mini aussies

Question
QUESTION: I have a two-year-old mini aussie, and we recently purchased a puppy from the same breeder.  I am always interested in information about these dogs, so that is how I stumbled upon your website.  Many of your answers regarding mini aussies talk about these minis not being real australian shepherds.  I am somewhat confused because our dogs came with papers from the America Stock Dog Association, and the breeder gives guarantees of health, etc.  I have done research about the breed, and that information discusses how mini aussies were developed---from Australian Shepherds.  My dogs are miniature, not toy, and they are awesome dogs.  I would just like to hear more of your thoughts on mini aussies.


Sequoyah   ANSWER: Mini, toy, doesn't matter - you've been had to a certain extent.  The time to have done your homework on this issue was before purchase, not after, but I'm glad you are at least trying to become educated.  You may not like what I will say, but I don't want you to interpret my comments as an indictment of your dog personally - I'm sure he's a lovely companion and that you love him very much.  But, the fact that your dog probably is an "awesome dog" doesn't matter - he is simply not an Australian Shepherd, according to the ASCA, which is an Australian Shepherd registry.  The American Stock Dog Association is one of those "registries" that cropped up *because* the Australian Shepherd Club of America refused to register these dogs, and the breeders wanted a way to legitimize the "breed" with the public (so they could make money selling the tiny pretty dogs with all the chrome).  

Here is the ASCA statement on the matter:

The Miniature Australian Shepherd, North American Shepherd, North American Miniature Australian Shepherd, and/or Toy Australian Shepherd breeds are not recognized as a variety of Australian Shepherd by ASCA. The club considers such dogs to be a distinct and separate breed and will not accept them into its registry.

"Our bylaws state that ASCA purpose is: 'To encourage members and breeders to accept one breed standard for the Australian Shepherd as approved by the Club as the only standard of excellence by which Australian Shepherds shall be judged.' It is the mission of this club ASCA and the mission of its members to preserve the breed rather than change it."


We suspect that Mini Aussies are often the result of breeding from dogs that are not part of a reputable Aussie breeder's stock.  The reason I know that is that when reputable breeders sell an intact dog or bitch for breeding, they are usually fairly certain to whom that dog is going (otherwise they require a spay/neuter contract), and that the owner will abide by certain principles and not (as we suspect some of the mini breeders might have) interbreed them with Papillons, or other toy breeds, or miniaturize a dog that is supposed to be able to work stock into a lap dog or pet.  Because of the multitude of health problems that plague the Aussie breed (eye, hip, epilepsy, hypothyroidism, etc.), and its relatively small gene pool, a reputable breeder should have provided you with proof of testing with OFA, CERF, PennHip, etc., and not just a health certificate from a veterinarian.  The breeder should also have given you a five generation pedigree in which every dog is a registered Australian Shepherd (not some toy or small breed), and your dog's parents should have either show or working titles (not just for snobbery, to prove that the parent dog is physically and temperamentally sound for the work it was bred for).  In addition, the breeder should have issued a lifetime guarantee on the puppy - in other words, you could give the pup back at any time during its lifetime if you are no longer able to care for it properly.

I know you love your dog.  But, "designer breeders" will tell you anything to make their money selling puppies (one of the biggest puppy mill busts in Maine history was a mill that sold mini Aussies, and I can tell you that I saw many of them in my classes and quite a few bore absolutely no resemblance to an Aussie except for the color), and such breeders will bastardize any breed, or mix any two or more breeds, to do so.  They've just managed to figure out that the way to legitimize themselves in the public mind is to have a registry, hence the Stockdog registry you mention.  Keep in mind that that is not the only criteria for quality.  After all, even pet store dogs can be AKC registered.  
If you think your dog is an Aussie stockdog, try it on cattle...:-))
This is what the original working Aussie looks like:  http://users.htcomp.net/slashv/home.htm
If someone were really trying to "create a new breed" they would not conduct themselves in any way other than a reputable breeder would, and they would be honest about their breeding program, which dogs were in it, and why.  Plus, the dogs would all be health tested.  Even then, it's hard to separate out the wheat from the chaff among people who are really good and have high ideals and the ones who just want to sell you a puppy and go on to the next uninformed buyer...

I hope you have not been offended, and I am not saying that your dog is not a great addition to your family - at this point, he's just not an Aussie...and unfortunately, the more people who think that the Aussie temperament is the same as your dog's might be in for a big surprise if they get the standard variety.  Read this from the online guide, "Australian Shepherds - What's Good About 'Em, What's Bad About 'Em": "Australian Shepherds were never intended to be simply household pets. Their working behaviors (chasing, nipping, poking, barking) are inappropriate in a normal household setting with no outlets for their high energy level. These dogs are fabulous with the right owner in the right household, but disasters with the wrong owner in the wrong household."




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for the informative answer and for being so prompt in answering. I am not offended in any way because my dogs are definitely wonderful members of my family.  I can appreciate your passion for the australian shepherd breed, and I understand why you would want to protect their quality and reputation.  I truly don't care if my dogs are associated with australian shepherds or not (even if your descriptions of their temperment and personality fit my dogs), but we are constantly asked what breed they are (because everyone falls in love with them)---if I don't call them "mini aussies", what would be better or more accurate?  Should I say they are a mutt or a mixed breed or an aussie mix so I don't perpetuate this public misinformation?

Answer
Actually, I think if it were me, I would say that my dog has Australian Shepherd breeding, but doesn't meet the breed standard.  That way, you can explain to others the difference, and that they should research thoroughly before purchasing either an Aussie or your more diminutive variety:-)