Hi,

We are a couple from Holland and within a year we will be moving to the UK. After settling in I would like to have a dog. I am interested in the toy australian sheperds but I can't find one located in the UK. Can anyone help???

Please reply to mrsqpo@hotmail.com
Kind regards Inge

As far as I know there are no breeders of toy Aussies in England, but I did hear of someone importing one but I don't know if that has happened or not.

Why not have a look at the good ol' fashioned Aussies, or the Shelties, granted they aren't exactly a toy sized dog, but they are smaller than Aussies, and have most of the same characteristics I am told, or of course a toy breed that is available in the UK.

Good luck with the move and your search :D

Please don't take this response the wrong way, Inge, but you will find that 99% of the breeders of Australian Shepherds here in the UK do not want to see toy Aussies here - it's not a recognised breed - there have been many crosses done in the US, in order to "minimise" this lovely dog!

There are some slightly smaller Aussie ;lines, but they all come within the breed standard.

Regards

Margot

Hi,

Im importing a mini aussie from Florida but she isnt a toy size. She is 17". Shes only young at the moment but we are hoping to breed from her in late 2007 / early 2008. If want to email me about the breed then please sned me a messgae with your email addy in and ill email you.

But I thought that the breed standard for ASD was 18 - 21 ins in bitches so she is hardly a "mini" being one inch under the standard is she?

Hi Tohme,

Rizzo is a pedigree miniature australian shepherd. The breed standard for the mini aussie states that they should be 14" - 18" at the withers. She is within the size category. She has an excellent pedigree and both her parents are hip and eye tested. Her parents are 15" and 16" in height. She does look substantially smaller in size than the standard aussie being lighter and smaller.

sorry i didnt notice your email addy in your first message - ill email you in a few min

Go on, get a sheltie insted.  Will be cheeper (won't need to import) will have more respect (aussie people are not impressed with mini's or toys!) and most of all you'll have an established breed! :D

Either that or get a full sized aussie! :D  Lovely dogs! :)

Shelties are nothing like mini aussies - they are completely different in character and looks. They are as different as a standard sized aussie is to the sheltie. I agree that standard aussies are lovely dogs - but so are the mini aussies. They are an established breed - in America. They are recognised by the American rare breed association and also the national dog stock registry. They also have two main breed clubs which are now merging into one. The websites are www.mascaonline.org and www.namascusa.com . If you search on google then you can find many websites about the miniature australian shepherds. They are also acknowledged in the "All About Aussies" book by top australian shepherd J. Taylor.

I'm only going on pictures, never seen one in real life (and have no intention of doing so)

Temprement thoughout the hearding breeds is similar due to teh work they did.  Although yes different.  however I don't see why someone would want to spend lots of money on a dog they can do no more with then a crossbreed.... especially when the breed isn't even accepted in its own country yet!

A Miniature Australian Shepherd is NOT a cross breed.  Sorry if you think that.  Research some of the pedigrees.  They are Aussies bred from smaller "standard" aussies.  There is no cross breeding with anything else other than the aussie.  Their pedigrees go back 10-12 generations just like the standard. The standard was considered a mongrul until breeding and pedigree records were kept. The breed is accepted in it's country.  Just like the Standard.  It is considered a rare breed.  Just like the UK.  Only recognised recently in your country.  If others had praticed elitism before the standard Aussie was recognised in the UK would you still love your aussie?

Never said the mini aussie was a cross breed... :) I know it's not a cross breed How comes thes home county reconises it but it can't compete at AKC shows? 

It is still a rare breed in the US.  Masca and Nasca are uniting to get on the minis on the Foundation Stock Service which can compete in Companion Events.  http://www.akc.org/reg/fss_faqs.cfm can give you and idea of what the AKC expects.  It takes time.  Just like when the Standard Aussie people tried to get them reconized.  Other than that we do compete in club shows and ARBA shows along with anything else any regular aussie would like too.  How long did it take for the standard to be recognized in the UK?  They were on the rare breed listing forever there too.  Right?

According to the AKC only the 'regular' Aussie is recognised.

It wasnt until 1993 that the AKC officially recognisized the standard Australian Shepherd. The national dog stock registry has accepted the mini aussie and this was the first national organisation to recognise the standard aussie. The NDSR and the ARBA were the two organisations that registered the standard aussie before the AKC did and now they both register the Mini aussie. Until 1993 the Australian Shepherd showed alongside the Miniature Asutralian Shepherd in the American Rare Breeds Association where both breeds were registered. It does take time for breeds to be registered with the AKC and hopefully it wont be too much longer before the mini aussie is!  :)

I found this quote off the www.namascusa.com website
"The Miniature Australian Shepherd was developed directly from the Australian Shepherd. Throughout the history of the Aussie, small (under 18") dogs can be seen in historical photographs. Many believe that the original Aussie was selectively bred larger as sheep ranching decreased and cattle ranching increased. Cattle ranchers preferred a larger dog to work the larger stock. Some Aussie owners have continued to prefer the smaller sized Aussie while others prefer the larger."

So as some of you have said  - you prefer the standard sized aussie but some people prefer the mini aussie (it just happens that at the moment most of those people are in America! :)) . I dont think that just because people prefer one size of the aussie that the other size should be put down and dismissed. I personally love both sizes as they are all australian shepherds with the same amazing charcter and looks (although one is smaller in size!).

Sorry in my earlier post if I took this to mean you meant cross breed in the minis.

No worries aussiesfirst!  We have all read post incorrectly in the past :)

Another great author on the Aussie is Joseph Hartnagle.  Some great insight and also a great judge of the breed.

Thanks Megan - ill look him up on the internet. :)

Hi,

i have had Standard Australian Shepherds for 12 years. I currently have 4 that i compete in Agility and Obedience with.  One of my Aussies is only 17.5" tall due to a growth deficiency but since having her have been trying to find someone with a Mini Aussie as I would like to have one for Midi Agility. Please could you let me know about your Mini Aussie.

Why did you dog have a growth deficiency when it's only half an inch under the allowed size?

She may only be a bit shorter but she is very fine boned and has a very fine head. She has had blood tests at Cambridge and the Growth Hormone level for a normal dog is around 500, her hormone level is only 180. I had her brother tested also and he is well over 500, he is also 23.5" at the shoulder. She had a reaction to her vaccines as she was fine and totally normal until 5 days after her first vaccination. She then had pain in her front legs, developed ulcers in her mouth, wouldn't eat and slept all the time. She didn't get adult coat until she was a year old and spent the first 6 months on pain killers and steriods and one vet said she would be dead before she was 6 months old ! You have to see her to appreciate that although she is only half an inch out of the standard for height she is actually very small !

Hi Inge,
     As far as the information given on the mini or toy size aussie here.  Stand by what you want.  If you want a miniaturised size of the aussie define why you want an aussie and define why you think an aussie is right for you.  Research the breed and it's temperament and qualities.  The miniature and toy aussie is not crossbred.  It's a lifelong commitment and if you want to be owned by an aussie just be ready.