ALL MY PUPPIES HAVE FOUND FOREVER HOMES WITH NICE FAMILIES.  CHECK BACK WITH ME AROUND CHRISTMAS.

The Miniature Australian Shepherd is almost identical in appearance to the standard or full sized Australian Shepherd in everything but size. The Miniature Australian Shepherd is actually less than 17 inches tall when full grown.

The Miniature Australian Shepherd should appear solid and sturdy. They have a medium length straight coat that can have a slight wave. The coat is double. The outer coat is not coarse feeling but is rather smooth to the touch. The legs are straight and the feet are slightly arched with the back legs having a well defined stifle with a ready to jump into action appearance.

The muzzle is tapered and there is a well defined stop between the muzzle and the eyes. The eyes may be different colors including blue, brown, green/hazel, amber and flecked. The ears are carried high on the head and are full triangles with slightly rounded tips.

The legs and lower body are covered with slightly longer hair known as furnishings. The Miniature Australian Shepherds are either born with a natural bobtail, or the tail in docked when they are a few days old. The double coat is of medium length and is very thick and full without giving the appearance of being fluffy. The hair is longer on the ruff, legs and rump and may be slightly wavy.

The Miniature Australian Shepherd is not a cross between an Australian Shepherd and another breed. Although the Australian Shepherd originated in Australia as a herding and working dog, the Miniature Australian Shepherd was bred first in the United States.

This was largely in response to the dog owners desire for a well behaved herding type dog with the coat variations found in the Miniature Australian Shepherd that would be more suited to smaller living spaces and yards in cities. In many areas the Miniature Australian Shepherd is still used as a working breed.

Just like the standard Australian Shepherd, the Miniature Australian Shepherd is a working dog. They are typically a very easy going dog that loves to be with his/her people.  They will naturally try to herd almost anything they see including children. Usually the breed is not dog aggressive at all.  Socialization is important with any dog and other types of pets.

The Miniature Australian Shepherd is a good watchdog and will bark whenever someone unknown approaches. They are not yappy like some of the miniature breeds and can easily and quickly be taught not to bark or to stop barking on command.

Overall the Miniature Australian Shepherd is a wonderful dog with children of all ages. They are very active dogs requiring lots of daily exercise(this can be a simple as a long walk and fetching a ball) and they will run and play with children as long as the kids are playing. They are not delicate and can handle romping and playing. They love to please all members of the family.

Training the Miniature Australian Shepherd is very easy. They are very affectionate with family members and seem to need to be physically close to the family without being demanding of attention. Since the breed is a working dog they do need to have something to do every day, even if it is just go for a walk and play fetch or even some sort of training.

Miniature Australian Shepherds enjoy traveling and going new places. 

 In cases where a merle colored male and female are crossed the puppies may carry a recessive gene for Deafness and blindness, so merles should never be crossed with other merles.

The Miniature Australian Shepherd has an easy to care for coat that is not as problematic as some of the double coated breeds. The thicker, slightly coarse and straight outer coat is simple to brush.
Typically the Miniature Australian Shepherd is an average shedder however they will shed their coats heavily in the spring and fall. During these times the inner coat will come out in chunks or clumps and can become very matted. Daily brushing will help speed up the shedding.

The Miniature Australian Shepherd should not be clipped or trimmed for show and typically should not require any type of clipping or trimming. 

The Miniature Australian Shepherd is real easy to train. They are one of the very easiest dogs to housetrain.  A Miniature Australian Shepherd should never be treated harshly or spoken to in a rough tone of voice as they can become timid and cowed if treated poorly.  They can also tune you out totally if spoken to harshly.

The Miniature Australian Shepherd is very loyal to their family and will bond very quickly with all the people in their house.

Please e-mail for more information. 

 fids_only@juno.com 

or

call (512)281-2949.

This is Penny, the love of my life.  (Shhhhh she is sleeping.)  She is the softest, sweetest dog I have ever owned and I have owned lots of dogs!!!  She will be two years old in July and will have puppies in time for Christmas.  These puppies will have their first puppy shots, be wormed and fully weaned to Nutro dry food before they go to their forever homes.  They will be NSDR and AKC register able.

 With a face like this...who can resist owning a miniature Australian Shepherd!!