Question
Toy Aussie
We have a toy aussie, he is one year 0old and extremely hyper. He runs laps in the yard and through the house. I am guessing that is his herding. Are all toys hyper?
We took him to an agility class and he did great. The trainer kept insisting he was not a pure bred aussie because his ears are perked. How common is that in an aussie?
Thanks
AnswerSome purebred Australian Shepherds do have prick ears, but it is considered a serious fault. Not trying to offend you, but the fact is that most mini's and toys come from puppy mills, backyard breeders, and Internet puppy mills, and the stock they use is not generally of the highest caliber, since reputable Aussie breeders do not knowingly sell their dogs to people who miniaturize the breed. Here is the statement on mini's by the breed club:
http://www.australianshepherds.org/miniaussie.html
A toy dog would not likely be able to handle the work that an Aussie is expected to do (herd cattle), and one of the key features of these dogs, according to the breed standard, is "a dog of strong herding and guarding instinct". Some would argue that even the show lines detract from the dogs' working abilities. But, regardless of all that, the toy with Aussie breeding is probably going to have some of the same characteristics of their larger counterparts in the sense that they will be high drive dogs. These dogs were meant to work, not spend their time as lap dogs, so what you really have is a working dog in a lap dog body. Not all toy dogs are hyper, but many Aussies are. The reason he did so well at agility is that Aussies are, by nature, smart, biddable, and great problem solvers. Good for you for at least giving him a "job" to do. Many of these dogs get into trouble because they have no outlet for all that pizazz.
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