Although there are many theories about the origin of the Australian Shepherd, the breed as we know it today developed exclusively in the United States.

In the 1800's, Sheep herders from the Basque region of the Pyrenees Mountains between Spain and France migrated to Australia. They used a variety of different herding breeds to tend the Australian sheep. In the late 1800's some of the Basques migrated from Australia to the Southwestern United States. Looking to make an improved herding dog with the best traits from each breed packed into one dynamic dog, the Basques began to cross the different herding breeds. Other people began to take notice of this new dog which often had a blue coat and blue eyes. This striking new dog eventually became known as the Australian Shepherd because it was bred by the shepherds who came from Australia. The breed standard for the Australian Shepherd was set in 1957.

The Aussie (as the breed is nicknamed) is a versatile dog. It is so sound minded that it easily adapts to various situations. Today, the Australian Shepherd serves humanity in every imaginable way: as working ranch dogs, guide dogs for the blind, hearing dogs for the deaf, pet therapy dogs, drug detectors, search-and-rescue dogs, not to mention being our best friend and protector.

To fulfill the desire for a smaller working dog with all of the same attributes of the wonderful Australian Shepherd, several Aussie breeders focused on breeding the best of the smallest Australian Shepherds together. Eventually the result of this effort has become known as the Miniature Australian Shepherd or the "Mini Aussie". The standard for the Mini Aussie was set in the 1960s.

History of Australian Shephard

Australian Shepherd Sizes

Miniature Australian shepherds began many years ago when breeders of the standard-size Australian shepherds started using their smaller-sized dogs to breed down in size to produce the smaller-size frame to mirror the image of the larger standard size. They have all the same wonderful qualities as the standard size but are smaller.

Many people ask us the size differences between the toy Australian shepherds and the miniature Australian shepherds.

STANDARD: Height for both male and female is 20 inches up to 23 inches at the top of the withers.

MINIATURE: Height for both male and female is 14 inches up to 19 inches at the top of withers.

TOY: Height for both male and female is 10 inches up to 13 inches at the top of the withers.

Temperments

Just like the Standard Australian Shepherd, the Miniature Australian Shepherd was bred to be a working dog. They are typically a very easy going dog that loves to be with people and all types of animals although many will naturally try to herd almost anything they see including children, people and other pets. They also excel in agility, obedience, therapy and as service dogs. The breed is extremely intelligent and great with kids. They are loyal family dogs that are eager to please you.

Overall the Mini Aussie is a wonderful dog with children of all ages. They are very active dogs requiring lots of daily exercise and they will run and play with children as long as the kids are busy. While a smaller dog they are not delicate and can handle romping and average types of play with kids of all ages. Since Mini Aussies are very compliant dogs and love to please the family they will listen to children and respond to commands from even the youngest kids.

Usually Mini Aussies are not dog aggressive at all and will stay in a house very comfortably with dogs, cats and even smaller pets. However, socialization is important with any dog and other types of pets. In general, the Miniature Australian Shepherd is a great companion dog for other breeds of dogs, even those that tend to be somewhat dominant.

The Miniature Australian Shepherd is a good watchdog and will bark whenever someone unknown approaches. They are generally not yappy like some of the other miniature breeds and can easily and quickly be taught not to bark or to stop barking on command. One of the differences in the Mini Aussie from other herding or working dogs is that it is quiet when herding and does not yap or bark at the livestock animals.

They also love to be the center of attention and are naturally very playful and almost puppy-like in their behavior right up until they are very senior dogs. Miniature Australian Shepherds are very affectionate with family members and seem to need to be physically close to the family without being demanding of attention. Since Miniature Australian Shepherds are a working breed, they do need to have something to do every day, even if it is just go for a walk and go through a training routine.

Mini Aussies enjoy traveling and going new places. They are somewhat wary of new people and will often skirt around the edges of gatherings until they feel comfortable with the people. Socialization will help minimize this behavior, but it is important to never force your Mini Aussie to interact as this can lead to distrust and fear of strangers or even of family members.

