Learn All About Miniature Australian Shepherds

By Grace Daniels


Miniature australian shepherds have big personalities in little bodies. They are extremely loyal and are known to work toward pleasing their people. Much like the larger version of the breed, they are stubborn, have a lot of energy, and are extremely intelligent.

Since they are working dogs, they need something to do. Though an asset for protection, their herding instincts can be problematic in homes with younger kids. However, if they have the right training, abundant love, and plenty of attention, they are wonderful dogs for any family.

These little versions of Australian shepherds range in height from 13 to 18 inches. They also weigh anywhere between 20 and 40 pounds. These pups have medium-length feathered coats. Common coat colors are tricolor black or red and blue or red merle. The coat should also have white or tan markings regardless of the other physical attributes the dog has.

Since they are herders by nature, their training must be done carefully. This is because the way they herd is to nip at their charges' heels. This may include humans, in particular, children. Substantial training and early socialization is considered a key component to discouraging problematic herding behavior. Another piece of advice is to have them in homes where children are older.

These dogs have a tremendous amount of energy. This energy stems from their working dog heritage and, therefore, they need quite a bit to do. They need plenty of exercise, otherwise miniature australian shepherds might become destructive out of boredom. They do very well on farms, especially in working with small stock. They also are very well-suited to agility games. Most places that offer dog training offer these types of classes. These little dogs seem to have an incredible intuition about what their owners want, so learning comes rapidly.

The high intelligence found in miniature australian shepherds makes them excellent seeing eye dogs, therapy dogs, and rescue dogs. They are people loving dogs and will be right at the owner's side. This makes them wonderful for active families who enjoy constant companionship.

While their physical attributes and their temperament have quite a few wonderful traits, their are some health concerns with the breed. Their lovely coloring comes from a genetic trait that can also potentially predispose them to deafness and blindness. This is true for merles and merle crosses. There are also other potential problems with some of the dogs of this breed like hip problems and eye problems. Note, however, that any type of dog could potentially have health issues.

Aside from potential health problems, these smaller-sized variations of the breed are of great benefit for the appropriate family. The appropriate family has energy, time, and the will to see the dog succeed. Training will come more easily if the dog knows that the owner leads the pack. It should not be too much of a challenge to meet that goal since these dogs live to please their people. Their intuition about people's wants and needs will also be an asset for reaching that goal. The loyal and loving nature make miniature australian shepherds great family pets in the right situation.




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