Australian Shepherds Vs Tiny Australian Shepherds — Which often Particular breed of dog?

There exists quite a bit of contention and debate around the status of the Miniature Australian Shepherds (and the even smaller Toy and Teacup Aussies) as a breed. In fact, the Mini Aussie is sometimes perceived being an inferior dog and some Aussie dog lovers refuse to acknowledge that Miniatures are even dogs at all.

Are Miniature Aussies Inferior?

Miniature Aussies as a breed are generally not very inferior. Reviews have shown that Minis don’t suffer with greater health issues compared to standard Aussie. Both groups do have health issues such as for instance hip dysplasia, but they’re equally prominent in either group.

Unfortunately, some of the bad press for Minis has been fuelled by unscrupulous breeders who’ve mixed breeds and bred without due regard to the grade of the dogs but simply with the aim of breeding small dogs. Australian Shepherd Lab Mix Some of those dogs may have experienced genetically related health issues and given all Mini Aussies a bad name. Furthermore, due to the increasing popularity of the Mini, backyard breeders have popped up and breed dogs which can be inferior.

Reputable breeders of the Miniature Aussie are then looked over with suspicion and all breeders of the dogs given a bad name. This plays a part in the Aussie versus Mini Aussie debates.

Australian Shepherds and Miniatures: A Shared History

However, it’s clear that Minis and standard Aussies have a closely related history. Both breeds originated in the American West as ranching became a way of life from the 1800s onwards. The breeds are relatively new and originate from a melting pot of different bloodlines and lineages, including possibly the Australian Koolie dog and the Pyrenean Shepherd Dog. The latter were brought by the Basque Shepherds who immigrated to the USA. The genetic influences of most these varied breeds triggered litters with different size types of puppies. Since dogs in those early days of ranching were chosen for his or her herding skills, not for size or conformation. There clearly was no breed standard and different owners would breed for the dogs that worked best as herders.

Breed Recognition for the Miniature Australian Shepherd

Today, the Australian Shepherd Dog is identified by the American Kennel Club as you size dog only. They cannot recognize the Miniature Aussie as many different the bigger Aussie. The American Stock Dog Association on one other hand, recognizes three size types of the Australian Shepherd: standard, miniature and toy.

Enthusiasts of Miniature Aussies established their particular club, originally called the Miniature Australian Shepherd Club of the USA, its name was later changed to the North American Miniature Australian Shepherd Club with the greatest aim to getting the Miniature Aussie declared its breed, the North American Shepherd.

How Does this Affect Your Dog?

Ultimately, if you wish to have an Australian Shepherd, whether “standard” one or you choose a Mini- you will need to properly research the breed and the breeder that you choose. Whatever kind of dog you choose, make sure that you buy your pet dog from the breeder with ethics who’s committed to the breed.