Coats of the Aussie

Miniature Australian Shepherds on average have a medium-length coat, adapted to protecting them while they herd, although coats can range from very thick and long to very short and thin. The coat can be straight, wavy, or even a bit curly or kinky. Of medium texture, straight to slightly wavy, weather resistant, of moderate length with an undercoat. The quantity of undercoat varies with climate. Hair is short and smooth on the head, outside of ears, front of forelegs and below the hocks. Backs of forelegs are moderately feathered; breeches are moderately full. There is a moderate mane and frill, more pronounced in male dogs than bitches. Non-typical coats are severe faults.

When it comes to grooming, they have an average shedding rate. It helps to comb through them often to reduce any matting, especially during their shedding season, to help speed up the process of getting rid of the old hair. Due to the natural oils in their coat, it is recommended to bathe them only when necessary. Our Aussies are groomed 2-3 times a year to help with the shedding, however make sure your groomer does how to groom aussies, their coat is important to them. :)

Australian Shepherds come in two main colors: black and red. With the solid coat pattern we have black tri and red tri dogs. The recessive gene variation produces merle which are call blue merle and red merle. Blue merle looks like splashes of black against a gray or powder blue background. Red merle looks like red or brown splashes against a buff or silver background. Any of these colors can come with white and/or copper-colored trim. Dogs that have only one color of trim are called bi or bi-colored (i.e., a red and white dog is a red bi). Aussies that have both trim colors are called tri or tri-colored (i.e., a black dog with copper and white is a black tri).

Tail Docking

A known trademark of the Australian Shepherd and Mini Aussie breeds is a short bobbed or docked tail in countries where docking is permitted. Most Australian Shepherds and Mini Aussies are born with full long tails while some are born with short bobbed tails (NBT), and others are born with natural partial bobs, where the tail is mid length and appears stubby. Breeders have historically docked the tails when the puppies are born. Even without a tail, the wagging movement of the hind end still occurs, hence the name, Wiggly Butts. :)

Why Dock Tails?

According to internet research, there are numerous minor reasons to dock a Mini Aussie's tail, but following are the main 3 reasoning's.......

To Avoid Tail Damage ~ This is the most important reason for docking a tail. Australian Shepherds and Mini Aussies were raised in the rough Western areas of the United States, which, if you have never visited, have tough weeds, tall grasses, and plenty of other hazards. Working in this condition will easily lead to torn and bleeding tails, which, of course are very painful and hard to treat. If the tail is docked, the risk of injury is eliminated.

For Hygiene ~ Dogs with thick hair have a good chance of getting feces on themselves and caught in the tail. Docking can greatly reduce the hygiene problems for Aussies and Mini Aussies. It also lessens chances of matting.

To Maintain Breed Standard ~ Should the docking of tails be eliminated, hundreds of otherwise good breeding animals would be removed from gene pools and this could be a huge downfall for the breeds. We believe the latter two reasons are the most common reason for modern day docking as many Aussies are sold as pets.

How is Docking done?

There are two methods of docking. Many breeders use the technique known as "banding", in which a ligature, normally an orthodontic band, is placed over the end of the puppies tail at 24-96 hours old. This effectively cuts off the blood supply to the end of the tail, which comes away within 3 days.
The other method is by surgery. Most Veterinarians cut the tail with surgical scissors, known as hemostats. There is generally no need for stitches, but on occasions these can be used, especially with the larger breeds. We use the surgical method, with sutures.

Does it hurt?

Our personal experience is that it does cause discomfort but only for a couple of days. Docking is carried out when Mini Aussie puppies are tiny, 3-5 days of age. Their eyes are not yet open and long experience indicates that carried out correctly, the procedure causes a small amount of discomfort for 2-4 days. We have read that some puppies which are docked while they are asleep do not even wake up. After docking, puppies will immediately return to their dam to feed and there is no evidence that development or weight gain is in any way affected by the docking procedure.

