemostasis which causes gingival bleeding, nosebleeds, blood in the stool or urine and vomiting of blood.
- Collie eye anomaly: This breed can also suffer from this disease, which leads to eye damage.It can manifest in a mild form, in which small changes occur in the vascular layer of the eye (choroid) that will not affect the dog's sight too much, or in a more severe form, in which the following alterations may occur: underdevelopment of the choroid, coloboma or defect in the optic disc or adjacent areas, staphyloma or thinning of the sclerotic layer adjacent to the choroid layer, or retinal detachment.
- Progressive retinal atrophy: a disease in which the retinal photoreceptors (cones and rods) of both eyes gradually deteriorate, leading to blindness.
Where to adopt a Miniature American Shepherd?
The Miniature American Shepherd is common on the American continent, and is not too difficult to adopt. In other places it can be more complicated, but just ask at the shelters or associations.It is also possible to find crossbred dogs in these adoption centers who are just waiting to be adopted! don't hesitate!
Remember that these dogs need dedicated guardians who are as active as they are to be happy and release all their energy without getting bored or frustrated. If this is not the case, it is better to opt for another breed or a quieter crossbreed.
Pictures of Miniature American Shepherd or Miniature Australian Shepherd
