The Miniature Australian Shepherd was developed by breeding smaller Australian Shepherds for the desired size. The breed is rapidly increasing in popularity among those interested in a compact dog with a strong dog work ethic. They are especially popular in dog agility, and do well in other dog sports including herding, obedience, disc dog, flyball and many other activities.

Description

Appearance

The preferred height of this breed ranges from 14 to 18 inches (35 to 46 cm) at the withers and the weight is typically between 17 and 30 pounds (9 to 14 kg). Coat color combinations include 16 basic possibilities. "These combinations are the most common accounting for colors (red or black), coat pattern (solid or merle) and the degree of tan points and white markings." Combinations include Self Black, Black & Tan, Black Bicolor, Black Tricolor, Self Blue Merle, Blue Merle & Tan, Blue Merle & White, Blue Merle & White and Tan, Self Red, Red & Tan, Red Bicolor, Red Tricolor, Self Red Merle, Red Merle & Tan, Red Merle & White, and Red Merle & White and Tan. Eyes may be any combination of brown, amber, hazel, blue, or marbled. Some of these dog have eyes that are two different colors or may be marbled or swirled. Some may have a natural bobtail or the tail may be docked.

The Australian Shepherd is a medium size breed of dog that was developed on ranches in the western United States. Despite its name, the breed was not developed in Australia, but rather in the United States where they were seen in the West as early as the 1800s. The breed rose gradually in popularity with the boom of western riding after World War I. They became known to the general public through rodeos, horse shows, and Disney movies made for television.

For many years, Aussies have been valued by stockmen for their versatility and trainability. They have a similar look to the popular English Shepherd and Border Collie breeds. While they continue to work as stock dogs and compete in herding trials, the breed has earned recognition in other roles due to their trainability and eagerness to please and are highly regarded for their skills in obedience. Like all working breeds, the Aussie has considerable energy and drive and usually needs a job to do. It often excels at dog sports such as dog agility, and frisbee. They are also highly successful search and rescue dogs, disaster dogs, detection dogs, guide dogs, service dogs, and therapy dogs. They are considered the 18th most popular dog breed in the United States.