Mini Aussies that have been docked as puppies do not have any problems with balance or communication. However, if tail damage occurs during adulthood and docking has to be carried out for therapeutic reasons, a dog can be seriously distressed and the healing process can be painful and protracted.

What if I want a dog with a tail?

Let us know if you are interested in purchasing a Miniature Australian Shepherd with it's natural full length tail. One of our goals is to provide our buyers with exactly what they have dreamed of when it comes to their Mini Aussie. We are more than happy to supply anyone with a puppy that has it's natural tail, however certain conditions must be met in advance.

Since tails are docked around 3 days of age, please be sure to discuss this issue with us prior to the puppy's birth. The puppy must be paid for in full, including shipping if required, before the puppy reaches 3 days of age. If someone has already reserved a Mini Aussie puppy then we cannot remove a puppy from their choice so that we can accommodate someone else who wants an undocked tail. The way around this is if you, the person who wants the undocked tail, pays in full for a puppy in a litter and gets into first choice position before anyone else does. Sorry but we cannot hold a puppy back from the docking procedure without full payment which is non-refundable.

Health of Aussies

Overall a Healthy Breed

The average life span of a mini Aussie is 11-14 years. Overall the Australian Shepherds, including the Mini Aussie, are considered a very healthy breed. They have fewer health issues than many other breeds. However, just like us, no dog breed is exempt from having some issues. The idea is to test for the worst diseases so that affected dogs can be removed from the gene pool to keep the breed as healthy as possible.

If a Mini Aussie is a carrier of one copy of a certain gene and it is bred to another Mini Aussie with no copies of that same gene breeding might be acceptable. In other cases breeding a Mini Aussie that is a carrier of one copy of a defect when bred to a Mini Aussie with one copy of that same defect will produce some but not all pups with that defect. It really depends on what the anomaly is that is being discussed. Breeding of a dog with two copies to another dog with two copies is sure to produce problems in every pup in the litter.

We have done DNA testing on our pet through Embark Genetics. Our stud test for 1 copy of MSDR; since our female does not test for MSDR1 this gene should not be mutable, although, it is genetics so anything could happen. :)

Two of the main inheritance ailments are listed below, please lick on each one for a website with more information.

MSDR1
DM

Registration

American Stock Dog Registry

Our dogs are registered with American Stock Dog Registry (ASDR)

In the beginning, Austrian Shepherds could be registered American Stock Dog Registry and/or American Kennel Club Australian Shepherds (AKC). Years ago, there was a push that AKC not allow size variation in the Australian Shepherd (like toy, mini and standard poodle) instead, they classified the dogs under 15″ tall as a new breed- the Miniature American Shepherd. Many breeders chose to move registration to ASDR so they didn't lose their classification of a Miniature Australian Shepherd.

Limited/Full Registration (Breeding Rights)

When you purchase one of our puppies you are purchasing a companion with registration. Some breeders chose to not sell breeding rights, or sell breeding for for a high cost. We price our pups in the middle and sell with breeding rights, as for, I do not believe its my decision if you chose to breed your dog after you have paid for it. With that being said, I do care about each and everyone of our puppies and require a contract to be signed stating appropriate living conditions, quality care, and certain vet checks are complete.

If we have a puppy that does not meet the breed standard, that puppy will be sold with limited registration at a reduce cost. This will require a spay/neuter contract.

You get what you pay for

This is an adage that we have all heard before. I get folks messaging wanting a blue merle female and have a budget of $500. I have more than that in each pup before it leaves our care. Raising puppies is not cheap or easy if it is done right.

Our dogs will live long healthy lives and are from known dispositions and backgrounds. We are not here to see how many pups we can produce but focus on quality, not quantity. We put a lot of time and effort into our puppies before they leave our home to join yours. If you are looking for a “cheap” dog- we suggest the local shelter. There are many dogs looking for homes- no, you will not have a guarantee that they will be healthy when they come home and will be sure they will not development temperament or disposition issues later down the road. That is the risk you are taking for the “cheap” price.