| Thank you for enquiring about the Australian Shepherd and the Miniature Australian Shepherd. As you will see we love all forms of the breed and hold no bias to any size Australian Shepherd. From a reputable breeder, the only difference between Toy, Miniature and Australian Shepherds is size PERIOD! Historical pictures from 50's, 60's and even the 70's show that Australian Shepherds under 18" at the shoulder were a naturally occuring size variety within the breed. Later when the Australian Shepherd breed Standard was written it was written to "prefer" dogs that were over 18 inches but with no height disqualification. In the 60's a select few breeders decided they actually "prefered" their dogs under 18 inches. These breeders decided that they would purposfully selected the smaller sized Australian Shepherds that were of true Australian Shepherd quality. With these they began developing the miniature size variety of the Australian Shepherd that we know today. No other breeds were mixed in to get smaller dogs!!!! I'll say it again NO OTHER BREEDS WERE MIXED IN TO GET THE SMALLER SIZED OR BETTER KNOWN MINIATURE AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD! This is a rumor many nay sayers would like you to believe as a means of discrediting the breed! It is childish. The prefered height for each size is as follows.... Toy Australian Shepherds are up to but not including 14inches at the withers. Miniature Australian Shepherds are between 14 and 18 inches at the withers. Australian Shepherds are 18 inches and larger at the withers. It is possible to breed two 18+" size parents together and get dogs that finish at 18" or less, just as it is possible to breed two miniature sized parents and get offspring who finish 18+" or even toy size dogs depending on how genetics fall into play. None of our dogs are EVER bred to any other breed of dog exept an Australian Shepherd/Miniature Australian Shepherd to acheive a desired sized! Any puppy who has both parents registered with a Australian Shepherd registry such as CKC/AKC/UKC/ASCA, are eligible for registration with the same registration regardless of the puppies adult height. Let it be known that these particular organizations DO NOT recognize size varieties of the Australian Shepherds!!! IMPORTANT INFORMATION:Any litter that has even one parent who is only registered as a Miniature Australian Shepherd with NSDR, MASCA or NAMASCUSA, is ONLY eligible for registration with one of those as a Miniaturen Australian Shepherd regradless of their size as an adult. They will NEVER be eligable for Registration with CKC or AKC. **************************************************** Australian Shepherd are a herding breed. They were bred to work long hours in the field with farmers tending to and herding cattle, sheep and even fowl. Because of this, Aussies bond quickly to their family and make good companions and watch dogs. The eager working attitude of an aussie makes them easy to work with, but their high level of intelligence means obedience classes are a must. As with any dog, early socialization to people, noises, and surrounnding is of the utmost importance. Aussies may be alert barkers. As a herding breed it is important to know your dog is not going to let a stranger walk away with your livestock. So when anything out of the ordinary is happening on your property, your Aussie will bark, be the mail man, the stray cat, the garbage man, the UPS driver etc. Anyone who doesn't belong will result in the family members being alerted to a possible danger. So some Aussies may be less suited to appartment lifestyles. I find my girls are more alert barkers than my males. Aussies are very athletic. This makes them great companions for outdoor enthusiasts. They do well when included in activities such as sailing, boating, hiking, swimming, skiing and camping. They thrive on being with their family as often as possible. For this reason Aussies do not make good pets for non-active families. They also do not make good pet for families who are active in alot of areas where the Aussie is not welcome, such as hockey, ballet, churchetc. They do not like being left out. If you expect to have BBQ's outdoors and lock your Aussie indoors because some people do not like dogs, your Aussie will be very put out and is going to protest. Likewise if you plan to have indoor gatherings. In other words they are a people dog. |
| About The Breed |
| HHC & Tresrullah AustralianShepherds, Miniature Australian Shepherds & Pembroke Welsh Corgis "Where Quality Makes The Differenc since 1993!" info@hhcminiaussies.com |
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