Mini Aussies

I have friends who have one, she is 7 years old they got her as a puppy.  She is a blue merle as well.  She is really cute, a bit on the shy side and timid, but pretty good natured.  Never bit b/c of shyness issues that I know of.  I would say she is about 25 lbs.  She has always looked small to me as I have always had largish dogs, but after I got my JRT she looked a lot bigger![]

Anne S could really help with this as she knows her Aussies and deals with the herding breeds a lot.
Here's what an aussie breeder/show person says about mini aussies:
[linkhttp://www.neelyranch.com/cgi-bin/mojofaq/mojofaq.cgi?cat=miniatures]http://www.neelyranch.com/cgi-bin/mojofaq/mojofaq.cgi?cat=miniatures[/link]
 
From what I understand, a mini aussie really doesn't exist and isn't recognized by the AKC. Just like the "tea-cup" varieties of poodles, yorkies, and chihuhuas. I hear they were crossed with either shelties or pommeranians to make the 'mini variety'

We have one "mini aussie" in the shop that is a psycho! Herding dogs can be nippy, but if you touch this guy's feet, he will seriously eat you. I think it was bad breeding because he did this since he was in here as a little baby- at 16 weeks old. He looks like an australian shepherd/basset mix. It's like an aussie with it's legs a whole lot shorter!

From what I hear, the Mini versions tend to have a lot more health problems than the regular aussie. I know t about the "double dapple" (I think)  that is when 2 merle dogs breed and can can cause the dogs to be deaf/blind.
 
But they sure are cute!!

Hi!  I have a 15 week old mini Aussie named Ruby.  I grew up with the standard size so I have some experience with the breed.  The mini's were not actually developed from Aussies bred with other breeds, but rather careful breeding of smaller Aussies to each other.  A good breeder would only choose the smallest dogs that are proven health-wise.  A merle/merle mix is a BIG no-no as it does cause deafness and blindness as well as other health problems. Ruby is the offspring of a solid red dam and a blue merle sire, and she is solid black with white markings, as you can see.  Aussie's have been known to change colors, believe it or not, as they get older, getting more or less white in a merle or a tri or even a solid black with white markings developing copper points.  I don't see any hint of that in Ruby but she's not had her first real molt yet so it remains to be seen.  While their size is smaller than a standard Aussie, which is typically 18-21 inches at the withers, a mini should be around 14-18 for a male and 14-17 for a female.   A great place to find out more about the breed is [linkhttp://www.mascaonline.org]www.mascaonline.org[/link].  

BTW - that blue merle pup looks like a toy, not a mini.  I would really worry about hip problems in a toy.

are minis about the size of a sheltie?? im trying to imagine it

The breed standard for a sheltie is 13-16 inches at the shoulder, so yes, they are similar in size.   A sheltie can be disqualified from an AKC show ring for being too short or too tall whereas a mini Aussie, which is not AKC recognized but rather competes in MASCA and other events, would not necessarily be disqualified for being too short or too tall.  They may or may not place as well, depending on the other dogs in the competition, though. More info than you asked for, sorry.  ;o)

I'm only gonna say this once.  There is no such breed as a "mini Aussie".  The ASCA Aussie standard does not discriminate in terms of size.
Unfortunately, the deliberate shrinking of the Aussie to make lap dogs, just as the deliberate chunking up of Aussies to make show dogs, is threatening the existence of this wonderful breed in its classic form, as a herding and guarding dog extraordinaire. 
For people who just want a loudly colored lap dog - please go elsewhere.  A small version of the Aussie is still an Aussie, with the temperament that goes with that heritage.  Not for everyone, especially if it comes from working lines (which do tend to be smaller than the show dogs, so often end up as "breeders" for mini-Aussie puppy mills).
There is a well known puppy miller in Maine who breeds these things, and I have seen some real disasters from that farm... One dog looked like a blue merle Italian greyhound. 

Spiritdogs, while I truly appreciate your candor, I'd like to point out a few things that I've learned about mini Aussies.  The dog in the OP looks like a cross between a papillon and an Aussie (bug eyes!).  Before we bought Ruby, I found out from several people, namely ASCA, MASCA, and my vet, that there are some breeders out there that cross papillons with Aussies to get them down to their desired size.  I agree with you that this does diminish what the original purpose of an Aussie was, a herding and guarding dog.  The "mini" is, as I have said on this forum before, still an Aussie, just in a slightly smaller package.  I do know that Ruby is a purebred Aussie; I have her lineage going back several generations.  Her Gr.Dam on her mother's side is ASCA registered as were the Dams and Sires before that on both sides (her mother and father are both MASCA).  As I understand it, serious Aussie people do not acknowledge "minis."  I was verbally assaulted at T-Ball practice by a woman who owns Aussies when I called Ruby a mini.  I think I'll just stop saying that word!  LOL  Thank goodness I'm not really looking for anyone's approval.  I am extremely confident that I have a sound dog, even though I have no intentions of breeding her. BTW, per ASCA, they actually do call the mini a separate breed while at the same time saying that mini's are basically on the smaller side of the Aussie breed standard.  If Ruby's parents were ASCA registered, I'd be able to register her there, too, regardless of her size. Now, all that being said, I'm having great success with Ruby in obedience class and after her next set of classes (intermediate) I'd like to get into something a little more specific.  I've thought of agility and flyball but the nearest facilities are pretty far away and I'm not really looking to compete.  I'd like to find out if there are herding classes in my area but am not really sure how to go about doing that.  Do you have any advice?  At what age would it be appropriate to start that type of training?  I know you're a trainer and was hoping you might be able to point me in the right direction. Christi

I do know that Ruby is a purebred Aussie

That was my point - if it's a purebred Aussie, call it an Aussie, not a mini Aussie.  Personally, I believe that the deliberate attempt to downsize the breed is not to its advantage.  An Aussie should be able to guard and herd livestock.  Ducks, not duckings.  Sheep, not just lambs.  Cattle (sometimes nasty kicking ones), not just calves.
Unfortunately, you will find some stronger sentiment than mine if you talk to real stockdog people.  Think about it this way.  Let's say you have a tiny dog that can do a really awesome job at finding people buried alive.  Then, someone comes along who wants a big, flashy dog just like yours.  So, they start breeding up the size (forgetting about other characteristics).  Pretty soon, there are a lot of those big colorful dogs, but none of them can find any buried people.  You, wanting to preserve the original people-finding dog, look for a mate for your dog.  Suddenly, the only thing around are the big ones...not good enough, if you want the working qualities.  That's what the stockdog people are up against.  In a breed with a very small gene pool, it's a shame to diminish it by removing some of the dogs that represent the original qualities of the breed.
BTW, the ASCA standard is ONE standard, and all they really say about "minis" is that they are just small Aussies.  So if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, unless you are simply in the biz of sellling lap ducks to unsuspecting people for big bucks, you'd call it a duck.
I think you should go for agility, or whatever, and give your Aussie a job, as she was meant to have.  Just please, call her an Aussie - and if she is one, register her with ASCA.

A teacup poodle is (usually) also a purebred poodle.  BUT that doesn't make it right to continue to breed down in size and cause all sorts of problems common ONLY to the tiny little dogs.  JMHO tho.

As an Aussie person, I'd say go buy a bichon or something if you want a little fluff ball.

I don't want to diss anyone who has a mini or any minis who may be very nice dogs, but it is really not the direction the breed needs to be moving in. I can also see puppy mills really picking this idea up and running with it (I mean, what's cuter than an Aussie puppy and if you can guarantee some ignorant pet store shopper it will be small as an adult...)

What's next, the Aussiepoo?
 
edited: grammar

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AussieDoodles

I was really not trying to be defensive in my last post but having been basically accused of wanting a "little fluff ball," I guess I really am feeling defensive now.  I am very interested in giving Ruby a job, thus my asking Anne for advice in this area.  Obviously, because of my desire to pursue some type of athletic training for her, I am not interested in a lap dog. You're right, Anne, I made the mistake of calling her a mini based on the fact that her parents are registered MASCA.  Unfortunately, per ASCA, even though her Gr. Dam and Gr. Sire  (and so on) are registered ASCA, I cannot register her with them because of her parents being registered MASCA.  I have decided to register her NSDR, so I at least have some formal record of her pedigree.  I am considering becoming a member of ASCA, which I was encouraged to do by ASCA, which would allow me to compete in certain events but again, I'm not the most competitive person so that's a lot to consider.  I have since stopped calling her a mini because frankly I'm tired of being bashed for it.  FWIW, I have never had any intentions of breeding her.  BTW, the people at ASCA were very, very nice and did not seem fazed at all by her size. Wollieherder, if you don't want to diss anyone who has a mini or any minis, perhaps you should choose your words more carefully.  How else was I to interpret your post? S - Anne, I found out Friday that my obedience trainer offers agility classes so I think we'll start there (I'll have to go elsewhere to join a club for competition).  At what age would this be appropriate?  Am I correct to assume that you were cautioning me not to pursue herding because of her size?  At 4 months, she is about 14 inches at the withers and about 18lbs (I have no idea how that correlates to her full-grown size but ASCA said she's not all that small, based on those figures).  I don't want to do too much too soon - I don't want to hurt her. 

What's next, the Aussiepoo?

 
woolieherder, bite your tongue! [sm=eek.gif]
 
Aussiedoodles?  Holy moly! jennie, you bite *your* tongue, too! [sm=eek.gif]
 
I'm not surprised that the ASCA people gave you a welcome.  They wrote the standard, and they know that size is not the main issue when it comes to Aussies - function is prized over form.  In AKC, they see things a bit differently.  If you see old photos from the shows of a few decades ago, there are working type Aussies pinning in the show ring.  Now, unless you have a big, white collar, big bone and a lot of coat, you can't place.  That lets out most of the working style dogs.  Unfortunately the same thing has happened with Border Collies.  No wonder that some breed aficionados don't like it when AKC recognizes their breed. 
 
Agility is a great pastime for any Aussie.  So is obedience, tracking, SAR work, therapy dog, canine freestyle, Rally O, flying disc, or flyball.  Aussies are a very versatile breed, and can do a lot of different "jobs".  Pups can do puppy agility classes, where there is no jumping to damage to the growth plates.